16U Sixers close out summer season

SPOKANE — The 16U Central Washington Sixers wrapped up the summer with an appearance at the Gonzaga Midsummer Classic, going 2-2 on the weekend to finish the season with a 27-10 overall record. 

“The boys were confident; we knew the tournament we were coming into that we were going to face some tougher teams,” head coach Jaret Fulbright said.  

Central Washington opened the tournament Thursday, taking on KBC 15U where the Sixers took an early 4-2 lead in the bottom of the second inning. KBC scored three runs in the top of the fifth to tie the game at five, later sealing the win with a three-run top of the seventh inning to win 8-6. 

On Friday against New Level, both squads found themselves tied at three through the first inning as Central Washington responded with center fielder Noah Echavarria scoring on a New Level error and second baseman Trey Tovar evening the game on a two-RBI single during the next at-bat. The Sixer offense slowed down after that first inning, putting up just two hits the rest of the game en route to a 6-3 loss. 

“We just walked a few too many guys in those games, and they got clutch hits,” Fulbright said. “We didn’t get our hits when we had runners in scoring position, and they did. (KBC) is a team that we’ve played in the past — and in the past, they’ve handled us pretty well — but we stayed in with them and competed all weekend.” 

The final day of pool play was Friday, where Central Washington defeated Sawtooth Catch 5-2 thanks to Tovar driving in a run and first baseman Jacoby Fulbright scoring off an error to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. The Sixers scored their final three runs in the top of the fifth with RBI by shortstop Ryan Martinez and Tovar, as well as left fielder Zayvier Olazcon scoring on a bases-loaded walk. 

“After losing two close games, it was good to get the momentum going,” Jaret said. ‘It built confidence with the boys right away, that we could go out and compete with this very good team out of Idaho. A team that, at the time, hadn’t been scored on the whole tournament.” 

The Sixers finished pool play with a 1-2 record, finishing tied for second. In the final game of the summer season, Central Washington bested the Untouchables in Sunday’s consolation game, winning 11-1 in four innings. Pitcher Jack Swedburg paced the Sixers with three hits, while Jacoby drove in three runs. 

“After beating Sawtooth and going into that (last) game, they were pretty confident — we reminded them, ‘Hey, this is the last game of the season, how do you guys want to go out?’” Jaret said. “They came out came out and took control of the game right away.” 

Jacoby led the Sixers in both hits (39) and RBI (31) this summer, closely followed by Martinez with 31 hits and 30 RBI. Tovar was third on the team with 28 hits and 27 RBI this season. 

“It came down to their approach; having the right approach going to the plate, having a plan at the plate and being disciplined,” Jaret said. “Being able to get the pitches they needed to drive and help us score runs and win ball games.” 

The Central Washington Sixers are sponsored by The Six athletic training facility, and 2024 was the first season. Central Washington fielded teams from the 9U division through the 16U division. 

Jaret noted the team’s ability to come together on the field as a standout this season, especially with bringing in players from multiple high schools. 

“We had five different high schools represented with the Sixers for our age group, and the way they gelled and came together quickly as a team — as a first-year program — and having the record they did showed that they played together,” Jaret said. 

Jaret expressed appreciation to the owners and managers of The Six for their support of a brand-new project.  

“A lot of the credit goes to the guys behind the scenes that don’t get a lot of recognition, Ryan Doumit and Jameson Lange, and seeing the vision and starting the program,” Jaret said.

    Central Washington Sixers first baseman Jacoby Fulbright paced the team at the plate this summer, posting 39 hits and 31 RBI.
  

    One of the tournaments won by the 16U Central Washington Sixers this season was the Central Washington University Summer Series, held last month in Ellensburg.