(The following reprinted by permission from the Corvallis Gazette-Times.)
Photos
Mark Ylen | Albany Democrat-Herald Philomath High’s Kyle Swank celebrates with teammate Kory Stueve after scoring a run.
Scobel Wiggins | Gazette-Times Philomath catcher Matt Hill contains the ball at home plate in the win against Central High School. He hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning that put the Warriors ahead, 6-4. The team will advance to the State playoffs.
Scobel Wiggins | Gazette-Times Coach Terry Stephenson salutes the crowd during the dedication of Stephenson Field on May 13, 2008.
Scobel Wiggins | Gazette-Times Philmath High's Daniel Haynes, right, listens intently as coach Terry Stephenson addresses him on the mound during last week's win-or-go-home Val-Co League game against Central. Haynes went the distance to help the Warriors advance to the playoffs one more time under Stephenson's direction.
Philomath 11, Stayton 2
Pitchers solid to open season
Gazette-Times (3-10-08)
STAYTON — Philomath High pounded out 12 hits and pitcher Andy Harvey allowed only two in a complete-game performance on Monday in an 11-2 win over Stayton in its baseball opener.
Harvey struck out five and spaced seven walks. Kory Stueve homered and added two singles and two RBIs, Kyle Hansen had three hits and Josh Bitterman had two hits.
“We played well,” said coach Terry Stephenson, who still has several players on the PHS basketball team preparing to compete in the Class 4A state tournament. “Andy struggled a little but did a good job and we played good defense.
“For the first day out” against an opposing pitcher, “we swung the bat well.”
The Warriors play host to Sutherlin at 4:30 p.m. Friday in their home opener.
Philomath 11, Stayton 2
PHILOMATH 001 224 2 — 11 12 1
STAYTON 001 010 0 — 2 6 3
Harvey and Hill; Tegan, Blythe (5), Harris (6), Blaylock (7) and Hiatt. WP: Harvey. LP: Tegan. 2B: Hill (P). HR: Stueve (P)
Hits: Philomath 12 (Bitterman 2, Spencer, Hill, Stueve 3, Finn, Hansen 3, Wyatt), Stayton 6 (Tegan, Fravchami, Blaylock, Moll, Hiatt 2).
RBIs: Philomath 8 (Hill, Stueve 2, Finn 2, Hansen, Gates, Wyatt), Stayton 0.
JV: Philomath 9, Stayton 8
Philomath 7, Gladstone 6
Warriors rally for victory
Gazette-Times (3-16-08)
PHILOMATH — Seven walks and a hit batter, combined with some timely hitting, allowed Philomath High to rally for a 7-6 victory over Gladstone in a nonleague baseball game on Saturday.
The Warriors (2-0) scored three runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to come back from a 6-1 deficit.
It was the first game for seven players who were with the basketball team until Friday.
Philomath 7, Gladstone 6
GLADSTONE 112 110 0 — 6 12 0
PHILOMATH 010 033 x — 7 7 2
Cote, Herman (5), Larkins (6) and Rice. Hrvey, Haynes (5), Murphree (7) and Hill. WP: Haynes (1-0). LP: Larkins. Sv: Murphree (1). 2B: Young (GHS), Rice (GHS), Hill (PHS).
Hits: Gladstone 12 (Young 2, Taft, Armstrong, McNall 2, Holte 2, Larkins, Rice, Herman, Smith), Philomath 7 (Bitterman, Stephenson, Hill, Gates, Hanson, Murphree, Davis).
RBI: Gladstone 3 (McNall, Holte, Smith), Philomath 5 (Bitterman, Stephenson, Stueve, Gates, Murphree).
Philomath 8, Cascade 2
Philomath defeats Cascade
Gazette-Times (3-18-08)
PHILOMATH The Philomath High baseball team broke open the game in the second and third innings en route to an 8-2 nonleague win over Cascade in five innings on Monday.
The Warriors (3-0) took advantage of seven walks and four hit batters in the two innings.
Matt Hill had two hits and three RBIs for the Warriors.
David Sturner just finished playing basketball in the 4A tournament and took the mound for the first time.
‘He went four innings in his first outing after basketball, so he did a good job,” PHS assistant coach C.A. Rath said.
PHS plays at Elmira today.
Philomath 8, Cascade 2
CASCADE 100 01 n 2 4 2
PHILOMATH 143 0x n 8 5 1
Moore, Slate (3), Frye (3), Hudspeth (3) and Beeson. Sturner, Murphree (5) and Hill. WP: Sturner (1-0). LP: Moore.
Hits: CHS 4 (Hudspeth 2, Easton, Pinkerton). PHS 5 (Stephenson, Hill 2, Finn, Sinclair).
RBIs: PHS (Stephenson, Hill 3, Motter, Davis).
Philomath 4, Elmira 5
Gazette-Times (3-19-08)
ELMIRA The Warriors left 13 runners on base in the nonleague loss.
PHS (3-1) fell behind 5-3 when Elmira scored two in the bottom of the fourth. The Warriors managed one more run.
“We stranded 13 runners and any time you strand 13 on base you’re in trouble,” PHS assistant coach C.A. Rath said. “You’ve got to be able to deliver and get those guys in.”
Josh Bitterman went 2-for-4 with a double and Matt Hill went 2-for-4 for PHS.
The Warriors host Pleasant Hill for a noon doubleheader on Saturday.
Elmira 5, Philomath 4
PHILOMATH 120 001 0 n 4 7 2
ELMIRA 300 200 x n 5 10 1
Harvey, Haynes (4) and Hill. Boytz, Mosher (4), Boytz (6), Delaney (6), Boytz (7) and Harpole. WP: Boytz. LP: Haynes (1-1). 2B: Bitterman (PHS), Delaney (E).
Hits: PHS 7 (Bitterman 2, Stephenson, Hill 2, Motter, Davis), Elmira 10 (McCorkle, Mosher 3, Harpole, Delaney 2, Hammontree, Boytz, Daniels).
RBIs: PHS 3 (Bitterman, Hill, Sturner), Elmira 2 (Delaney, Hammontree).
Philomath 18/18, Illinois Valley 0/3
Warriors sweep doubleheaders
Corvallis Gazette-Times (3-30-08)
CAVE JUNCTION — Philomath High got big production from throughout its lineup in sweeping a nonleague doubleheader with Illinois Valley on Saturday.
The Warriors had a combined 37 hits as they won 18-0 and 18-3 in two five-inning games.
“The kids hit the heck out of the ball today; all the kids did,” PHS coach Terry Stephenson said. “Defensively we weren’t as sharp as we have been, but overall the kids played really well today.”
In the first game, Daniel Murphree, Kasra Azizian and Trevor Motter all hit 3-for-3, with Motter driving in three runs and Azizian two. Those three are at the bottom of the PHS (10-3, 2-0 Val-Co) lineup.
In the second game, the 2-3-4-5 hitters were 13-for-14 as Riley Stephenson, Josh Bitterman, Matt Hill and Kory Stueve led a 22-hit attack. Stueve walked three times and hit a homer, while Stephenson had four hits, Bitterman three and Hill 5. Hill had a game-high seven RBIs and those four combined for 13 RBIs.
Philomath plays at Newport next Friday in a Val-Co League game.
First game
Philomath 18, Illinois Valley 0 (5)
PHILOMATH 032 76 — 18 15 0
ILLINOIS VALLEY 000 00 — 0 3 2
Haynes and Hill. Burkman, Escelante (4) and Kendall. WP: Haynes (4-1). LP: Burkman. 2B: Murphree (PHS), Motter (PHS). 3B: Bitterman (PHS), Hill (PHS), Motter (PHS).
Hits: Philomath 15 (Davis, Bitterman 2, Hill, Stueve, Murphree 3, Sturner, Azizian 3, Motter 3), IV 3 (Carlton, Glasgow, Miles)
RBIs: Philomath (Davis 3, Stephenson, Bitterman 2, Hill, Azizian 2, Motter 5), IV 0
Second game
PHILOMATH 271 53 — 18 22 2
ILLINOIS VALLEY 102 00 — 3 0 1
Murphree, Harvey (3) and Hill. Anderson, Carlton (5) and Burkman. WP: Murphree (2-0). LP: Anderson. 2B: Stephenson (PHS), Hill 2 (PHS), Murphree (PHS). HR: Stueve (PHS)
Hits: Philomath 22 (Stephenson 4, Bitterman 3, Hill 5, Stueve, Murphree, Harvey 2, Sinn, Hansen, Azizian 2, Motter 2), IV 0
RBIs: Philomath (Stephenson 2, Bitterman 2, Hill 7, Stueve 2, Harvey 2, Hansen, Azizian), IV 0
Philomath 15, Sweet Home 5
Warriors rout Huskies Gazette-Times (4-6-08)
PHILOMATH The hits came in bunches, for both teams.
Josh Bitterman had two home runs and six RBIs on Friday to lead the host Philomath Warriors to a 15-5 Val-Co League baseball victory over Sweet Home in a game shortened to six innings by the 10-run rule.
Bitterman got the Warriors (8-3, 2-0) started with a two-run homer in the first and a three-run homer in the second.
Philomath, which finished with 14 hits, also had five doubles, two each by Trevor Motter and Derek Davis. Motter finished with a game-high four hits.
“We did hit the ball well today and we have been and it’s good to see,” PHS coach Terry Stephenson said. “All the kids seem to be coming around at the same time.”
Sweet Home, with 10 hits, got two doubles from Tyler Horner. Greg Sipe had two hits and three RBIs. JP Williams added two hits and two RBIs for the Huskies (4-3, 1-1).
Sipe, Sweet Home’s starting pitcher, wasn’t able to get through the second inning as Philomath pounded the ball early.
The Warriors led 7-0 before the Huskies got on the board with a Sipe RBI single in the third. Philomath got four more in the bottom of the inning.
Sweet Home got one back in the fifth, and the Huskies got three runs on three hits in the sixth, including a two-run single from Sipe.
Philomath ended the game with four in the bottom of the sixth.
The Warriors play a noon doubleheader at Illinois Valley today.
Philomath 15, Sweet Home 5 (6)
Sweet Home 001 013 n 5 10 0
Philomath 344 004 n 15 14 2
Sipe, Johnston (2), Williams (6) and Marchbanks. Sturner and Hill. WP: Sturner (2-2). LP: Sipe. HR: Bitterman 2 (PHS). 2B: Horner 2 (SH), Motter 2 (PHS), Davis 2 (PHS), Haynes (PHS).
Hits: Sweet Home10 (Horner 2, Williams 2, Sipe 2, Cota, Marchbanks, Johnston, Valloni), Philomath 14 (Motter 4, Bitterman 2, Sturner 2, Davis 2, Murphree, Haynes, Azizian, Stephenson)
RBIs: Sweet Home 5 (Sipe 3, Williams 2), Philomath 12 (Bitterman 6, Azizian 2, Haynes, Sturner, Davis, Stephenson)
Philomath 6, Central 2
Scobel Wiggins | Gazette-Times Philomath catcher Matt Hill contains the ball at home plate in the win against Central High School. He hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning that put the Warriors ahead, 6-4. The team will advance to the State playoffs.
Philomath baseball advances to state tournament By Aaron Yost
Gazette-Times Reporter (5-14-08)
PHILOMATH — Daniel Haynes set the tone on the mound from the start and Philomath High followed his lead right into the 4A state baseball playoffs.
Facing Central in a win-or-else setting to finish the Val-Co League season, the Warriors were poised against pitcher Michael Hamilton, knocking him out after 31/3 innings in claiming the 6-2 victory at newly-christened Stephenson Field.
Hamilton was the winner the first two times the teams met. As Central’s leadoff hitter, he was Haynes’ first challenger.
Haynes set the Panthers down in order in the first inning without allowing a ball out of the infield. Hamilton finished 0-for-4.
“We knew he had to come out in the first inning and set the tone, because the Hamilton kid is tough, not only obviously pitching, but also hitting,” catcher Matt Hill said. “He came out there and shut him down first, so we knew we had a shot.”
Philomath (17-7, 8-4) had to work for the win. Haynes gave up a one-out walk in the second, then Aaron Waterman belted a two-run homer on the next pitch.
“I just kept my head in it, and that was really important,” said Haynes (9-3). “We showed some good character and heart out there.”
Kory Stueve got the PHS offense going in the fourth with a one-out walk. Michael Finn laced a run-scoring double and, after a wild pitch, Derek Davis had an RBI single to tie the game.
Josh Bitterman walked, then Davis scored on an errant throw on a double-steal to give PHS the lead and left Bitterman on third. Riley Stephenson walked and moved to second on a balk for a 4-2 edge.
Then Hill smacked an eye-high offspeed pitch for a two-run homer.
“He really left it up there, he didn’t throw it very hard, so it wasn’t going very fast, so I figured if I sat back enough I could drive it out of there,” Hill said.
After that, it was a matter of keeping the Panthers (7-5 Val-Co) from mounting a rally.
Central stranded five runners over the final three innings. A tired Haynes twice got out innings with runners on third.
“I wasn’t feeling any adrenaline, I was pretty tired,” he said of his seventh-inning performance. “I just tried to work ahead as much as I could.”
The Warriors played flawless defense behind Haynes, who struck out five and walked three.
Philomath will travel to Ontario for a second-round game next Tuesday.
Philomath 6, Central 2
CENTRAL 020 000 0 — 2 8 3
PHILOMATH 000 600 x — 6 5 0
Hamilton, Waterman (3) and Pratt. Haynes and Hill. WP: Haynes (9-3). LP: Hamilton. 2B: Finn (PHS). HR: Waterman (CHS), Hill (PHS).
Hits: CHS 8 (Pratt 2, Oliveros, Waterman 2, Hedrick, Rardin, Hinds). PHS 5 (Stephenson, Hill, Finn 2, Davis).
RBIs: CHS 2 (Waterman 2). PHS 4 (Hill 2, Finn, Davis).
Stephenson Field Dedication
Scobel Wiggins | Gazette-Times Philomath High baseball coach Terry Stephenson, with wife Kristen at his side, wipes his face as the announcement is made that the Philomath High baseball field is renamed the Stephenson Field during a ceremony on May 13.
Time to step away for Stephenson By Aaron Yost
Gazette-Times reporter (5-20-08)
PHILOMATH — Terry Stephenson kept his head down as he stood by his wife and son along the first baseline.
This was supposed to be Riley’s moment, not his.
But the Philomath High baseball boosters had other intentions, choosing this moment to honor more than a group of seniors during their final regular-season home game.
After the introductions of each of the senior players and their parents, two booster club members were summoned. Carrying a placard, they marched onto the field, then turned the sign declaring the PHS baseball diamond as “Stephenson Field” around.
It was the ultimate honor the school and booster club could bestow on the coach, who in 21 seasons turned the Warriors into one of the best baseball programs in the state.
Including today’s 4A playoff game in Ontario, the Warriors will have made the state playoffs 17 times under Stephenson’s tutelage.
When this postseason run ends, so will Stephenson’s time as the leader of the program.
“I promised my family that when (Riley) graduated from high school that would be it,” he said. “It has nothing to do with baseball and everything to do with that I need to spend more time with my family and I want to spend more time with my family.”
An outfielder on this team, Riley is headed for Oregon State next fall to study in the Forestry program.
Daughter Tierra is in the sixth grade, so the time is at hand for Stephenson to focus more on her endeavors.
“He’s been the coach all my life, I even bat-boyed for him when I was little and then I’ve been playing for him all four years,” Riley said. “It’s been tough, but I like it a lot.
“He gets on us more, being tough, but it’s more personal because he knows all of us. I like it.”
Most of Riley’s friends on the team have been around the Stephenson family most of their lives. For that reason, this group of seniors is as close to the coach as any of his previous squads, and his expectations for them are as high as ever.
“He has high expectations and the kids usually come through for him,” said C.A. Rath, Stephenson’s top assistant for 17 years. Rath is also stepping aside at the end of the season. “It’s just been a blast. I’m glad I get at least one more game with him.”
“He knows us and our potential and where we can play at, the level and intensity, and that’s why he’s hard on us,” Riley said.
Stephenson will leave a lasting legacy at PHS, which was just emerging as an athletic power when he was hired in August of 1987 to teach physical education at the middle school.
It was a collision of opportunity that made Stephenson a first-time head coach.
A Grants Pass native, Stephenson played one collegiate season at Southern Oregon before eventually finding his way to Oregon State, where he spent four seasons as a graduate assistant under Jack Riley while finishing his education.
“He taught me so much about, not just baseball, but how to deal with people, how to run a practice and how to run a program and how to work hard,” Stephenson said.
Those lessons are stamped all over the PHS program he leaves behind.
Philomath baseball before Stephenson was a pale shadow of the program now.
Through fund-raising efforts and plenty of sweat equity, Stephenson transformed the facility into one to be proud of.
When he and Rath arrived, there was an outfield fence but little else.
Year-by-year they changed that.
“That’s been one of the funner parts of coaching in this district,” Stephenson said. “We’ve always had some little project going on.”
Stephenson acquired a tarp for the infield for the first season, enhancing the opportunity to play games despite wet weather. The Warriors are on their fourth tarp since Stephenson was hired.
Perimeter fencing was installed to enclose the field.
The booster club provided an electronic scoreboard, so that was the project one year. Then a tarp shed was erected.
The press box was burned in an act of vandalism, so Stephenson and his assistants built a new one. They installed a sprinkler system in the infield and outfield and they refurbished the infield. They built a new concession stand to serve the fans.
As important as any other addition, he helped get batting cages built, permitting players to hit and pitchers to throw regardless of weather or season. That particular project was completed in 1992. Eight years later, the Warriors played for the state championship.
Most recently, Stephenson, assistant Peter Finn and softball coach Dave Dunham took the lead on building new home dugouts on both the baseball and softball fields.
“To me, that’s fun,” Stephenson said. “I’ve really enjoyed doing those types of things.”
Those are the concrete, visible structures he leaves behind.
Less evident but equally important are the ethics instilled in his players: hard work and leadership.
“He always expects a couple guys to have great leadership and lead the team along,” senior outfielder Josh Bitterman said. “My first year he didn’t expect me to be a leader, but he expected me to be a hard worker and be ready to play when I was in there.”
That has been a hallmark of the Warriors since Stephenson’s first season. That 1988 team advanced to the state playoffs, setting the stage for the next 20 years.
“Our program is set up, or structured, so that if they want to be successful, they can,” Stephenson said. “We’ve just had a lot of kids buy into what we’re trying to do. They’ve been able to work hard and go on and be successful. Really, that’s the key thing.
“The quality of kids I’ve been able to work with, it’s amazing that at this size of a school that those kind of kids are there, year after year after year.”
Some individual athletes have stood out above others.
Mike Thurman, who went to have a Major League career, still holds the school record for strikeouts in a season. Chris Kunda is famous for his glovework on two Oregon State College World Series teams, including the Beavers’ first National Championship squad.
“Thurms and Kunda, they’ve been so good to our program,” Stephenson said. “They’ll come back and talk to the kids, they’ll sign autographs, they’ll show up sometimes and throw batting practice or work out with the kids if they’re around.”
Thurman, retired from baseball, has done that more often than Kunda, who is playing with Tampa in the New York Yankees organization.
Those two and dozens of others are the forerunners of the current group of seniors: players who started early for the Warriors and learned what it was to be leaders and examples for the rest of the team.
“Those two kids would stand out above the other kids simply because they’ve both been Division I kids and played at Oregon State,” Stephenson said. “But even without those guys, we’ve always had, I’ve always had underclassmen that played on the varsity that could come back the next year and mentor those younger kids, which has been a huge part of our being successful.”
Senior catcher Matt Hill, like Riley and Bitterman, has been on the varsity since his freshman year. Along the way, they’ve learned Stephenson’s expectations and how to relay them to the rest of the players.
“He relies on us to let the other kids know what to expect, he relies on us to do a lot of things and as a coach that’s probably a good thing,” Hill said. “It’s kind of the Charlie Brown thing, you hear it from a coach and it’s ‘blah, blah-blah, blah-blah.’ When you hear it from one of your own teammates, it hits home and tells you it’s time to get going.”
Personal responsibility, peer pressure, program ownership, those things Stephenson made cornerstones of the program.
Next season, someone else will build on those pillars, because after 21 years it’s time for Stephenson to be home in the evening, for the family to take a vacation in the summer not related to baseball.
“I do have a honey-do list that’s pretty long now,” said Kristen Stephenson, his wife of 22 years. “There’s good and bad to it. We’re going to miss the relationships we’ve built over the years, but it’ll be nice to have a summer and have my husband 12 months of the year.”
Philomath 5, Ontario 7 (OSAA 4A Playoffs)
Mistakes costly to Philomath
Gazette-Times (5-20-08)
ONTARIO — Mistakes in the field were more than Philomath High could overcome on Tuesday as the Warriors dropped a 7-5 decision to Ontario in the second round of the OSAA 4A baseball playoffs.
Philomath (17-8) had five errors.
“We just made too many mistakes,” PHS coach Terry Stephenson said. “We made five errors; we haven’t had five errors in a game all year. We felt this was a team we could beat and we didn’t play well.”
The loss also drew the curtain on Stephenson’s 21 years as PHS coach. While remaining as a teacher, he is retiring as coach with a 390-144 record.
The Warriors took a 3-2 lead in the second inning on Riley Stephenson’s two-run single.
Ontario moved back in front in the bottom of the third when the Tigers scored twice. OHS hit three solo home runs in the game.
Josh Bitterman had a solo homer for the Warriors.
Ontario 7, Philomath 5
PHILOMATH 030 011 0 — 5 5 5
ONTARIO 202 300 x — 7 10 0
Haynes, Sturner (5) and Hill. Laubacker, Horn (5) and Machuca. WP: Laubacker. LP: Haynes (10-4). 2B: Sap (OHS). HR: Bitterman (PHS), Davidson (OHS), Mejia (OHS), Machuca (OHS).
Hits: PHS 5 (Bitterman, Stephenson, Hill, Murphree, Motter). OHS 10 (Davidson, Fields, Mejia 4, Machuca 2, Sap, Laubacker).
RBIs: PHS 4 (Bitterman, Stephenson 2, Murphree). OHS 5 (Davidson, Machuca 2, Laubacker, Mejia).
