It was all about the University of Washington purple and gold on Tuesday afternoon in the Redmond High School (RHS) Career Center.
With a pair of bats leaning against a table, a baseball and softball on top, UW-colored balloons floating in the air and family, friends and coaches present, Mustang seniors Brendan Ecklebarger and Kaija Gibson signed on to play for the Huskies. (The players officially signed their letters of intent on Veterans Day, Nov. 11 — a non-school day — but they did it again for the school event.)
“It’s unbelievable. I’ve been waiting to sign a piece of paper for three years now,” said Gibson, who caught the eyes of UW coaches earlier in her career. “I’ve met the girls I’m gonna go play with. I have known some of the girls that are already on the team for a long time now, and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s such a family atmosphere — the coaches are great.”
Gibson, who hit a key home run in RHS’s 4A Kingco championship victory in 2014, said she enjoys competing on the softball field and notching solid grades in the classroom. RHS has prepared her well for UW in both realms, she said.
Bonding with the girls on the softball diamond is key for Gibson.
“I love the girls. That’s probably my favorite part of the high school season because everybody’s so excited to play games all the time. Everybody wants to win every single game and I think that’s really cool,” said Gibson, a shortstop, whose Mustang teams made it to state the last two seasons.
As for Ecklebarger, who signed his initial UW letter while vacationing in Hawaii, the Husky program has been on his radar since its coaches scouted him the summer before his sophomore year at RHS.
“I’ve always lived around UW fans. UW has just always been an amazing place every time you drive by it,” he said, noting that the new Husky ballpark is first-rate. “As soon as I saw that, I knew I had to be a Husky.”
A trip to a RHS varsity baseball game before he attended the school gave Ecklebarger a boost, as well. The game featured current New York Met and World Series participant Michael Conforto and Dylan Davis, both Mustang teammates then and later Oregon State teammates.
“The first high school baseball game I ever watched, Davis pitched and Conforto hit two home runs, and that was the coolest experience of my life. It made me wanna be a Mustang,” said the left-handed pitcher, who racked up myriad wins and key hits for the Mustangs the last few years.
Along with playing baseball with his buddies at RHS, Ecklebarger noted that another highlight has been playing for coach Dan Pudwill, who has taught the Mustangs to be mentally tough each time they step onto the field.
