Class 2A Baseball State Tournament preview

Selah

Vikings

League: CWAC (first)

District: Yakima Valley (first)

State appearances: 27 (40-29)

State semifinals: 12 (6-6)

State titles: None

Record: 23-1

Average runs scored: 11.2

Average runs allowed: 1.5

Coach: Mike Archer

Quick look: The top-ranked Vikings cruised to their district title with matching 6-0 wins over Othello and Ellensburg, and they rolled through the Yakima regional with a 10-2 win over Franklin Pierce and a 1-0 win over Yakima East Valley behind staff ace Kyle Dexter. They enter on a 15-game win streak.

Squalicum

Storm

League: NWC (sixth)

District: Northwest (third)

State appearances: None

State semifinals: None

State titles: None

Record: 20-6

Average runs scored: 7.0

Average runs allowed: 1.7

Coach: John Inge

Quick look: After losing its opener in the district tournament, the Storm advanced to state for the first time. They then got a gem from David Stealy to beat Seqium 5-0 in the first round, before surprising Anacortes 6-1 in the quarterfinals, escaping three bases-loaded jams in the process.

Centralia

Tigers

League: 2A Evergreen (second)

District: Southwest (second)

State appearances: 29 (32-28)

State semifinals: Eight (3-5)

State titles: Two (1982, ’93)

Record: 17-7

Average runs scored: 9.4

Average runs allowed: 4.5

Coach: Rex Ashmore

Quick look: Centralia lost 8-5 to Tumwater in the district title game, but rebounded to beat Archbishop Murphy (6-5) and Fife (10-4) in the Tacoma regional. The Tigers have proven to be quick productive on offense, scoring in double figures 10 times so far this season.

Issaquah Liberty

Patriots

League: Kingco (fifth)

District: 2/3 (fourth)

State appearances: Six (9-5)

State semifinals: Two (1-1)

State titles: One (2003)

Record: 12-13

Average runs scored: 4.1

Average runs allowed: 3.8

Coach: John Martin

Quick look: Don’t fall asleep on the Patriots, as their record is a reflection of playing in a mostly 3A league. In the district tournament, they reached the semifinals, before losing to Fife. They then beat Southwest District top seed Tumwater 3-0 and North Kitsap 4-3 to advance to Yakima.

This story was originally published May 28, 2015 at 9:26 PM with the headline "Class 2A Baseball State Tournament preview."