One Last Hurrah For Lakes' All-Star Shortstop

Before he graduates from Lakes High School, Dillon Gee has something to take care of.

Not finals. Not picking up his cap and gown. First, he will play in the state All-Star Baseball Tournament this weekend in Yakima.

Gee, who will play his signature shortstop position in the two-game series Saturday and Sunday at Yakima County Stadium, is one of the few kids from the area to have been selected for the game, which features four teams of players who made All-State teams.

The Lancers finished last in the Class 3A South Puget Sound League with a 1-10 league and 3-13 overall record.

“My team wasn’t the best, and I kind of wish some of the guys were coming with me,” he said. “But I feel honored to go and I’m excited.”

Gee finished his senior season with an impressive dossier of statistics, namely a .554 batting average, third highest in the state and the league's best. He racked up six home runs, 23 runs, 21 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.

Gee started playing when he was little.

"When I started walking, I started swinging a bat," he said, adding that his progression in the sport was to be expected. His brother, father and grandfather all played college ball.

Although several NCAA Division III schools and community colleges recruited him, Gee plans to walk on at Washington State. His backup plan is Pierce College. He plans to sit down and talk with the Cougars’ head coach, Donnie Marbut, in Yakima.

“I wanted to go to a Division I school,” he said. “But if that doesn’t work out, I’ll still be playing somewhere.”

Gee, who plans to major in exercise science or athletic training and later attend physical-therapy school, said he was attracted by WSU’s baseball program and its location.

“I want to go far away, but it’s close enough that I can come home on the weekends,” he said. “It’s not close to home, but it’s not too far.”

He's counting down the days until traveling to Pullman.

“I cannot be more excited,” he said of graduating from Lakes.

Gee claims to have a touch of senioritis, and yet maintains a 3.8 grade-point average and a course load that includes pre-calculus, principals of engineering and a writing class.

“I have a pretty busy schedule every day,” he said. “It helps playing sports – it helps to manage your time.”

However, he admitted, it can be a challenge finding time to play ball, do schoolwork and make time for hobbies such as snowboarding.

“It’s not easy to balance,” he said.

Gee played golf and basketball his first two years at Lakes, but opted to concentrate on baseball, his best sport, during his final two years. He was a team captain as a junior and senior, and won the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Outstanding Scholastic Award all four years.

This year, in addition to making the State All-Star Team, Gee was named to the SPSL First Team and All-Area Baseball Team. He was Most Valuable Player for the Lancers.

He played in the Baseball Northwest tournament the past two summers, and is a member of the Federal Way Buzz, a club team that plays in the summer but practices year-round.

Asked what he enjoys the most about baseball, Gee paused for a moment.

“That’s a tough question,” he said. “I love pretty much everything about it.”