State baseball preview: Regional capsules for local teams

Below are capsules for Saturday’s high school baseball state regionals involving local teams. Each classification’s 16-team state tournament is broken into four four-team regionals. The winners of each regional advance to next Friday’s state semifinals.

CLASS 4A

PROPSTRA STADIUM (Vancouver)

Game 1: Monroe (17-6) vs. Tahoma (16-8), 10 a.m.

Game 2: Camas (18-5) vs. Issaquah (16-9), 1 p.m.

Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m.

Monroe: The Bearcats are making their first state appearance since 1996 and have won seven of their last eight games, including three walkoff victories over that stretch. Monroe leans on pitching and defense, allowing just 2.3 runs per contest. The Bearcats’ pitching staff is led by sophomores Luke Zmolik and Ryan Lynch, the latter of whom returned last week from a three-week layoff.

Did you know? Tahoma slugger Mason Fritsch is batting .520 with five home runs, seven triples and six doubles. He homered twice in one game last Saturday.

* * *

CLASS 3A

SHERMAN ANDERSON FIELD (Mount Vernon)

Game 1: Arlington (23-1) vs. O’Dea (21-2), 10 a.m.

Game 2: Everett (18-5) vs. Peninsula (18-6), 1 p.m.

Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m.

Everett: Riding a 10-game win streak and fresh off a district title, the Seagulls are making their first state appearance since 1995. It’s been a massive turnaround for Everett’s long-struggling program, which had gone more than a decade without more than seven wins in a season. The Seagulls average 7.1 runs per game and have totaled 48 extra-base hits.

Arlington: After suffering their first loss of the season in a district semifinal defeat to Shorewood, the Eagles rebounded to earn their fourth consecutive state berth. Arlington allows just 1.1 runs per game, led by the dominant pitching trio of Owen Bishop, Cameron Smith and Jacob Burkett. The Eagles also have a .353 team batting average and score 8.5 runs per contest.

Did you know? O’Dea has at least six players signed or committed to play Division I baseball. And that doesn’t include Max Debiec, the state’s top-ranked sophomore according to Baseball Northwest.

* * *

BANNERWOOD PARK (Bellevue)

Game 1: Edmonds-Woodway (14-10) vs. Mountain View (21-2), 10 a.m.

Game 2: Mercer Island (13-8) vs. Capital (12-13), 1 p.m.

Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m.

Edmonds-Woodway: After a 2-6 start, the Warriors earned a walkoff victory at the Seattle Mariners’ T-Mobile Park that kickstarted a stretch of nine wins in 10 games. Edmonds-Woodway, which reached the state semifinals each of the past two seasons, is making its third consecutive state appearance.

Did you know? Mountain View has a .355 team batting average and 67 extra-base hits, including 10 home runs.

* * *

HEIDELBERG PARK (Tacoma)

Game 1: Shorewood (15-8) vs. Ingraham (14-9), 10 a.m.

Game 2: Gig Harbor (17-6) vs. Bishop Blanchet (13-11), 1 p.m.

Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m.

Shorewood: The Thunderbirds earned their fourth state berth in six years with a district semifinal win over previously unbeaten Arlington. Lefty ace Kenji Miller, who held the Eagles to just one run in the state-clinching victory, has a 0.88 earned-run average. Shorewood allows just 2.8 runs per game.

Did you know? First-year Ingraham head coach Dashawn Patrick, a former Jackson assistant, guided the Rams to their first state appearance since 1979.

* * *

CLASS 2A

WHEELER FIELD (Centralia)

Game 1: Archbishop Murphy (18-5) vs. W.F. West (22-2), 10 a.m.

Game 2: White River (19-6) vs. Ridgefield (17-6), 1 p.m.

Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m.

Archbishop Murphy: The Wildcats won the eight-team Wesco 3A/2A South in their first season since coming from the disbanded Cascade Conference. Archbishop Murphy has six regulars batting above .320, and ace pitcher Cole Calnon has a 0.70 ERA. The Wildcats are making their first state appearance since 2015.

Did you know? W.F. West is led by University of Washington-bound pitcher Brock Jones, the No. 2-ranked senior in the state according to Baseball Northwest.

* * *

CLASS 1A

VOLUNTEER PARK (Anacortes)

Game 1: Warden (15-7) vs. University Prep (9-7), 10 a.m.

Game 2: Cedar Park Christian (20-3) vs. Columbia-White Salmon (18-5), 1 p.m.

Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m.

Cedar Park Christian: Coming off back-to-back state semifinal trips, the Eagles are making their fourth consecutive state appearance and their seventh in eight years. Jackson Erdman and Brandon McClean allowed just six hits and one earned run combined in 20 innings pitched while leading CPC to a bi-district title. The Eagles score 9.3 runs per game and allow just 1.9.

Did you know? Columbia-White Salmon is making its first state appearance since 2004.