East High chases a fourth straight large-school state softball championship this week, when the high school sports year wraps with two softball tournaments in Fairbanks and the baseball tournament in Anchorage.
Anchorage entries East, South, Chugiak and West begin play Friday in the state large-school tournament, along with Wasilla and West Valley. East and Wasilla own first-round byes by virtue of winning conference crowns.
Also at South Davis Park Complex in Fairbanks beginning Friday will be the state small-school tournament, which likewise features a six-team field. Ketchikan and North Pole have first-round byes, and are joined by Kodiak, Homer, Sitka and Hutchison.
A new small-school champ is assured – defending titlist Juneau-Douglas did not qualify for state.
A new baseball champion will be crowned too – 2014 champ Sitka did not qualify.
The eight-team field in the baseball tournament, which opens Thursday at Mulcahy Stadium, features Anchorage teams from Chugiak and 2014 runner-up South, and also squads from Kodiak, Wasilla, Ketchikan, West Valley, Wasilla and Juneau-Douglas.
Ketchikan includes Gatorade Alaska Player of the Year Nathan Bonck, a 6-foot-5 junior who pitches, and plays first base and outfield. Through 15 games, the left-hander is 3-0 with a 1.11 earned-run average and 22 strikeouts in 19 innings. He's hitting 489, with four home runs, 22 RBIs and a .957 slugging percentage.
Both softball tournaments are double-elimination brackets and the baseball tournament is single-elimination.
ASAA/First National Bank Alaska
State High School Championships
Baseball
Thursday's opening round at Mulcahy Stadium
10 a.m. – Lathrop vs. Juneau-Douglas
1 p.m. – Ketchikan vs. West Valley
4 p.m. – Wasilla vs. South
7 p.m. – Chugiak vs. Kodiak
Large-School Softball
Friday's opening round in Fairbanks
1 p.m. – South vs. Chugiak
1 p.m. – West Valley vs. West
3:30 p.m. – Wasilla vs. South-Chugiak winner
3:30 p.m. – East vs. West Valley-West winner
Small-School Softball
Friday's opening round in Fairbanks
1 p.m. – Hutchison vs. Homer
1 p.m. – Kodiak vs. Sitka
3:30 p.m. – Ketchikan vs. Hutchison-Homer winner
3:30 p.m. – North Pole vs. Kodiak-Sitka winner
Alaska Dispatch Publishing