EPHRATA — Mitchell Johnson and Isaiah Davis from the Ephrata Tigers baseball club (16-9-1) have been selected to join the Tillage League All-Star 18U team.  

"I was excited to play on a team of people I didn't know," Johnson said. "I've never played for a team where I don't know anyone playing for it, so that was cool. Then I heard that one of my teammates was going to be on the team a little bit later as a late addition, so that was cool. I'm glad I got to do it with him too." 

The teammate in reference is Davis, who offers the team some help on the mound. He also earned the Cy Young award for best pitcher after Tillage League tournament.   

"I was extremely excited about it," Davis said. "Just seeing that trophy and getting that glove, that just really means a lot to me because I've never really got awards like that." 

So far, the team has played five games coming out on the losing end. Despite the result, Johnson has enjoyed the opportunity to meet other athletes from around Washington.  

"It's definitely weird not knowing anyone because we got off to kind of a slow start there," he said. "Once we started getting to know each other, we started talking more, and it's been more fun." 

Davis said the team has worked together to find ways to mesh and build chemistry like a team group chat as the season rolls on.  

"What I really like is everybody there wants to be there," Davis said. 

Davis and Johnson are rising juniors at Ephrata High School. Getting this experience can be beneficial to their development as players.  

"I want to get some good hits," Davis said. "I want to kind of show out at these two tournaments. Just being able to grow as a team, and then seeing them come back next year, and then if I get selected again, and just kind of keep that going." 

For Johnson, this summer has helped him prepare to take on a bigger role with his team as he reaches upper classman status.  

"It's helped me be more of a leader too," he said. "We had some younger kids on the team that we had to lead, and then just playing with new people that I haven't played with yet." 

After the Tillage league started three years ago with about eight teams, it has grown to 18 and back-to-back seasons where All-Star teams were formed, according to Jason Jarret the Tillage League All-Stars team manager.  

"My thought process was, 'Hey, why don't we give these kids an extra couple of weeks? Let's hand select some athletes that are really well at their craft and go do a showcase tournament,'" Jarret said.  

For athletes who are selected, it is at no additional cost for them aside from room and board, Jarret said. Coaches from across the Tillage league nominated a combined 40 players that needed to be narrowed down to 13.  

Jarret and other members of the leagues committee sift through stats and how each player performed throughout the summer and build a team that can compete at these showcase tournaments throughout Portland and Washington.  

Forming an All-Star team provides an additional opportunity for athletes who are interested in playing beyond high school, Jarret said. Johnson has put some of those sentiments to practice through this experience by getting exposure to different styles of competition.  

"I'm hoping to just get more exposure and have more fun playing higher competition," he said. "See how you compete against higher level pitchers and other teams."  

The Tillage league has grown faster than anticipated, Jarret said. However, that's a good problem to have as it has created more opportunities for them to continue their mission – focusing on high school players' development.  

"Fundamentals is the key," Jarret said. "We want high school coaches to coach their high school kids. We want to keep it at a low cost for everybody. It's not a business, we're not making beaucoup bucks. The emphasis is giving back to the student athlete, and that's our job as coaches, right? We pave the way for these kids to succeed and make those initial contacts with the coaches at the next level to kind of get them plugged in so that we can see them move on." 

The All-Stars conclude their run at tournaments at Whitworth and Gonzaga from July 23 to 26.

    Isaiah Davis (19) from the Tigers Baseball Club leads off third base during a game earlier this summer. Davis was selected to the Tillage League All-Star team and earned the leagues Cy young award.
  

    The Tigers' Mitchell Johnson (17) hits the ball into the outfield while at bat earlier this summer.
  

    Isaiah Davis (19) runs to first base after hitting the ball to the outfield.