Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

2026 WA Scout Blog - Sumner, Kennedy Catholic, Gig Harbor, Bellarmine Prep

May 14, 2026
Dylan Grenz
Assistant Scouting Director

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.

This week, the WIAA playoffs have begun around the state, with a wealth of great matchups taking place every day. Prep Baseball staff have been busy covering some of these matchups, continuing to provide comprehensive coverage of the high school season. On Tuesday, Sumner and Kennedy Catholic delivered an instant classic, with the Spartans rallying from a 6-0 deficit to win 7-6, clinching a spot in the 4A state playoffs. On Wednesday, Gig Harbor rode their hot bats to a convinciing win over Bellarmine Prep, clinching a spot in the 3A state tournament. Below are scouting reports on standout performers from both games.

Sumner vs. Kennedy Catholic (4.12.26)

Sumner

'27 RHP/OF Wyatt Plyler (Wake Forest Commit)
Despite having far from his "A" stuff, Plyler still flashed his high-end potential and premium stuff on the mound on Tuesday. The righty held some big velocity from the jump, hitting 92 MPH to the first batter of the game and sitting 87-91 throughout his outing. The Wake Forest commit and second ranked prospect in the state junior class battled through some command issues through 3 innings of work but overpowered hitters at times when in the zone, striking out 6. The curveball is a potential plus offering when at its best in the low to mid-70's, and the CH showed as well in the upper 70's. Plyler has been great on the mound overall this spring, striking out 77 batters with a sub-2 ERA in 42 innings pitched. Though he had a quiet afternoon at the plate, he's also hitting .429 with 11 XBH as well offensively. The junior is a critical two-way piece with game-changing tools as Sumner looks ahead to the state tournament.

'27 OF/C Bryce Carl (Uncommitted)
On a day where the Sumner offense struggled to get going in the early innings, Carl was very much the sparkplug early on, barreling a pair of hard-hit RBI singles. The junior looks to have added some strength since a previous look, carrying a well-built medium RH frame. Carl maintains strength in the wrists through contact with a repeatable operation at the dish, lining a ball to the pull side and up the middle for his two hits. Though he DH'ed in this one, he's shown the ability to man the OF and C positions well in previous showcase looks. Uncommitted prospect to circle this summer.

'26 INF/RHP Xander Cypher (Hawaii Pacific Commit)
The Sumner offense exploded in the late innings to mount a big comeback, and Cypher had one of the biggest swings of them all with a towering 2-run homer in the 6th inning. The righty finshed 2-3 with 2 RBI overall, collecting a hard-hit single earlier in the game. Cypher plays with a cool confidence and maturity in all aspects, manning 3B well defensively despite one or two bounces not going his way. At the dish, the senior works short to long with a square base throughout, creating some loft at impact with a slight uphill barrel path. Key two-way player down the stretch.

'27 INF Jake Miller (Washington Commit)
The junior is having a huge spring and seems to come up big in every clutch moment, including another key spot on Tuesday. The lefty stick finished 2-3 with a run and an RBI, displaying easy plus power for the HS level. The lefty carries an ultra-twitchy, steeper LH stroke through the zone, impacting the ball to all fields but especially to the pull side. The athleticism and polish also showed up defensively, where he made a number of slick plays at 2B on some tough hops and hard-hit ground balls. To cap off his afternoon, Miller jumped on a first pitch down and away, driving one deep over the CF's head to plate the winning run and send his team to the 4A state playoffs.

'28 OF/LHP Brody Santman (Uncommitted)
Another big key to Sumner's success this season, Santman had multiple key plays on Tuesday, doing the little things to help secure a big victory. The sophomore displayed range and ability in the outfield, closing on balls in the gaps with plus speed. He also delivered one of the defensive highlights of the spring with a great throw to nail a runner at home plate, ending the inning and helping Sumner escape a jam. At the dish, Santman faced a tough L/L assignment but hit the ball hard on the ground twice early on. With his team down a run in the final inning, Santman then executed a perfect squeeze bunt down the 3B line to plate the game-tying run from 3B. The sophomore has been crucial atop the lineup and on the mound, and can impact the game in several ways.

Kennedy Catholic

'26 LHP Harvey Lieberman (Washington State Commit)
A workhorse on the mound for several years now, Lieberman got the start for the Lancers and displayed his upside as a D-1 arm. The lefty was especially effective in the early innings, changing speeds and sides of the plate with ease to keep a potent lineup relatively quiet. The fastball ranged from 85-88, elevating the velocity at times to get out of big spots. The breaking ball and CH were effective to both LHH and RHH and were thrown for strikes consistently. Though the Spartans got to him late, the senior turned in a gritty performance on the mound as a whole. He also had a great day offensively, finishing 2-4 with 2 RBI.

'26 OF/RHP Dante Saladino (Bellevue College Commit)
The senior was a league POTY-caliber two-way star last spring and has had a quality senior campaign as well. On Tuesday, he got the offense going from the jump with a double pulled down the line to start the game. He later added an RBI single with a chopper up the middle, finishing 2-4 with a walk on the day. The stocky-strong senior DH'ed in this look but has the makings of a corner OF-type at the next level. He's also shown the ability to dominate on the mound when right, and may be asked to get some big outs as Kennedy looks to advance to state this week.

'28 INF Brayden Seiber (Uncommitted)
A sophomore that has seen some success early in his HS career, Seiber delivered a big hit in the first inning with a 2 RBI single to left. The righty bat maintains a mature approach with a flatter path through the zone, with some rawness in the swing still yielding positive results. Seiber has also taken a big leap on the mound this spring, including a shutout outing resulting in a Prep Baseball Pitcher of the Week award. The sophomore manned 3B in this game, making every play that came his direction.

'26 C Ka'ipo Matsushima (UNLV Commit)
One of the best backstops in Washington's senior class, Matsushima displayed plus ability defensively, with athleticism and arm strength behind the dish. The compact, wiry-framed righty stole strikes on the edges and popped a 2 flat pop time in-game, looking the part of an experienced catcher. At the plate, Matsushima reached base 4 times with 2 singles and 2 HBP. The righty dropped a bunt base hit down early before picking up another single to the pull side later on. Impact talent.

Gig Harbor vs. Bellarmine Prep (5.13.26)

Gig Harbor

'28 INF Daniel Sleeter (Uncommitted)
The top-ten ranked sophomore in Washington is an impact bat from both sides of the plate as a switch-hitter, showcasing the prowess from the left side on Wednesday. Sleeter was able to lift and punish the ball multiple times, finishing 2-4 with 3 RBI on the whole. He jumped on a fastball in a hitter's count for a long triple to deep LCF as his biggest knock of the day, and added a hard-hit single to the pull side later on. Defensively, Sleeter was at 2B on this occasion but can play anywhere on the dirt with plus arm strength and athleticism. The sophomore has also run his fastball into the mid to upper 80's on the hill. Sleeter will be a name to know as his recruiting period opens this summer.

'26 RHP Jake Cuda (Uncommitted)
Cuda delivered a gritty performance on the mound in route to the Tides eventual lopsided victory. A stockier medium-framed righthander, Cuda topped out at 85 MPH with the fastball early, sitting more 82-83 MPH for the most part. He paired the heater with a CB at 69-71 with loopier more 12/6 action, mixing in a CH occasionally as well. Cuda racked up the swing and miss as the game went along, finishing with 8 K across 5.2 innings of work. The senior also reached base 3 times offensively, adding an RBI as well. Well-rounded performance.

'26 INF Hunter Payne (George Fox Commit)
In a game where the Gig Harbor offense exploded for 11 runs, Payne set the tone at the top of the lineup, filling the stat sheet offensively. Payne went 2 for 3 with a pair of singles and a walk, scoring 3 times and adding 2 RBI. The wiry-framed righty moves through the zone with a flatter barrel path, staying within himself well and hitting to the middle of the field. Payne got the start at SS, where he showed quality range and developing arm strength.

'27 C/INF Zach Smith (Uncommitted)
A standout athlete with an ability to impact the game in several ways, Smith had the big highlight in this game with an inside the park HR. The junior roped a ball down the LF line that got past a diving OF, allowing Smith to turn on the jets in a huge way to race all the way around the bases. Smith finished 2-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBI in a productive overall showing. Defensively, he did a nice job controlling the run game with a few back picks and strong throws. An athletic mover behind the dish, Smith also looked the part as a middle infielder in another look earlier this season. 

'28 LHP Max Bergford (Uncommitted)
A highly intriguing arm moving forward, Bergford displayed some traits to dream on in a shorter relief stint on the mound. An ultra-physical 6'5 lefthander, Bergford was 82-85 MPH with the fastball. The offspeed pitches both flashed plus at times, with a very strong, firm CH at 78-80 with late drop and a sharper CB at 69-81 MPH. The lefty carries arm speed with a tighter action through release. The operation carries some rawness but there's a ton to like from a raw arm talent and size perspective. Arm to keep an eye on as he continues to progress.

Bellarmine Prep

'29 RHP/1B Owen Schneller (Uncommitted)
Despite some mixed results in this one, Schneller flashed the talent and tools that have led to his ranking inside the top ten for the Washington freshman class. In our first live look at the freshman on the mound this spring, Schneller sat 83-86 MPH with the fastball, mixing in a SNK with some run at 80-82 MPH. The SL was at its best when located to the glove side at 73-76 MPH. Mechanically, it's a lower effort delivery with easy arm strength and size that should only continue to trend upward. The young arm lost some feel in the second inning and faced some adversity but has the traits that should play well moving forward.

'26 Aaron Barnhart (Carleton College Commit)
The leadoff man in this look, Barnhart had a great game at the plate, going 2-3 with a walk. The experienced bat delivered an RBI single in the early innings to get the Lion offense on the board. He also added a run scored later that inning. A medium-framed righthander, Barnhart carried repeatability in the swing with a more pull-oriented approach. Barnhart also made the routine play defensively at 3B.

'27 INF Calvin Dossett (Uncommitted)
A junior who has stacked multiple strong looks together in recent months, Dossett was the other Bellarmine bat to collect a multi-hit game on Wednesday. The strong-framed righty sets in a quieter, tall setup, allowing the natural size and strength to play at the plate. Dossett carries easy bat speed with controlled actions on the whole and finished the day 2-4 with a pair of singles. He profiles as a left sided infielder with the larger, long frame, and got the start at SS in this look.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Pacific Northwest Summer ID WA 05/24 Ridgefield Recreation Complex - Ridgefield, WA
Pacific Northwest Rising Stars ID (Class of 2030-2031) WA 05/24 Ridgefield Recreation Complex - Ridgefield, WA
Spokane Summer ID WA 06/24 Gonzaga University - Spokane, WA
Seattle Summer ID WA 06/30 Island Crest Park - Mercer Island, WA
Seattle Summer ID - Session II WA 07/07 Bannerwood Park - Bellevue, WA
Seattle Rising Stars ID (Class of 2030-2031) WA 07/07 Bannerwood Park - Bellevue, WA
Tacoma Summer ID WA 07/14 University of Puget Sound - Tacoma, WA
2026 Pacific Northwest State Games (Invite-Only) WA 07/28 Ridgefield Recreation Complex - Ridgefield, WA

RELATED CONTENT