Guy who runs washingtonpreps.com dies unexpectedly

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http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNe ... 186388.cfm

Columbia Little League remembers Warchol's contributions

Tuesday, August 21, 2007
BY PAUL DANZER, Columbian staff writer

Mike Warchol first showed up at Columbia Little League eight years ago to cheer on his stepson, Justin. He was just going to be another parent in the stands.

That didn't last long.

Soon, Mike's wife Kim said, he was chatting up the coaches, discussing strategy and statistics, talking baseball. Soon, too, Mike Warchol was helping to coach Justin's team.

That turned out to be good news for the league that makes its home at Vancouver's David Douglas Park. For the past seven years, Mike Warchol's love for the game, the league, and the kids who play ball shined through as he served in a variety of roles on the Columbia Little League board of directors.

On Sunday, the league will host a memorial event for Warchol, who died in his sleep on Aug. 13 from a blood clot in his lung. He was 35.

Warchol is survived by Kim and her three children, Justin, 17, Nathan, 13, and Virginia, 10. A native of Erie, Pa., Warchol also is survived by his parents and one sister.

In addition to his volunteer efforts for Columbia Little League, Warchol was well-known in high school sports circles. He ran the high school sports Web site, WashingtonPreps.com . Operated by Rivals.com , it provides news from every corner of the state about high school athletics.

In that role, Warchol traveled the state, building friendships with coaches, athletes, newspaper reporters and others.

Many of them have posted tributes to Warchol on the Web site.

"Baseball, that Web site, and the kids were his life," Kim Warchol said, adding that Mike was also an advocate for athletes and teams from southwest Washington, who sometimes compete in the shadow of schools from the Puget Sound region.

Warchol attended Gannon University in Erie, Pa. His love of base ball brought him to Washington. He moved west in 1997 to work as the publicity and media man for the Grays Harbor Gulls, a Hoquiam-based baseball team that played three seasons in the independent Western Baseball League.

Friends with Columbia Little League remember Warchol as many things.

As a public address announcer, he enjoyed pranks such as paging someone to an out-of-the-way field for no reason - evidence of what Kim described as the smart-aleck in him.

As a coach he was known as a statistical whiz who knew how to get his players as much playing time as possible through creative use of pinch runners and other lineup switches.

Scott Driscoll and Scott Wilson, who coached this season's 9-10 softball all-star team with Warchol, noted opposing coaches often marveled at Mike's ability to shuffle his lineup so that every player had a chance to contribute.

When opposing coaches asked how he did it, Warchol was always willing to share, they said.

"He didn't have a lot of means to give back. But the wealth he could give was his time and his love for the kids," Wilson said.

Warchol had a particularly good time coaching this season's minor softball team, according to his friends. The team won the District 4 tournament and finished fifth at state.

At a team event after the tournament, Warchol was the target of a joke. His fellow coaches told restaurant staff it was Warchol's 50th birthday, and he was feted with balloons and song.

A jokester himself, several friends said Warchol was both touched and embarrassed by the affection he received from the players that day.

"When we were at state, he was on top of the world," said Jeff Crowell, the head umpire for Columbia Little League and a close friend of Warchol.

Warchol's legacy at Columbia Little League will be the number of players he encouraged to join the league, according to Columbia Little League president Chris Speyer, another close friend.

One example of that was several years ago when Columbia Little League made a push to expand its fall ball program. Speyer said that Warchol called every player in the league to encourage them to participate.

"I couldn't even guess what percentage of the kids that were here because of Mike," Speyer said.

"I think what made him most proud were the kids who were coming back" to play in the league, Kim Warchol said.

Speyer, beginning his third year as president of Columbia Little League, said he and Warchol spent many late nights preparing for registration or other events. If something needed doing, Warchol always came through - sometimes at the last minute - Speyer said.

"He was a blessing for me the last two years," Speyer said.




If you go


What: Memorial for Mike Warchol.

When: 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26.

Where: David Douglas Park, 1016 N. Garrison Rd., just north of Mill Plain.

Contributions: A memorial fund to assist Warchol's family has been established at First Independent Bank. Donations may be made at any branch, or be mailed to Columbia Little League, P.O. Box 821637, Vancouver, 98682.

Information: Call 360-696-1278 or send an e-mail to columbiall@hotmail.com .




Did you know?

Mike Warchol was a coach and board member for Columbia Little League for seven years.

Warchol was the reporter and editor for WashingtonPreps.com , a Web site owned by Rivals.com that reports on high school sports in this state.

In addition to hosting the memorial on Sunday, Columbia Little League plans to name one of its fields for Warchol. Additionally, the league will host a fall-ball baseball and softball tournament in Warchol's honor on Sept. 22. The tournament is open to any team from the 9-10 to the 11-12 age divisions. Registration information will be posted at www.columbialittleleague.org .