Playoff pitchers to watch across South Sound

Published 5:30 am Sunday, May 10, 2026

With the 2026 high school baseball regular season coming to a close, here are five pitchers to watch in the postseason in South King County as the hunt for state tournament berths begins. In no particular order:

1. Tyler Buol, Decatur (junior)

He led his team with 35.1 innings on the mound this year in nine starts and seven total appearances. He has a sub one ERA at 0.79 this season and is holding an undefeated record at 4-0 so far this year.

Buol, unlike most of the guys on this list, won’t blow hitters away with a high 80s fastball, but he will pick hitters apart with his deceptive pitch mix. A two seamer that runs into a right handed hitter, paired with an offspeed pitch he can locate, is a toxic mix for many hitters. His strikeout to walk ratio is 47-10 with hitters batting a meager .185 this season.

2. Christopher Moore, Kentlake (senior)

Christopher Moore is a bit like LeBron James — bear with me. Since his freshman year, he has had Division I potential, and the hype has always been there. But he has always delivered, his hitting aside, where this season he hit over .600 — and he has continued to be one of the best arms in the state.

Sitting in the upper 80s, Moore has delivered and somehow improved on his star power. The mild mannered Moore has dominated in the NPSL, but has won just one state tournament in his career as a Falcon. Teamed up with his brother Lincoln, the Falcons might have the right combination this season.

3. Neal Burtis, Tahoma (senior)

Burtis is one of a couple Tahoma arms that have lit up radar guns and stat books all season long. He has given up just 20 hits across 35.1 innings this season and just two earned runs. Burtis’ ERA this season is an eye popping 0.40, which if it stands would set a new record for Tahoma.

Burtis has been so good, the only earned runs he gave up came against Kentridge back on April 21, but those runs were scored via walk and fielder’s choice. In total, he has surrendered four total runs this season, and on offense he has been just as dominant, batting .397 this season.

4. Talon Coker, Tahoma (junior)

If it weren’t for Neal Burtis, Talon Coker would be the best pitcher in the NPSL. Coker’s stats are insane. In two fewer innings, Coker has also only given up two earned runs and surrendered just 14 hits against 122 batters faced. His ERA is 0.42 across 14 starts this season and he has a WHIP of .758.

Coker’s batting average against is .127, the lowest on this list. The UW commit alongside Burtis is going to be a problem for any offense that Tahoma runs into come playoff time. As a junior this year, who knows what Coker will get up to next season as he is already one of the best arms in the state.

5. Tate Tuininga, Liberty (sophomore)

While he hasn’t pitched as much down the stretch as these other arms, Tuininga has the potential to be one of the best pitchers in the state the next two seasons. In his last three outings, he has thrown just nine innings, but has given up just three hits in those nine innings. Tuininga has excellent stuff in terms of his pitch arsenal. His fastball will touch 90 mph and he pairs that with a devastating slider, and will even mix in a change-up to left handers. Despite only tossing nine innings, Tuininga has racked up the strikeouts with 16 in three games.