Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
It didn’t take long this season for Dakota Hill’s Tornados to match its conference wins from the 2024 season, as Yelm High School’s baseball team is off to a red-hot 4-1 start in the South Puget Sound League (SPSL).
Last season, it took the Tornados 12 matchups in the South Sound Conference to notch four league victories. Now, in Yelm’s inaugural 4A SPSL season, Hill’s team has matched its win count against conference opponents from the year prior through just five games.
Following a double-header series sweep over the Graham-Kapowsin Eagles last Saturday and a dramatic win over the Rogers Rams that started last Friday and finished on Monday, the Tornados would split a series 1-1 with the Olympia Bears — which Hill described as “one of the best teams in the state.”
Before accepting a job as YHS’s head baseball coach, Hill worked as an assistant coach in the Olympia High School baseball program.
“They’re one of the best teams in the state, and we competed with them. In game one, I thought we came out and played very well,” Hill said. “Wyatt Robison came out and shoved, and he pitched very well. There was this swagger that we had that carried all the way through, and it was really awesome to see. The boys competed. They played with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder.”
In the Tornados’ first matchup of the series with the Olympia Bears on Tuesday, April 1, Yelm would outlast its Thurston County rival 7-3 behind the strong pitching efforts of senior Wyatt Robison.
“When he’s going, he’s so confident, and the boys are right behind him. It’s really contagious,” Hill said of Robison. “He’s fun to watch, and when he’s throwing strikes, he’s really good. The boys know that, and they ride off that momentum for sure.”
The series finale against Olympia on Wednesday, April 2, didn’t follow the trend of the first matchup between the Tornados and the Bears, as Hill’s former team got the best of YHS in a 10-0 victory.
“This one got away from us really fast,” Hill said. “When you’re trying to play against that good of a team from behind, it’s tough. The pitching kind of crumbled after having to play five games in five days; we were kind of wiped. I was disappointed in the outcome, but I think we’re at that point as a team where we should expect more from ourselves. I’m glad we’re at the point — where the boys were hard on themselves after the loss — it means we expect more from ourselves. This week, we arrived, and all of the hard work is showing up again.”
Despite the loss, Hill reminded his team they’re off to a 4-1 start in one of the toughest leagues in the state of Washington, regardless of classification, and of the hard work his athletes have put in to get to this point. He anticipates his team getting right back on track, despite the shutout loss.
“I keep going back to all of the hard work they’ve put in. They deserve to be here. Keep it up and keep the same mentality,” Hill said. “Our leaders have done a great job in helping find our identity as a team. We’re going to be a pain in the butt to play. Nobody should like to play us. We’re getting there with our mentality as a dugout, as a team out on the field – we don’t want to be fun to play against.”
Hill highlighted the performances of junior outfielder Wesley Thompson — who has a batting average of .500 as of Thursday, April 3 — along with junior third baseman Jonah Smith, senior outfielder Barrett Schnetz, junior infielder Parker Myers, junior infielder Lincoln Ramirez and junior infielder and pitcher Landan Halterman. He noted that sophomore utility player Quinten Loomis has filled in very well along the way in the early season, too.
“If you go back to the start of this stretch, it’s been somebody different coming up big every game,” Hill said. “Whether it be Barrett coming up with a big hit, Wes going 4-for-4, Wyatt pitching really well — it’s not just one guy carrying us. It’s been really fun.”
Following the series split with Olympia, the Tornados traveled to Emerald Ridge High School for an SPSL north-south division matchup on Friday, April 4. The contest resulted in Yelm losing 9-2.
“This league is cutthroat. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day,” Hill said. “It’s a very competitive league and I love it. I think our boys love it. They’ve so far risen to that challenge.”
Following the matchup with Emerald Ridge, Yelm played the Bethel Bison in a two-game series on Tuesday, April 8, and Wednesday, April 9; however, the Nisqually Valley News went to publication prior to results being available.
Following the series against the SPSL south’s Bethel, Yelm will host the SPSL north’s Sumner Spartans at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 11. Then, at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15, Yelm will hit the road and travel to Spanaway Lake for game one of a series matchup against the Sentinels. Game two will be played at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, at home.
