State softball at a glance

State softball at a glance

All tournaments Friday and Saturday

Note: Rain is forecasted in North Idaho for both today and Saturday. If weather affects the schedule of the tournament, the Idaho High School Activities Association has the option of shortening the tournaments, such as making games five innings rather than seven innings, and eliminating the losers bracket.

5A

At Coeur d’Alene and Lake City high schools

Defending champion Skyview of Nampa has lost just once this season — to Eagle, in the semifinals of the District 3 tournament. In fact, the top two seeds in District 3 got bumped off before the title round. Skyview beat No. 2 seed Timberline in the losers bracket to earn a state berth, then Timberline won a state play-in game over Lewiston. Owyhee, the No. 4 seed and a first-year school in Meridian, beat No. 3 Eagle in the district title game. Since MaxPreps rankings, rather than district tournament finishes, are used to seed the state softball tournaments, Owyhee earned the fourth seed, Eagle the fifth, and will square off today at 11 a.m. at Lake City High in a first-round game. … Thunder Ridge of Idaho Falls, Coeur d’Alene’s first-round opponent today at 11 a.m. at Coeur d’Alene High, finished second to Highland of Pocatello at the District 5-6 tournament. … The last time state was held in North Idaho, in 2019, Coeur d’Alene finished in a tie for third (with Lake City) in a rain-shortened event at Post Falls.

4A

The Lakeland Hawks, under first-year head coach Dwayne Curry, are at state for the second straight year, and third time since 2019.

Lakeland has the offensive firepower, averaging 8.1 runs per game.

Sophomore catcher Payton Sterling has six homers and a .463 batting average. Senior shortstop Harley See has four homers and a .463 average. Freshman third baseman/pitcher Emma Avalos has six homers and a .375 average. Senior Cienna Walls has six homers and a .373 average.

“We have a lot of power on our team,” See said.

“We’re senior heavy, and they’re really dialed in right now,” Curry said. “That’s kind of the way we built the program. At the beginning of the season, I don’t think we had a home run until the 11th game. And in the past five games, we’ve put up, what, about 25? We’re just hitting the ball like crazy right now, which is what we need.”

But the Hawks are also allowing 10.1 runs per game — numbers skewed a bit by playing the area’s 5A teams.

“Can we stop them from hitting?” Curry said of the opposition at state. “Hopefully we’ve got enough firepower to just put up more than they do. That’s what the goal is. We might win 43-42 … “

Lakeland, the No. 8 seed opens vs. top-seeded Bishop Kelly on Friday at 9 a.m. at Post Falls High. Lakeland’s best state finish in 4A was second in 2013, to BK.

Bishop Kelly has won the last two state 4A titles (2021, 2019), and has 11 state titles in the IHSAA era (since 1997). … Senior Kaysie Jolley has hit 15 homers this season for the Knights.

3A

Timberlake, which has been to state every year since 2000, is the No. 5 seed and opens vs. No. 4 Filer, the two-time defending champion, today at 10 a.m. PDT at Buhl High.

Last year, Timberlake lost 15-0 in the first round to Gooding, then bounced back to win twice in the losers bracket before falling in the next game and finishing fourth.

That’s why Casi Lupinacci, who took over as Tigers' coach in 2016, is stressing “the importance of being ready to play” this year at state.

She said with having a young team this year, “we’re learning every day.”

A turning point came after a loss to St. Maries and ace Taci Watkins, followed by an 18-7 loss to Deer Park dropped Timberlake to 4-2.

“The girls started understanding what we were staying,” Lupinacci said. “You have to make changes in your swing; you can’t do the same thing over and over and over again and expect it to work. Figure out what pitch you want to hit.”

Since then, Timberlake has gone 17-2, its only losses a pair of one-run decisions to state 4A qualifier Lakeland.

Lupinacci pointed to the leadership of senior Lily Carhart, Timberlake’s only four-year starter who is hitting .415, as being crucial.

The Tigers have plenty of firepower, including from junior Ashley Grantham (.466, 10 homers, 46 RBIs) and sophomore Logan Walsh (.667, 9 HRs, 73 RBIs)

Kellogg, at state for the first time since 2010, and only the second time in school history, is the No. 8 seed and opens vs. top-seeded Homedale at 8 a.m..

2A

St. Maries, the No. 3 seed, opens vs. No. 6 Declo today at 9 a.m. at Orofino.

St. Maries beat Declo 6-2 in a loser-out game last year, before falling to West Jefferson and finishing fourth.

Malad, the two-time defending champion, beat St. Maries 10-5 in the first round last year.

Last year, Malad, West Jefferson and St. Maries were considered the top three teams in the state, but under the old bracketing format, all wound up on the same side of the bracket. This year, West Jefferson is the No. 2 seed, on St. Maries’ side of the bracket, and top-seeded Malad is on the other side.

“Even though it’s still mysterious, I think they got it right,” St. Maries coach Todd Bitterman said of the MaxPreps rankings used to seed state tournaments.

St. Maries is at state for the fifth time since 2016, including a third-place finish in 2018.

While last year’s Lumberjacks team was senior-laden, this year’s features several freshmen, including Addyson Stewart, whom Bitterman pegged to be his starting shortstop, but was needed more behind the plate, catching junior star Taci Watkins.

“Addyson has had a super year,” Bitterman said of the .460 hitter.

Watkins, with is 14-2 with a .479 ERA, and 240 strikeouts in 102.1 innings pitched, will be counted on again to carry the load in the circle for the Lumberjacks at state.

“She’s got the makeup to do it, for sure,” Bitterman said. “She is going to eat up some innings, for sure.”