One trophy eluded Owyhee baseball. Storm finally captured it with district title
Since Owyhee High opened four years ago, no season has ended without the Storm lifting a state baseball championship.
But the Storm had never won a district title — until Friday.
Owyhee rallied with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and held on through a tense final frame to edge Middleton 7-6 and add to the program’s trophy haul.
“It’s special. We’ve obviously never done it,” said Owyhee senior Gage Haws, a member of all previous three state championship teams. “But we all know there’s something bigger on the line. The state championship is obviously the crown on top of the ring.”
The win clinched Owyhee (23-1) the top seed heading into next week’s new 12-team regional tournament. The Storm will host their own three-team regional and will receive a first-round bye. But Owyhee must win the double-elimination regional to advance to a new four-team state tournament and defend its crown.
A litany of injuries tempered expectations this season for the three-time defending state champ. But one by one, three key injured players stepped up Friday to deliver the Storm another trophy.
Owyhee trailed 6-3 entering the home half of the sixth inning before Jack Hallenbeck got the rally started with a leadoff single. Keagan Kelly (torn ACL) came off the bench to draw a key walk, Brooks Romer ripped a two-run double into the left-center field gap, and Owyhee took advantage of three errors in the inning to tie the score.
[Related: Full baseball district tournament brackets, scores]
That set the stage for Haws, a Washington commit limited to designated hitter duties after Tommy John surgery. But he showed why he’s still one of the state’s most feared hitters, lifting an RBI double down the left-field line for the go-ahead run.
“He’s obviously a very talented player,” Owyhee coach Matt Rasmussen said. “But he’s got the right mindset and the right attitude, and he’s a leader.
“... There are certain people that thrive in that moment. And he’s one of them.”
Owyhee then turned to Nate Keith to close out the win. The junior broke his foot during football season and underwent his most recent surgery just three weeks ago. Friday marked his first appearance on the mound all season. But Rasmussen said he knew the Storm would need him at regionals and state, so he might as well cut his teeth now.
Keith showed some rust, walking two batters and loading the bases with just one out. But Owyhee never sent anyone to warm up in the bullpen, and Keith rewarded that faith with a swinging strikeout and weak pop fly to clinch the district title.
“There’s always a little bit of soreness,” Keith said. “But at the end of the day, nobody cares — like, in the best way possible. They don’t need to care, either. You’ve got to go out there. You’ve got to perform, whether you’re hurt or not.”
[Related: Brackets, schedule for softball district tournaments]
OWYHEE, MIDDLETON ADVANCE TO 6A REGIONALS
Both teams clinched their berth in next week’s regional round at the end of the regular season. Middleton also secured a first-round bye and home-field advantage with a 10-4 win over Centennial on Thursday.
Seeds and matchups for the regional round won’t be announced until Sunday.
The regional round adds a new twist to the postseason for Idaho baseball. This marks the first year the Idaho High School Activities Association will sponsor an official state tournament. That sponsorship came with an experiment that mirrors college baseball’s national tournament format.
Three teams will battle in each double-elimination regional. Winners advance to a four-team state tournament, which is also double elimination and adds a different strategy element, Rasmussen said.
“I think it’s great,” he said. “I think every coach, whether you’re talking to (Middleton’s Bryan) Swygart or (Stephan Zanoni) at Rocky, everyone’s got a little anxiety because they’ve never managed it before. They’ve never had to work through it before. We’re all a little nervous about who’s going to get placed in our bracket.”
6A SIC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
RIDGEVUE 9, CAPITAL 1: First baseman Chance Schreiber blasted a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the first inning, and the Warhawks followed with five more runs in the third to rout the Eagles in district action.
Ridgevue will face Rocky Mountain on Saturday for a spot in the regional tournament. The Warhawks will need to beat the Grizzlies twice to advance.
Schreiber finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs, and Jameson Deitz collected the win. Deitz went six innings, giving up three hits and one earned run with eight strikeouts.
Caden Werner, Maddox Weight and Brady Ruzicka had one hit apiece for Capital.
TIMBERLINE 3, EAGLE 1: The 11th-seeded Wolves kept their district tournament run. Timberline takes on Mountain View on Saturday with a regional berth up for grabs. The Wolves would need to beat the Mavericks twice.
Diego Baker hit a two-run single to left field in the top of the third inning to get Timberline on the board, and Isaac Mills followed with a solo home run in the fourth.
Baker also earned the complete-game win, allowing five hits and one earned run with 11 strikeouts to just one walk.
Aidan Messerschmitt and Logan Thistle added two hits each for the Wolves.
Caleb Zawadzki had Eagle’s lone RBI, going 1-for-3.
3A WIC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
MARSING 3, NAMPA CHRISTIAN 1: The Huskies claimed their second district championship in the last three seasons and a regional berth with a win over the top-seeded Trojans.
Jace Chadez recorded the win on the mound for Marsing, lasting four scoreless innings while giving up just two hits and striking out two. Chadez also went 1-for-2 at the plate with a double and an RBI.
Left fielder Dresden Wood added a 2-for-2 performance at the plate, and Mason Conger also had a hit for the Huskies.
Coleson Mensonides went 2-for-3 for Nampa Christian, which can clinch a regional bid with a win in Saturday’s district runner-up game.
2A WIC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
NORTH STAR CHARTER 9, GLENNS FERRY 3: The Huskies scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning and cruised to their third district title in the last five years.
Sophomore Luke Fox and junior Jackson McReynolds each registered two hits for North Star, which earned an automatic berth to regionals.
Senior Cole Young picked up the win on the mound, pitching 6 2/3 innings while allowing three hits and three unearned runs while striking out 15 and walking just one.
FRIDAY’S GAME BALLS
Schools are encouraged to submit scores and stats nightly by emailing sports@idahostatesman.com
BASEBALL
Gage Haws, Owyhee: Drove in the game-winning run with an RBI double to lift Owyhee to its first district title, finishing the evening 3-for-4.
Chance Schreiber, Ridgevue: Hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first and finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs to lead the Warhawks to a win over Capital.
Diego Baker, Timberline: Kept the Wolves’ season alive with a complete-game win, allowing five hits and one earned run while striking out 11 with just one walk. He also hit a two-run single in the third inning to lead Timberline to a 3-1 victory over Eagle.
Cooper Brooks, Melba: Finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and an RBI in the Mustangs’ 2A WIC losers’ bracket win over New Plymouth. He also earned the win, throwing a complete game with six hits, two earned runs and seven strikeouts.
Ethan Obenchain, Parma: Kept the Panthers’ season alive with an 18-5, five-inning win over Vision Charter in the 3A WIC district tournament. Obenchain went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.
Jace Chadez, Marsing: Pitched four scoreless innings, allowing two hits with two strikeouts and one walk in the Huskies’ 3-1 win over Nampa Christian in the 3A WIC district championship. Chadez helped his own cause by going 1-for-2 at the plate with a double and an RBI.
Cole Young, North Star Charter: Went 6 2/3 innings on the mound with three hits and three unearned runs while striking out 15 and walking just one as the Huskies won the 2A WIC district title.
BASEBALL DISTRICT TOURNAMENT SCOREBOARD
5 automatic teams to regionals, 4 at-large berths
FRIDAY, MAY 2
Championship
At Owyhee
Owyhee 7, Middleton 6 (both to regionals)
Regional Qualifiers
At Rocky Mountain
Ridgevue 9, Capital 1
At Mountain View
Timberline 3, Eagle 1
SATURDAY, MAY 3
Finals
(Winners to regionals)
At Rocky Mountain
Game 4: Rocky Mountain vs. Ridgevue, 1 p.m.
Game 5: Loser 4 vs. Winner 4, 4 p.m. (if necessary)
At Mountain View
Game 9: Mountain View vs. Timberline, 1 p.m.
Game 10: Loser 9 vs. Winner 9, 4 p.m. (if necessary)
2 automatic teams to regionals, 4 at-large berths
FRIDAY, MAY 2
Losers’ bracket
Melba 8, New Plymouth 2
Parma 18, Vision Charter 8, 5 innings
Championship
(Winner to regionals)
At Parma
Marsing 3, Nampa Christian 1
SATURDAY, MAY 3
Losers’ bracket
At Parma
Game 8: Melba vs. Parma, 11 a.m.
Second-place game
(Winner to regionals)
At Parma
Winner 8 vs. Nampa Christian, 2 p.m.
2 automatic teams to regionals, 4 at-large berths
FRIDAY, MAY 2
Losers’ bracket
At Glenns Ferry
Idaho City 7, Garden Valley 6
Championship
(Winner to regionals)
At Glenns Ferry
North Star Charter 9, Glenns Ferry 3
Second-place game
(Winner to regionals)
At Glenns Ferry
Glenns Ferry 11, Idaho City 1, 5 innings
This story was originally published May 2, 2025 at 10:32 PM.
