Counting this season, Timberlake High has qualified for state in softball each of the 21 years the school has been in existence.

The Tigers have brought home trophies for finishing among the top four teams in the state, in nearly every place imaginable.

Except for one place.

First place.

Timberlake looks to cross that one off its to-do list this weekend, when the state 3A softball tournament unfolds today and Saturday at Ramsey Park in Coeur d’Alene.

Weather permitting, of course.

“My girls, they just keep getting better every game,” said Casi Lupinacci, in her fourth season as head coach at her alma mater. “As long as we play the way we can, I think we’ve got a great shot.”

Timberlake (17-1) is scheduled to open today at 11 a.m. vs. Snake River (14-5), the District 5 champion.

At the beginning of the season, Lupinacci had high hopes for her team.

Timberlake had its first nine games rained out, then snuck in a makeup doubleheader prior to spring break. Once the Tigers returned from break they played the remainder of their 14 regular-season games in a span of 21 days.

Timberlake’s lone loss came in its third game, 8-4 at 4A state qualifier and in-district rival Lakeland. The Tigers enter state on a 15-game winning streak.

“I think it’s probably reinforces what I was thinking at beginning of the year,” Lupinacci said of her team’s chances at state. “Offensively, we’ve outperformed what I thought we’d do. We hit the ball well, and we scored a lot of runs. “This could be the team that does it; I’m excited to see what we can do.”

The Tigers have a team batting average of .467, and seven of them are hitting above .400.

Timberlake is led by senior Ashlyn Mallet (.464, 6 HR, 40 RBIs), senior Becca Malloy (.515, 24 RBIs) sophomore Bernie Carhart (.558, 33 RBIs), sophomore Emma Howard (.519, 2 HRs, 22 RBIs), junior Jaycee Jerome (4 HRs, 22 RBIs), senior Kyndal Lindley (.514, 2 HRs, 42 RBIs), freshman Lily Carhart (.531) and senior Maddy Salois (.472, 4 HRs, 25 RBIs).

Malloy (11-1) and Bernie Carhart (6-0) handle the pitching duties.

NOTES: Homedale, the defending champion, has won four of the last six state 3A titles. Last year, the Trojans beat defending champion Bonners Ferry for the title. Filer (third last year) and South Fremont (fourth) also return. ... Timberlake tied for fifth last year, after finishing runner-up to Bonners in 2017.

5A

Lake City: Sure, there’s a lot to like about Lake City’s 25-0 record heading into today’s scheduled opening round game against Eagle (22-5) at 11 a.m. at Post Falls High.

Now, it’s time to prove it.

“I like that we’re staying in our own beds,” fifth-year Lake City coach Jesse Lenz said. “We’ve traveled quite a bit this year with the weather (trips to Utah and Kennewick for tournaments), but it doesn’t make it any easier. Everyone is there because they’re good.”

In its last three trips up north for the state tournament, Eagle has appeared in the championship game each of those times, winning in 2015 over Coeur d’Alene (at Post Falls High), 2017 over Lake City (at Coeur d’Alene High) and finishing second in 2013 at Ramsey Park.

“We’ve got to show up ready to play,” Lenz said. “Boise (schools), they don’t care who we are or what we’ve done to this point. We’ve got to go out and earn that respect.”

Olivia Zufelt was a sophomore on the 2017 team.

“We’re looking to make up for that tournament,” Zufelt said. “Our team is pretty special. 1 through 9 in the lineup we can hit, take it out, bunt and we have some speed. I think we’re going to be pretty tough to beat at state I think.”

Lake City was runner-up in 2017 and finished tied for fifth in 2018.

“We haven’t earned that respect the last couple of years,” Lenz said. “Hopefully the weather holds a little bit and we can battle through a tournament.”

Coeur d’Alene: Once a regular at state — and many times, a regular in the state championship game — the Vikings are back at state for the first time since 2016, ending a lengthy (for that program, anyway) drought of two seasons.

Following the resignation of longtime coach Larry Bieber after the 2015 season, the Vikings are on their third head coach since.

“For my first year, we’re excited to be there,” said Coeur d’Alene coach Bobbi Darretta, who pitched Lake City to the 2001 state title. “And I think we’re ready to show that Coeur d’Alene is coming again.”

Coeur d’Alene (11-8) is scheduled to open state vs. Highland (22-4-1) of Pocatello today at 9 a.m. at Post Falls High.

The Vikings are led by their two seniors, pitcher Natalie Sell and third baseman Hallie Kane, as well as junior shortstop Maddie Fernimen and junior catcher Hailey Lyons. Three freshmen are in the lineup, including second baseman Skylar Burke, who normally plays shortstop.

Darretta is pleasantly surprised with what she calls her “no-fly zone” outfield of freshman Madie Cleave in left, freshman Alexis Blankenship in center and sophomore Bekah West in right. All are converted infielders — Cleave from second base, Blankenship from shortstop and West from first base.

And junior Mary Comack had never played first base before, until moving from catcher this season.

“My younger girls are playing positions they never played before,” Darretta said. “My outfielders have been phenomenal; they’ve stepped up.”

NOTES: Eagle and Mountain View of Meridian tied for the 5A Southern Idaho Conference title this season. Eagle lost to Rocky Mountain of Meridian in the semifinals before rebounding to earn the district’s third berth to state. Mountain View beat Rocky 14-12 for the district title. ... Eagle was runner-up to Boise at state last year, ending the Mustangs’ run of three straight state titles. Mountain View was third at state last year, Rocky fourth ... Eagle has won eight state titles all told, six of those over Coeur d’Alene, which has won five state titles. Lake City has three state titles (2001, ’11 and ’13) ... Boise did not qualify for state this year. ... Mountain View ace Oakleigh Kearby is the boyfriend of Mavericks pitcher Riley Harrison, who took a line drive to the side of his head during last week’s District 3 baseball championship game. Harrison, who suffered a fractured temporal bone, bleeding on his brain and a concussion, was released from the hospital earlier this week.

4A

Lakeland: Once they got in some time on the dirt — and realized they were at their best with a senior at pitcher and catcher — the Hawks took off.

Lakeland (10-15), back at state for the first time since 2015, opens vs. Pocatello (16-10-1) today at 11 a.m. at Ramsey Park.

Lakeland dropped their first nine games — including five straight on a trip to the Boise area over spring break. One of those teams they lost to is in the state tourney field, and the Hawks could face Idaho Falls (22-4) in the second round.

“We went down really, really rusty, because we hadn’t been on dirt,” 15th-year Lakeland coach Colleen Bevacqua said of the Hawks’ trip to the Boise area in late March.

Bevacqua threw some younger pitchers early in the season, seeing how that would work with seniors Taylor Woolley and Mia O’Hara in the outfield. But eventually she moved Woolley back to pitcher and O’Hara, who was having knee problems early in the season, back to catcher.

Lakeland won 10 of its last 16 games heading into state.

“I was trying to throw some of my other pitchers,” Bevacqua said, “but the girls just really respond with Taylor on the mound. And Mia behind the plate is huge.”

Also, Woolley has nine homers, which ties the school record.

Lakeland seems to have plenty of offense, led by Woolley, sophomore Allison Russum, junior Erika Gallus, senior Destry Brack, freshman Harlee See and senior Alaina Pruitt.

“And I can even bring girls off the bench, and they can make something happen,” Bevacqua said.

NOTES: Middleton is the three-time defending state champion. The Vikings defeated Ridgevue of Nampa for last year’s title. Vallivue was third, Idaho Falls fourth. All but Vallivue is back in this year’s field.