When Ben Northrop accepted a position in 2021 teaching high school history at Crosshill Christian, a pre-K through 12 school located just south of Salem; baseball was no more than an idea. On Saturday, with Northrop heading a program that played its first varsity season in 2024, the Eagles will vie to complete a season of firsts with their initial OSAA 2A/1A state title.
Northrop was a catcher on the Corban University baseball team until graduating in 2018. When the idea of baseball as a high school sport germinated into reality, the school asked him to take on the role of head coach, with Tyler Lute and JB Philips as his assistants. Lute and Philips were parents of promising middle schoolers who would become foundational pieces once Crosshill began varsity play.
Baseball began in earnest at Crosshill in 2023, when the Eagles played a JV-only schedule and won more than they lost. Graduating to varsity a year later, Crosshill was competitive but won only six of 22 contests.
The upward trend began last year, when an impactful freshman class of seven joined junior star Miles Lute. The Eagles went 17-10 – the first winning season in program history – but finished fourth in tough Special District 3 and barely missed the playoffs. Lute, a pitcher and shortstop, was named District Player of the Year.
“Ultimately, [missing the playoffs] drove us all to get better in the offseason,” Northrop said.
No one graduated off of the 2025 team, which made Northrop bullish about his team’s chances to make a deep playoff run even though the Eagles had not yet tasted the postseason.
Sure enough, Crosshill Christian opened the season with 17 straight wins, which, at the time, made the Eagles one of only two schools in the OSAA yet to suffer a defeat.
The team’s first loss came on May 1 to District foe Regis in the second game of a doubleheader.
“I think our first loss was largely positive,” Northrop observed. “We were bummed that the opportunity for a perfect season had ended and, at the same time, it took some of the pressure off of trying to be too perfect. It also showed us areas where improvement was still needed.”
Crosshill Christian reacted to the loss by winning six of its next seven, including three wins over District runner up Monroe / Alsea, a state semifinalist. Those wins gave the Eagles their first District regular-season title and first District post-season title.
Full of confidence despite its nascent post-season experience, Crosshill Christian played like a deserving 2-seed in wins over Oakridge and Country Christian / North Clackamas Christian. A showdown for the right to play for the state title loomed in the semifinals with two-time reigning state champion Umpqua Valley Christian. Crosshill Christian was opportunistic in the semifinals, built a robust early lead and hung on for the 7-6 win.
“It was incredibly significant getting through UVC,” Northrop said. “They are a talented group, have a fantastic coaching staff, and have the baseball pedigree of a championship program.
“It wasn't just them,” the coach continued. “In our league, Regis and Monroe are both baseball powerhouses and getting past them to win our league meant just as much. We have a ton of respect for both of those programs and both of them tested us and helped sharpen us to be where we are now.”
Saturday afternoon in Keizer, when Crosshill Christian lines up along the baseline, Eagle players will be staring down one final mighty foe, the top-seeded Kennedy Trojans. Kennedy made the state finals last year, losing to UVC, and has been in every final, except for one, since 2019, with titles in 2022 and 2023.
Whatever happens in Keizer, what Crosshill Christian has accomplished in 2026 is nothing short of amazing. But one more win, against the vaunted Kennedy program no less…that would cap one of the all-time seasons in Oregon history.
Northrop and his team are looking forward to the challenge.
“I don't think we would have had this run any other way but playing the best of the best,” he said.
6A Championship Final
Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Roto-Rooter Park, Keizer
Clackamas Cavaliers (28-3) v. West Linn Lions (22-9)
OSAA playoff rank: Clackamas No. 1; West Linn No. 3
Pre-season coaches poll rank: Clackamas No. 3; West Linn No. 2
Final coaches poll rank: Clackamas No. 1; West Linn No. 3
2025 records: Clackamas 20-8 (lost in Rd 2); West Linn 23-6 (lost in Rd 2)
Head-to-head in 2026 regular season: Did not play
Clackamas
Number of state championships: 3
Last state championship: 2017
Last appearance in a state final: 2018
Total number of appearances before 2026: 5
Current winning streak: 11
Path to the finals: d. OSAA No. 32-ranked McNary 10-0 (5 innings); d. No. 16 Lakeridge 6-3; d. No. 8 Sheldon 13-3 (5 innings); d. No. 4 Jesuit 8-1
Probable starting pitcher: Junior LHP Ben Foglio. Foglio is 10-1 on the year with a 2.02 ERA. He has big game experience, having pitched in the state playoffs both as a freshman and sophomore.
Top offensive players: The Cavaliers are hitting .340 as a team and was second in 6A in runs scored. Four players in the lineup have 20 or more RBIs. Players to watch include table setter Jonah Lam, hot-hitting Kyle Kristensen and boppers Nolan Foglio and Jacob Strube.
First Team All-League performers: Nolan Foglio, catcher; Ben Foglio, pitcher and 1B; Justin Larsen, INF; Luke Brady, INF; Lam OF; Strube OF; Kristensen DH; Cade King, P; and Jaxon Wetzler, P.
West Linn
Number of state championships: 5
Last state championship: 2024
Last appearance in a state final: 2024
Total number of appearances before 2026: 9
Current winning streak: 9
Path to the finals: d. No. 30 Westview 9-2; d. No. 19 McMinnville 4-3; d. No. 6 Grant 3-2; d. No. 2 Tualatin 5-2
Probable starting pitcher: Unknown. The staff is well-rested and includes junior RHP Jack Frishman, who is 10-0 on the year. Head coach Joe Monahan said there is a good chance that all three starters could throw.
Top offensive players: West Linn is balanced offensively. Ryan Hemsley, Caden Klouda, Gavin Thaut and Tyler Holmes have been steady all year, while Cohen Bissell and Carson Doblie came up big in the semifinals.
First Team All-League performers: Hemsley, SS; Hank Curdy, 2B; Thaut, C; Holmes, LF; Caden Klouda, RF; Frishman, P; Ethan Chan, P.
Game notes: This is a rematch of the 2017 final, won by Clackamas, 5-1. (Incidentally, Tim Tawa was the losing pitcher in that one). Clackamas’ three state titles all came under now-Athletic Director John Arntson, who stepped away from baseball in 2021. Under new coach JJ Winkle, in his fifth year at Clack, the Cavaliers have been regular playoff participants, and reached the state semifinals in 2022.
This is Clackamas’ best team since Nelson opened in Happy Valley in 2021 and siphoned some of its talent The Cavaliers returned their entire roster from the year before and played like the top team in 6A from the start of the 2026 campaign. They lost just three times total, and only once all year – by one run – in the state of Oregon. The Cavaliers have looked dominant in four playoff wins, including an 8-1 win over vaunted Jesuit in the semifinals. Their calling card is a deep, high-powered offense that scored in double digits in eight games this spring.
West Linn has become quite the powerhouse since coach Joe Monahan took over in 2015. The Lions will be playing in their sixth state title game over that span, with unprecedented back-to-back-to-back large-class state titles from 2022 through 2024. West Linn hasn’t had the smooth run Clackamas has, either in the regular season or the playoffs, where the Lions survived two one-run games; but this is a team that has pitched it very well over the second half, yielding more than three runs just twice in the month of May. Like Clackamas, this is a deep team that is committed to team success over individual recognition, Monahan said. The Lions will be the underdogs in this one, but have the championship history to take home the title once again.
5A Championship Final
Saturday, 1:30 p.m., PK Park, Eugene
Central Panthers (23-7) v. Thurston Colts (20-10)
OSAA playoff rank: Central No. 6; Thurston No. 8
Pre-season coaches poll rank: Central No. 5; Thurston No. 1
Final coaches poll rank: Central No. 6; Thurston No. 8
2025 records: Central 14-12 (did not make playoffs); Thurston 26-4 (lost in semifinals)
Head-to-head in 2026 regular season: Did not play
Central
Number of state championships: 2
Last state championship: 2019
Last appearance in a state final: 2019
Total number of appearances before 2026: 2
Current winning streak: 7
Path to the finals: d. No. 11 Wilsonville 5-3; d. No. 14 Silverton 16-6 (5 innings); d. No. 10 Ridgeview 4-2
Probable starting pitcher: Undecided. Mid-Willamette Conference Pitcher of the Year JT Girod threw a complete game in Tuesday’s semifinal win over Ridgeview.
Top offensive players: Conference Player of the Year Joe Mendazona wields a power bat and leads the state in batting average. Head coach Ben Kramer said that anyone in his entire lineup is capable of carrying the offense any given day.
First Team All-League performers: Mendazona and Girod
Thurston
Number of state championships: 3
Last state championship: 2024
Last appearance in a state final: 2024
Total number of appearances before 2026: 5
Current winning streak: 10
Path to the finals: d. No. 9 Bend 4-2; d. No. 1 Corvallis 6-3; d. No. 4 Summit 4-1
Probable starting pitcher: Undecided. Superstar senior Grady Saunders pitched into the seventh inning and fanned 11 in Thurston’s semifinal win.
Top offensive players: Saunders, a four-year starter committed to Oregon State; is hitting .542. Brock Johnson, Parker Edwards and Carlin Crutcher are all hitting .347 or better.
First Team All-League performers: Saunders, UTIL; Johnson; INF.
Game notes: Central was a talented group in 2025 but went just 14-12 and missed the state playoffs. The Panthers, with all but one returning this season, again started slowly, winning just three of their first seven; but they won 20 of their last 23. In addition to Mendazona and Girod, OF Owen Petrone, infielder Santi Alarcon and Jackson Barba have been big contributors to Kramer’s team.
The Panthers are a strong academic bunch, with a team GPA over 3.5; and have two players, Girod and Alarcon, whose brothers played on the last Central state championship team in 2019. They also like to have fun, to which bleached hair for all before the playoffs and the presence of team mascot “tung tung” in the dugout will attest.
Central will face a formidable foe in Thurston, which has made the state championship game in three of the past four seasons, with titles in 2023 and 2024. Like Central, Thurston started slowly this spring and was just 7-8 after 15 games, perhaps because the Colts graduated seven senior starters from the 2025 team. The one constant on the roster is Saunders, who has played in 15 of a possible 16 playoff games over his four-year career.
Thurston comes into Saturday’s game having won 10 straight games.
“Everyone is healthy at the right time,” said coach Dennis Minium.
4A Championship Final
Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Roto-Rooter Park, Keizer
Marist Catholic Spartans (24-4) v. Tillamook Cheesemakers (18-10)
OSAA playoff rank: Marist Catholic, No. 3; Tillamook No. 12
Pre-season coaches poll rank: Marist Catholic, No. 1; Tillamook No. 9
Final coaches poll rank: Marist Catholic, No. 2; Tillamook not ranked
2025 records: Marist Catholic 25-4 (state runner up); Tillamook 15-10 (lost Rd 1)
Head-to-head in 2026 regular season: Did not play
Marist Catholic
Number of state championships: 0
Last state championship: None
Last appearance in a state final: 2025
Total number of appearances before 2026: 4
Current winning streak: 14
Path to the finals: d. No. 14 Philomath 7-6; d. No. 11 Phoenix 12-1 (5 innings); d. No. 2 Scappoose 4-1
Probable starting pitcher: Either senior RHP Gianni Lombardi, 10-1; 1.64 ERA or junior LHP Brock Cranmer, 7-1. 2.4 ERA.
Top offensive players: Junior C Grady Hazen, hitting .532 with 11 doubles; SS Lombardi, hitting .494 with four homers; junior 3B Alec Malpass, hitting .720 in the playoffs; senior CH Stephen Riley, batting .391 with 11 doubles; and junior DH/1B Jalen Smith, who is hitting .405.
First Team All-League performers: Lombardi (Sky-Em Player of the Year); Riley; Hazen; and Cranmer.
Tillamook
Number of state championships: 0
Last state championship: None
Last appearance in a state final: Never
Total number of appearances before 2026: 0
Current winning streak: 7
Path to the finals: d. No. 5 Hidden Valley 6-4; d. No. 13 Estacada 10-4; d. No. 1 Henley 3-1 (9 innings)
Probable starting pitcher: Kevin Hurliman, Cowapa League Pitcher of the Year. ERA of 1.37 with a breaking ball as his out pitch.
Top offensive players: Jakoby Goss, senior SS hitting .413; Wrigley Percy, junior 2B hitting .338
First Team All-League performers: Hurliman; Goss; and Percy.
Game notes: Marist Catholic is making its third straight trip to the state championship game. The Spartans were favored to win their first title last year but played poorly against Pendleton / Nixyaawii. The third time might be the charm for a team that scores a lot of runs and comes to the final having won 14 games in a row, more than any other team playing on Saturday.
Tillamook made a head coaching change five games into the season, with Travis Moncrief taking over. The Mooks started 1-4 and went just 3-4 in their first seven league contests, putting post-season play in jeopardy. The team turned things around thanks to outstanding starting pitching – all three have ERAs under 1.50 and have thrown a no-hitter – and a win over league champion Scappoose. Tillamook made the semifinals for the first time in school history in 2026, then went one better with a Tuesday, nine-inning road win over top-seeded Henley.
3A Championship Final
Saturday, 5 pm, PK Park, Eugene
Taft Tigers (28-1) v. South Umpqua / Days Creek Lancers (21-9)
OSAA playoff rank: Taft No. 1; South Umpqua / Days Creek No. 7
Pre-season coaches poll rank: Taft No. 2; South Umpqua / Days Creek No. 4
Final coaches poll rank: Taft No. 1; South Umpqua / Days Creek No. 7
2025 records: Taft 22-6 (lost semifinals); South Umpqua / Days Creek19-9 (lost quarterfinals)
Head-to-head in 2026 regular season: Did not play
Taft
Number of state championships: 0
Last state championship: None
Last appearance in a state final: Never
Total number of appearances before 2026: 0
Current winning streak: 6
Path to the finals: d. No. 16 Santiam Christian 6-1; d. No. 8 Sisters 3-0; d. No. 5 Warrenton 2-1
Probable starting pitcher: Taft has three pitchers with ERAs below 0.58, but the starter almost certainly will be senior lefthander Zack Hankins, a flamethrower with an edge to him who has struck out 1500 batters this year without allowing an earned run.
Top offensive players: Hankins leads the Tigers in batting average, doubles, triples, home runs and steals, but this is an opportunistic offense that produces a different hero each game. Logan Lovell, senior OF; Callen Ward, sophomore C; Lonnie West, sophomore OF; Alejandro Hernandez, sophomore DH/1B; Hunter Hanson, sophomore OF; freshman 3B James Tolan; and freshman SS Hayden Weiss are all capable of being table setters and run producers.
First Team All-League performers: Hankins (Pitcher of the Year); West, P; Ward, C.
South Umpqua / Days Creek
Number of state championships: 3
Last state championship: 2022
Last appearance in a state final: 2022
Total number of appearances before 2026: 8
Current winning streak: 3
Path to the finals: d. No. 10 Horizon Christian, Tualatin 9-2; d. No. 2 Cascade Christian 7-6; d. No. 3 Creswell 4-1
Probable starting pitcher: Undecided. The Lancers have used three starters in their playoff run:
sophomore RHP Camden Black, 7-2; 1.60 ERA (strike thrower with a good mix); senior LHP Logan Schwerdt, 8-1; 2.39 ERA (keeps hitters off balance with pitches that move); and freshman RHP Rudy Chavez, 4-1; 0-.82 ERA (strike thrower who competes and his good off-speed stuff).
Top offensive players: South Umpqua / Days Creek boasts a quintet of hitters at .360 or higher: senior OF Talen Lamm, who has 24 RBIs; junior 3B Trace Esterbrook, who has scored 33 runs while driving in 27; junior 2B Braxton Hamilton, who leads with a .3700 average and has 13 steals; and Black, an outfielder hitting .362 with 31 runs and good plate discipline.
First Team All-League performers: Black, P; Esterbrook, 3B; Hamilton, 2B; Lamm, OF; Crew Donner, sophomore C; and Adam Whetzel, senior 1B.
Game notes: Taft is making its first appearance in a state final after an incredible season. The Tigers were the last team to lose a game this spring and were the only team throughout the state to lose just once. The team is built around pitching. Taft yielded just 49 runs in 2026, far fewer than anyone else in the state. Hankins gets the headlines, and for good reason: his ERA the past two seasons is 0.05, almost certainly the best two-year stretch in Oregon history. West and Weiss have also been very, very good. The Tigers graduated 11 seniors off of last year’s team, seven of whom were offensive starters. Pitching excellence has helped Taft overcome any offensive deficiencies.
South Umpqua / Days Creek is making its ninth finals appearance and has won three titles, the last in 2022. The Lancers are a battle-tested, high-scoring team that played almost every 3A league champion in the pre-season and gained revenge in the playoff quarterfinals and semis by eliminating teams they lost to in the pre-season. Coach Steve Stebbins described his team as “scrappy,” something they will have to be if they want to take down the state’s most dominant hurler.
2A/1A Championship Final
Saturday, 4 pm, Roto-Rooter Park, Keizer
Kennedy Trojans (27-3) v. Crosshill Christian Eagles (26-2)
OSAA playoff rank: Kennedy No. 1; Crosshill Christian No. 2
Pre-season coaches poll rank: Kennedy No. 2; Crosshill Christian not ranked
Final coaches poll rank: Kennedy No. 1; Crosshill Christian No. 2
2025 records: Kennedy 26-6 (state runner up); Crosshill Christian 17-10 (did not make playoffs)
Head-to-head in 2026 regular season: Did not play
Kennedy
Number of state championships: 3
Last state championship: 2023
Last appearance in a state final: 2025
Total number of appearances before 2026: 6
Current winning streak: 3
Path to the finals: d. No. 16 Lowell 11-1; d. No. 8 Grant Union / Prairie City / Monument / Dayville 6-3; d. No. 4 Monroe / Alsea 14-5
Probable starting pitcher: Could be any of four, all seniors: Henry Beyer, 6-0 with four saves and a 2.33 ERA; Brody Panuke, 8-2 with a 1.44 ERA; Gio Vaquera, 9-1 with a 1.60 ERA; and Jake Beyer, who is 4-0 with six saves and has an ERA of 0.23. All are athletic strike throwers with big game experience.
Top offensive players: Henry Beyer is hitting .447 and has scored a whopping 49 runs. Panuke is a .415 with 40 runs. Colby Rich is batting .488 with 41 runs. Landon Kline hits .453 with 41 RBIs. Creo Walker is at .433 with 40 RBIs. Jayce Hansen is hitting .429 with 40 RBIs.
First Team All-League performers: Panuke, 1B; Henry Beyer, INF; Walker, INF; Hansen, C; Kline, OF; Rich, OF; Vaquera, P; Jake Beyer, UTIL.
Crosshill Christian
Number of state championships: 0
Last state championship: None
Last appearance in a state final: Never
Total number of appearances before 2026: 0
Current winning streak: 5
Path to the finals: d. No. 18 Oakridge 17-0 (5 innings); d. No. 10 Country Christian / North Clackamas Christian 8-2; d. No. 3 Umpqua Valley Christian 7-6
Probable starting pitcher: Senior RHP Miles Lute, a bulldog who throws to a 1.03 ERA.
Top offensive players: Miles leads the state with 60 RBIs. Sophomores Johan Phillips, Tayden Isaacson and Carter Hinderks, freshman Gavin Chin and senior Theo Watkin all have potent bats.
First Team All-League performers: Have not been announced officially as yet.
Game notes: This final not only pits the top two seeds in 2A/1A, it is a matchup of teams with the second and third best records in the state, teams that are by far the highest scoring teams in the Association and teams that yield among the fewest runs per game in the state. This will be fascinating.
Kennedy has six seniors with massive, big game experience, depth in its lineup and on the mound. The Trojans’ three losses came to teams outside the classification. Will Kennedy’s experience advantage matter to Crosshill Christian, a team with only four combined juniors and seniors in the midst of an historic run? The Eagles have won big games all season, including over the two-time defending champs in the semifinals. If you’re looking for an X-factor, maybe it’s Watkin, who has reached base as a result of being hit by pitch 25 times this year, including one in each postseason game.
