It was a tough year for the Bainbridge baseball team.

Injuries to numerous players – including its top returning pitcher in Colin Feldtman – and a lot of bad luck kept the Spartans from making a serious charge to the playoffs.

They started the season 5-1 and were ranked high in the 3A polls. But then came a long losing streak that dropped Bainbridge out of the rankings and the playoffs altogether.

For their efforts this season, four Spartans made the All-Metro team.

Taurean Yamada was an honorable mention.

Three Spartans also made the All-Kitsap News Group team, as voted on several weeks ago by the sports writers for the Bainbridge Island Review, the Bremerton Patriot, the Central Kitsap Reporter, the North Kitsap Herald and the Port Orchard Independent.

Candidates for the team are nominated by the writers for their respective areas. The nominees are then voted on by the writers, with the top vote-getters making the teams.

Two honorable mentions are selected from each school for each sport. The teams include the best players from area schools that not only performed well individually, but played a role in the success of their team as well.

The starters

P – Riley Crow, sophomore, Olympic: Crow set a new school record for wins in a season in going 9-2 with a 1.33 ERA in 63 1/3 innings. Even more impressive was that Crow struck out 62 batters in that span.

No slouch at the plate either, Crow helped his own cause with a .317 batting average, 11 runs and 12 RBI.

P – Tyler Sullivan, junior, Kingston: Sullivan is an athlete who knows how to throw the heat as he racked up 58 strikeouts this season. Sullivan can also work from the plate as he ha a .415 batting average and tallied 14 RBIs.

P – Adam Douty, senior, South Kitsap: At the beginning of the season, South coach Jim Fairweather wasn’t sure Douty would claim a spot on the varsity squad.

But after one projected starter became academically ineligible and another was injured, Douty claimed the No. 1 starter role. Despite a fastball that only reached about 75 mph, he finished with a 3-2 record and a 3.80 ERA. He also had 16 strikeouts and walked just six batters in 23 2/3 innings.

P – Casey Bohlmann, junior, Central Kitsap: Bohlmann answered the call to replace several talented hurlers, finishing 6-1 with a 1.72 ERA on the season. He struck out 29 batters in 40 2/3 innings, but was also stellar with the bat. The part-time outfielder hit .351 with 22 runs, 15 RBI and three doubles.

P – Eli Olson, senior, Bremerton: With a .426 batting average, 20 stolen bases in 22 tries and 13 RBI, Olson provided spark and speed to an offense that struggled to score runs. In 68 plate appearances, he never struck out.

On the mound Olson notched 28 strikeouts while walking only 11, throwing 409 strikes on 598 pitches, a 68 percent strike ratio. He allowed 34 earned runs in 40 innings of work.

C – Todd Dalrymple, senior, South Kitsap: Dalrymple was slated to play first base this season, but he ended up behind the plate after Shawn Stayton was injured. He had a .458 batting average with two doubles, two home runs, 14 walks and 15 RBI and didn’t commit an error during the regular season.

1B – Chris Jones, senior, Kingston: Jones is an all-around asset to any baseball team, as he can hit, pitch and play the field. He posted a .969 fielding percentage to go with a .414 batting average while plating 15 RBIs.

2B – Nate Roberts, junior, Central Kitsap: Another key junior, Roberts showed steady improvement from a great sophomore year, swinging at a .379 clip to go along with four doubles, 20 runs and 16 RBI.

SS – Dan Zylstra, senior, Central Kitsap: The senior shortstop showed his skills in both the field and at the plate for CK, covering short with the state’s best while hitting .380.

He was a big force in the Cougars’ offense, batting seven doubles and a pair of homers to go with 28 runs and 20 RBI.

3B – Brady Steiger, junior, South Kitsap: Rated as the 10th-best player in Washington’s 2009 class by Baseball Northwest, Steiger wasn’t challenged often as the Wolves’ No. 3 hitter.

He had a team-best 16 walks during the regular season and also had a .456 batting average, seven doubles, five triples, four home runs and 20 RBI.

OF – Caleb Brown, senior, Central Kitsap: A true all-around athlete, the all-state tight end and center fielder flashed his potential again this season, hitting .453 with 24 runs, 23 RBI, six doubles and three homers.

Baseball will be in Brown’s future, as he will now choose between college and the pros, having already committed to the University of Washington while also getting taken in the 42nd round of the MLB Draft on June 5 by the Boston Red Sox.

OF – Drew Vettleson, sophomore, Central Kitsap: Rated as the No. 1 prospect from the state for the class of 2010 by Baseball Northwest, Vettleson has a wicked bat and can pitch – with both arms.

While he went 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA, striking out 24 in 19 innings on the hill in his high school debut, Vettleson established himself as a force to be reckoned with at the plate, hitting .449 with 23 runs, seven doubles, two triples, six homers and 33 RBI.

OF – Colin Bowman, senior, Bainbridge: Bowman was the one steady presence on a team decimated by injuries. He hit .440 for the season with a .560 on-base percentage.

The co-captain also hit 10 doubles, two triples, drove in 11 and scored 15 times while stealing 17 bases.

He was an All-Metro second team selection.

UTL – Kramer Uvila, senior, North Kitsap: An overall stellar ball player and a good guy to count on in a tight spot, Uvila had a .418 batting average, a .681 slugging percentage and drove in 17 RBIs for the year.

UTL – Jordan Green, senior, Klahowya: Any ball hit near the speedy senior center fielder became an afterthought, as Green finished with zero errors and a 1.000 fielding percentage.

At the plate he was just as brilliant, batting .512 with 10 RBI out of the leadoff spot.

Coach of the Year: Jim Fairweather, South Kitsap: Fairweather lost his two top starting pitchers before the season began, but still guided the Wolves to their second state-playoff appearance in three years along with a Narrows League Bridge Division championship.

“He brought the team together with the way he overcame the crisis of losing our two top dogs,” SK shortstop Tyler Sartor said. “To make it to state with what we had was amazing to me.”

Also stellar

Willie Green, senior, Bainbridge, pitcher: Green kept it consistent on the mound this season with a 2-1 record and a 3.80 ERA with 18 strikeouts versus eight walks in 21 1/3 innings.

Green was an All-Metro honorable mention.

Reuben Smith, junior, Kingston, shortstop: With a batting average of .456, he demonstrated he’s a genuine asset to his team as he tallied 32 RBIs.

Justin Roulanaitis, senior, North Kitsap, DH: Roulanaitis knocked in 12 RBIs, scored eight runs and hit .360 for the year.

Glen Hewey, senior, Central Kitsap, utility: Hewey finished his senior campaign with a .308 average to go with 21 runs, 16 RBI and four homers.

Jordan Halstead, sophomore, Olympic, utility: He went 3-1 with a 2.78 ERA in 27 2/3 innings on the hill, recording 19 strikeouts. He also hit .421 with six doubles, 16 runs and a team-best 26 RBI at the plate.

Rusty Devitt, senior, Klahowya, utility: Hampered by injuries, he still made a solid contribution, hitting .433 with 10 RBI and two homers and a .528 on-base percentage as the team’s DH.

Noel Frederick, senior, Bremerton, outfield: Frederick led the team in home runs and RBI with two and 16, respectively.

He hit .353 on the year and swiped seven bags, scoring nine total runs.

Defensively, Frederick provided stability in the outfield as he committed only three errors in 46 fielding tries.

Tyler Sartor, senior, South Kitsap, shortstop: Sartor transitioned from second base to shortstop this season and served as the Wolves’ leadoff hitter.

He had a .455 batting average, eight doubles, four triples, five stolen bases, two home runs and 10 RBI during the regular season.

Colby Morse, junior, Bainbridge, utility: Morse played well wherever he was at this season, finishing with a .350 average with three home runs, 15 RBI and 12 runs scored.

Morse was an All-Metro honorable mention.

Robert Jordan, senior, Kingston, third base: Jordan stole 12 bases this season and constantly kept opponents on the lookout as Jordan was constantly looking for the steal.

Howard McDonald, junior, Central Kitsap, outfield: Another three-sport star, McDonald continued to show his athleticism this spring, hitting .383 with 21 runs, three homers and 17 RBI in the Cougars’ outfield.

Bryan Deszell, senior, Olympic, outfield: Deszell shook off a slow start this year to finish with a .360 average as one of a few Trojan seniors. He also had four doubles, 18 runs and 23 RBI.

Eric Eley, junior, Klahowya, utility: Eley was a big part of Klahowya’s successes in 2008, hitting an incredible .525 with 20 runs and 14 RBI.

He also helped the Eagles on the hill, going 4-3 with a 3.34 ERA as Klahowya’s No. 1 pitcher.

Brett Brown, sophomore, Bremerton, utility: One of many young Knights on the rise, Brown figures to play a tangible role on next year’s squad, hitting .303 in his 11 varsity games.

Ghryn Hobson, junior, South Kitsap, second base: He hit .431 with eight doubles, two stolen bases, one home run and 14 RBI during the regular season.