The annual local baseball tradition of the Clark County All-Star Game looked different than past years.
The format included a futures game with underclassmen as well as the Senior All-Star Game honoring the high school careers of the best baseball players around for the last four years.
The Clark County All-Star Game took place at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex on Monday, June 2.
The tradition of honoring fallen soldier Cpl. Jeremiah Johnson, who once played in the Clark County All-Star Game, continued with the memorial scholarship awarded to two senior Most Valuable Players, Harrison Hoffarth of Columbia River and Houston Coyle of La Center.
Johnson graduated from Prairie High School in 2001 and joined the Army afterwards. Johnson made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in Iraq in 2007, the stadium announcer said.
Johnson’s parents, Beth and Dave Johnson, created the Cpl. Jeremiah Johnson MVP Scholarship Award with the Evergreen Baseball Umpires Association.
“It was unexpected, really. It was really unexpected,” Coyle said after receiving the honor. “I didn’t know this was given out today. But it’s really an honor to hear my name correlated with this guy. And I mean, it’s definitely something that I will cherish and I will appreciate throughout my life.”
Coyle is fresh off of being a member of the greatest baseball team in La Center High School history after advancing into the semifinal round, then the title game. The Wildcats fell short of state title hopes, but second place is the best a Wildcat baseball squad has ever done.
Coyle said the postseason run was definitely a great memory, but the time spent with the team is unmatched.
“All the guys, I mean, our brotherhood is unmatched with any other team,” he said, adding that he was originally unaware of his team being the first in school history to reach the semifinals of a state tournament.
On the contrary, Battle Ground senior catcher Ethan Nelson joked that he came out of retirement to play quite a bit in the Clark County All-Star Game. Nelson last touched the field for the Tigers on May 14.
Nelson said the experience of being able to put on the catcher's gear one last time was meaningful, especially since he hit a double in the all-star game. Now that his baseball career is behind him, Nelson said he looks forward to the endless fun the sport of golf will bring for him.
