Playoffs Near, Kangs' Cruikshank Signs With USF

A week after signing a letter of intent to play baseball for the University of San Francisco and with a .397 regular-season average notched on his bat, star Bob Cruikshank is feeling good about the Kangs heading into the playoffs.

“I’m feeling great about the season,” he says during a break in practice Tuesday on the LW field. “I wish we had done a little better. There were some games we should have won. But we finished as the No. 2 seed, so we’re right where we want to be for the playoffs.”

Those begin Thursday at 4 p. in Bellevue at Bannerwood Sports Park when the 8-5 Kangs play Sammamish. Second-seeded LW got a first-round bye, and it will play Sammamish (4-10), which edged Bellevue 1-0 on Tuesday.

After the Kangs split two tough games against Bellevue this season, Cruikshank is relieved—not to say that beating Sammamish will be easy. But Lake Washington coach Derek Bingham says the team is ready for anyone.

“Our goal is to win the championship,” he says. “We’re coming into this playing well. We know it’s a tough road, but we’re capable of beating anyone. If we play well, I’m not concerned about who the opponent is.”

If the Kangs win Thursday, they’ll play for the KingCo 3A tournament championship on Friday at Bannerwood. Cruikshank, the LW starting shortstop and a starting pitcher, hopes it will be against regular-season conference leader Mount Si (12-1), one of the state's top five teams.

“I want to get to Mount Si and beat them,” he says. “Our last game (of the regular season) was against them and got rained out. We played them once and lost (2-1). If we beat Si, we go to state.”

In that meeting, the Wildcats won on a walk-off single, after Cruiksank had tied the game in the top of the 6th inning with a home run, one of his five this season. He also hit seven doubles and drove in 16 runs.

Although Cruikshank had a fine season on the mound, faltering just once in a 14-12 loss to Mercer Island, his natural position is on the left side of the infield, either third or short.

“I don’t like pitching, I do it for the team,” he says. “Hitting and fielding are definitely why I love baseball.”

He feels he has improved in both areas. His batting statistics speak for themselves. On the field, he says he has become quicker. “I feel like I have improved my lateral speed.”

The LW coach says Cruikshank is a standout not only on the diamond.

“He is a great kid,” says Bingham. “You wish all your players were so respectful, such hard workers and such good students. He’s been a great captain. He and Spencer Jackson have been model captains.”

Cruikshank was recruited by USF as an infielder, and although he sounds a bit disappointed that a certain local university did not recruit him, he is stoked about his future in the Bay Area.

“I’m kind of excited about how it turned out,” he says, “moving to a new city, starting a new chapter.”

But first there are a few pages left to write in his LW book, starting Thursday against Sammamish.