State playoffs and the Issaquah baseball program are virtually synonymous.

In 16 years at the helm, head coach Rob Reese has led the Eagles to 12 trips to the state tournament and three titles.

“That’s always our goal, every year,” he said. “You can’t win the state title if you’re not in the state tournament. That’s the goal of our program.”

If anyone thought the goal was different in 2010 they’d be profoundly mistaken.

The Eagles return their entire pitching staff and two-thirds of their lineup from last year’s 14-12 team — a group that finished one run shy of making a trip to Safeco Field and the state semifinals.

“It’s great anytime you can start a year with those kind of arms and that kind of experience,” Reese said.

Leading the group of returning pitchers is 6-foot-3, 190-pound senior Shane Yarnell. The right-hander went 5-3 with a .236 ERA and 60 strikeouts last season.

“Having your ace back is always nice,” Reese said.

Senior Spencer Rogers, a University of Washington recruit as a center fielder, will also help out on the mound. Known for his bat and defensive play, Rogers also ate up the second most amount of innings on the mound last season. In 34 innings, he posted a .350 ERA with 29 Ks. Sophomore left-hander Ethan Kalin also returns after pitching 16 innings as a freshman, while senior left-hander Mike Paulson and senior right-hander Matt Houser also return to the bullpen.

Issaquah will return a large chunk of its infield as well. Senior third baseman Marcus Gaan and Paulson, a first baseman, will fill in at the corners. Starting catcher, senior Devin O’Donnell, and senior backup Pete Balzarini, return behind the plate. Senior Grant Gellatly, who missed last season after shoulder surgery, is back at shortstop and the leadoff position. According to Reese, he’s fully healthy — possibly for the first time in his high school baseball career. Junior second baseman Gavin Shumaker could miss the season with an injury, but junior Adam Dondoyano, who sat out his sophomore year, will likely fill the void.

The only real question marks remain in the outfield where the Eagles lost three players to graduation in Brennan Miller, Miles Perkins and Dustin Talley.

“We do have some holes to fill, but not as many as a lot of teams,” Reese said.

The Eagles are slated to begin their regular season at 3:45 p.m., Wednesday at home against Hazen. The KingCo season begins Tuesday, March 23 at Garfield.