The Ball’s in Your Court – Welcome

Welcome to the sports page of your student newspaper, The Jibsheet. This will be the place for news on your Bellevue Bulldogs, as well as regional major league teams like the Seahawks, Mariners and Sounders.

Every week will include box scores for the previous weeks games, so that everyone can keep up with their teams.

There is little question that Bellevue College is a great school for sports fans, especially with all of the goings-on in the past year.

The school’s connection to the sports scene stretches well beyond just Washington State.

With graduates showing up on the national scene, veterans coming in to share their knowledge with the student body, and perennial playoff runs from each of the collegiate sports programs, being a Bulldog has never been better.

The school has played host to both current and former Major League Baseball stars in the last year, bringing Miguel Batista to talk about his recent book, then later inviting famous former baseball coach and player Tommy Lasorda in to speak to the students of the school.

While Batista is well known to Mariners fans as a consistent pitcher, Tommy Lasorda is a gold medal winner and two time World Series winner as a manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Earlier in the year, two former Bellevue College alumni made it to the big leagues. Vini Olivera won the Seattle Sounders FC Super Search contest to earn a spot on the team’s roster. Blake Hawksworth, former Bellevue College pitcher, reached the highest echelon in baseball by joining the St. Louis Cardinals a few months ago, and had a few good outings before being sent to the minor leagues again. Hawksworth is considered a player to watch in the future.

The men’s baseball team won the NWAACC title, and the women’s tennis notched their fifth straight championship this year. Softball achieved a number one seed in the NWAACC tournament last year and made the playoffs for their fifth year in a row.

The men’s basketball team also finished first in the North division, earning themselves their own number one seed. The golf teams were their usual selves, going deep into their own year-ending tournament. In all, each and every Bellevue sports team made their respective tournaments.

So based on last year, it is fair to expect big things for whichever teams sport you are looking forward to. Its not unreasonable to think another two or three championships to go with another bunch of playoff appearances. Bellevue College is blessed to be the home of a number of great coaches, which is why many BC clubs have had success for years on end.

Of course, it has been proven that team performance has been linked to crowd noise, so our Bulldogs are going to need fans to come out and support them in droves.

There aren’t many things in life quite like experiencing a championship (something those of us in the Seattle area don’t know well), which is why as many people as possible should fill the fields and gym of BC for as many games as possible. Support your school, and support your team.