Ticket punched: These South Sound baseball teams clinched 2026 state berths
Punch those tickets!
With district tournaments in full swing, these South Sound baseball teams have clinched state berths in WIAA brackets from May 19-30:
CLASS 4A
CURTIS VIKINGS (16-7)
District win: Curtis 2, Battle Ground 1 (opening round)
Recap: Burke Shepard’s two-out, two-run single in the fourth inning lifted the Vikings over the No. 2 Tigers, 2-1, in Tuesday’s road win. Junior right-hander Cooper Hordyk threw 5.2 strong innings (1 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K), notching his South Sound-best eighth win of the season. Erik George recorded a four-out save.
Quality wins: Sumner, Graham-Kapowsin, Gig Harbor, Puyallup, Battle Ground
KENNEDY CATHOLIC LANCERS (18-6)
District win: Kennedy Catholic 5, Battle Ground 3 (winner-to-state)
Recap: Knotted in extras, Lancers catcher Ka’ipo Matsushima’s two-run double in the eighth powered the Lancers to a 4A state berth in Saturday’s 5-3 win over No. 2 Battle Ground at Aaron Pointer Field in Tacoma. Senior left-hander Harvey Lieberman threw six strong innings, allowing two earned runs with two walks and nine strikeouts.
Quality wins: Woodinville, Battle Ground (2x), Tahoma, Kentridge (2x), Eastside Catholic, Camas
OLYMPIA BEARS (19-5)
District win: Olympia 8, Emerald Ridge 2 (opening round)
Recap: Olympia’s five-run second inning Tuesday clinched the program’s sixth state tournament berth in head coach Derek Weldon’s nine years at the helm. Senior right-hander Travis Kunkel struck out four across 4.1 solid innings (2 ER) and designated hitter Milo Tolbert went 2-for-4 with two RBI at Emerald Ridge High School.
Quality wins: Tumwater, Curtis, Puyallup, Graham-Kapowsin, Sumner, Emerald Ridge (2x)
PUYALLUP VIKINGS (18-7)
District win: Puyallup 4, Emerald Ridge 2 (winner-to-state)
Recap: Puyallup plated a pair of runs in each of the second and third innings, enough to outlast league-rival Emerald Ridge, 4-2, for a state berth on Saturday. Sophomore right-hander Madden Pike struck out six across 3.2 innings (2 ER) and Cyrus Cline tossed 2.2 shutout innings of relief. Center fielder Talon Soliza went 2-for-3 and scored a run at Aaron Pointer Field in Tacoma.
Quality wins: Edmonds-Woodway, Eastside Catholic, Curtis, Graham-Kapowsin, Kennedy Catholic, Gig Harbor
SUMNER SPARTANS (17-4)
District win: Sumner 7, Kennedy Catholic 6 (opening round)
Recap: A rally in the valley: Jake Miller’s two-out, walk-off double to center field in the seventh inning capped a six-run comeback at Sumner High School. Sophomore Brody Santman’s RBI single in the seventh tied Tuesday’s game at six before Miller won it; Xander Cypher delivered a two-run home run in the sixth.
Quality wins: Curtis, Olympia, Puyallup (2x), Graham-Kapowsin, Emerald Ridge, Kennedy Catholic
TAHOMA BEARS (20-1)
District win: Tahoma 2, Union 0 (opening round)
Recap: Oregon State commit Neal Burtis no-hit Union in Tuesday’s 2-0 win, silencing the Titans with 10 strikeouts across seven stellar innings at Tahoma High School. Bears shortstop Beckett Turnbow launched a solo home run in the second inning and Trey Davies scored on an error in the sixth.
Quality wins: O’Dea, Eastlake, Kennedy Catholic, Kentlake, Mercer Island, Kentridge (2x), Decatur, Union
CLASS 3A
DECATUR GATORS (19-2)
District win: Decatur 20, White River 4 (quarterfinals)
Recap: Infielder Dylan Reano went 3-for-3 with five RBI and the Gators cruised in Wednesday’s mercy-rule win over White River. Decatur erupted for 15 runs in the second inning to erase an early, four-run deficit; Reano delivered a two-run homer with a walk and two doubles at Thomas Jefferson High School.
Quality wins: Kentlake (2x), White River (3x), Peninsula, Enumclaw (2x), Auburn Mountainview (2x), Thomas Jefferson (2x)
ENUMCLAW HORNETS (13-11)
District win: Enumclaw 9, Silas 6 (winner-to-state)
Recap: Enumclaw grabbed a nine-run lead and never looked back in Saturday’s 9-6 win over Silas, securing a 3A state berth at Auburn Riverside High School. Second baseman Graham Wagner went 3-for-5 with two RBI and right-hander Oliver Potts threw 4.2 solid innings (2 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K).
Quality wins: Auburn Mountainview, White River (2x), Thomas Jefferson, Silas
GIG HARBOR TIDES (16-7)
District win: Gig Harbor 11, Bellarmine Prep 3 (quarterfinals)
Recap: Zach Smith hit an inside-the-park home run in the fifth inning, four Tides recorded multiple RBI, and Gig Harbor handled Bellarmine Prep in Wednesday’s district quarterfinals. Senior right-hander Jake Cuda scattered eight hits and three earned runs (8 K) across 5.2 innings at Sehmel Park in Gig Harbor.
Quality wins: North Thurston, Silas, Central Kitsap, Peninsula (2x)
KENTLAKE FALCONS (17-4)
District win: Kentlake 7, Silas 0 (quarterfinals)
Recap: UW commit Christopher Moore dazzled across 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits with four walks and nine strikeouts in Wednesday’s win at Hogan Park (Kent). Kentlake plated all seven runs and recorded all three hits in the fifth inning, capped by Matthew Ledbetter’s two-run single and Jackson Harrigan’s sacrifice fly.
Quality wins: Mountain View, Enumclaw (2x), White River (2x), Silas, Auburn Mountainview (2x), Thomas Jefferson (2x)
PENINSULA SEAHAWKS (17-5)
District win: Peninsula 8, Enumclaw 4 (quarterfinals)
Recap: Andy Merry’s go-ahead, RBI single sparked a four-run sixth inning in Wednesday’s 8-4 win and clinched Peninsula’s third state berth in five years. Seahawks designated hitter AJ Williamson delivered three RBI and leadoff catcher Pete Browand went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks at Sehmel Park in Gig Harbor.
Quality wins: Gig Harbor, Bainbridge, North Thurston, Silas, Curtis, Central Kitsap
WHITE RIVER HORNETS (13-9)
District win: White River 4, Bellarmine Prep 0 (winner-to-state)
Recap: Kolton Jensen’s complete-game shutout powered White River past Bellarmine Prep in Saturday’s winner-to-state district consolation at Auburn Riverside High School. Jensen, a junior lefty, scattered three hits across seven scoreless innings with one walk and six strikeouts. First baseman Lucas Brazier opened scoring with a solo home run in the third.
Quality wins: Fife, Thomas Jefferson, Auburn Mountainview (2x), Central Kitsap
CLASS 2A
FIFE TROJANS (19-4)
District win: Fife 5, North Kitsap 0 (semifinals)
Recap: Junior left-hander Carter Woods tossed a complete-game shutout and left fielder Rocco Gonzales’ two-run single in the fourth inning punched Fife’s state berth in Saturday’s 5-0 home win. Woods allowed three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Dylan Hoots’ sacrifice fly put Fife on the board in the third.
Quality wins: Lynden, Anacortes, Central Kitsap, Steilacoom (2x), Franklin Pierce (2x), Port Angeles
ORTING CARDINALS (16-7)
District win: Orting 3, North Kitsap 2 (winner-to-state)
Recap: Lucas Dickson stole home in the bottom of the 10th inning to knock off North Kitsap, 3-2, and claim the district’s final state berth at Foss High School on Saturday. North Kitsap took a 2-1 lead in the seventh until Orting’s Johnny Turner forced extras with a game-tying, RBI single to right. Cardinals right-hander Jayden Mayfield threw six scoreless innings (3 H) with four walks and nine strikeouts.
Quality wins: Franklin Pierce, Fife (2x)
CLASS 1A
CHARLES WRIGHT-LIFE CHRISTIAN ACADEMIES (17-5)
District win: Charles Wright-Life Christian 10, Bellevue Christian 0 (winner-to-state)
Recap: Senior right-hander Reece Colbert’s five-inning shutout lifted Charles Wright-Life Christian to a state berth in Saturday’s winner-to-state, loser-out contest at Foss High School. Colbert allowed five hits and no runs, striking out five without issuing a walk. Center fielder Jaiden Brokens drew first blood with an RBI double in the second inning, and catcher Colby Stice went 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.
Quality wins: Bellevue Christian (3x), Klahowya (2x)
This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 11:27 AM with the headline "Ticket punched: These South Sound baseball teams clinched 2026 state berths."
