Post Falls baseball surges past Coeur d’Alene, returns to state tournament

Post Falls baseball rewrote its postseason path with a sweep of top-seeded Coeur d’Alene, sending the Trojans back to the 6A state tournament for the first time since 2018 and flipping the local baseball balance in Kootenai County.

The Trojans had already beaten Lake City to reach the best-of-3 district title series, then handled Coeur d’Alene to lock up a regional berth. For a program that had spent years chasing the standard set by Coeur d’Alene and Lake City, the run marked a clear step forward rather than a one-game surprise.

That turnaround carried real weight because Post Falls opened the season 2-8, dropping eight of its first 10 games while rain, snow and spring interruptions kept the team off the field for nearly a month, including spring break. Since April 9, the Trojans won 10 straight when a suspended game against Coeur d’Alene, halted April 7 because of darkness, was discounted from the record.

Coach Kurt Reese said the roster had nine seniors, and that senior group helped steady a team that found its footing as the weather improved and the schedule tightened. Gavin Wienker entered the regional series 4-1 with 32 innings pitched, while Michael O’Connor was 3-1 over 26.2 innings. At the plate, Ayden Carrasco hit .357 and Ben Carrasco was batting .353, giving Post Falls enough balance to pressure opponents beyond the mound.

The Trojans entered the regional series as the No. 10 seed at 12-9 and were set to host No. 7 Ridgevue at 11 a.m. Friday at Post Falls High School. The winner was slated to meet No. 2 Mountain View of Meridian at 2 p.m. for a berth in the championship round. Coeur d’Alene, seeded No. 11, took a separate path and opened against Rocky Mountain of Meridian at Eagle High School. The four regional winners advance to championship weekend May 14-16 at Memorial Stadium in the Boise-Garden City area.

Post Falls had reached state only once since 2006, when the Trojans finished third in 2018, making this push especially meaningful for a school that had not spent much time in Idaho’s baseball spotlight. The regional run did not end the way Post Falls wanted, though. In follow-up action, Mountain View eliminated the Trojans, and Reese said Post Falls “just didn’t play like they normally have been playing,” even as the team battled before the game got away late.