This small Tri-City school is looking for big things from its baseball team

It's been a long road for the Tri-Cities Prep baseball team, but the Jaguars finally are starting to reap the rewards of their hard work.

Prep (23-2) reached the 2B state tournament for the fifth time since 2013 and has high hopes going into its semifinal game at 4 p.m. Friday against Kalama at Wheeler Field in Centralia.

"It's pretty phenomenal," coach Jason Jarrett said. "We have five freshmen, 11 sophomores and three juniors. We don't have any seniors."

The Jaguars lost seven seniors off last year's team that finish second to Colfax.

Colfax is out of the picture, knocked out by Prep in the quarterfinals last Saturday.

"These guys know what it takes," Jarrett said. "They have come back and worked their tails off. It's hard to get to state. You have to take advantage of the moment."

The Jaguars losses have come to 1A Connell and 2B Brewster in the district championship game. Brewster, a traditional baseball powerhouse, is in the other semifinal, playing Adna.

"Losses suck, but the way we have responded has been positive," Jarrett said. "We want to play Brewster again for a sense of redemption."

Prep will go with its ace, sophomore Logan Mercado, against Kalama on Friday. The EWAC Player of the Year has just one loss on the season.

"Logan has done well for us," Jarrett said. "I'm excited to see where baseball takes him. It's great to see kids come into your program who have potential, and to see them grow."

Mercado, who has verbally committed to University of Oregon, said the team's chemistry has been the key to success this year.

"I played with a lot of these guys before in middle school," he said. "We hang out together outside of school. It's great to see all my teammates come together in a brotherhood. We all get along."

Mercado, who also plays shortstop, has honed his baseball skills in the summer with former Richland great Travis Buck and others, and now he's paying it forward with the Jaguars.

"I went to my first showcase my eighth-grade year," he said. "I've learned a lot. I've been all around the country playing against great players and learning from different coaches. I've taken all the fundamentals and philosophies and put them into my game, and I'm passing it on to these guys."

Mercado played in the 2B title game last year as a freshman. He said that experience has prepared him for this weekend.

"That makes me stronger," he said. "I don't let the pressure get to me."

This story was originally published May 23, 2018 at 3:31 PM with the headline "This small Tri-City school is looking for big things from its baseball team."