Mules sweep Vikings at OSU baseball park

For the second year in a row, the Wahkiakum Mules baseball team has had the opportunity to play on a Division 1 ball field, thanks to Coach Marc Niemeyer.

On Saturday, the team traveled to Corvallis where they swept another Central 2B team, the Mossyrock Vikings, in a double header in Oregon State University’s Goss Stadium at Coleman Field.

“Ever since I took over as coach,” Niemeyer said, “I wanted exposure for the kids. So we are going on college visits every year. We meet the coaches, they talk about the sport in itself and what it entails. We meet with academics, we go on a tour of the facilities. We go to a game. They see what it is all about.”

The first year he took the team to the University of Washington. Two years ago, they went to OSU for the first time. Last year, they traveled to Oregon State.

He spoke to someone at OSU about the possibility of bringing the team down to play on the field. Niemeyer estimates that 70 emails and 20 phone calls later and with insurance in hand, it got the okay.

“It was just the idea of playing on that field,” he said. “It’s an amazing atmosphere. They are the national champions over and over again. We don’t have all the fans there while we play, but the atmosphere is awesome.”

Niemeyer wants his players to consider the possibilities. He wants them to dream.

It’s working.

“It was a good experience,” Freshman catcher Tristan Collupy said. “It was different than last year because I was starting. It was nice to be there. It’s a lot different going from our dugout here to there. It makes me want to go to the next level, hopefully.

Collupy has been playing the game of baseball since he was three.

“It’s been pretty unreal, the experience with the kids,” Niemeyer said. “They sure like it.”

The Mules won the opening game of the double header 4-0.

James Anderson pitched all seven innings, facing 21 batters. He struck out seven and walked two in the no hitter.

Zach Brown hit a double and drove in one run.

The Mules won game two in five innings, 10-0.

Z. Brown was the starting pitcher. He faced 14 batters in four innings, striking out five and allowing two hits. Terris Record finished the game, walking one and striking out three.