Andy Atwood is one of two Irish players who already have signed their national letters of intent to play Division I baseball next year. Atwood, a pitcher, signed with perennial power Oregon State while outfielder Rex Stephan is headed to the University of Washington.
The sense of history, of legacy, is palpable with the O’Dea baseball team.
It’s present in the passing of the torch from year to year.
A season ago, 15 seniors helped lead the Fighting Irish to a state 3A title, the school’s first since it won back-to-back in 2008 and 2009.
“They set a tone, established a blueprint,” coach Michael Doyle said. “That group came in on the heels of back-to-back titles for us and really led. They showed the underclassmen what it took. They took the bar and raised it up higher than I had seen it. I didn’t know high-school players could do it.”
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It’s present in Doyle, a graduate and baseball player at O’Dea who himself was good enough to walk on at Gonzaga and play college baseball.
“My heart is all in this all the time,” Doyle said. “Maybe I have blind faith at times. It’s a special thing to hang a banner. If we can put ourselves in a spot to do it again, that would be enough for me. You have to rise to the occasion.”
It’s now up to a new crop of seniors, and players, to propel forward.
One of those key cogs is Andy Atwood.
Atwood is one of two Irish players who already have signed their national letters of intent to play Division I baseball next year. Atwood, a pitcher, signed with perennial power Oregon State, while outfielder Rex Stephan is headed to the University of Washington.
And Atwood has his own sense of legacy working. For Atwood, the signing of his letter was a culmination — and a tribute of sorts, to his father Jim.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted,” Atwood said. “My dad, he kind of brought me up in the lifestyle. That’s where the love comes from.”
Jim Atwood played high school baseball, then at Olympic College. He drew interest from pro teams, including the Mets and Padres, Andy Atwood said.
“Then he had an accident and hurt his arm,” Andy Atwood said. “In a car accident. And his dreams didn’t happen. It makes you realize, it just kind of all can be taken away in the blink of an eye.”
Atwood’s understanding, in part gleaned from his father’s experience, has made him only want to work harder — on the baseball field and in the classroom.
“Always academically, it’s just a huge part of it,” said Atwood, who has found he’s had to work hard in the classroom at times. “I have a tutor for calculus. It’s good when you have to work at it, something you’re not good at. It’s a good journey.”
“He’s a great leader,” Doyle said of Atwood. “He’s a lead-by-example guy, and he realizes he has more to learn.”
What Atwood and his team didn’t need to be told was to get back to work after winning the title last May.
“It really started right after the win,” Atwood said. “Our team, they wanted to go back to work. We started taking ground balls in the rain. We really knew what we wanted to do.”