Prep baseball | Multiple local teams set to begin NCS play this week
After a Charlie Lakin Tournament that saw Big Five conference champ McKinleyville come out on top for the third year in a row, several local high school baseball teams were seeded in the North Coast Section playoffs, which were set to begin Tuesday and Wednesday.
Despite being separated by little in the conference race (Mack was 11-1 while Eureka was 10-2), the squads earned very different fates in the Division 2 bracket, the Panthers earning the top spot and set to take on California at home Wednesday evening. The Loggers, however, were seeded down at No. 15 and travel to Northgate on Wednesday.
McKinleyville will be led by the pitching of sophomore Tate Saso, who also gives the Panthers plenty of pop at the plate, and junior Joe Tanno, who also contributes with the bat. Junior Hunter Carper and senior Patrick Wilson also chip in in the batter's box for a squad that is still relatively young. Sophomore Jake Brunner provides solid defense behind the dish at catcher.
Eureka has solid depth in its pitching staff, relying on a mix of seniors, juniors, and sophomores, and seeing junior Ryder Mitchell come off a Lakin semifinal contest against St. Bernard's, where he was two outs from a no-hitter. Mitchell also contributes at the plate, as do Bryson Burns, Brayden Bermers, Matt Pleasant, and senior stalwart Ty Crawford. Crawford, Sawyer Katri, and outfielders Jesse Vasquez and Garrett Levitt captain the Loggers.
Eureka has gotten quality outings from many players on the mound, with Crawford dealing at times, along with Kyle Giacone, Mitchell, Burns, and Katri.
Little Four champ St. Bernard's (12-0 conference) has a top seed and a bye in the first round in Division 4 play and is through to Saturday's home quarterfinal against the winner of Arroyo and Pinole Valley. The Crusaders have several options on the hill, including seniors Tyler Hinrichs and Michael Manzi to go with junior Garrett Shanahan, sophomore Saehwan Kwon, and freshman Teyler Bailey.
Senior captains Hinrichs and Luke Brunton have been stellar hitting for the Little Four champions, who also got batting contributions from Henry Hinrichs, Shanahan, and host of players, including a few standout freshmen.
Del Norte is seeded 12th in that bracket and will travel to Newark Memorial for their first-round game on Wednesday. The Warriors have gotten solid pitching from Landon Williams and Ben Shrewsberry, hitting contributions from senior captain Marco Gonzalez playing shortstop, and catching from Kanyon Starkey.
In Division 5, Little Four Conference runner-up Ferndale, which finished with a solid record of 16-5 and a No. 4 seed, will travel to No. 13 St. Patrick-St. Vincent to begin NCS play Tuesday.
The Wildcats got contributions from a plethora of players in their 8-4 run through Little Four play, with Tanner Pidgeon slugging and playing solid infield and catcher with the occasional mound appearance. Prescott Langer had many quality starts, while providing a presence at the plate and in the outfield. Fellow senior Luke Dixon had power in the batter's box and infield/catcher play. Weston Ayala and Cade Renner also held down the pitcher's spot for Ferndale, which got some timely hitting from Cash Mobley near the top of the lineup through the year.
Finally, Little Four third-place South Fork was the No. 12 seed in the Division 6 bracket and travels to Laney College to take on College Prep on Wednesday night. The young Cubs squad, with mostly freshmen and sophomores, is led by senior Travis Way and Shawn Schmidt and juniors Cody Wheeler, Bodhi Howes, and catcher Bo Ayala.
Ken McCanless can be reached at 707-441-0526.
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 2:06 PM.