Following a state run and a finish atop the Narrows Bridge Division, it was only logical that several Vikings would be among the top county talent, as selected by the writers of the Kitsap Newspaper Group.

Jared Prince, Jordan Prince, Jordan Henry, Chris Williams and Marcus Curtis each made the team, as selected by the writers of the Herald, Central Kitsap Reporter and the Port Orchard Independent. Travis Tobin also garnered an honorable mention.

While baseball’s best are included in today’s edition, the June 11 Herald carried the brightest from Kitsap’s boys’ soccer team. The spring segment of the All-Kitsap teams will conclude Saturday, June 18 with the best of the fastpitch players.

1B – Alan Stabler, Central Kitsap: The power-hitting catcher/first baseman co-led the Cougars, and area teams, with four home runs while driving in 19 RBIs. He also hit .380 to boot.

2B — Dan Dillard, South Kitsap: As solid as they come, Dillard made just two errors all year while batting .377 and driving in 19 runs while batting second for the Wolves.

3B – Jordan Prince, North Kitsap: Though he may have lived in the shadow of his brother, Jared, the Viking third baseman holds up very impressive numbers of his own: close to a .500 batting average, the team high, with 17 RBIs through the regular season.

“He’s a developing player,” NK coach Steve Frease said. “He’s gonna be the anchor of the team next year.”

SS – Zach Jacob, South Kitsap: Slick-fielding junior batted .414 and led the Wolves with 12 extra-base hits.

OF – Chris Williams, North Kitsap: Following last season, the junior wasn’t sure if he was going to play this year. Encouragement to work hard in the off-season from his peers, however, led to a .367 batting average, 23 runs scored and 15 RBIs in the regular season. If there was a way to get on base, he found it, also leading the team in walks, with 16.

“He’s got speed and energy,” coach Frease said. “And he worked incredibly hard and that paid off.”

OF – Kyle Pease, South Kitsap: Pease collected eight extra-base hits, including three home runs, hit .400 and drove in 19 runs from the Wolves lead-off position.

OF – Issac Solaita, Klahowya: The five-tool player with strong speed and great defense led the Eagles to a share of the Nisqually League regular-season crown, in large part thanks to his .432 batting average.

C — Marcus Curtis, North Kitsap: Curtis kept the clean-up role he’s had for the past two years and used it to belt in 17 RBIs, tied for second only to Jared Prince on the team. But coach Frease said it’s not just the tangible stats that make the catcher the player he is.

“It is Marcus’s willingness to do the necessary extra work to get better,” he said.

P — Jared Prince, North Kitsap: The MVP of this team, he was North Kitsap’s biggest threat and his opponent’s worst enemy both on the mound and at the plate. Prince’s baseball talents lit up other squads with a .458 batting average and 21 RBIs to lead the team.

On the hill, he was equally dominant, striking out an average of nine batters a game. He’ll likely get plenty of innings next year when he suits up for the Washington State University Cougars.

Possibly Prince’s most valuable asset, coach Frease said, was his ability to understand that talent can get you nowhere without hard work.

“I think he understands there’s no status quo in athletics,” he said. “He develops continually. He comes in every morning to hit, lifts during off-season and during the season. You don’t often see that.”

“I think he’s gonna impact any program he joins,” Frease said. “He’ll play early and often.”

P – Andrew Thatcher, South Kitsap: Just a junior, Thatcher constantly confused opposing batters with a nasty curveball that helped him go 6-2 on the year.

P – Zac Brown, Central Kitsap: To go along with his 28 strikeouts in 31 innings and his 3.16 ERA, Brown helped his own cause by slugging four homers.

P – Ronnie Purser, Olympic: Purser went 4-1 with an ERA of just 2.33 to help lead Oly’s late season run. Purser should help the Trojans turn the corner and return to the playoffs next season.

UTL – Shea Baumgartner, Olympic: Baumgartner was huge for Olympic this year, swinging a .375 clip for Oly while blasting four home runs.

UTL – Jordan Henry, North Kitsap: The starting shortstop’s second half of a stellar season was capped with a two-for-four, five RBI performance versus Kentlake at state that saw the Vikings come up just short in their first round game. He was also batted .395 on the season.

“He found his swing this year, and it was fun to watch,” Frease said. “A switch had flipped on for him. He also made some web gem plays (at shortstop).”

Coach — Bill Baxter, Central Kitsap: Baxter helped the Cougars grow into the 14-7 team they became. Expected to drop off pace after their torrid start, CK advanced all the way to the WCD playoffs. With many returners, the Cougars should continue to thrive under Baxter’s tutelage.

Honorable Mentions:

Nick Bankus, Olympic: The outfielder and pitcher put together strong seasons on both sides, hitting .465 for the season with 18 RBI.

Travis Tobin, North Kitsap: The senior batted lead-off for the Narrows Bridge Champion Vikings all season long, compiling a 20 runs and a team high 16 stolen bases.

Matt Hudson, South Kitsap: Hudson went 5-5 and proved how good he could be with some great outings to finish the year.

John Taylor, Olympic: The Trojans third baseman provided outstanding defense for Oly, while also leading the team in RBI with 22.

James Lane, Central Kitsap: Ranked in the top 70 players in the class of 2005 by Baseball Northwest, Lane went 5-3 on the mound for CK this season.

Doug Franz, South Kitsap: Hit .333 with six RBI playing multiple positions this year.

Tyler Owens, Central Kitsap: With 4 long balls, Owens co-led area players while also providing solid range and an accurate throwing arm for CK.

Sean Loitz, Bremerton: With a strong arm and a no-nonsense attitude behind the plate, he helped Bremerton triple its win count.

Derek Solaita, Klahowya: He should continue to develop into one of the Nisqually League’s finest ball players.

Brandon Bennett, Klahowya: In 27.2 innings of work, Bennett fanned 20 batters en route to a 4.55 ERA, helping take KSS back to the playoffs.

Justin Rash, Bremerton: Rash, a freshman, has time on his side, and a lot of work under his belt.