Mercer Island’s Mudville Golden Eagles will makes a rare home appearance at 7 p.m. Friday at Island Crest Park. The team’s home games are usually played in Sammamish. The Mudville Golden Eagles will play the Marysville Baseball Club.

The Golden Eagles (16-2, 6-1), the 2004 Hawaiian World Series Champions, are in first place of the East Division of the 14 Olympic Division with a 6-1 record. Ranked as one of the top 14U teams in the state, the Golden Eagles are fresh off their USSSA Divisional/State Qualifier tournament in Bremerton this weekend, which places them as the No. 1 seed at the USSSA Washington State Championships in July. The Eagles feature seven Islander Middle School students; Eddie Jiranek, AJ Simpson, Matt Wiley, Tyler Holbrook and Matt Boyd, and 13U Mudville Ironmen/IBC club option designees Stevie Leighton and Daniel Drucker.

Mathews to graduate from U.S. Naval Academy

Mercer Island alum Taj Mathews will graduate from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., on May 27.

An information technology major, Mathews also excelled on the basketball court during his time in Annapolis. Mathews was captain of the Navy basketball team in his senior season and set the standard for all of his teammates to follow. He also received the inaugural David Robinson Award, which was given to the player who contributed the most to Navy basketball over their career.

Mathews will play for the All-Navy basketball team in San Diego before reporting aboard the USS Whidbey Island in Little Creek, Va.

Mathews is the son of Chris Mathews and LaVeeda Garlington. Mathews was team captain of the Mercer Island High School basketball team and led the team to the state championship in 1999. He graduated from MIHS in 2001.