Despite the Hawks dropping their third straight game to start the 2025 season, Coach Ryan Sells and the Mountlake Terrace High School baseball team remained upbeat as they walked off the rain-soaked Lower Woodland baseball diamond on Thursday. 

“I’m not panicked whatsoever,” Sells said. “I feel refreshed, I feel good and I’m ready for the season.”

The cheerful message of positivity — on such a gloomy day — came after the Hawks fell to the Metro League’s Lincoln Lyncs 4-1 in a non-league contest played in Seattle.

Terrace mustered just two hits against a pair of Lynx pitchers on Thursday: Senior Charlie McManus started and pitched five innings, striking out eight batters and walking just two. Freshman Sennet Timmermans pitched the final three innings for Lincoln, not allowing a hit, striking out five and issuing just one walk.

“They threw strikes,” Sells said of McManus and Timmermans. “I think for us, it’s just not hitting the fastball — that’s really what it came down to.”

The Hawks’ only run of the game came in the fourth inning when McCoy LaBlanc scored on an RBI single by sophomore Clan Harney.

It was the Lynx that got on the scoreboard first with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Lincoln’s Tucker Koerick scored on an RBI single by Marcus Versaw, then Versaw crossed the plate on a hard-hit RBI double to left-center field by Tait Boyd.

Lincoln added another two runs in the team’s half of the fourth inning. Koerick scored on a bases-loaded walk to Boyd, then Zach Nelson scored on an infield single by Versaw.

The Lynx were able to tally their four runs on just three hits on Thursday. “Honestly, our pitching’s been pretty good,” Sells noted. “It’s been the errors for us. For us, it’s been booting the ball, not being a go-getter.”

Thursday’s defeat came after a tough loss to Seattle Prep two days prior when the Hawks coughed up a three-run lead — and committed a consequential seventh-inning error — to get tripped up 6-5. That was preceded by an opening-day drubbing by Jackson 10-0 on March 17. Still, Sells isn’t worried about his squad as they enter into Wesco League play beginning on Friday, Mar. 21.

“It’s early in the season,” Sells said. “That’s why we scheduled these tough games. I really want to see exactly where they’re at. The non-league schedule, I pack it tight because I really want to see where we’re at.”

Terrace’s first three opponents have all looked strong during the first few days of the 2025 season — Jackson is 4-0 and has yet to surrender a run; Seattle Prep has been resilient in its opening two outings and Lincoln (the 2023 3A state champion) is off to a 2-1 start.

“This is why we schedule these tough games, to really get an identity of the team, our culture,” Sells said. “Then we move forward in the season. So I’m excited.”

There has been plenty of excitement around Mountlake Terrace baseball since Ryan took over the head coaching post just prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Hawks have qualified for the WIAA 3A State baseball tournament each of the past three seasons and hope to make it four in a row, led by another strong pitching rotation this year.

“Owen Meeks is going to be our number one and Jack Gripentrog’s going to be our number two,” Sells said. “(And with) Jeremy Perreault — all those guys have had the experience the last two years with our State runs. So we have good personnel on the bump that have experience.”

After starting last year 6-1 on their way to an overall record of 19-5, the Hawks’ 0-3 start this season may feel daunting for the team and their fans, but Sells isn’t too concerned.

“It’s early — don’t count us out,” Sells said. “We’ve done a good job preparing … I say don’t count out the Mountlake Terrace Hawks. We will be coming.”

Prep Baseball: Mountlake Terrace vs. Lincoln (Seattle), March 20

Terrace 0   0   0     1   0   0     0     –     1   2   1

Lincoln 0   0   2     2   0   0     –     –     4   3   1

Winner pitcher: Charlie McManus (Lincoln); four innings pitched, two hits, two runs, no earned runs, two base-on-balls, eight strikeouts

Losing pitcher: Jeremy Perreault (Mountlake Terrace); three innings pitched, two hits, two runs, two earned runs, two base-on-balls, two strikeouts

Records: Mountlake Terrace 0-0 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 0-3 overall; Lincoln 0-0 in 3A Metro League, 2-1 overall

Mountlake Terrace next game: vs. Lynnwood; Friday, March 21; 4 p.m. at Lynnwood High School

Lincoln next game: versus Seattle Academy; Monday, March 24; 3:30 p.m. at Lower Woodland Park