On Saturday afternoon, at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, West Linn’s baseball program will be chasing history at the OSAA / OnPoint Community Credit Union Baseball State Championship.
The Lions are the two-time defending 6A state champions. No large-class school in the almost 80-year history of organized high school baseball in Oregon has even won three straight.
If West Linn defeats Sunset on Saturday, it will join Drain HS (now North Douglas) as the only team ever to reign for three straight years. Drain accomplished the feat between 1949 and 1951, in the first five years of the championships.
To underscore the difficulty of what West Linn is attempting, know that only 14 schools in Oregon have EVER won two titles in a row. That includes the Lions in 6A and Kennedy in 2A/1A last year.
Besides West Linn, only Jefferson and Madison (now McDaniel HS) won two in a row in the state’s largest classification. Jeff won back-to-back in 1946 and 1947, the first two years baseball was played under the OSAA. Madison accomplished the feat twice, the last time more than 50 years before West Linn doubled up last year.
Simply stated, winning two in a row is hard; winning three in a row is practically unheard of. That’s the history West Linn is chasing.
West Linn head coach Joe Monahan knows full well how difficult it is to win consistently at the 6A level. He took the Lions to the state title game in 2015, his second year as head coach; and again two years later. Both of those teams lost in the finals.
“It’s hard to win even one state title,” said Monahan, whose teams will be making their fifth finals appearance over the past eight baseball seasons. “Your best team may not win a title. You have to be hot at the right time. The ball also has to bounce your way once or twice when you’re making a run. In a 32-team, single-elimination tournament, you have to play well and get a break here and there.”
Monahan credits community investment in baseball, going back more than 30 years when his eldest son, Matt, was in t-ball, to the consistent dominance West Linn has demonstrated over the past decade.
“There was a group of parents and coaches that decided we needed better facilities and programs,” Monahan explained. “We also tend to outperform other communities in keeping our home-grown kids home. We put on as many as 100 sessions a season for the youth in this community. That gives u an advantage because they identify with our program and want to be part of it.”
West Linn prepared for the challenge of winning three titles in a row by playing the toughest schedule Monahan has ever put together as a head coach, which includes stints at Horizon Christian (Tualatin) and Southridge. The Lions played most of the top 6A teams in the state and, at a Spring Break tournament in San Diego, faced a national top 10 team and several other Open-level powers from the San Diego Section.
“We put ourselves in position to find ourselves early,” Monahan explained. “This group locked in early and did what it needed to do and it really paid off.”
West Linn comes to the state final having won 18 games in a row. Among those wins was Tuesday’s shutout of Jesuit, one of just two Oregon teams to defeat it this year. The other was Tigard, which won 5-4 on April 12, the last time the Lions tasted defeat.
West Linn’s finals opponent, Sunset, presents a supreme challenge. The Apollos won their first 18 games of the season, including a three-game sweep of Jesuit; and were the last team in all of Oregon to lose.
“They are really, really good,” Monahan said. “They have really good pitching. They don’t give up runs. They have guys that can swing it in their lineup. We have our work cut out for us.”
What it would mean to Monahan and his program were they to win on Saturday? The coach said he has not permitted himself to think about it.
“People bring it up all the time,” he explained. “As coaches, all we do is put our athletes into position. We provide players with the structure and the atmosphere to play for their teammates. The players themselves win the game or lose the game; my goal is not to screw it up and give them their best chance.”
6A Championship Final
Saturday, 3:30 pm, Volcanoes Stadium, Keizer
West Linn Lions (27-4) v. Sunset Apollos (28-2)
OSAA playoff rank: West Linn, No. 1; Sunset No. 3
Pre-season coaches poll rank: West Linn, No. 1; Sunset No. 6
Final coaches poll rank: West Linn, No. 1; Sunset No. 2
2023 records: West Linn 26-6 (state champion); Sunset 20-7 (lost in first round)
Head to head in 2024: Did not play
West Linn
Number of state championships: 4
Last state championship: 2023
Last appearance in a state final: 2023
Total number of appearances before 2024: 8
Current winning streak: 18
Path to the finals: d. OSAA No. 32-ranked Southridge 5-0; d. No. 16 Grants Pass 3-1; d. No. 8 Tualatin 10-0; d. No. 4 Jesuit 4-0
Probable starting pitcher: Senior RHP Gabe Howard (9 wins; ERA under 2.00)
Top offensive players: senior C Ryan VandenBrink (four-year starter; eight home runs); junior OF Danny Wideman (batting almost .500 with speed); senior SS Mitch Rowe (batting over .400; strong fielder); Howard (hitting .400); junior OF Baron Naone (football standout hitting almost .350 with RBI bat)
First Team All-League performers: VandenBrink (Player of the Year), Blake Crawford (Pitcher of the Year; ERA around 1.00); Howard (P and OF); Rowe (INF); Naone (OF); Wideman (UTIL); senior Peyton Moussavi (DH)
Sunset
Number of state championships: 2
Last state championship: 1994
Last appearance in a state final: 1994
Total number of appearances before 2024: 2
Current winning streak: 8
Path to the finals: d. No. 30 Liberty 2-0; d. No. 19 Sheldon 4-2 d. No. 6 Westview 3-0; d. No. 2 South Salem 12-4
Probable starting pitcher: Sophomore RHP Parker Raubuch (7-0; 1 save; 1.40 ERA; competitor who will command three pitches)
Top offensive players: junior 1B Kruz Schoolcraft (.506; 7 HRs, 30 RBIs); senior 2B Maddox Montoya (.359; 4 HRs; 24 RBIs); junior C Dakota Chun (.351 with 26 RBIs); senior OF Connor Anderson (.348 with 25 RBIs)’ senior SS Max Ellerbrook (.315; 3 HRs; 21 RBIs)
First Team All-League performers: Schoolcraft (Player and Pitcher of the Year); Ellerbrook (INF); Chun (C); Anderson (OF); Raubuch (P); junior Will Slater (P)
Game notes: West Linn is a senior-heavy team with 11 on its roster, including VandenBrink, a four-year starter who has signed with Oregon State; and Howard and Crawford, two hurlers headed to Oregon. Junior Wideman also will play for Oregon while Naone is a high-level football recruit. Rowe is the team’s most improved player. Once a basketball-first athlete, he committed to baseball this past summer and worked tirelessly to become the impact player he currently is. Crawford, who struck out 12 in shutting out Jesuit in the semifinal, is the TRL Pitcher of the Year. The lefty is available for 25 pitches in relief of Howard, who has a no-hitter to his credit and has been lights out recently. West Linn comes into the final on an 18-game winning streak, including a revenge win over Jesuit, one of two in-state teams to beat it this year…Sunset won its first Metro League title outright this year for the first time since 1982. It's been 25 years since the Apollos last even shared the title. This has been an historic season for John Barnes’ team, which was last in the state to lose. Schoolcraft has been arguably the best player in the state, hitting over .500 with 21 extra base hits and pitching to an ERA below 1.00. The Sunset staff as a whole has been exceptional, yielding just 40 runs while pitching to a team ERA of 1.04. The 40 runs allowed is the fewest in all of 6A by a whopping 24 runs. West Linn is tied for second fewest allowed and has yielded just one unearned run in four playoff contests. Expect a low-scoring game.
5A Championship Final
Saturday, 12 noon, PK Park, Eugene
Thurston Colts (27-3) v. West Albany Bulldogs (26-3)
OSAA playoff rank: Thurston, No. 2; West Albany, No. 4
Pre-season coaches poll rank: Thurston, No. 1; West Albany, No. 4
Final coaches poll rank: Thurston, No. 1; West Albany, No. 3
2023 records: Thurston 28-3 (state champion); West Albany 23-7 (lost in championship game)
Head to head in 2024: Did not play
Thurston
Number of state championships: 2
Last state championship: 2023
Last appearance in a state final: 2023
Total number of appearances before 2024: 4
Current winning streak: 24
Path to the finals: d. No. 15 Central 10-0; d. No. 7 Mountain View 11-0; d. No. 3 Ridgeview 7-3
Probable starting pitcher: Sophomore RHP Grady Saunders (12 wins; bulldog with a plus fastball)
Top offensive players: senior OF Adam Elliott (.533; 42 runs; 23 steals); sophomore INF Brock Johnson (.419; 37 runs); senior 3B Eli Crist (.433; 10 doubles; 38 RBIs); Saunders (.477; 14 XBHs; 37 RBIs); junior 1B Connor Molony (.439; 31 RBIs); junior OF Kyle Miller (.389; 12 doubles)
First Team All-League performers: Saunders (Pitcher of the Year); Crist (Player of the Year); Elliott (OF); Johnson (INF); Miller (OF); Molony (DH); junior LHP Collin Hernandez (P)
West Albany
Number of state championships: 0
Last state championship: None
Last appearance in a state final: 2023
Total number of appearances before 2024: 3
Current winning streak: 5
Path to the finals: d. No. 13 Putnam 6-2; d. No. 5 Crescent Valley 2-1; d. No. 8 Summit 7-6
Probable starting pitcher: Junior RHP Drew Rice (9-0; 0.75 ERA) or senior RHS Lukas Hews (8-1; 1.75) – Rice is a smart pitcher who knows how to keep hitters off balance. Hews is tall and gets a good down angle on his plus fastball.
Top offensive players: Rice (.435; 37 hits); senior INF Aiden Metzker (.380 with 17 steals); senior 2B Andrew Yost (second on the team in hits)
First Team All-League performers: Rice (Pitcher of the Year); Metzger (UTIL); Yost (INF); Hews (P)
Game notes: This is a rematch of last year’s classic title tilt, which Thurston won in eight innings on a walk-off, inside-the-park home run from Saunders. “It will be a great game and we are looking forward to it,” said Thurston coach Dennis Minium. “We feel good. We have been playing good baseball. We have been focused and dialed in all year. The players have one goal and that is one game away.” Thurston comes into the game as the top offensive team in 5A. The Colts are averaging almost nine runs per game while giving up just over two. Thurston is used to winning. The team has won six Midwestern League titles in aa row and has 5 straight league games. Minium is a Thurston alum and played baseball on the same team as West Albany pitching coach Shawn Stinson…West Albany coach Marty Johnston is in his 20th season with the program and his third as head coach. He succeeded Don Lien, who helped put the Bulldogs on the map during his 22-year tenure. The school has one state title, in 1952, when it competed as Albany HS. Albany became West Albany in 1972 when South Albany opened. West Albany returns to the state championship game despite graduating five starting seniors, including league Player of the Year Evan Bliss. Pitching has been key for both teams. They are two of just five in 5A to yield fewer than 100 runs this season.
4A Championship Final
Saturday, 7 p.m., Volcanoes Stadium, Keizer
Scappoose (26-2) v. Marist Catholic Spartans (20-9)
OSAA playoff rank: Scappoose, No. 3; Marist Catholic, No. 4
Pre-season coaches poll rank: Scappoose, No. 1; Marist Catholic, No. 5
Final coaches poll rank: Scappoose, No. 3; Marist Catholic, No. 4
2023 records: Scappoose 27-2 (state champion); Marist Catholic 21-5 (lost in quarterfinals)
Head to head in 2024: split a Saturday doubleheader on March 16
Scappoose
Number of state championships: 5
Last state championship: 2023
Last appearance in a state final: 2023
Total number of appearances before 2024: 7
Current winning streak: 3
Path to the finals: d. No. 14 La Grande 9-5; d. No. 6 Junction City / Triangle Lake 4-3; d. No. 2 North Marion / Gervais 11-6
Probable starting pitcher: Senior RHP Grayson Grover (started and won last year’s championship) or junior RHP Joe Fagan
Top offensive players: Grover (RBI leader); junior SS Joe Fagan; junior 1B Max Nowlin; junior INF Quinton Olson
First Team All-League performers: Grover and Nowlin (co-Players of the Year); Fagan; Olson, senior Eli Harrah (OF); junior Riley DuBois (C)
Marist Catholic
Number of state championships: 0
Last state championship: None
Last appearance in a state final: 1984
Total number of appearances before 2024: 2
Current winning streak: 6
Path to the finals: d. No. 13 Newport 3-1; d. No. 5 Pendleton / Nixyaawii 14-4; d. No. 1 Henley 7-6
Probable starting pitcher: Senior RHP Drew Wooten (6-3; 1.73 ERA) or junior RHP Niko Leyba (7-1; 2.3 ERA). Wooten has immaculate control, while Leyba is a bulldog on the bump
Top offensive players: Leyba, SS (.431 with good speed); senior OF Peyton Tyner (.527 with four homers and good speed); Aiden Hazen, senior C (3 HRs)
First Team All-League performers: Tyner (Player of the Year); Wooten (P); Hazen (C); Leyba (INF), sophomore Stephen Riley (OF); junior 1B Raith Huffman
Game notes: Scappoose trailed Pendleton, 2-1, in last year’s championship game before scoring 11 unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth innings to walk off with the title. Scappoose is back in the championship game despite having only five seniors on the roster. Fagan, a Portland recruit, was 4A co-Player of the Year last year. Olson is an All-State athlete in football, basketball and baseball. Nowlin was the team’s starting QB and an All-State football player. This is a motivated group that also gets it done in the classroom with a 3.61 cumulative GPA…Marist Catholic is making its first appearance in a state final in 40 years and looking for its first championship. The Spartans finished second in the Sky-Em League behind Junction City / Triangle Lake, but their journey to the state final has included a quarterfinal win over 2023 finalist Pendleton and a semifinal rally to oust state No. 1 Henley. The game pits two of the three highest-scoring teams in 4A. This might be the highest scoring game of the five finals.
3A Championship Final
Saturday, 3:30 p.m., PK Park, Eugene
Brookings-Harbor Bruins (20-7) v. Warrenton Warriors (24-5)
OSAA playoff rank: Brookings-Harbor, No. 8; Warrenton, No. 3
Pre-season coaches poll rank: Brookings-Harbor, No. 3; Warrenton, No. 6
Final coaches poll rank: Brookings-Harbor, No. 8; Warrenton, No. 3
2023 records: Brookings-Harbor 21-7 (lost in semifinals); Warrenton 20-7 (lost in quarterfinals)
Head to head in 2024: did not play
Brookings-Harbor
Number of state championships: 0
Last state championship: none
Last appearance in a state final: 1995
Total number of appearances before 2024: 1
Current winning streak: 10
Path to the finals: d. No. 8 Joseph / Enterprise / Wallowa 16-8; d. No. 16 North Valley 9-1; d. No. 4 Pleasant Hill 6-4
Probable starting pitcher: senior LHP Ethan Orman (efficient; pitches to contact)
Top offensive players: Orman (.434; 10 doubles; 32 RBIs); senior INF Camron Hendrix (.366; 34 RBIs; two post-season homers); senior C Spencer Rosenberg (.405; 29 RBIs); senior utility Austin Deitrich (.408; 28 runs)
First Team All-League performers: Orman; Hendrix, Rosenberg
Warrenton
Number of state championships: 1
Last state championship: 1994
Last appearance in a state final: 2019
Total number of appearances before 2024: 4
Current winning streak: 3
Path to the finals: d. No. 19 Yamhill-Carlton 11-1; d. No. 11 Valley Catholic 7-2; d. No. 2 Banks 2-0
Probable starting pitcher: one of three lefties, senior Cam’Ron Daniels (4-0; 3,23 ERA); junior Kaison Smith (4-1; 2.95) or junior Odin Wilson (6-0; 1.99) – Playing so many games in tight weather windows, Warrenton used the “committee approach” to pitching frequently and might go that route in the final
Top offensive players: junior utility Ryder Sturgell (.323; 31 runs); junior C Tyson McGrorty (.433; 32 runs; 6 HRs; 30 RBIs); junior INF Talon McGrorty (.407; 24 RBIs); junior 1B Smith (.352; 5 HRs; 24 RBIs)
First Team All-League performers: not public at this time
Game notes: By the time Brookings-Harbor returns home from the state championship game, the Bruins, whose school is on the coast near the California border; will have traveled 2,400 miles for the playoffs. Nine of the 15 players on the roster are seniors. Three have appeared three times in at least the state semifinals. Brookings-Harbor has been a late-game team in the playoffs, having scored 24 of its 31 runs in the sixth and seventh innings. B-H started the year 3-5 but is 17-2 over its last 19 games, including 10 in a row heading to the finals…Warrenton head coach Lennie Wolfe is one of six coaches in the finals who have won state titles. He’s been the coach at Warrenton for 33 years. Of the 14 players on the roster, 11 have parents or uncles who attended the school and many played baseball for Wolfe. Two assistant coaches played for Wolfe in the early 90s. Another assistant, Ron Dyer, is a Warrenton grad from the 70s whose brother introduced Wolfe to his wife, Michelle. “Every Warrenton game is a reunion,” Wolfe said. “I count myself as one of the truly fortunate coaches to have been surrounded for so long by such an incredible community.”
2A/1A Championship Final
Saturday, 12 noon, Volcanoes Stadium, Keizer
Umpqua Valley Christian Monarchs (25-5) v. Knappa Loggers (24-4)
OSAA playoff rank: Umpqua Valley Christian, No. 2; Knappa, No. 1
Pre-season coaches poll rank: Umpqua Valley Christian, No. 1; Knappa, No. 3
Final coaches poll rank: Umpqua Valley Christian, No. 2; Knappa, No. 3
2023 records: Umpqua Valley Christian 27-4 (lost in semifinal); Knappa 17-7 (lost in quarterfinal)
Head to head in 2024: Did not play
Umpqua Valley Christian
Number of state championships: 3
Last state championship: 2019 (in co-op with Melrose Christian)
Last appearance in a state final: 2019
Total number of appearances before 2024: 6
Current winning streak: 19
Path to the finals: d. No. 15 Irrigon 11-1; d. No. 7 Clatskanie 10-0; d. No. 3 Blanchet Catholic 7-0
Probable starting pitcher: One of three senior RHPs, Sean Simonson (9-3; 1.74 ERA); Daniel Withers (1-0; 4.96); or Kevin Shaver (2-1; 1.87). All are good competitors.
Top offensive players: Tyler Haynes, senior OF; Ty Hellenthal, junior utility; Shaver, senior C; Logan Anderson, junior INF; Caleb York, freshman OF; Tygue Barron, senior DH
First Team All-League performers: Hellenthal (Player of the Year); Simonson (Pitcher of the Year), Shaver (C), Withers (INF), Anderson (INF), Haynes (OF); York (OF); Barron (DH)
Knappa
Number of state championships: 4
Last state championship: 2018
Last appearance in a state final: 2018
Total number of appearances before 2024: 7
Current winning streak: 24
Path to the finals: d. No. 16 Illinois Valley 14-4; d. No. 9 Kennedy 11-6; d. No. 12 North Douglas / Elkton 2-1
Probable starting pitcher: Either freshman RHP Oliver Stevens (6-0, 2 saves, 1.04 ERA) or senior RHP Jaxon Dietrichs (11-1; 2 saves; 1.37)
Top offensive players: junior SS Jude Miller (.364; 39 RBIs; 33 steals); junior 2B/3B Braxton Hill (.376; 30 RBIs; 26 steals); senior 3B Dietrichs (.357; 23 RBIs); senior OF Kutter Ball (.395; 26 RBIs); senior utility Treven Moreland (.389; 36 RBIs)
First Team All-League performers: Miller (Player of the Year); Dietrichs (Pitcher of the Year); Moreland; Ball; Stevens; senior C Ash Baldwin; junior OF Gavin Barendse; junior utility Lukas Masters
Game notes: Umpqua Valley Christian, along with St. Paul, are the two 1A schools that have competed consistently in the 2A/1A classification. The Monarchs are coached by Dave York, who has been with the school for 25 years and has taken them to seven title games since 2002, winning three times and hoping for a fourth on Saturday. UVC plays good team defense and has held opponents to a team batting average of .178. Only Regis and Blanchet Catholic, the team it blanked in the semifinals; yielded fewer runs. This is a tight-knit roster of 16, seven of whom are seniors; who enjoy playing with and for one another. UVC will take a 19-game winning streak to the finals…Knappa started the year 0-4 but is 24-0 since. The Loggers, under 23-year head coach Jeff Miller, have advanced to the state semifinals or better in 10 of the past 11 seasons. This is the first season that the seven seniors on the roster have played a full slate of home games because of COVID and field renovations. The Loggers, who have been NWL champions every year since 2010, have the school valedictorian, Baldwin, behind the plate. He has an unweighted GPA of 4.0. Another senior, Ball, owns and operates his own farm. The team tradition has become grazing his goats beyond the outfield fence on game days!
johnt@osaa.org
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