University baseball searches for league title, hopes to build on last year's state appearance

Apr. 20—With two weeks left in the regular season, the Greater Spokane League 4A/3A baseball race is heating up, with four teams within two games of first place.

Complicating matters is three of the four teams are 3A teams. While all stand to qualify for the postseason, the difference between second and third place is hosting a first-round game or a three-hour bus ride to the Tri-Cities.

So, each of the seven games remaining on the schedule is critical for the contenders.

There's a big one on Tuesday, when Ridgeline (9-2 GSL), tied for second with 4A Gonzaga Prep, hosts the division-leading University Titans (10-1), one game ahead in the standings.

Also on Tuesday, G-Prep is at Lewis and Clark (4-7) and fourth-place Mt. Spokane (8-3) hosts Cheney (0-11).

University's last league title was 2022, but this year's edition of the Titans is in a solid position to claim another crown. Tuesday's matchup against the Falcons is the last of their seven remaining games against a team with a winning record. U-Hi took two from Mt. Spokane last week before falling to Ridgeline 6-1 on Friday.

"We know we've got a target on our backs, and these guys are embracing that," U-Hi coach Kevin May said. "They're not running from any competition. They're respecting everybody, but they're expecting to show up every day and win a ball game."

Senior shortstop/pitcher Marco Longo is part of a long lineage at U-Hi. His older brother Ricco — who plays at Eastern Kentucky — and cousin Dominic both played for the Titans, and Marco is joined on this year's team by his younger brother Luca. His three sisters — Francesca, Isabella and Daniela — have also been athletes at U-Hi and he has several cousins at other GSL schools.

The Titans boast seven seniors, six juniors and a sophomore on varsity.

"We've been together for three years," senior Marco Longo said of this year's tight-knit squad. "Everybody's been up here since freshman year, majority of everybody, and we've really connected well. And we don't just spend the season together. We spend the offseason together. We play together a lot, hang out a lot."

The wins over the Wildcats gave U-Hi some momentum for the stretch run.

"Mt. Spokane is always a difficult task for us," May said after knocking off the Wildcats 11-5 on Thursday. "It's something we've always kind of looked at in the schedule, where they fall in, and we know it's always going to be some of the toughest games of our season."

Last year, the Titans lost 1-0 at home to Ridgeline in a district semifinal, then came back through the loser bracket to qualify for state with wins over Shadle Park and Mt. Spokane. That earned the Titans the 18th seed to the state tournament and a weeknight trip to Seattle, but they lost a one-run game to 15th-seeded West Seattle at Chief Sealth High School.

They have bigger goals this season.

"It's just been a great season so far, and I know we can win this league," junior Luca Longo said. "I love being around these guys — it's my favorite team I've ever played with. I'm just excited for what the future holds. I know this team has what (it) takes to make a really good state run."