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2026 WA Scout Blog - Eastlake, Lake Washington, Woodinville, Jackson

May 13, 2026
Dan Jurik, PNW Staff

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.

It’s District tournament time and bids for State are up for grabs. While none of these contests were true ‘elimination games’, the winners will secure their spot in the state playoffs and the losing team is forced to win their next 2 games if they hope to advance. 

District 1/2 4A was a 12 team bracket with the top 4 seeds receiving a 1st round bye. If you’re a Top 4 seed and you win your first game of the tournament, you advance to state. In our 1st match-up, #3 seed Eastlake faced off against #6 Lake Washington after the Kangs knocked out Kamiak in the opening round. For the the night cap, #1 Woodinville battled with #8 Jackson after Jackson advanced past Issaquah.

EASTLAKE VS LAKE WASHINGTON (5.9.26)

Eastlake gave the ball to ‘26 LHP Rodrigo Montano (Colorado School of Mines) and the experienced southpaw delivered a complete game effort as they won 5-3 and locked in their spot for the 4A State Tournament

EASTLAKE

Montano went 7 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, 6 K on 89 pitches. Other than a pair of HRs on some first pitch ambushes, Montano really limited the damage on offense and was tough to square up. Conditions were much more conducive for pitching than early in the spring when we saw him throw on a rainy, 40 degree night in early March. He worked off of his FB at 81-84 with his usual CB/CH arsenal and he really dialed in with the CH during the middle innings. When he has the 3 pitch mix in the zone, his ability to disrupt timing and change eye levels is a tough match-up for opposing offenses. The CH is especially difficult on RHH with its late fade and abrupt drop in velo. Montano pitches with a low pulse and the game never speeds up on him. He fields his position exceptionally well, controls the run game and maintains confident body language regardless of what might be happening around him. 

Offensively, this was a pretty unique game for Eastlake as they were able to produce 5 runs on only 5 hits. They added 6 freebies (4 BB, 2 HBP) and stolen 6 bases though and that ultimately made a significant difference in the game when it came to producing runs. 

The standout hitter on this look was '28 SS Skyler Levine. The sophomore went 2-2, R, RBI, BB and produced flush line drive contact on both of his hits. Simply put, when he got FBs in the zone to hit, he was ready and he was on time. Uses a balanced, low maintenance sequence in the box with a subtle leg lift that syncs with a tight hand load. At landing, weight stays centered and allows him to work from the ground up and create stretch/tension in the core. Quick, sudden bat speed with short levers. Defensively handled all his opportunities and has solid footwork to go with his actions. 

In addition to Levine, Eastlake got RBI from ‘27 OF Kellan Kinney and ‘27 INF Cruz Payne. 

‘28 Ben Byeman went 1-2 on the day with a HBP and continued to look the part of a high end offensive prospect. Produced one of the hardest hit balls on the day with a single through the right side while flashing his usual above average bat speed. 

With the win, Eastlake secured their spot in the 4A state tournament after their runner-up finish in 2025. They will continue in the winner’s bracket for district 1/2 tournament and look to improve their seeding with additional wins.

LAKE WASHINGTON

For the Kangs, they didn’t muster a ton of offense in this game with only 3 total hits. However, 2 of those 3 hits went for HRs which helped push runs across without traffic on the bases. 

‘26 Kane Nishikawa got the scoring started in the top of the 4th with his 2 run HR. After ‘26 Will Cooley (Gonzaga) had a 1 out, INF single to reach 1st, Nishikawa jumped on the first pitch he saw for a line drive HR to LF that temporarily tied the game at 2-2. He finished 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI. 

The other big hit came from uncommitted ‘27 OF Sam Mehlberg in the top of the 6th. Trailing by 3 at the time, Mehlberg made it a 2 run game after he went big fly on the first pitch he saw. Another liner over the LF fence. Mehlberg is an athletic table setter at the top of the line-up with quality tools across the board and an athletic profile. Offensively he showed a sound approach, controlled the zone and showed bat speed with his ‘A’ swings. 

 Lake Washington used 3 arms in this one and availability shouldn’t be a problem moving forward for the guys who threw. Their next match-up is a ‘loser out’ game on Thursday 5/14 versus Bothell.

WOODINVILLE VS JACKSON (5.9.26)

The next 1/2 district match-up pitted top seeded Woodinville against #8 Jackson. This was another low scoring, low hit contest that had plenty of late drama in the 7th. Ultimately, Woodinville was able to advance with a 3-2 victory after a walk-off HBP.

WOODINVILLE

On the mound, Woodinville turned to their senior class in this one with a tandem of ‘26 LHP Carter Krewkow (Western Oregon) followed by ‘26 RHP Jayden Bury (Olympic College)

Krekow pitched into the 4th allowing 1 ER. He had some command fluctuations in this one but limited hits and got some big K when he needed them. FB 83-85, T86 / CB 66-68 / CH 74-77

Bury went 3.1 IP in relief. Allowing 1 ER and punching out 3. The righty uses his full arsenal consistently and has noticeable feel for his breaking ball. FB ranged 83-87 with CB at 70-73. 

Offensively, the Falcons had 6 players contribute 1 hit apiece on the day. They were able to work 5 BB plus a HBP to help get some traffic on the bases. In the bottom of the 6th, ‘28 Mike Baker had a crucial single to make it a 1-1 game and then the next AB, ‘27 Scott Dickinson added a Sac Fly to give Woodinville a 2-1 advantage. The lead wouldn’t last long but it turned out to be a crucial 2nd run. 

In the 7th, while tied 2-2, they started things off with a single from ‘26 Connor Hennessy to put the winning run on-base. After a sac bunt attempted turned into an error, Woodinville had runners on 1st and 3rd with 0 out. An intentional walk loaded the bases with 0 outs and then ‘28 Jackson Markey was hit by a pitch to set up the walk-off victory. 

Woodinville is in the exact same spot as Eastlake now. They have secured a spot in the state playoffs but will continue on in the winner’s bracket to potentially improve their seeding.

JACKSON

For the Timberwolves, they gave the ball to uncommitted ‘27 P/INF Austin Halvorson and he put together a strong performance across 6 full innings. 

Finished with a final line of 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. Made big pitches out of the stretch and limited the amount of damage once runners were on-base. His FB was up to 87 mph and he paired it with his big 11/5 CB in the upper 60s. Consistently finds the zone with the breaker and it’s a reliable offering for him to steal strikes with as he commands it very well going ‘ball-to-strike’. Really competes on the bump and is quick to make adjustments. 

On the offensive side, Jackson could only muster 5 hits on the day, all singles. The hits were spread out amongst 5 players overall. ‘26 OF Ashton Bergman (Everett CC) led the way offensively going 1-1 with a crucial RBI and also added 2 BB with 2 SB. 

The other crucial hit came from ‘26 Derek Sundstrom. In the top of the 7th, with 2 outs and the tying run on 3rd base, Sundstrom delivered a huge single up the middle to tie the game at 2-2 and keep the game alive for at least 1 more half inning. 

Jackson’s season is not done despite the loss and they will look to battle their way into the 4A state tournament through the loser’s bracket now.

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