Tumwater is the back-to-back Class 2A defending state high school baseball champion in Washington, winning state titles in 2022 and 2023.
The state tournament begins this week and the T-Birds are hoping to make it a three-peat. But defending the title isn't the mindset this year's group is playing with.
"We're not really defending it — we're attacking it," said shortstop Eddie Marson, who leads the team with a .447 batting average with two doubles, a triple and a team-high 25 RBI.
Tumwater isn't the favorite this spring. The T-Birds enter the tournament as the No. 8 seed, after losing to Columbia River in the 2A District 4 tournament semifinals, before bouncing back with a win over R.A. Long in a loser-out, winner-to-state game.
"We want to beat the odds this year," said pitcher and infielder Derek Thompson, the team's No. 2 pitcher. "I think the odds are heavily against us, especially since we've gone back-to-back. That's why we think about attacking it. If you think about attacking it, it's more something you're trying to go for, not something you're trying to protect.
"It's almost like we've never won it before."
Leading the charge is Liam Karlson, the team's No. 1 arm. He has pitched 46.1 innings this spring, compiling a 7-0 record with 46 strikeouts and a minuscule .045 earned run average, mixing his fastball, slider and changeup for strikes.
"He's got a three-quarter sidearm delivery, so he gets a lot of movement," said Lyle Overbay, Tumwater's coach and former big-leaguer. Overbay played for eight teams over the course of his 13-year Major League Baseball career. "That changeup just drops off the table, so it's been a really good pitch for him."
Overbay brings an impressive background to the table. When he talks, Tumwater's players listen.
"I just think it's easy to trust him with all the experience he has," Karlson said. "There's never a doubt. Whatever he's saying, it works."
It has worked so far, to the tune of consecutive state titles. Tumwater beat Columbia River 1-0 to win the 2022 title and in another close game, beat Lynden 2-1 last season to win consecutive championships.
Tumwater will open this year's tournament against No. 9 seed Pullman at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Auburn High School. The winner will likely go on to face top-seeded Enumclaw in the quarterfinals, which will be played Saturday night at Auburn. Tumwater already beat Enumclaw this spring in the season opener, 5-2.
Overbay's squad doesn't mind flying under the radar a bit. The T-Birds are still confident they have the pieces in place to win the whole thing.
"I think that people are gonna overlook us a bit," Overbay said. "Not necessarily overlook, but just be like, 'OK, they're not as strong.' I don't agree with that. I just feel like where we are, everybody's got a chance. It's our toughest road, obviously. But I always tell these guys, if we're gonna be the best, we've gotta beat the best."
Marson said he thinks the records and seeds can be thrown out the window when the state tournament begins.
"The whole year, we haven't looked at rankings," he said. "They don't mean anything to us. ... We're going to play our game. No one can stop us if we play our game."
They'll have a calming presence in the dugout in Overbay, who spends most of his time these days shepherding his six kids around to various activities in the family's mega-sized four-row Nissan passenger van. Some former pros think high school sports are beneath them, but not Overbay.
"I just love being around the kids," he said. "At the end of the day, some of them might go to the next level, which is community college or this or that, but for a lot of these kids, it's over after this. I want them to be better humans, more than anything. That was my drive."
Overbay said he has no interest in getting involved with college coaching. He doesn't want to recruit players. He has no interest in transfer portals. He's content just coaching whoever shows up to Tumwater.
"I think it's going to help them later on in life," Overbay said of baseball and its challenges. "It prepared me. Just being a positive influence for these kids is the biggest thing."
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