THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: Free spirit: Bumbaugh in his own world at the center of Lumbermen outfield

In center field for the Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen, Eric Bumbaugh can just think.

About the game going on in front of him.

Life.

Just anything in general.

“I really enjoy it because I can really say whatever I want to and nobody else can hear me,” said Bumbaugh, a June graduate of Lake City High. “I love it when I’m able to make a diving catch and the crowd goes wild. It’s an amazing feeling when that happens. I’m free to do whatever and have a lot of space to run in. I’m really in my own little world out there.”

But when it comes to being locked into the game, third-year Lumbermen coach Darren Taylor knows he can count on him.

“He’s definitely matured over the last three seasons,” Taylor said. “He’s definitely a free spirit to begin with, but he’s a lot more serious about his game and thinking more and more about the next level at this point.”

Coeur d’Alene (20-14) opens the state AA American Legion baseball tournament on Monday at 2 p.m., against the Idaho Falls Bandits (20-13). Idaho Falls has won the past three state and regional titles, winning the American Legion World Series twice (2019, 2021) and finishing runner-up once (2022).

“I’m going into the tournament relaxed and knowing I know what I can do,” Bumbaugh said. “I’m just going to go out and play baseball to be honest.”

TO RELAX, it isn’t a quick trip to the beach or listening to music that helps calm him down.

“One of my biggest hobbies is building legos,” Bumbaugh said. “I’m a big lego guy. I’ll just build legos, and legos and legos. Mostly Star Wars legos, because I’m a big Star Wars guy.”

So much so that Bumbaugh has surrounded himself at home with them.

“I’ve got a collection of Star Wars legos in my room,” Bumbaugh said. “My room is filled with shelves of different Star Wars legos and figures that I’ve made. I think it’s awesome.”

DUE TO an injury during his junior year, Bumbaugh’s athletic career took a turn from football to baseball.

“I loved playing football,” said Bumbaugh, who is 6-feet tall and 170 pounds, and played receiver and linebacker. “But I tore my labrum and broke my collarbone, so I wasn’t able to play football my senior year. To be honest, I liked playing football a little more than baseball because of the constant action and pressure to perform.”

He enjoyed football so much that he almost opted for the gridiron in college.

“I had (Division III) Puget Sound emailing me a lot,” Bumbaugh said. “And I might have gone there to play football. But it didn’t work out, so I’m going to play baseball. And that’s OK to me, because I really love baseball as well.”

Bumbaugh signed to play baseball at the Community Colleges of Spokane of the Northwest Athletic Conference.

“I’m just trying to work my way up to a four-year school at some point,” Bumbaugh said. “I was talking to a few other schools, but Spokane seemed like the best fit for me because it’s pretty close to home. Coach (Ryne) Webb is a good coach, so I’m excited to be working with him and have him coach me too. It just all kind of fell into place for me there.”

Bumbaugh added he has no regrets about not continuing with football in college.

“Baseball is just something I enjoy playing,” Bumbaugh said. “And I really love playing with all the guys around me. I’ve grown up playing with these guys and just enjoy being around them. And I really love baseball itself too.”

Marcus Manzardo (Lake City High), Liam Paddack (Coeur d’Alene), Troy Shepard (Coeur d’Alene), Spencer Zeller (Post Falls) and Owen Benson (Coeur d’Alene), all current or former members of the Lumbermen program, have played at Spokane in the last two years.

“The coach (Webb) is involved in so many different things, with the fall league and (Spokane) Expos (club team), so we see him all the time,” Taylor said. “It’s an easy transition, close to home, and really good baseball in that conference.”

Bumbaugh is hitting .388 (38 for 98), with 18 stolen bases and 25 RBIs this season for the Lumbermen. He also has two doubles, two triples and three home runs.

“Before I go up to bat, I do the same rhythm every time,” Bumbaugh said. “I do it just so I’m consistent in my at-bat and comfortable in it each time. I really like to be competitive. When I go up to the (on deck) circle, I do the same thing every time so that when I get up to the plate, I’m comfortable and ready to hit.”

At Spokane, Bumbaugh intends to pursue a major in business management.

“I’m going to college because I can go play baseball,” Bumbaugh said. “I kind of want to own my own business when I’m older and be my own boss so I don’t have anyone to tell me what to do.”

THIS PAST spring, Bumbaugh was part of a Lake City team that advanced to the state 5A championship game before falling to Owyhee of Meridian.

“After the state tournament, I felt like I couldn’t get out,” Bumbaugh said. “I felt like nobody could strike me out, or get me out. That tournament was one of the best experiences I’ve had in my entire life. I felt really comfortable with my game after that tournament for sure.”

Coeur d’Alene has won five of its last six games entering state on Monday.

“We’re not quite what Lake City was this spring, but we’re still having a lot of fun,” Bumbaugh said. “We’re just having fun on the bus rides, and doing things together during the tournaments. But playing baseball with these guys is the best part.”

Continuing that ride could be out of this world.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone 208-664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.