A string of Big Bend sophomores returning for another run next baseball season

MOSES LAKE — Five sophomores have confirmed their decision to return next season to Big Bend after their baseball season was cut short in March.

Matthew Plato, Skyler Sadora, Colin Cortez, Tristen Garland and Keakaoklani Wisneski will be headed back to the diamond next season to finish what they started.

Plato is a player Big Bend head coach Jameson Lange said was an everyday starter as a freshman with the Vikings, looking like it’d be the same way this season early on.

“Yeah, we’re pretty excited for him to come back, kind of a middle of the order type of guy that can be put to use,” Lange said.

Big Bend sophomore catcher Skyler Sadora split time behind the plate as a freshman, projecting as the starter this season. Lange said Sadora’s another middle-of-the-order player at the plate, and another guy that can solidify a starting spot heading toward next spring.

Cortez is a power-type, right-handed arm Lange said they look to for heavy use out of the bullpen.

“He throws up to maybe 91, 92 miles per hour, so we’re pretty excited about that,” Lange said.“He’s got a pretty bright future ahead after Big Bend.”

Garland, a medical redshirt player this season after being an everyday starter as a freshman, comes back to add a utility outfielder they can plug in anywhere, Lange said. Garland is a player Lange said can be a candidate to lead off the top of the batting order.

Wisneski saw limited time as a freshman as a backup, utility infielder, Lange said. Coming back, Lange said he expects Wisneski to still fill a similar role, coming in primarily as a second baseman, possibly spending time at third base also.

Sophomore Trey Evans, a right-handed pitcher from Cashmere, is headed to a top-25 NAIA program next season at the University of Jamestown.

Big Bend sophomores Kyle McPeak, Tyler Henry and Ryan Shipley are still mulling offers as they look at transfer options. Lange said all of the sophomores this season had the opportunity to move on and play at the university level.

A pair of sophomore decisions are still up in the air, Lange said. About 98 percent of the baseball student-athletes will have to find off-campus housing next season, Lange said. With this, Lange said some players will then be signing leases on places to live.

Lange said he doesn’t want anyone to sign an eight-, nine-, 12-month commitment on something if he can’t be sure they’ll be here in the spring.

He said he’d love to be able to have them back, but, with the incoming 2020 class and an already large freshmen class this year, He’s working to do what’s best for everyone given the current situation, he added.

Lange said the process has been extremely difficult and called it a “crummy deal.” What makes the process tougher is trying to assess players who weren’t really given the opportunity to prove themselves this year.

“Our championships aren’t won in the cage, or those type of things,” Lange said. “There’s guys that are great in a practice setting that don’t really perform great in a game situation. That’s what’s really difficult, trying to make decisions on roster size, what players to invite back and are going to be moving forward, or not being a part of the program.”

Basing that off a very limited opportunity is really, really hard, he added.

Lange said four-year schools typically look at junior college players given their ability to step directly in and make an impact. With every school, including these four-year colleges, trying to fit an extra class into their roster, it becomes difficult again, he said.