It’s the price you pay when you have a great basketball team.

While other baseball teams are out practicing, many of your players are still shooting 3-pointers and winning championships.

So it is with Seaside. After most teams began practices Feb. 26, the Gulls had exactly four days between their last basketball game and the first baseball contest.

In his 21st year as the Seaside coach, Joel Dierickx was pleased with a 2-2 start after four games.

“It’s a good measuring stick of where we’re at and what we need to work on,” Dierickx said. “There’s a lot of areas that need work. (The basketball players) had only three practices, for the most part. We’ll figure it out.”

“I think Banks is head and shoulders above everybody else,” Dierickx said. “They’re a real solid team, in all facets. From athleticism to speed, good pitching and contact hitting. They’re just super solid.

“And Astoria’s always going to be there,” he said. “They will always be tough. Tillamook is a much-improved team. Scappoose has quality. It’s like any other sport — the Cowapa League is going to be very, very strong.”

Seaside finished 4-11 in league play last year, which included three wins over Tillamook and a season-ending victory over Scappoose.

Most area coaches see the Gulls as possibly the most-improved team.

“We’re hoping,” Dierickx said. “We have a lot of experience coming back, and some athleticism. Combined with some baseball knowledge and doing things the right way, maybe we can win some of the closer games we’ve had.”

Call it “young experience,” because the Gulls only have four seniors. Several juniors have been starting since their freshman season.

The Gulls had six pitchers listed on their preseason roster, but “we’ll see how that pans out,” Dierickx said. “Three of the six have just started throwing. They still need time to grow, learn the mechanics and gain the arm strength. That’s a big question mark. Once April rolls around, we’ll see how it pans out. I think all of them have the capability to be pretty solid pitchers.”

Among the throwers are juniors Travis Fenton, Gage McFadden, Duncan Thompson and Payton Westerholm. The last three also start in the infield when the others pitch.

The seniors are Dawson Blanchard, Ashton Boyd, Astor Landwehr and Parker Moore, with additional juniors Isaias Jantes, Dylan Meyer and catcher Alex Teubner, who missed action early in the season with a high ankle sprain.

Rounding out the roster are sophomores Brayden Johnson and Gavin Rich.

SEASIDE BASEBALL

Coach: Joel Dierickx, 21st year

2017: 7-15 (4-11 Cowapa)

Key losses: Otto Hoekstre, Scott Plampin, Brent Walsh

Key returners: Dawson Blanchard, Isaias Jantes, Gage McFadden, Duncan Thompson, Payton Westerholm