Senior Morgan Payne is all smiles after his team advanced to state. (Shelli Trumbull photos)
Assistant coach Chris Tumblin and Kurtis Smith, who won a state title together in little league, enjoy another diamond delight.
“We’re going to Anacortes!” Cause no one wants to go to Castle Rock. No one.
Sometimes third place is better than second.
With two wins in two games at tri-districts Saturday, the Coupeville High School baseball squad clinched its first trip to state since 2008, and, better yet, will get to start fairly close to home.
The Wolves (14-10) slipped past Overlake 1-0 in eight innings and then swatted Life Christian 6-3 to run their record against fellow 1A schools to a shiny 6-2.
As the third-place team from tri-districts, Coupeville will open the state tourney in Anacortes Saturday, May 24.
The Wolves will face Rochester (16-6) in a loser-out game. Win and they advance to play the survivor of Cedar Park Christian (18-2) and Hoquiam (15-8) for a chance to make the final four in Yakima.
Cascade Conference rival South Whidbey lost 5-2 to CPC to finish second and will have to travel further, heading down to Castle Rock to play Tenino.
Win that and the Falcons face the winner of Life Christian and Woodland.
If the two Whidbey schools meet for a fifth time this season (they’ve split the first four meetings), it will be in Yakima and both schools will be guaranteed a state banner.
The Wolves are flying high on an emotional wave right now.
After gutting out the win over Overlake — scoring the winning run in the bottom of the eighth when a Kurtis Smith single scored Jake Tumblin — Coupeville jumped on Life Christian early.
The Wolves used a two-run double from Aaron Curtin and RBI singles from Aaron Trumbull and Cole Payne to stake hurler CJ Smith to a quick 4-0 lead.
Despite taking a shot off the shins at one point, he made it stand up.
After Life Christian scraped its way back into the game at 4-3, CHS scored two in the sixth to slam the door.
The game’s final ball was a chopper to Josh Bayne, who made the throw to second and kept Coupeville’s second-half charge going strong.
The Wolves are 4-1 in the playoffs this season after going 0-2 a season ago.
State brackets:
Coupeville Sports 
Both games were awesome. So proud of the Wolves. Win state. You can do it.