Three North Olympic Peninsula baseball teams are still alive, including one that is a veteran at the state level and two others making it back to state after a number of years away.
Chimacum ranked No. 1 at the Class 1A level, has placed in the top three the past two years and won state in 2007.
Class 1B Quilcene is making its first appearance back at state since 2007 and is looking for its first state victory while 2A Port Angeles is back at state for the first time in nine years.
Loser-out first round and quarterfinal state play at all levels will be Saturday.
The semifinal and championship games are scheduled for May 28.
Chimacum vs. Rainier
The Cowboys are ready to hit the field and play some baseball after a week of practice.
“We’re good to go,” Chimacum coach Jim Dunn said.
“We practiced well this week but we would rather be playing.”
Chimacum, 20-2, will play little-known Rainier at 10 a.m. Saturday at Castle Rock High School.
The winner advances to play the winner between No. 8-ranked Rochester and Cascade Christian at 4 p.m.
The Cowboys played in the final four two years in a row, capturing second last year and third in 2009.
Cashmere, which beat the Cowboys 5-4 for the title a year ago, will be lurking in the semifinals if both teams get that far.
Cashmere was ranked third the last time the poll was taken May 9.
Right now Dunn is not worried about Cashmere.
“Our focus is on Rainier,” he said.
The first-year head coach said he is not worried about how the Cowboys, with only two starting seniors, will react at the pressure-packed regionals this weekend.
“These kids play pretty relaxed,” Dunn said. “They are level-headed for the most part.
“There is more pressure on the program than the team. By that I mean people are expecting a lot from the program because of what we have done in the past.
“But the kids just go out there and do what they do. They take care of business.”
Super pitching ace Landon Cray, who is a three-time Nisqually League MVP despite only being a junior, will pitch in the crucial games, and standout Quinn Eldridge will pitch in the crucial games that Cray doesn’t pitch, Dunn said.
“And then we bring Austin McConnell in, who just does his thing, getting guys out.”
One thing Dunn is no expecting is to blow out teams in the regionals like the Cowboys did last year.
“We beat teams 10-0 and 22-9 last year in the regional games,” he said.
“I don’t think we will be doing that this year.”
PA vs. Sehome
The Roughriders, meanwhile, will be taking on the 2A equivalent of Chimacum. On steroids.
While the Cowboys are a mainstay at the 1A final four and has one state title, in 2007, Sehome (16-7) has been to state five years in a row and won state titles in 2007 and 2008.
The last two years, though, Sehome went one-and-out.
Port Angeles takes on No. 6-ranked Sehome at 1 p.m. at Bellingham’s Martin Stadium. This will be a home game for Bellingham-based Sehome.
The winner takes on the winner between No. 5 Anacortes and Sumner in the quarterfinals.
The Riders were last at state in 2002, and last won at state (5-4 over North Kitsap) in 2001. They claimed fourth place in 1997 at the 4A level.
Quilcene vs. Oakville
The Rangers are back at state after four years. They have never won at state, going 0-4 in four tries at the 2B level.
Quilcene plays Oakville at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Eisenhower High School in Yakima.
There are no rankings on the 1B level but Oakville and Quilcene are the only teams at 1B state who did not play at the state level in 2010.
The winner will play the winner between state veterans Lake Quinault and St. John/Endicott at 4 p.m.
Lake Quinault make it to the semifinals last year and finished in the top four. The game for third-fourth place was not played in 2010 because of bad weather.
