The 4A and 3A baseball state semifinals and finals will be played in the spring at Gesa Stadium in Pasco, the WIAA announced Wednesday.

Two more Tri-City baseball players will be signing to play Division I college ball this week.

KENNEWICK -- Southridge three-sport star Matt Mendenhall made a verbal commitment to play baseball at Washington State University, ending speculation that he might join his brother, Andrew, a baseball player at the University of Oregon.

Kennewick senior-to-be Trek Stemp rated among he best high school baseball players in the country, being named to the All-Area Code Games Top 25 team.

ABERDEEN, Md. -- The Kennewick American All-Star 12-year-olds lost twice Monday at the Cal Ripken Major/70 World Series at Ripken Academy fields.

Colorado Rockies manager Jim Tracy said pitcher Juan Nicasio, who underwent neck surgery last weekend, was much improved and could be at Coors Field on Monday when the team returns from a seven-game trip.

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Kennewick shortstop Trek Stemp was among the 30 Northwest players selected to participate in the Area Code baseball games Aug. 5-10 in Long Beach, Calif.

YAKIMA -- Ty Jackson homered and drove in two runs, Bryce Jackson went 2-for-4 with a double and scored two runs, and Team St. Helens beat Team Baker 19-1 on Sunday in the championship of the All-State Series at Yakima County Stadium.

YAKIMA -- Southridge's Ty Jackson, who earlier this week was named the Tri-City Herald's All-Area MVP, went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI to lead Team St. Helens to a 10-2 win over Team Rainier on Saturday at the All-State Series baseball games at Yakima County Stadium.

Columbia-Burbank senior third baseman Dyllon Smith was named the All-SCAC East MVP for baseball.

KENNEWICK -- There was no gold at the end of the Mid-Columbia baseball rainbow this spring, but that didn't take the shine off what by all accounts was a terrific season for local players and fans.

STANFIELD, Ore. -- The celebration still echoes at Stanfield High School and likely will long past this weekend, when two of the Tigers' seven seniors will play their last games representing the school.

YAKIMA -- Nine Mid-Columbia baseball players were selected to play in the All-State Series for high school seniors in Yakima this coming weekend.

NACHES -- Columbia Burbank's Kevin Ireland and Othello's Amando DeLeon each had two hits and two doubles in the opener of the South Central Washington A/B/AA feeder game at Ranger Field in Naches, and both players were among the ten players nominated for the All-State games scheduled next weekend in Yakima.

NACHES -- Naches Valley will play host to the South Central Washington A/B/AA All-State feeder games at noon Saturday at Ranger Field.

KENNEWICK -- The Yakima Valley/Tri-Cities Feeder Game is set for 3 p.m. today at LaPierre Field in Kennewick.

TACOMA -- At some point, when players achieve big things, and they do it season after season, they have to shake the tag of "overachievers."

TACOMA -- It might have been funny it if weren't a little sad.

YAKIMA -- Evan Clements struck out 12 Warden batters in a 7-1 victory over the Cougars, lifting Seattle Lutheran to its second consecutive 2B state championship at Parker Field in Yakima.

YAKIMA -- Travis Haen, Tim Caudill and Kyle Lindgren had two RBIs apiece for DeSales in a 12-7 loss to Seattle Lutheran in a 2B state championship semifinal at Parker Field in Yakima.

TACOMA -- The margins in high school baseball this time of year are fine.

TACOMA -- To say that Ben Jacobs has seen a lot of baseball is like saying Barry Bonds hit a lot of home runs and -- hmm, mmm -- took a lot of supplements.

The Kamiakin Braves' state title dreams ended today at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma.

TACOMA -- The accomplishment would be simply stunning.

RENTON -- Turns out Richland will play Bothell in the 4A state baseball semifinals after all.

YAKIMA -- Mason Hilty went the distance on the mound, and Richland jumped on Auburn Riverside with a six-run fourth inning and cruised to a 10-1 win in the 4A state quarterfinals Saturday at Yakima County Stadium.

RICHLAND -- In the eyes of the rest of the state, the Kamiakin Braves haven't won anything yet.

RICHLAND -- Three times Southridge and Kamiakin tangled earlier this season, and three times the Suns came out on top of entertaining and often down-to-the-wire baseball.

Matt Mason tossed eight shutout innings for Kiona-Benton in the 1A Region III tournament, before Tenino exploded for seven runs in the ninth inning to eliminate the Bears 7-0.

RICHLAND -- The city of Richland might be known nationally as the Atomic City, but in the world of Big Nine baseball, it is Backstop Central.

YAKIMA -- The Richland baseball team's Class 4A state first-round game against Ferris in Yakima will be broadcast live at 10 a.m. Saturday on KFLD 870 AM.

BENTON CITY -- It's the annual story of May baseball.

For the last few years, Donnie Marbut has wanted to bring his Washington State University baseball team to the Tri-Cities for a game.

RICHLAND — It certainly will go down as one of the longest complete games in SCAC district history.

RICHLAND -- The trio of 3A Tri-City teams still alive for a state baseball title won't have to travel too far for their regional rounds of state games.

KENNEWICK -- Walla Walla had not beaten Richland baseball three times in the last decade.

KENNEWICK -- Just two short weeks ago, the Hanford Falcons were the No. 4 team in the CBBN 3A and playing .500 ball.

YAKIMA -- The Columbia-Burbank and Kiona-Benton baseball contest was suspended after the third inning Saturday because of inclement weather in Yakima.

Here are the 2011 Mid-Columbia boys baseball standings for the Columbia Basin Big Nine, the Central Washington Athletic Conference and the South Central Athletic Conference's East Division through May 14:

BENTON CITY -- Needing a win to secure a state berth, the Kiona-Benton baseball team went with its horse on the mound.

KENNEWICK -- The CBBN's power display against its Greater Spokane League brothers -- going 5-0 in sub-regional crossover games Tuesday -- has Kennewick in position to play host to a pair of championship baseball games today.

Walla Walla swept the top awards in Columbia Basin Big Nine 4A ranks, while Southridge twins Bryce and Ty Jackson shared the 3A MVP honor as the conferences announced their all-league baseball teams.

KENNEWICK -- No one would ever characterize Oz Bartleson as "light-hitting."

RICHLAND -- If it is the postseason, then chances are Richland baseball is back at its best.

Here are the 2011 statistical leaders for Columbia Basin Big Nine baseball:

KENNEWICK — Monica Jackson still remembers that day seven years ago when the last thing in the world she wanted to be recognized for was being the mother of her twin terrors.

WALLA WALLA -- Jarrod Turner hit a two-run home run, and Connor Moore had a double, triple and two RBIs to lead Richland to a 13-5 victory Saturday over Moses Lake and the Bombers' fifth consecutive CBBN district title.

KENNEWICK -- Down eight runs before they even stepped to the plate in a seeding game, the Kamiakin Braves could not have been judged too harshly if they had simply phoned in a token effort against Hanford on Saturday evening.

RENTON -- The WIAA announced Monday that Southridge has been named to the 2010-11 Spring Team Academic Champions list.

Here are the 2011 Mid-Columbia high school baseball leaders as of May 4: