Wildcats complete successful season

Published 10:11 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

P>The 1999 Snoqualmie Wildcats 12-year-old baseball club

completed their 81-game season with a record of 64 wins and 17 losses. In the

eight tournaments they participated in around the state, the `Cats qualified

for the championship round five times and played in the consolation bracket

three times.

In 1998, the parents of the players decided to participate in the

independent 12-year-old circuit around the state, to assure a summer-long

season and a higher level of competition.

Coach Harvey Pelfrey states, “This allowed each player to have over

200 times at bat, and most pitchers over 100 innings pitched. Their

improvement through the course of the season was remarkable!

“The team batting average was close to .400 and the pitchers

averaged two strikeouts per inning pitched.

“Two of the most closely watched games by other teams in

tournaments were two closely contested events against the National AAU

runner-up Seattle Warriors and the western Canada champions, Naneimo.

Our players were on par with the elite clubs that selected players from a

much larger area.”

The Wildcats Club has become known for its traveling caravan of

family members. On more than one occasion, fans lined up around a

Wildcat picnic site wanting to purchase hot dogs and hamburgers. Team

president Dave Brown says, “We have been fortunate to have family members

who have volunteered to feed, babysit and support our players in any way

possible. We also had the support of 10 corporate sponsors that made

each player’s cost minimal.”

The Wildcats are preparing for the 2000 Sandy Koufax season. The

team turned down an invitation to a national tournament in Omaha, Neb., but

hopes to start the next season in a tournament in Arizona, during major

league spring training.