So far in the state tournament, the Redmond High baseball team (20-7) really hasn’t been challenged in their two victories – a 15-2 thrashing of Olympia and a 6-0 shutout of defending state champion Kentwood.

But that all is likely to change in the semifinals at 4 p.m. this Friday at Cheney Stadium as the Mustangs continue their dream season against No. 1-ranked Jackson of Mill Creek (20-2), which is making its first state appearance since 2006, when the Timberwolves won it all.

Jackson, like the Mustangs, have a pair of aces that can shut down opposing lineups, and a batting order that hits for power and average.

“Jackson is solid top to bottom, they don’t seem to have any holes,” said Redmond head coach Dan Pudwill. “They have two left-handed pitchers that can and have shut down opposing teams. To advance, we have to continue to play the way we have these last six games – outstanding starting pitching, solid defense, and timely hitting.”

With their hot bats and senior pitchers Zach Abbruzza and Dylan Davis putting together quality starts on the mound, Redmond is the hottest team out of the four remaining squads vying for the 4A state title, having won six straight by a scoring margin of 59-7.

Ever since the team’s first-round loss to Inglemoor in the 4A Kingco tournament, the senior-laden Mustangs have been in a loser-out situation, and have come through every time – often with lopsided outcomes.

“Focus, energy, and enthusiasm was strengthened,” said Pudwill in the changes in his squad since their last defeat, which happened nearly three weeks ago. “We realized that it was going to take a whole lot more than just showing up to the yard to accomplish our goals, we needed a total team effort every game, every inning, every pitch.”

Finally, how will the Mustangs be able to handle the pressure of playing under the bright lights of their sports’ biggest stage, on a field that the players one day hope to possibly be playing on at the professional level?

“The mindset is to stay locked in… once the first few pitches are thrown, nerves will disappear and the kids will realize it is a baseball game – the same type of game they have been playing for the last two weeks,” explained Pudwill. “A game where winning moves us closer to attaining our goal and losing removes the chance of accomplishing the goal.”

The other semifinal game is between Bothell and Richland at 7 p.m. at Cheney, with the winners advancing to the state championship at 7 p.m. on Saturday night.

The Redmond High baseball team most recently won a state title in 1993, the last time the team had advanced to the state semifinals.

Cheney Stadium, home of the Class AAA Tacoma Rainiers, is located at 2502 South Tyler Street in Tacoma.