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Five things to know as state baseball, softball championship weekend starts

jeff graham, kitsap sun
·4 min read

Saturday marks the final day of high school sports in Washington during the 2021-22 school year. On the baseball and softball diamonds, four West Sound teams are still alive with the chance to earn state tournament trophies.

Crosspoint's baseball team is one win away from the Class 1B championship. The Warriors (21-2) take on Naselle on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Ridgefield Outdoor Athletic Complex.

In 10 a.m. Friday games in the 2A softball tournament at Carlon Park in Selah, Olympic (16-5) opens against Cedarcrest and North Kitsap (17-5) takes on Tumwater. Klahowya (14-4) begins play in the 1A tournament Friday at noon against Mount Baker at the Columbia Playfields in Richland. Both 2A and 1A tournaments are double-elimination and the top-six teams earn trophies.

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Here's five things to consider heading into the weekend:

SOFTBALL TITLES

Bainbridge is the last West Sound softball team to claim a championship. The Spartans won the 3A title in 2009, topping Metro League rival Holy Names 6-2. Bainbridge reached the title game in 2010 and 2011, losing to Sedro-Woolley and Juanita.

North Mason captured the 2A title in 2007. The Bulldogs blanked Centralia 3-0 in the championship. In 1995, South Kitsap shut out Rogers (Spokane) 1-0 in the 4A title game. Two years prior, in 1993, it was Central Kitsap who was crowned the 4A champion following a 1-0 victory over Richland.

Olympic softball head coach Chuck Stark gives instructions to his team as the start practice on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
Olympic softball head coach Chuck Stark gives instructions to his team as the start practice on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.

COACHING TIES

Olympic softball coach Chuck Stark and North Kitsap softball coach Clay Blackwood were both hired prior to the 2020 season, which was wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both men have ties to Olympic College.

Blackwood coached the Rangers for three seasons (2005-07) after first serving as an assistant, while Stark led the program in 2016 and 2017 after being an assistant for three seasons.

Stark is trying to lead Olympic to its first-even win at state. The Trojans qualified for state five previous times, going 0-9. North Kitsap is 5-8 in 13 games played at state.

There are two other coaches in the 2A tournament with ties to Kitsap County. Former South Kitsap standout Katy Lieseke leads the program at W.F. West, a potential quarterfinal opponent for Olympic. Ridgfield is coached by former Olympic standout Kelsey Anchors.

SISTER ACT

Klahowya softball coach Meika Hall doesn't have to worry about her assistant coach providing quality pitching during batting practice. That assistant coach is Hall's sister, Amber Bumbalough, who was the Eagles' No. 1 pitcher in 2018, the last time the team qualified for state.

As a senior, Bumbalough earned Olympic League 1A co-MVP honors with a .593 batting average with 11 doubles, nine home runs, 33 runs, 37 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. She also won 11 games while compiling 204 strikeouts. She played at Northern Illinois University.

Klahowya's 2018 team went 0-2 in state play, leaving the program with a 1-8 record in nine state tournament contests.

Klahowya assistant softball coach Amber Bumbalough led the Eagles to the Class 1A state tournament in 2018.
Klahowya assistant softball coach Amber Bumbalough led the Eagles to the Class 1A state tournament in 2018.

BASEBALL HARDWARE

Crosspoint has the opportunity to add to the list of West Sound baseball programs that have won state titles.

South Kitsap is a four-time champion, the most recent title coming in 2015 when the Wolves topped Newport 5-2 in eight innings in the 4A championship.

North Kitsap captured the 1988 title in 3A with a 12-4 win over Tahoma, while Olympic won the 3A title in 1984 following a 13-12 win over Chief Sealth in the semifinals and a 6-5 victory over Eastmont in the championship game.

Chimacum won the 1A title in 2007 with a 4-2 victory over Naches Valley, then added a second title in 2011 with an 8-4 win over Tenino.

Crosspoint's Thunderr Doty played on Crosspoint's 2017 state championships boys soccer team as an eighth-grader.
Crosspoint's Thunderr Doty played on Crosspoint's 2017 state championships boys soccer team as an eighth-grader.

DOTY CONNECTION

If Crosspoint baseball coach Derrin Doty and his son, senior Thunderr Doty, are able to celebrate a state championship on Saturday, it won't be the first time they've ended a season with a title. For nearly a decade, the last name Doty has been synonymous with winning programs at Crosspoint Academy.

The girls soccer program won back-to-back B titles in 2013 and 2014 with Derrin Doty handling coaching duties and daughter Desere'e Doty serving as the team's top scorer.

Crosspoint boys soccer team won B title in boys soccer in 2017 during Thunderr Doty's eighth-grade year. Derrin Doty and Thunderr Doty also reached the B state boys basketball tournament in the winter as coach and player.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: State baseball, softball championship breakdown of Kitsap County teams