The Adna Pirates are seeking their first state title since 2015 in the State 2B baseball tournament final four, beginning on Friday at Ed Wheeler Field in Centralia.
Adna faces Brewster at 7 p.m. while Kalama takes on Tri-Cities Prep in the other semifinal at 4.
Brewster is 21-4 this season and took down Asotin, 4-0 and St George’s, 5-3, in the regional round of state. The Bears and Pirates each played Zillah this season and both lost to Zillah by two runs.
Other than than, Adna doesn’t know much about them besides the fact they’re a solid team.
“They’ve been a good solid program over the years,” Adna coach Jon Rooklidge said. “We’re assuming it doesn’t matter who you play, everybody’s going to be good.”
The Pirates have reached the final four due to pitching and defense. The Pirates won two low scoring games in the regional round, defeating Ocosta 4-0 before earning a 4-1 win against Rainier.
Adna’s Sawyer Burdick is the suspected starter against the Bears, with Burdick helping lead a solid pitching core.
“Our pitching’s been solid all year,” Rooklidge said. “The 3, 4, 5 guys all have done a nice job for us. We’ve played really good defense behind them, that’s been kind of our thing.”
Rooklide acknowledged the bats have been quieter than they were during league games, but noted it’s to be expected when you are facing the best pitchers teams have to offer.
The Pirates are also 21-4 this season and have won 15 of their last 16 games, with the lone loss against Wahkiakum, 2-0, in the district championship game.
Last season, Adna was one win away from the final four before falling to Napavine, 12-2, running into the Tigers’ ace pitcher Wyatt Stanley.
“Sometimes, you don’t get that draw. We ran into a good team and a good pitcher,” Rooklidge said. “That’s going to happen sometimes. We’ve been to the finals before. What we learned from that, everybody is going to be a good team, the little things win ball games.”
With the games being in Centralia, the Pirates expect to have a solid cheering section to help fuel them on the field.
Rooklidge believes his team’s success has been helped by his team’s ability to not get too emotional in either direction.
“I think our kids have just been steady the whole way. They’re just an unemotional group,” Rooklidge said. “They show up and do their job and don’t seem to get too excited one way or the other. They’re calm, that’s kind of their personality They’re quiet by nature and just come out and play.”
Regardless of how the final four shakes out for the Pirates, Rooklidge said the team is playing for each other.
“We don’t talk about winning much, we talk more about the process,” Rooklidge said. “The way you approach the game, playing for each other, playing for teammates, and just playing the game right. You’ve just got to play well at the right time, that’s what this weekend is about. The team that does that is going to win.”
