State baseball semifinals preview: top players, championship predictions
CJ Gatterson cranked a two-run home run to right field in Decatur’s opening round 3A state tournament win over Shorewood last weekend. A few batters later, Ethan Flavel came up to the plate with the bases loaded.
He took a fastball and smoked it over the left-center field wall. Grand slam.
“I just saw it was gonna be a fastball and just ripped it,” he told The News Tribune after the game.
Of the four teams left standing in the 3A state tournament — the semifinals and finals will be played Friday and Saturday in Everett — Decatur’s lineup is likely the most feared. The two-home run inning last weekend showed why. There’s some thump in these Gators’ bats.
“Our lineup, the whole year, has been hitting well,” Flavel said. “We just need that little spark. … We can turn it on just like that. That’s what I love about this team.”
The WIAA state high school baseball semifinals and championship games take place Friday and Saturday in Washington. Here’s what to watch for in the 4A, 3A and 2A brackets, plus our championship predictions.
SCHEDULE
CLASS 4A
All games at Everett Memorial Stadium
No. 2 Sumner vs. No. 6 Kamiakin, 10 a.m. Friday, May 29
No. 1 Richland vs. No. 5 Gonzaga Prep, 1 p.m. Friday, May 29
Championship game: 4 p.m. Saturday, May 30
CLASS 3A
All games at Everett Memorial Stadium
No. 6 Kentlake vs. No. 7 O’Dea, 4 p.m. Friday, May 29
No. 4 Decatur vs. No. 17 Eastside Catholic, 7 p.m. Friday, May 29
Championship game: 7 p.m. Saturday, May 30
CLASS 2A
All games at Joe Martin Stadium in Bellingham
No. 2 Tumwater vs. No. 11 Selah, 10 a.m. Friday, May 29
No. 1 Bainbridge vs. No. 13 Orting, 1 p.m. Friday, May 29
Championship game: 4 p.m. Saturday, May 30
CLASS 4A PREVIEW
Top-seeded Richland, which won the 4A title in 2024, remains the favorite after a narrow win over Skyline, then a 10-run win over Olympia in the quarterfinals. The Bombers have several star two-way players: P/OF and MCC pitcher of the year Michael Revell (.370 average, three doubles, three home runs; 7-0, 0.99 earned run average), P/3B Deegan Quesenberry (.474, four doubles; 6-1, 2.10 ERA) and P/OF Braylon Edwards (.342, three doubles; 7-1, 0.73 ERA). The Bombers will be eager for revenge against Gonzaga Prep, which defeated Richland recently in the district championship game. Catcher Anthony Karis earned Greater Spokane League MVP honors this spring, hitting .500 in league play with seven doubles, two triples, six home runs and 22 RBI. Dylan Croall was the GSL pitcher of the year, compiling a 5-0 record with a 1.25 ERA. P/1B Jackson Mott and P/2B Jacob Wilson are other players to watch.
On the top half of the bracket, Sumner has caught fire as of late, racking up 16 runs in two state tournament wins. OF/P Wyatt Plyler is one of the state’s top two-way players, INF Jake Miller is a clutch-hitting machine and P/OF Brody Santman has been lights out as the No. 2 pitcher. Sumner’s last semifinal appearance came in 2023. The Spartans will be without one of the lineup’s best bats in junior OF Bryce Carl, who was ejected from Sumner’s quarterfinal win over Kennedy Catholic. If Sumner wins on Friday, Carl will be eligible to return for the championship game. Sumner will have its hands full against Kamiakin ace Zach Vega, who was the MCC player of the year this spring. Vega has a 7-1 record with a 1.52 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched. Tanner Davis (.430 average, four doubles, three triples, home run) and Taron Carlson (.351, five doubles, two triples, six home runs) are other players to watch.
CLASS 3A PREVIEW
The title is up for grabs as each of the top three seeds (No. 1 Mount Vernon, No. 2 Kennewick and No. 3 Gig Harbor) all lost last weekend. Decatur has the best lineup of the four remaining teams, highlighted by hard-hitting 3B Ethan Flavel. The Gators will face the surprise of the tournament, No. 17 Eastside Catholic, which knocked off top-seeded Mount Vernon before beating Roosevelt in the quarterfinals. Eastside Catholic features one of the Metro League’s top hitters in catcher Ryan Long (.420, nine doubles). RHP Jay Baxter (1.84 ERA, 83 strikeouts) led the league in strikeouts.
Kentlake features electric brother duo Christopher Moore, the 3A North Puget Sound League MVP, and Lincoln Moore. Christopher Moore hit .578 with four home runs and 38 RBI, also racking up a 5-1 record with a 0.61 ERA and 75 strikeouts for the Falcons. P/UTIL Matthew Ledbetter and 2B Jacob Lawrence are other players to watch. Steady pitching and high-energy “chaos ball” on the basepaths are the strategies for Mike Suguro’s Falcons. This is Kentlake’s first state tournament semifinal appearance since 2017. Kentlake faces No. 7 O’Dea, which beat No. 10 Mountain View in the opening round before shutting out No. 2 Kennewick in the quarterfinals, 3-0.
CLASS 2A PREVIEW
Top-seeded Bainbridge, the reigning state champion, is the favorite, led by 1B Will Rohrbacher and P Trey Thompson. Bainbridge faces surprise 13-seed Orting, from the 2A SPSL. Orting knocked off No. 4 West Valley in the opening round before beating No. 12 Sehome in the quarterfinal round. Jeremy McNinch’s squad is senior-heavy and peaking at the right time, led by DH Johnny Turner (.432, nine doubles, triple) and pitchers Gabe Schrader and Jayden Mayfield.
On the top half of the bracket, No. 2 Tumwater faces No. 11 Selah. OF/RHP Luke Overbay, son of Tumwater coach and former big leaguer Lyle Overbay, won 2A EvCo MVP honors this spring. He’s hitting .432 with seven doubles, a triple and six home runs and has a 0.72 ERA with 50 strikeouts. C/RHP Jimmy Womach and RHP Braeden Konrad are other players to watch for the T-Birds. It’s Tumwater’s first trip to the state semifinals since the T-Birds won the state championship in 2023.
TNT CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTIONS
4A: Sumner over Richland
3A: Decatur over O’Dea
2A: Tumwater over Bainbridge
This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 5:23 PM with the headline "State baseball semifinals preview: top players, championship predictions."
