By Ray Hamill — The Crabs connection paid off this summer for recent Arcata High graduate Tanner Kees.
Arguably the best high school catcher on the North Coast this past spring, Kees recently committed his future to San Joaquin Delta College and is enjoying the transition as he gets set for his first year on the college fields.
But the all-league selection, who helped lead the Tigers to a pair of North Coast Section championships during his four years at the school, almost took a different path.
Kees was heavily considering playing for Monterey Bay Peninsula out of high school, but a chance encounter with a couple of Humboldt Crabs players this summer changed those plans.
While playing for the local collegiate summer club, Kees got talking to teammates Jaden Shabry and Sutter Moss, who played for the Mustangs in the spring and told him about the team and the fact they did not have a returning catcher for 2027.
Kees took a visit, talked to the coaches and was immediately sold.
And so far so good for the latest local player to take his talents to the college fields.
“It’s going amazing,” Kees said. “It’s been fun getting through the first two weeks and getting back in the flow of school.”
The move to the college game means Kees is giving up pitching and will focus on being a full-time catcher after also playing a pivotal role for the Tigers on the mound.
But he says he’s fine with that. In fact, he’s relishing the challenge.
“I’m very excited,” he said, “I’m 100 percent confident in making that decision. I’ve always had more fun playing catcher.”
Kees enjoyed two very successful seasons with the Tigers, winning NCS titles in his freshman and junior years, but also suffering disappointing campaigns as a sophomore and senior, each of which ended without a trip to the playoffs.
But it was a memorable ride despite the up-and-down nature of the team’s success.
And for one reason in particular.
“What I’ll remember most is my earlier years there, and probably the trips we made, the van rides and getting to make different relationships,” he said. “And just being with all those people.”
Playing with his younger brother, Rylan, who was a freshman last year, is also a memory the now-graduated elder sibling will cherish.
“It was quite a wonderful experience just being able to enjoy playing sports with my brother, probably for the last time ever,” he said. “Just being on the same team and seeing him grow as a human being, that was super fun.”
The two brothers posted victories on the mound on the same day in a doubleheader at Fortuna this year, and Rylan looks set to have just as big an impact as Tanner over the next three years.
“For a freshman, I think he had a lot of success,” Tanner said. “He did a lot of things right.”
Tanner also played soccer for three years at Arcata High, as well as football and basketball, but baseball, he says, has been his favorite sport ever since he first picked up a bat in T-ball.
“Baseball was always my first love,” he said. “I played the other sports to stay active.”
As for the biggest influences on his career, two people in particular stand out above all others.
“Definitely my immediate family, my mom (Amber) and my dad (Nate),” he said. “They’ve been a major help for me.
“And my coaches. They just helped create who I am as a person.”
One coach who has had a bigger impact than most on his young career is Crabs assistant coach John Bryant, whom Kees has known for years.
Nate Kees is the longtime Crabs Athletic Trainer and Tanner has spent his summers at the Arcata Ball Park for about as along as he can remember, soaking up the culture and getting to know the players and coaches.
“I’ve grown up around the Crabs my while life,” said Tanner, who got to play for the team briefly this summer.
North Coast fans wouldn’t be surprised to see him back at the Arcata ball Park next summer and playing a bigger role with the team.
But for now he’s focused on being the best player he can be at Delta and eager to take full advantage of the opportunity.
“I’m super excited for what’s coming,” he said. “And what we have and making progress, and to continue on the journey.”
Delta was 28-13 last year and made the state playoffs.
