Is this Puyallup’s best team under Marc Wiese? Vikings are two wins away from 4A title
In 29 years of coaching baseball at Puyallup High School, Marc Wiese thinks this might be the most special group he’s seen.
“They are the most talented,” he said. “We probably have the most depth that we’ve had.”
But is it his best team? We’ll find out this weekend at GESA Stadium in Pasco. The Vikings are playing in the Class 4A state tournament semifinals on Friday with a trip to Saturday’s championship game on the line.
It’s the third year in a row Puyallup has reached the “final four” state semifinal round. Last year, the Vikings fell short against Sumner ace and 2023 TNT All-Area player of the year Jacob Bresnahan. The year before, the Vikings lost to league rival Olympia in the state championship game on an unforgettable put-out by outfielder Taber Fast.
“It’s the best thing in the world,” first baseman Jackson Copeland said during practice on Monday at the Heritage Recreation Center. “This feeling, being able to go back to Pasco and getting the chance to take a ring home is the best feeling in the world.”
Left fielder Tristan Ringrose added: “I just want to get it done this time, though.”
Catcher Kai Halstead agreed.
“Third time in a row,” he said. “I think it’s time we come back with a ring.”
The Vikings, this year’s No. 2 seed, face No. 14 seed Bothell in the semifinals Friday morning. The winner faces the winner of No. 5 North Creek and top-seeded Richland in the championship on Saturday.
Puyallup has no shortage of talent, highlighted by national recruit and MLB prospect Mason Pike, a junior who has pitched 59.2 innings this year with a 9-1 record, 83 strikeouts, 19 walks and a 1.06 earned run average. Pike has given up just two earned runs against teams from Washington this spring.
But it goes beyond Pike, as great as he’s been. Seven players roster are committed to play college baseball, with several others likely picking up offers in the near future. Halstead, Pike and Gage Thompson are Oregon State commits. Ringrose and Copeland are Pierce College commits. Pitchers Keenan Masters and Michael LeJeune are committed to UW and Gonzaga, respectively. Freshman Max Hemenway is an early Tennessee pledge.
“In terms of true talent all the way around, the amount of quality arms that we have, the blend of youth and kids with experience, it’s all there,” Wiese said.
Wiese felt the lineup was pressing at the beginning of the season, perhaps a result of the pressure that comes with playing for Puyallup or simply early-season struggles in the cold, wet weather that comes with the territory of playing high school baseball in western Washington.
The bats have come alive lately, though. Puyallup scored 10 runs in its opening-round state tournament win over Newport last weekend and 12 in the win over Camas in the quarterfinals.
“I think we’ve become more of a team, become less selfish, going out there with a purpose and trying to play for our team instead of ourselves now,” Halstead said.
Ringrose chalked up the recent success to doing the little things and moving base runners along.
“I think we’re doing a lot more small ball now, getting guys over, stealing some bags,” he said. “I think we’ve just gotta put pressure on the defense and we’ve been doing that the last couple games.”
The single-elimination format of Washington’s state tournament means teams need to be on their game all the way through the bracket. A little luck never hurts, either. Puyallup’s last state title came in 2017, but the Vikings are always in the hunt.
“I think every group we’ve had has had an opportunity to do it,” Wiese said. “Every year, our No. 1 goal is to win a state championship and anything less is a huge disappointment for this program. But at the end of the day, winning a state championship or not isn’t this group’s legacy. I think this group’s legacy is the consistency they brought.”
This year’s group has its eyes on the prize.
“Once we get hot, once we get the boys rolling, I feel it’s just going to be real hard to stop us,” Copeland said. “We’ve got a lot of talent, a lot of guys that want to win, a lot of guys that need to win it. Just gonna be fun.”
This story was originally published May 22, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
