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Sehome baseball program honors longtime coach Gary Hatch with jersey retirement

Gary Hatch smiles while addressing the crowd with a microphone

Gary Hatch smiles while addressing the audience during the No. 10 jersey number retirement ceremony on Saturday, March 14 at Sehome High School.

A man in a green jacket is raising his hand and waving, with a backdrop of trees and a cloudy sky.

Gary Hatch tips his cap to the crowd on hand while taking the field at the start of the jersey retirement ceremony.

A group of baseball players and coaches, standing together on a baseball field with a stadium in the background.

Gary Hatch poses for a photo alongside the 2026 Sehome varsity baseball team and coaching staff.

A baseball field with a green grass outfield, a dirt infield, and a backstop with the word %22Hatch%22 displayed, surrounded by a forested landscape.

A view of the banner displayed on the outfield fence down the left-field line.

A baseball field with a fence displaying the number %2210%22 and the word %22HATCH%22 against a backdrop of pine trees and mountains.

A view of the banner commemorating Gary Hatch's jersey retirement on the left-field fence.

Two men wearing baseball caps and jackets with team logos are standing together and conversing in what appears to be a baseball stadium or facility.

Gary Hatch shares a laugh with Sehome baseball assistant coach Murray Tweit.

Two individuals, a man and a woman, are standing on a baseball field with a green grass surface and a blurred background of trees and mountains.

Gary Hatch and one of his daughters smile during the ceremony.

A person in a green jacket and cap stands on a baseball field, with a crowd of spectators visible in the background behind a chain-link fence.

Longtime volunteer assistant coach Paul Petersen addresses the hundreds of attendees during the ceremony introduction.

Hatch and family members, sitting on chairs on the turf field with a baseball diamond in the background.

Gary Hatch sits alongside his wife, two of his daughters, and two of his grandchildren during the ceremony.

A baseball field with a green grass surface, surrounded by a wire fence, with a forested mountain backdrop.

The banner commemorating the No. 10 jersey retirement in focus over the should of Gary Hatch during the ceremony.

A baseball field with a green grass surface surrounded by a chain-link fence, set against a backdrop of forested mountains in the distance.

The commemorative banner hangs in the distance as Gary Hatch claps during the ceremony.

Two people in baseball clothing embracing each other outdoors, with a sky and tree line landscape visible in the background.

Gary Hatch and Sehome baseball head coach, Dane Siegfried, share an embrace before Siegfried addresses the audience. Siegfried is also a former Sehome baseball player.

Two people embracing on a sports field, with several other people sitting in the background.

Gary Hatch and Sehome baseball head coach, Dane Siegfried, share an embrace before Siegfried addresses the audience. Siegfried is also a former Sehome baseball player.

A man in a green sports uniform stands on a field, holding a clipboard, with several people in the background.

Sehome baseball head coach Dane Siegfried, a former Sehome baseball player, addresses the audience during the ceremony.

The image shows an older man wearing a green jacket and a baseball cap with a logo, standing outdoors with a yellow tape measure in his hand.

Gary Hatch takes a look at the commemorative bat presented to him before addressing the audience.

An older man wearing a baseball cap and jacket is speaking into a microphone while gesturing with his hand, with a blurred outdoor background visible.

Gary Hatch holds his hand to his ear while the audience sings a Sehome fight song.

A man in a green uniform and baseball cap stands on a sports field, with mountains visible in the background.

Gary Hatch addresses the audience during the jersey retirement ceremony.

The image shows an older man wearing a green jacket and baseball cap standing on a baseball field, with two younger people visible in the background.

Gary Hatch takes a look at the commemorative bat presented to him before addressing the audience.

Two men wearing baseball caps and jackets are embracing each other in an outdoor setting with a gray background.

Gary Hatch shares an embrace with longtime volunteer assistant coach Paul Petersen. 

A baseball field with a player standing on the pitcher's mound, surrounded by a grassy outfield and a cloudy sky with an American flag in the background.

Gary Hatch delivers the ceremonial first pitch to his grandson before the afternoon varsity Sehome game against Overlake-Bear Creek.

Two individuals, one wearing a green jacket and the other a gray shirt, are engaged in a high-five gesture on a grassy field with a blurred background of trees and a body of water.

Gary Hatch high-fives his grandson and steps on home plate after throwing the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the afternoon Sehome varsity baseball game against Overlake-Bear Creek.

Two men in baseball uniforms are shaking hands on a baseball field, with other players visible in the background.

Gary Hatch shares a laugh with Sehome assistant baseball coach Jeremy Hirschkorn, who is also a former Sehome baseball player.

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Sehome baseball program honors longtime coach Gary Hatch with jersey retirement

Known to many as a local baseball legend, Hatch led the Mariners to three state titles and 18 state appearances while impacting thousands of student-athletes during a coaching career spanning more than four decades
 

The many attendees representing more than half a century of connection points to the Sehome baseball program provided a snapshot testament to Gary Hatch’s impact as his No. 10 jersey number was retired during a pregame ceremony on Saturday, March 14 at Sehome High School.

From those who played alongside or watched him play in the 1960s to recent graduates and many in between, Saturday’s event provided an opportunity to show appreciation for a career spent in dedicated service to others.

Hatch was a member of Sehome High School’s first graduating class in 1968, two years after the school opened in 1966. He played collegiately for Brigham Young University, reaching the College World Series in 1971 and earning all-conference honors in 1972.

He returned to Sehome as an assistant coach from 1973-1979 before leading the Sehome baseball program as head coach from 1980-2015 while amassing three state titles (1983, 2007, 2008) and 18 state tournament appearances.

Hatch spent more than four decades teaching social studies, health and physical education at Sehome and also coached football (32 years) and basketball (10 years) in addition to the illustrious 42 years coaching Sehome baseball.

Sehome baseball was 532-274-2 (.660) with Hatch at the helm for a win total that ranks eighth in Washington state high school baseball history. A total of 29 players were named First Team All-State performers playing for Hatch.

Outside the school year, he spent 33 summers directing Sehome’s popular Grand Slam Youth Baseball Camp and was known for taking meticulous year-round care of the Sehome baseball field’s natural grass and dirt surface that remained until the school was rebuilt and a turf field was installed in 2019.

Hatch’s impact did not stop with Sehome. He is considered a staple at the local, state and national levels. He coached the Bellingham Bells for three seasons as well as two stints coaching the Bellingham American Legion team.  

He has also been involved with USA Baseball, earning a pair of gold medals as the pitching coordinator for the USA Baseball 16U national team at the Pan American Baseball Championship in 2006 and as head coach of the USA Baseball 16U national team at the World Youth Championship in 2007.

Hatch was inducted into the Washington State Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1993 and the WIAA Hall of Fame in 2018.

On Saturday, he was joined by his wife, two of his four children and two of his 14 grandchildren for an on-field ceremony ahead of Sehome’s varsity baseball game against Overlake-Bear Creek.

Longtime volunteer assistant coach Paul Petersen provided the ceremony introduction, which included asking those in attendance who played for Sehome baseball to stand when their decade of affiliation was announced. Many former players traveled from out of the area to attend.

Current head coach Dane Siegfried, a former player under Hatch, shared touching remarks of his own which included the way Hatch inspired him to be a coach. Siegfried also read a testimonial shared by another of Hatch’s children, Dane Hatch, who could not attend in person.

Hatch was presented with a commemorative bat as he was introduced to speak. He shared reflections of his time at Sehome and teared up as he addressed his former players, whom he referred to “extra sons to me” before leaving the field to a standing ovation. The ceremony wrapped up with Hatch delivering a ceremonial first pitch to his grandson ahead of the afternoon varsity game.

A banner reading “Hatch 10” now adorns the fence of the Sehome baseball field just to the left of the left-field foul pole in commemoration of the jersey number retirement and a reminder of the legacy.
 

Sound bites

“I want you to know that I love you – all thousands of students and athletes I’ve had the privilege to teach and coach at Sehome. You baseball players are like extra sons to me.”

- Gary Hatch


“Let it not be forgot, that once there was a spot, that for one brief, shining forty-five year moment, was known as Camelot. Sehome High School is my personal Camelot.”

- Gary Hatch


“He had success on the field, but the legacy he left was the kind of person he was. The impact he left was about having pride in the way you carry yourself. He would always talk about giving 110%, outhustling your opponent and taking pride in being a Mariner.”

- Dane Siegfried in an interview with Cascadia Daily News

 

Go deeper

 

Gary Hatch’s career by the numbers

  • 42 – years spent coaching and teaching at Sehome High School (1973-74 school year through 2014-15 school year)
     
  • 3 – state baseball titles won as head coach (1983, 2007, 2008)
     
  • 6 – state baseball championship game appearances as head coach
     
  • 18 – state baseball championship tournament appearances as head coach
     
  • 532 – wins as head coach, eighth-most in Washington state high school baseball history (.660 win percentage)
     
  • 2 – gold medals won while coaching with USA Baseball
     
  • 29 – Sehome baseball players named First Team All-State while playing for Hatch
     
  • 33 – years spent as director of the Sehome Grand Slam Youth Baseball Camp
     
  • 32 – years spent coaching football at Sehome
     
  • 10 – years spent coaching basketball at Sehome

 

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