‘All our chips are in.’ Undefeated, nationally-ranked Puyallup baseball eyes perfection
Marc Wiese’s Puyallup baseball program has become a destination for South Sound players looking to compete at the highest level in high school. Every year, Puyallup is in the state championship picture. The Vikings have played in the Class 4A state championship game two of the past three seasons (2022, 2024), with a semifinal appearance sandwiched between.
But only Wiese’s 2014 group was able to do what this year’s team has a chance to do this month: post an undefeated season and lift the championship trophy.
“All our chips are in,” Wiese told The News Tribune on Tuesday from inside the spacious, batting-cage packed New Level 360 baseball training facility he owns inside the South Hill Mall.
Puyallup is 26-0 this spring, winners of both the 4A South Puget Sound League and last weekend’s 4A District 3/4 tournament. The roster is littered with future Division I and perhaps professional talent, highlighted by reigning TNT All-Area player of the year Mason Pike, who is a projected early-round pick in this summer’s Major League Baseball Draft.
As of May 20, Puyallup is ranked the No. 2 team in the country by MaxPreps. Talented as they are, there’s some pressure for these Vikings that accompanies a top-five national ranking and undefeated record.
“Honestly, we’ve always had pressure,” said senior third baseman Gage Thompson, who has been committed to Oregon State since early in his high school career. “Every team we play wants to throw their best guy or try to beat us.”
Center fielder Riley Sanoy said the team sees the rankings, obviously, but tries to keep things loose.
“We’re aware of it,” he said. “It’s not like we’re dismissing it. But at the same time, we’ve just gotta play our game and we just have fun with it, take as much pressure off as we can.”
Wiese said he thinks in today’s age of prospect rankings and amateur baseball talent evaluation on social media, the pressure is nothing new for most of the players.
“These guys are so used to that, whether it’s at an individual level of being ranked as a top player in the country, or we’ve been ranked (as a team) all these years,” he said. “But when you’re undefeated, there’s a little bit more to it.”
Puyallup enters the 4A state tournament this weekend as the No. 1 seed and will face No. 16 Moses Lake in the opening round at Heritage Recreation Center in Puyallup on Saturday. If the Vikings win, they’ll face the winner of No. 8 Lake Stevens and No. 9 Camas in the quarterfinals later that day. The semifinals and championship game will be held the following weekend in Yakima.
While there’s usually some luck involved in winning four straight games in a single-elimination format, Puyallup has the best chance of anyone, thanks especially to Pike, one of the state’s most dominant pitchers. The lineup may put this year’s group over the top — Puyallup has seven hitters batting over .300 this season. Pike leads the team with a .493 average, 12 doubles, two triples and 25 RBI.
Sanoy has shown plenty of pop, too, hitting .397 with six doubles, three triples and two home runs. Thompson is hitting .319 with five doubles and four home runs. One through nine, it’s a formidable lineup.
“We have so many good hitters on our team,” Thompson said. “We know the next guy’s gonna pick us up, whether we fly out, ground out or strike out. We know the next guy will drive them in or get on base.”
Puyallup won state championships in 2014 and 2017. This group is four wins away from a 30-0 record and Puyallup’s third title.
“We came up short the last three so this year, it’s do or die for us, especially the seniors,” Sanoy said.
And Wiese, who has pushed all the chips in, feels his team is ready for the challenge.
“This group seems to be a little more resilient than a few groups we’ve had in the past few years,” he said. “I think they’re humble as well. I think they’ll know what can happen.
“I think there’s a sense of ease through the team, a sense of confidence and a sense of, ‘We’re just gonna go out and play hard and if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.’”
This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
