PHOTOS: West Seattle High School baseball team wins state championship!

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(Added: Photos by Joe Christian for WSB)

9:34 PM: The West Seattle High School Wildcats are the state 3A baseball champions! The Wildcats roared out to a big lead over Mount Vernon HS early – six runs in the top of the 1st inning – and went on to victory, 9-3, playing in Pasco. This caps a sterling season in which WSHS also won the Metro League championship. Full story and photos to come!

ADDED 3:10 AM: The trophy-hoisting celebration on the field was three years in the making. In the team’s third consecutive year of reaching the state’s final four – every year Dylan Mclauchlin‘s been head coach – they finally made it all the way to the top. And from the opening moments of the game, it was never in doubt that it would end up that way.

Thr Wildcats were up 6-0 on four hits and five walks before the Bulldogs even came up to bat; among those with RBIs in the first inning was winning pitcher #17 Matthew Henning:

He struck out five and yielded only two runs and four hits over five and two-thirds innings. Meantime, West Seattle hitters were relentless, and piled up a 9-2 lead before Henning made way for #9 Sam Waskowitz in the sixth. He gave up one run in the seventh before closing out the biggest victory in West Seattle High School baseball history.

#2 Bobby Trigg had one of the hottest bats of the night, going 2 for 4 – both doubles – with 1 RBI, and scoring twice, including the ninth and final WSHS run in the third, on a single by #24 Lukas Cheha, who went 3 for 3.

#13 Parker Eley had 2 RBI on a second-inning double; seven other Wildcats had one each.

Now it’s time for the trip home with the trophy.

This was WSHS’s first appearance in the title game since May 25, 2013, exactly 11 years to the day before this win resulted in the school’s first-ever state baseball championship.

Cami May 25, 2024 (9:42 pm)

Go WestSide! So happy for this team.

Jeff Ursino May 25, 2024 (9:43 pm)

Way to go Westside! Great job coaches, staff, players!!!!

WoooWS May 25, 2024 (9:52 pm)

Way to go guys! Stellar season!!

jkpatman May 25, 2024 (10:11 pm)

HUGE congratulations to the team! what a thrill!

Admiral-2009 May 25, 2024 (10:30 pm)

Congratulations for a great season!

Jenni Bodnar May 25, 2024 (11:08 pm)

So exciting! What a way to win 🥇 Wildcats!

Hammer in Hand May 26, 2024 (9:04 am)

The former Mascot would be very proud with no intended disrespect!!!

Bryan Tupper May 25, 2024 (11:21 pm)

Julia May 25, 2024 (11:35 pm)

Congratulations! Very impressive!

Ben Wexler May 26, 2024 (4:59 am)

So beyond excited for these boys and the program. First of many to come!

Kevin May 26, 2024 (6:15 am)

I am sure that former coaches Bud Pripp and Ed Schmidt are looking down from Heaven with big smiles & great pride over the accomplishment of the WSHS baseball team. Well done, gentlemen!

Thomas May 27, 2024 (3:26 pm)

Amen!

CRowe May 26, 2024 (7:34 am)

Fabulous! Congratulations WSHS Baseball!

Mamie May 26, 2024 (8:05 am)

Congratulations on an outstanding season!

Cami May 26, 2024 (8:33 am)

Many of the boys on this team were also on the team from Bar-S that won state in 2018. So exciting and I am so happy for the kids and their families. And West Seattle baseball. Go Westside!

ST May 26, 2024 (9:29 am)

Congrats West Seattle!!

Dale May 26, 2024 (10:48 am)

Lets celebrate with a small parade. Anyone interested in organizing it?

RP May 26, 2024 (1:17 pm)

So proud of these young men! What a fun way to wrap up the high school career for so many of the players….Congrats Wildcats!

DDS May 26, 2024 (1:49 pm)

Cami So correct, this is due to a strong w.s. pee wee and little league system throughout the years.

Dunno May 26, 2024 (3:28 pm)

What a thrill!!!! Congratulations to all involved. Year round dedication by the players, coaches, support staff and especially the parents!! You all should be very proud!

For the Love of the Game May 27, 2024 (2:02 pm)

Thank you Dunno, it’s so true. Every one of these players have been supported by volunteer coaches, drivers, snack providers, cheer sections, neighbors embracing batting cages, it took a true village to get to this point and we are so grateful to all of you who supported these players through the years. During the Metro playoffs I saw so many coaches who were a part of the players lives since t-ball, it is all of your time and energy that make WSB Pony and WSLL such successful programs. Thank you all for your time, support and encouragement you all played a role is developing such great baseball players at our local high school, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Louie May 26, 2024 (7:06 pm)

Congrats Wildcats. Well deserved. So proud of you Westside!

Me mama May 26, 2024 (10:13 pm)

Congratulations! So exciting!

Jim Bowe May 27, 2024 (7:51 am)

Congratulations to the players, parents, and everyone else involved in the program in any way at any level. Congratulations to Coach Dylan, Coach Haggett, Coach Fahy, and the entire staff. Congratulations to those who have laid bricks in the foundation that is West Seattle Baseball – at all levels – over all the years. We all can be proud of this. I went to WSHS and played many years ago, and later coached in the program for several years on Velko’s staff. I was there in 2013 when we came really close, and this win somehow fills a void for me and the guys on that team. As coach Dylan said post game, our name will now forever be on that trophy. All of you who support WS Baseball at any age level are a part of this. All the past head coaches – Mr. Bud Pripp, Ed Schmidt, Velko Vitalich, Bryan Tupper – congratulations. For our late friend and Coach Jeff Freeman, this is for you too. A special shout out to Coach Kerry Tupper. Kerry is a ’64 grad and has been up there at the field volunteering his time coaching for 44 years. To see him get one in person was a big deal to me personally. If you want WSHS Baseball 2024 State Champions apparel, the store will be up soon. This is a great way to financially support the program, and of course get a special hoodie or whatever. All of it goes to the program. Want something for free? Come check out a game or two next year! The healthy rivalry between Coach Earnest / Chief Sealth and West Seattle is always a great one to see. “Off the island of WS”, come down to T-Mobile when the boys play in the HS Baseball Classic again next spring! Go WESTSIDE! Jim Bowe / class of ’91

JSnow May 28, 2024 (9:13 pm)

Jim that what a well stated post. I will for sure be purchasing my state championship apparel! Congratulations to all the coaches, players, and the school staff. There was one coach who was left off the list of names and that is John “Skip” Robinson. He was the coach when I played baseball at WSHS. We had some very good teams back in those days, but this 2024 team has obviously raised the bar and showed that West Seattle has long been a “baseball town” but now these coaches and players have given all of us the trophy to prove it. As a past player, a parent of a player that was on the 2013 team, that was oh so close, this win and State Championship has filled a void, corrected some wrongs and given all of us past players and alumi something special to cheer about. I have seen some really cool photos from the game. The photo that Bryan posted of the team dogpile on the mound is one of two photos that will forever be burned into my memory. What a memory for the team. The 2nd is below in my post. It’s a photo of Kerry Tupper holding that state championship trophy. As Jim mentioned above Kerry has dedicated 44 years to the baseball team at WSHS and outside of this current team, there is no one who is more deserving to be hoisting that state championship trophy than Kerry. Shoutout to the coaches and players for showing Kerry the respect he has so richly deserved. Personally for me, Kerry was more than a coach during my playing and post high school days. He has been a big part and a huge influence on mine and my sons life to this day. Congrats Coach Kerry!!What a season, What a post season run, Finally Baseball State Champs!!, ROLL CATS!