Who: Skyline (12-8, 11-4)
How they got here: First Place, Crown Division; Skyline surged in the final two weeks of the season, winning five straight to claim a division title
Number crunch: 4 — The number of home runs hit by senior Cole Blackburn, including three in one game earlier this year.
Player to watch: Jason Santiago, SR. — The infielder has the highest batting average among regulars at a staggering .424, has knocked in 17 runs, and scored 14 more.
Opponent perspective: Eastlake senior pitcher Mick Vorhof on Lunde — “We’ve been there with him before. We put the bat on the ball against Lunde before and I think we can do it again. Our guys just have to stay relaxed and not jump out of their shoes. He’s going to come at us and when he does, guys have to connect.”
Division champs again, Skyline looking for more
For the third straight season, Skyline is home to a division champion baseball team.
This time around, head coach Chris Tamminen and the Spartans are hoping for a more charmed experience at the 4A KingCo tournament, after ending their season just short of state the past two seasons.
“The kids did a great job accomplishing one of their goals,” he said. “But that is done and over with now.”
The first step in securing the program’s first state baseball tournament berth since 2010 comes against Sammamish neighbor Eastlake, and will feature two of the conference’s top arms in seniors Drew Lunde and Mick Vorhof.
Skyline’s leader in wins, strikeouts, complete games, and earned run average, Lunde said he hopes to go the distance once again.
“We don’t care about stats,” he said. “We just want to win.”
The Washington State signee worked five innings in the only regular season game against the Wolves — a 6-3 Skyline win — striking out six and allowing only two runs on two base hits.
Tamminen said his senior ace has grown in his mental approach to attacking hitters, which came in part from his work with former Woodinville and University of Washington standout Richie Lentz.
“He helped me focus on fastball command, and working on a change up,” Lunde said. “This year, I’ve stayed consistent.”
Tamminen and his coaching staff have no design for a major change to their practice or pregame routines heading into the tournament, hoping to keep their team relaxed and in the same mindset that has produced five straight wins to close the regular season.
“There is no reason to stress the kids out,” he said. “Because I don’t want to stress myself out.”
