High school baseball preview: Top teams, players in South Sound in 2026
The high school baseball season is underway, and as usual, there’s plenty of talent in the South Sound this spring. Here’s what to watch for this season, some teams to keep an eye on before the postseason approaches and some of the area’s top players.
Want more? We launched a South Sound baseball practice tour this season, visiting several programs around the South Sound earlier this month, providing photos, videos and insight on what to expect during the 2026 season.
4A NPSL
Kennedy Catholic and Tahoma should duke it out for the league title this spring. Kennedy Catholic is off to a 4-1 start and features reigning 4A NPSL player of the year OF/DH Dante Saladino, as well as top pitcher Harven Lieberman and first-team catcher Ka’ipo Matsushima, the team’s leadoff hitter. Tahoma is 4-0 with an impressive early resume, collecting wins over O’Dea, Eastlake, Skyline and Auburn Riverside. SS/P Beckett Turnbow, CF Neal Burtis and P/OF Sean Evans are players to watch for the Bears. Mount Rainier and Auburn Riverside could factor into the playoff picture.
4A SPSL
The best 4A league in the state has a handful of contenders again this spring. We like Sumner’s chances to win the league this year, led by P/OF Wyatt Plyler, one of the state’s top two-way players. Second-year coach Dylan Mclauchlin has one of the state’s deepest lineups from top to bottom; look out for 2B/P Xander Cypher, SS Drew Wicklander, 3B Jake Miller and P/1B Evan Hellner, a Bonney Lake transfer. Puyallup, like always, will have a say, but this time with a new coach in the dugout. Sean Taunt, a Puyallup grad who most recently coached at Pacific Lutheran University, takes over for longtime coach Marc Wiese, who retired after building Puyallup into a powerhouse. The cupboard is far from bare for Taunt: Puyallup returns a loaded roster, highlighted by SS Brayden Landry, a UW commit, P/INF Madden Pike, OF Noah Benedict, C Keagan Soliza and P Max Schweyen.
Curtis, which suddenly features one of the 4A SPSL’s longest-tenured coaches in 14th year coach Bryan Robinson, will factor in, too. The Vikings return one of the league’s most accurate arms, P/OF Cooper Hordyk, who is off to a quick start both on the mound and at the plate again this spring. Curtis also returns all-league C Joe Giles and SS Riley Angelo. Olympia, Emerald Ridge and Rogers will also be in the mix. Olympia senior P Travis Kunkel returns this spring after missing last season to injury. He’s complemented by P Peyton Crass. Outfielders Brayden Cheeka and Milo Tolbert and IF/P Sawyer Dean are other players to watch for the Bears. Emerald Ridge is young but has some good pieces, particularly in the rotation with right-handers Jackson Dion and Zach Morris. Rogers returns one of the league’s top arms, Talan Robertson. Graham-Kapowsin could play spoiler behind the arm of senior P Quinncey Ratteray, who was a standout tight end for the Eagles’ football team last fall.
3A NPSL
We like Decatur’s chances this year. The Gators are off to a 5-0 start. Decatur returns first-team all-league SS/P Tyler Buol, a junior. He has racked up 20 strikeouts in 13.1 innings pitched already this spring. Leadoff hitter, CF CJ Gatterson and INf Ethan Flavel (three home runs this season) are players to watch. Enumclaw and Auburn Mountainview could factor into the race. Kentlake features one of the state’s top arms in RHP Christopher Moore, a UW commit.
3A PSL
The Tides are off to a slow start this spring, but we still like Gig Harbor in the long run, mainly because of the rotation, which returns pitchers Quentin Bockhorn and Jake Cuda. It’ll take some time to ramp up their innings, but Gig Harbor is built well for the playoffs once they’re loose. The question will be how quickly the Tides can bring the offense up to speed, needing to replace graduated Danny Porras (now the starting right fielder at UW), Ethan Mar and Cole Krilich. Peninsula and Silas are the other teams to watch. Peninsula, off to a 4-0 start, has scored over 10 runs in all four of its games to date, which included an 18-run outburst against Timberline earlier this week. Catcher Pete Browand, a Fresno State commit, is already mashing, hitting .467 with a double, two triples and five RBI early in the season. 2B Kainoa Coit, 1B Thomas Marzano, P/SS Kaleb Copeland are players to watch for the Seahawks. Silas fell short of expectations last season and is plenty motivated this spring, paced by the Lystra brothers, senior CF/P Carter Lystra and sophomore 1B/OF Eli Lystra.
2A SPSL
It feels wide open this year in the 2A SPSL, which should provide some entertaining matchups. Fife, Orting, Steilacoom and Franklin Pierce are all in the mix. Fife has an impressive early resume, collecting wins already this season over Lynden and Anacortes. The Trojans return SS Dylan Hoots, a senior. 1B Mattson Durcharme is tearing the cover off the ball early and OF Rocco Gonzales are other players to watch. Orting returns a handful of first-team selections from a season ago, including No. 1 pitcher Gabe Schrader, SS Graysen Pedersen and 3B Jayden Schoenbachler. Steilacoom is young but has a few returning pitchers, including P/1B Jason Hugo, P/qB Colman Balda and CF Austin Mazzone. Franklin Pierce returns first-team P Jaxon Harpel and catcher Trey Smith, as well as second-team all-league selection, leadoff hitter, SS Jacob Powell, a sophomore.
2A EVCO
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: it’s a race between Tumwater and W.F. West. Tumwater returns first-team OF/P Luke Overbay and C/P Jimmy Womach. W.F. West has picked up wins over Lynden, East Valley and Othello so far this spring, scoring 10+ runs in two of the games. Two-way P/OF Hayden Rooney and P Connor Coleman are the players to watch — Rooney is hitting .364 with two doubles through four games, while Coleman is batting .500 with a double and a home run, while striking out nine so far in seven innings pitched.
SMALL SCHOOLS
Could 1A Charles Wright and Life Christian’s combined team — nicknamed “The Academies” — make another run this spring after advancing to the 1A state tournament semifinals last year? Fourth-year coach Henry Cheney likes the team’s chances, especially since it returns eight starters, including first-team all-league INF and George Fox commit Reece Colbert, DJ Colby Stice and INF Ryder Fox.
TOP 50 PLAYERS TO WATCH
SS Riley Angelo, Curtis, sr.
OF Noah Benedict, Puyallup, sr.
RHP Quentin Bockhorn, Gig Harbor, sr.
C Pete Browand, Peninsula, jr.
SS/P Tyler Buol, Decatur, jr.
LHP Neal Burtis, Tahoma, sr.
INF Harlan Carrillo, Curtis, jr.
INF Reece Colbert, Charles Wright/Life Christian, sr.
RHP/SS Kaleb Copeland, Peninsula, sr.
RHP Peyton Crass, Olympia, jr.
RHP Jake Cuda, Gig Harbor, sr.
2B/P Xander Cypher, Sumner, sr.
RHP Jackson Dion, Emerald Ridge, jr.
1B Mattson Ducharme, Fife, sr.
RHP Sean Evans, Tahoma, sr.
INF Ethan Flavel, Decatur, jr.
C Jalon Fulton, River Ridge, sr.
OF Tanner Herdman, Central Kitsap, jr.
C/P Evan Hellner, Sumner, sr.
RHP/OF Cooper Hordyk, Curtis, jr.
P/1B Jason Hugo, Steilacoom, sr.
LHP/1B Kolton Jensen, White River, jr.
RHP Travis Kunkel, OIympia, sr.
SS Brayden Landry, Puyallup, jr.
LHP Harvey Lieberman, Kennedy Catholic, sr.
CF/LHP Carter Lystra, Silas, sr.
1B/OF Eli Lystra, Silas, soph.
1B Thomas Marzano, Peninsula, jr.
INF Jacob Miller, Sumner, jr.
RHP Christopher Moore, Kentlake, sr.
OF Lincoln Moore, Kentlake, soph.
RHP Zach Morris, Emerald Ridge, sr.
LHP Kaeden Morgan, Auburn Riverside, sr.
RHP Joshua Morales, Bellarmine Prep, jr.
SS Parker Myers, Yelm, sr.
RHP Akoni Nazarino, Kentridge, jr.
OF Luke Overbay, Tumwater, jr.
C/INF Madden Pike, Puyallup, soph.
P/OF Wyatt Plyler, Sumner, jr.
RHP Quinncey Ratteray, Graham-Kapowsin, sr.
RHP Talan Robertson, Rogers, sr.
OF Dante Saladino, Kennedy Catholic, sr.
RHP Gabe Schrader, Orting, sr.
3B Jayden Schoenbachler, Orting, sr.
RHP Max Schweyen, Puyallup, sr.
C Keagan Soliza, Puyallup, jr.
3B Ben Smith, Eatonville, soph.
SS Beckett Turnbow, Tahoma, sr.
RHP Ethan West, Stadium, jr.
SS Drew Wicklander, Sumner, sr.
This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 11:31 AM with the headline "High school baseball preview: Top teams, players in South Sound in 2026."
