4A district baseball: four teams that can challenge top-seeded Tahoma

Pitching plays in the playoffs. It played during the regular season, too — the Tahoma Bears posted a 19-1 record with one of the South Sound’s best rotations. The crown jewel of the group: ace Neal Burtis, a 6-foot-1 lefty Oregon State commit and one of the state’s top prospects.

Burtis has thrown 35 1/3 innings this spring, compiling a 0.40 earned run average with 59 strikeouts and 16 walks. He’s not the only big arm on the staff, though. Including Burtis, three Bears pitchers with at least 20 innings have an ERA under 2.00: Talon Coker (0.42), Brayden Fenton (0.69), while senior Sean Evans (2.21) is close behind.

It’s hard not to like Tahoma’s chances in the 4A District 3/4 tournament, but there are a number of other teams with a shot to win the title heading into this month’s state tournament, also. Here are a few South Sound teams we think could challenge the top-seeded Bears.

The first round of the tournament begins on Tuesday, May 12, with the semifinals and championship game being played on Saturday, May 16 at Tahoma High School.

Sumner’s Landon Meyer (8) runs to third base during the game against Emerald Ridge at Sumner High School, on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Sumner, Wash.

No. 3 Sumner (16-4)

The Spartans have just one puzzling loss to South Kitsap, but otherwise, losses came to contenders Curtis, Emerald Ridge and Olympia. P/OF Wyatt Plyler is one of the state’s top two-way players. UW commit Jake Miller has the clutch gene. When the bats are going, it’s contagious.

No. 4 Emerald Ridge (19-4)

Jags have been one of the 4A SPSL’s top programs this spring and feature a good rotation, with Jackson Dion and Zack Morris. CF Pretson Bolam has torn the cover off the ball all spring. A matchup against Olympia looms in the first round. The teams split the regular season series.