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2026 WA Scout Blog - Decatur vs Tahoma

May 8, 2026
Dan Jurik
Scouting Director - Pacific Northwest

The 2026 Washington Scout Blog provides information and scouting notes from Prep Baseball staff during the WIAA season. The running blog will feature information on underclass prospects, unsigned seniors, draft prospects and other notable performers. The Scout Blog is compiled of content and information gathered only from Prep Baseball staff. All featured games in the Scout Blog were attended by staff.

Thursday night we were treated to a tense Power 25 match-up between #7 Decatur at #6 Tahoma. Two teams who both had lofty preseason expectations and then delivered on that promise throughout the regular season. Both squads entered the game with matching 18-1 records. Tahoma at the 4A level with Decatur representing for 3A. What followed was a low scoring and tense 7 innings with dominant pitching on both sides. 

DECATUR VS TAHOMA (5.7.26)

DECATUR

For the visitors, they used a trio of arms who have consistently led the way for them this spring. 

Uncommitted ‘27 P/INF Ethan Flavel got the start and went 2 innings allowing 1 ER while punching out 3. Tahoma came out swinging early but then Flavel settled into a better groove and showed his usual overpowering stuff. He was 86-89 with the FB and the CB had depth/bite at 76-79. 

After Flavel, uncommitted ‘26 Dylan Reano continued his strong year with 3 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 1 H, 2 BB and punched out 6. The physical righty bumped 90 with his FB and pitched 85-89 consistently. The SL is above average at its best with hard, downer action at 76-78. 

Lastly, uncommitted ‘27 Tyler Buol pitched a scoreless 7th as he unleashed his bevy of breaking balls. It’s a spin heavy arsenal that he commands well and throws with intent. Tahoma threatened with a runner on 3rd, 1 out. But Buol escaped the jam and kept it a 1 run game. 

Overall this trio are the top 3 arms for Decatur this spring in terms of innings pitched and it would make sense to anticipate they get the early opportunities when playoff time rolls around. 

On offense, it was a tough night to get any momentum going as they only produced 2 total hits in 7 innings. Singles from ‘26 Nate Gilmore (Puget Sound) and ‘27 Ethan Flavel were all they could muster on this particular night. The offense did capitalize on some late walks to get on the board in T6 but the ‘big hit’ eluded them. 

TAHOMA

For the home team, Tahoma faced similar offensive struggles and also relied on the strength of their pitching. 

Junior RHP Talon Coker (Washington) was exceptional across his 6 innings of work. Finished with a final line of 6 IP, 2 H, ER, 4 BB, 5 K. He started out very crisp in the first 4 frames and then showed his maturity later on in the outing as the line-up turned over for the 3rd time. Out of the gate, he was 87-89 with the FB and topped at 90. His SL was his main secondary and it shows hard, late cutting action at 77-79. Deeper into the outing he added more depth with it and found a better rhythm. Flashed an occasional CH in the upper 70s and CB with more 11/5 shape when he wanted to give a different look on the breaker. Velocity settled at 85-87, T88 in his last few innings of work. 

During Coker’s outing, the offense relied heavily on the top of the line-up. Specifically ‘26 P/1B Neal Burtis (Oregon State) who went 2-3 with a 2B and both of the runs scored for the Bears. Early on, he scored on a single from uncommitted ‘27 OF Grayson Turnbow but then the bats went quiet for a bit. Burtis would add the 2nd run on an acrobatic slide at home scoring on a wild pitch that got the momentum back on the Tahoma side and turned out to be a very impactful score. 

Uncommitted ‘26 INF Anthony Wagner added the only other hit for Tahoma on the night as they tallied 4 total base knocks. 

For the 7th, Tahoma gave the ball to ‘26 SS/P Beckett Turnbow (New Mexico State) while holding onto a 2-1 lead. The high octane senior was able to channel his intensity and had an overpowering 1-2-3 inning with 3 K to lock up the save. The FB was riding through the zone at 91 consistently and bumped 92. He finished off the game with a hard, downer CB at 78 for the backdoor K. 

This match-up lived up to the hype and was a great final tune-up for both rosters before they begin the respective quests for a state championship.

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