Name: Mark Morris High School
City and State: Longview, WA
Head Coach
Brock Myklebust (Year 3)
Assistant Coaches
Jason McClung (Var), Levi Atkins (Var). Jarrett Skreen (JV Head) Kyle Cole (JV)
Who are some key returning players for the team and what do you hope to see from each of them this year?
Sr. Stephen Hammergren (P/OF): Lower Columbia Signee, All-State outfielder, and 2 time 1st Team All-League pitcher. Stevie is going to be a large part of our teams success, both on the mound and at the plate. He led the team in batting average last season (.452) and was second in innings thrown (30), and will likely be at the top of those stat categories again this season. He has put on a lot of muscle this off-season and it has shown in the pre-season cage and bullpen work. The future Red Devil is set to end his time as a Monarch on a big note.
Sr. Langston Bartell (P/OF): 2 time 1st Team All-League pitcher/outfielder. Like Stevie, Langston was a staple in our teams previous success. Langston threw the most innings last season (36.2) and will be called on again to be a work horse on the mound. Langston hit .333 last season and was nearly perfect in the outfield boasting a .938 fielding percentage. Langston is a natural competitor who hates to lose more than most people. He’s set to have a huge year.
Sr. Kellen Desbiens (INF): Aquinas College Signee and 2nd Team All-League infielder. The past 2 seasons Kellen has bounced all around the infield, but this season will be our everyday shortstop and hit in the lead off spot. His high baseball IQ and understanding of how we like to play the game at Mark Morris will help us win a lot of games this season. Kellen is a natural leader who will do whatever it takes to help his team win.
Jr. Dossen Morrow (INF/P): All-State INF and 2 time 1st Team All-League INF. Dossen is ready to start right up from where he left off last season. He has been a staple in our lineup the past 2 seasons and as long as teams pitch to him, he is once again going to show he’s arguably the best overall hitter in our area. Outside of being a big piece to our offensive success, he will be called on to throw earlier in the season this year. If his arm is in good enough shape to pitch he will be a great addition to our pitching depth.
Who are some key underclassmen that are moving up in the program and can make an impact? What do you hope to see from each of them this year?
Jr. Austin Lindquist (P/INF): Austin isn’t necessarily an underclassmen, but this will be his second season of high school baseball. Austin was a key piece to our success last season on the mound. In his first start on the mound, he threw a perfect game. He will be called on again to throw a lot of innings, both out of the pen and as a starter. Outside of being a key piece to our pitching rotation, he will also be an every day INF, and hit in the middle of our lineup. I’m excited to see what Austin will do after a year of varsity baseball under his belt.
Soph. Zach Doherty (INF/P): Zach was a key piece to the JV teams success last season. He had a great Summer and Fall season where he was asked to do it all. He played all over the infield, pitched, and hit lead off. He has a high baseball IQ for a sophomore. He has worked hard to grow his game and will be thrown into the fire early against very strong non-league opponents early in the season. I have confidence he will be successful.
Fresh. Decker Bartell (OF/P): Decker, the younger brother of Langston will make his impact immediately at Mark Morris. He will see time both in the outfield and behind the dish when Trenton Lamb (JR.) needs a break or is on the mound. Decker has shown in the cages he has no problem catching our top arms or hitting velo. He will be a power bat from the left side. It will be fun to see the two Bartell brothers compete on the field together.
What areas will you be focusing on early in the season?
Early on during the season we will be focusing on playing to our strengths. Our guys know how close we were to making it to state last season, and they know what it takes to be a competitive baseball team. We have a very deep pitching rotation, and it will be crucial for us to throw strikes early and often. Defensively, it will be LOTS of reps, competition, and developing the right mix of players for our team to be the most successful we can be. Offensively, we will focus early on having a plan in the box and not trying to do too much. With only having 11 days of practice before the first game, typically pitchers over power hitters due to the lack of AB’s in those 11 days. It’s our goal offensively for that not to be the case. Our guys will see live AB’s and high velo machine work just about every day until game 1. We want to be ready offensively come first pitch on March 11th in Ephrata.
What are the expectations and goals for the team in 2023?
My expectations are that we play the game the right way and get better each day. As I mentioned previously, our guys know how close they were last season to getting over the hump and making it to state. When the seniors came into our program as freshman our goal was to make it to the playoffs. They accomplished that their first varsity season. Our goal now is to win a league, district, and state championship. We have a team that should compete hard and I’m excited for the 2023 Mark Morris Baseball season. Go Monarchs!