Mt. Spokane faces the unknown at State 3A softball tournament

The Mt. Spokane Wildcats aren’t sure what to expect this weekend when they head to the Washington State 3A tournament this week.

The majority of teams at state this year are from conferences located in western Washington. Many of them have already had the opportunity to face each other several times.

But the Wildcats, the only 3A team out of the Greater Spokane League to earn a spot at state, will not have such an advantage when they play on Friday. Mt. Spokane will be up against all new teams this weekend at Lacey.

Wildcats head coach Carl Adams said his team isn’t too concerned at what some would perceive as a disadvantage.

“Some cases you’re flying blind,” Adams said. “We’ve talked about being in control of what we can control and not worrying about it so much.”

Mt. Spokane (19-4) will face Stadium of Tacoma in its first game at 9 a.m. on Friday at Regional Athletic Complex.

The Wildcats earned a trip to state when they blanked Ballard 7-0 in a District 2/8 glue game on Monday.

Stadium (15-4) is coming off a 5-4 loss to Yelm on Saturday.

Yelm is poised as one of the favorites in the tournament. The Tornadoes, out of the South Sound Conference, are undefeated with a 25-0 record heading into Friday’s game against Juanita.

Snohomish, one of four from the WESCO division, and Bonney Lake are each beginning the tournament with a pair of losses apiece. Holy Names Academy, one of three teams from the Seattle Metro League, has lost only three games this season.

Yelm is the highest ranked team in the tournament, sitting at No. 3 in the state and No. 124 in the country. Mt. Spokane is currently ranked No. 9 in the state, the second-highest ranking at state this weekend.

It’s Mt. Spokane’s second-straight appearance in the state tournament. Last year, Mt. Spokane lost to Enumclaw 8-3 in its second game that sent the Wildcats to the loser’s bracket. Mt. Spokane then won three more games before falling 14-4 to Everett to take fourth place.

Adams said his team hasn’t felt the pressure this week of competing against some of the state’s highest level teams again.

“No nerves right now. Maybe when they get going,” there will be some “adrenaline,” Adams said. “But I mean, that’s excitement.”

All eight teams will play twice in the double-elimination tournament on Friday. The semifinals are scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday. The championship game will also be played on Saturday, at 1:30 p.m.

State 4A

Spokane will host the Washington State 4A softball tournament on Friday and Saturday at the Merkel Sports Complex.

A majority of the 16 teams participating in the double-elimination tournament are traveling from the west side of the state. No teams from the Greater Spokane League advanced to the state playoffs.

Woodinville could be one of the biggest threats this weekend. The Falcons have a perfect 22-0 record ahead of their game against Auburn Riverside on Friday. Woodinville is currently ranked No. 1 in the state and 39th in the country.

Inglemoor (17-5) could also be tough. Inglemoor, which will take on Rogers (Puyallup) in its first game on Friday, is ranked No. 4 in Washington. The Vikings fell to Woodinville in three matchups this season, including the KingCo District 4A championship when the Vikings lost 13-3.

The tournament will feature 16 games on both Friday and Saturday. Semifinals are scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. The championship game will be played on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.