Two athletes from W.F. West sign with Division I programs

For Erika Brumfield, Portland State University offered a winning combination of coaches and location.

For Brock Jones, the University Washington captured his heart instantly.

Wednesday, the two W.F. West High School seniors signed their National Letters of Intent to play Division I women’s basketball and baseball, respectively, at a signing ceremony held at the school in Chehalis.

Brumfield, a 6-foot-3 forward who is a two-time Olympian All-Area first-team selection, averaged 12.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game as a junior for a Bearcats team that won a Class 2A title last winter.

Four schools offered Brumfield a scholarship, including Biola University in Southern Californina, Portland, Saint Martin’s and Portland State.

Division I was always the goal, she said, and Portland State made a big impression on her.

“I think it was the coaching staff,” Brumfield said. “I got on campus and was like, ‘Wow, I really like the campus.’ I met one of the assistant coaches. Right off the bat, I was like, ‘I love her.’ She’s awesome.

“I show up to practice, and the head coach is involved. He’s teaching them. It seemed like the girls were getting a lot out of it. It just looked like something I really wanted to be part of.”

She said playing in college is the next step in a journey that began in the fifth grade, with her father encouraging her along the way.

Jones, a 6-1 pitcher and outfielder, was also to The Olympian’s All-Area team last spring after helping the Bearcats to a 21-3 record and a third-place finish in the 2A state tournament. He posted a .412 batting average as a junior, while going 3-0 with a 1.17 earned run average on the mound.

Jones’ recruitment involved several Pac-12 schools. Washington State, UCLA and Oregon State each made their pitches. But, UW made a late and spirited run at Jones, which stuck with him.

“I fell in love with UW right away,” he said. “It seemed like the best fit for me. They’re excited to have me, so I’m pumped. They have a lot of passion for the game.

“And they were in the national championship last year in Omaha. They’re on the rise, I’d say, right now. It would be good to be part of a program that will win a lot.”

In Jones’ mind, getting back to Omaha is the ultimate goal, and he hopes to be a reason why the Huskies do.

W.F. West seniors Daniel Fagerness (Centralia College baseball) and Jade Ennis-Palmer (Lindenwood women’s rugby) also signed at the ceremony.

Elswhere in the greater Olympia area, several more athletes inked their college commitments.

In baseball, Black Hills’ Ethan Loveless signed on with Division I Portland. Four athletes, including Capital’s Kyle Casperson and River Ridge’s Blake Anderson, Jeter Larson and Ryley Larson, signed with Lower Columbia and Rochester’s Tyler Soderback signed with Centralia College.

Rainier’s Elaina Hansen signed on to run cross country and track at Saint Martin’s, and Tumwater’s Myiah Seaton will continue her softball career at Central Washington.

Black Hills’ Tyler Cassell (Grays Harbor men’s golf) and Tumwater’s Katie Cunningham (Bellevue College softball) also signed.

This story was originally published November 14, 2018 at 6:05 PM.