Inside Look of a Young Prospect - By Chris Daniels
John Corbin (JC), born September 17th, 2005, was a normal kid growing up. The young prospect grew up in the mountains and loved to do all things outdoors. His two favorite things he loved doing were riding his four-wheeler and hunting. Hunting was a big part of Corbin’s life and was passed down from his father, Bryan. The other half of Corbin was athletics. As a kid, John played baseball as well as basketball. His dream was always to play pro baseball for the Seattle Mariners. JC played little league with Richland National, where he played with the Twins for four years and was the starting catcher. JC also played middle infield and was a stud at shortstop. Corbin played Little League for 4 years and was a 3x all-star. Speed was John's game, as he was not always the biggest or the strongest. He had to play with what he had.
After his last year in Little League, he attended Carmichael Middle School for his 6th-grade year and played baseball for Badger Bombers. The Badger Bombers traveled all over the state of Washington, as well as Oregon. The following year, he transferred to Leona Libby Middle School, where he played baseball for the Libby Chargers. During this time, he still played for the Badgers in the summer. Corbin once again transferred his 8th-grade year to Enterprise Middle School for his last year. Unfortunately, Enterprise did not have a baseball season because the world got shut down by COVID. COVID was a hard time for all kids, including John. JC did not get the chance to play much baseball and found himself hunting and camping. While school was online, JC did what he could to stay in shape. COVID lasted some time and soon led him into his freshman year of high school.
Corbin would attend Richland High, playing for the Richland Bombers. JC loved Richland and the atmosphere around the school. Richland has been a part of Corbins’ life for a long time–as both his parents and sister graduated from the school. The Richland Bombers have always been known to have promising sports programs. Corbin loved watching baseball games, as well as football and basketball. Freshman year kicked off, and school was still online. School did not start for the Bombers until mid-way through the year.
When the Bombers first came back to school, JC was really excited to be in high school and experience the brotherhood that came with it. Toward the end of freshman year, baseball season comes around, and John is looking forward to beginning his first season with the Bombers. Corbin makes the freshmen team and is a standout player. COVID was still in effect, and the Bombers’ season lasted only nine games. JC had a .533 average with 8 hits and 6 RBIs. John Simons, who also played on the freshmen team, was his best friend. Simons moved to Tri-Cities in 2017, met Corbin, and since then, they have always had a strong bond. “Friendship is everything to me,” Simons said, “our strong bond helps us to compete well together.” “Our families are super close, and we all hunt and fish together.” Corbin jumped into sophomore year free of COVID, and it was his first actual year of high school.
The off-season was huge for John. This is where he would start to gain some weight and put more muscle on. Corbin made the JV team and had so much fun. Rue was the coach, and John loved him. Coach Rue was a very player-friendly coach who taught the game as if he were playing. Corbin was the starting catcher and also played in the infield. In 38 at-bats, John had a .423 average with 11 hits and 14 RBIs. He was a tremendous asset to the team. JC kept it rolling into the summer, playing with RCA. After the summer, John was ready for his Junior year at Richland. This was a massive year for him, as he would need to step up and make a name for himself. The Bombers had a lot of seniors leaving, which left room on the roster that needed to be filled. Kooper Jones (a three-year starter for Richland behind the plate) was prepared for his senior year, putting Corbin in a challenging situation. The Bombers had lots of players fill in the positions where the previous seniors left. But, for John, it was a little bit different. With Kooper Jones starting as the catcher, it forced John to make a choice. His options were to be the backup catcher or fight for the second base spot. The ‘23 senior Ethan Ammerman had a significant impact on the team. He played second base and had a considerable bat for the Bombers. Richland losing a key player in the infield made an immense impact on their game. JC took that personally, and he wanted that second base spot. He knew he had to prove himself and earn the position he wanted.
Leading up to a junior year before baseball season, Corbin was on a grind. He hit the gym regularly and put in the most work he could leading up to the season. “As a smaller kid, I have to play differently and use my abilities to my advantage,” Corbin said. He had to work harder than his peers because he was only 5 '10 and 150 lbs. John pushed himself to his limits and felt prepared for his season. It was around the corner, and he never took a day off. Corbin was constantly in the lab working on something to improve, such as his arm strength and tee work. In the off-season, Corbon grew to 6’0, 160 lbs, and was ready to take on the second base position. Corbin wore number seventeen for the Bombers. “When I got my jersey, I had a gut feeling that this was going to be my year,” said JC. Corbin's favorite number was seventeen because of his birthday, and it was the same number as Justin Smoak, an MLB player from the Seattle Mariners. John looked up to Justin and envied how he played.
Charlie Johns, the Bombers’ first basemen, really took John under his wing. Chuck (Charlie) was a terrific hitter, and Corbin looked up to him as well. Corbin was more than ready. When he stepped onto the field, you could tell just from the fire in his eyes that he was prepared to show off all the things he'd been working towards. The way he fields the ball and swings the bat was just flawless. He played the game with ease at his pace and took control in the box.
Jase Vopolinski (Vopo), the starting shortstop for the Bombers, was an excellent dual-sport athlete as well. Vopo was a really good player who was a mentor to Corbin. Corbin batted .453 with 34 hits, 7 doubles, and 11 stolen bases. The Bombers went 20-6 with 3 first-team all-conference players, including Corbin. JC won First Team All-Conference second basemen. This was a huge honor, as many players didn’t receive this award.
With a big season, Corbin kept it rolling into the summer, playing for River City Athletics (RCA). He played all over the country and was gaining some serious college attention. RCA was an excellent program for Corbin because it helped him develop while reaching out to coaches about his excellent playing skills. John did his part, which helped him get a scholarship to play in college. Corbin had a couple of options but always had his eyes on Saint Martin's University. JC soon went on a visit to the school and loved it. Chuck, the former Richland first basemen, played at Saint Martin's as well. “I think this is a great option for me and Chuck.” “Us together would be something special,” Corbin told him.
On September 13th, 2023, John Corbin committed to Saint Martin’s University. His senior year is still ahead of him, and Corbin is looking to have another breakout season. Grant Richardson, the head coach at Richland High, is thrilled to have the versatile two-way player back in the lineup for the ‘24 season. John isn’t finished yet and has lots more to show Richland High School, as well as proving to Saint Martins what kind of player he is capable of achieving.
