“We’re the Mighty Mariners, and we’re pretty lean this year,” said Ward Wallin, head coach of Silver Bay’s varsity baseball team. With just 14 players on the roster—a number he believes is an all-time low—the team faces unique challenges this season.
Still, Wallin remains optimistic. In fact, he sees the smaller roster as an opportunity for growth and greater involvement across the team.
“It’s a bummer to have so few players, but on the other end, it’s really pretty awesome because there’s so much coaching that you can do,” Wallin pointed out. “We’re teaching all the players to play every position just because we’ve got such a small team.”
The Silver Bay program graduated five very talented seniors last year—four of them were the team’s top hitters, and three were key pitchers.
This season, there’s only one senior on the roster. Fortunately for the Mariners, that senior is Jacob Carpenter, who was among last year’s top hitters and is also extremely impressive on the pitcher’s mound.
“Jacob Carpenter will be one of the top pitchers in the whole conference,” Wallin predicted. “He’s the core of the team, that’s for sure. He’s an excellent athlete all around, and he’s just a great competitor. He’s been really fun to coach over the years—that’s for sure.”
When I checked in on the team last May, Carpenter was hitting .389, carried a low ERA of 1.80, and led the team in stolen bases. Wallin called him “the fastest guy in all of baseball,” when he was just in his sophomore year. In addition to his baseball talent, Carpenter is an exceptional hockey player and will be heading to UW–Stout to play football.
As the team’s only senior, Carpenter is relied upon to provide strong leadership—a role that, according to Wallin, comes naturally to him.
“He leads by example—the way he acts, the way he plays, the way he hustles,” the coach said. “Some of these younger kids that don’t have a whole lot of experience, they naturally look up to him.”
Believing that “pitching is always the key” to any successful team, Wallin is grateful to have Carpenter—not only for his talent, but as a pitcher others can learn from.
“We have a number of kids who have not pitched at the varsity level. We’ll keep an eye on them and see how these younger guys do when it’s their turn to jump on the bump and throw strikes,” Wallin said.
Last season, the team was batting over .300, and so far, this season looks to be no different. The coach explained that early in the high school season, pitchers usually have the advantage over hitters, but the Mariners are showing a lot of promise at the plate.
“So far, what I’ve seen is the kids can hit the ball, so that’s been exciting,” Wallin said. “I think we have a pretty good hitting team, even though we’re young.”
As with any team—especially a young one—the coaching staff is stressing fundamentals and helping the players prepare for varsity games. Many of the athletes have had very little varsity play.
Despite the lack of experience— or perhaps because of it—the players are energized and eager to embrace the opportunity this season.
“They’re really enthusiastic,” Wallin said. “You’ve got a lot of kids who haven’t played much varsity before. They haven’t had a big chance. Now they have a chance, and they’re really looking forward to it.”
With the wet weather—it’s (obnoxiously) snowing even as I type up this article—many opening games have been cancelled or postponed for area teams. The Silver Bay team is no exception, and as a result, they were going straight from practicing in the gym to playing on the field the day Wallin and I caught up.
He had just returned home from the practice that would be the last before their opening game against Carlton/Wrenshall, and he was feeling pretty confident the team was ready—despite the lack of field time.
“I like to say the most important practice is the one before game day,” Wallin said. “We had a good practice. We’ve done all our preparation, and it’s time to hit the ball field.”
Wallin enjoys coaching baseball, though he often says that he’s teaching life lessons, with baseball being a byproduct of that. He finds the experience rewarding.
“I get more from it than the kids,” he said of coaching. “The kids, they make me cry, they make me swear, they make me laugh, they make me smile. I do it because of the kids, and that’s the fun part.”
He stresses the importance of keeping up with their studies, stating, “Academics always come before athletics, so let’s take care of that first and then go have fun on the ball field.”
The coach is hopeful the team can stay healthy and strong this season, which is especially important with a smaller roster.
“It’s a challenge because we don’t have a whole lot of depth, and we could be a couple of injuries away from disaster. But we’ve got really good kids who are listening and working hard. They’re ready to play ball,” Wallin said.
They certainly are ready. In the face of being a lean team with many young and new faces, the Mariners proved their strength the day after our interview, dominating the Raptors 21-1 and showing they’re ready to take on the season.
Congratulations on the strong start, Mariners, and best of luck in the 2025 season!
