Head coach Dylan McLauchlin now has two state championships to his name, experience that showed up in a big way during Sumner's 4A state championship run.

The Spartans relied on their talent that had been successful all season, staying steady-minded ahead of their matchup against Gonzaga Prep in the title game.

“It just felt like a regular baseball game, like a summer ball/regular season game of, ‘Hey, let's go do our thing'. I think the guys played so free and nobody felt nervous whatsoever, I think that helped everybody else thinking of like, ‘Hey, this is just another game that's just in front of us and let's just take care of it’ and we weren't tense, we weren't pressed, it was just a very relaxed group and they had high expectation of just taking care of business,” McLauchlin said.

The Sumner group was very strong this season, consisting of four current D1 commits and several other college commits, balanced with talented young players as well. When it came to constructing the lineup, McLauchlin noted the intricacies of managing such a talented roster.

“You know the pitching was going to always keep us in games. Offensively, it was just gonna be like one through nine, who are the best bats right now? Who's kind of got the hot stick? And go with that,” McLauchlin said. “At the end of the day, I don't care if you're a D1 kid, a JUCO kid, uncommitted kid. I'm just putting the best nine out there.”

Headlining Sumner's talent on both sides of the baseball was '27 OF/RHP Wyatt Plyler, a Wake Forest commit. Plyler was great all season long, earning 4A SPSL Player of the Year.

“He's one of our best bats and he's one of our best arms, he's usually the fastest kid on the field, he usually is the best hitter on the field, he's usually the best arm on the field, he's usually one of the best defensive kids on the field, and he's one of the most competitive kids I've coached,” McLauchlin said.  

Plyler's dominance was a huge key to the Sumner state title game. Plyler delivered a great pitching performance in the state semifinals against Kamiakin, throwing 6 innings while allowing just 1 hit and striking out 10 hitters.

Hot start for ‘27 RHP Wyatt Plyler (@SumnerBaseball/@WakeBaseball)

FB 89-92 T93
CB 72-74
SL 78

The new no. 1 ranked prospect in Washington’s junior class is looking the part early, pounding the zone. Struck out all 3 batters faced in the first

Game tied 0-0 T2@wyatt_plyler… pic.twitter.com/uzo83ss8mP

— Prep Baseball Washington (@PrepBaseballWA) May 29, 2026

Aside from Plyler at the top, few players were as critical to Sumner's success as sophomore Brody Santman. Santman held the leadoff spot offensively, reaching base in over half of his at-bats, and led the team in innings on the mound with just a 1.23 ERA.

‘28 LHP/OF Brody Santman (@SumnerBaseball) gets the ball in the title game for the Spartans

FB 83-86 T88
CB 68-71
SL 77-79

Sophomore having a breakout spring, earning First Team SPSL honors. Faces the minimum in the first, we go B1 scoreless@brodysantman3 pic.twitter.com/BnzGgHTKgF

— Prep Baseball Washington (@PrepBaseballWA) May 30, 2026

“He does a lot of his stuff on his own. He'll steal on his own, he'll bunt on his own. He just knows the game really well inside and out,” McLauchlin said.  

Santman earned the start on the bump for the championship game, where he threw 6 innings without allowing a run. With the game well in hand by that point, RHP Xander Cypher then closed out the game for the Spartans.  

Winning a state championship was emotional for all the players, but for Cypher, the moment was especially meaningful. Cypher’s mother passed away when he was seven years old and her birthday was the same day as the state championship. In a matter of chance, when he recorded the final out, it all became bigger than the game.  

FINAL: Sumner 7, Gonzaga Prep 0

The Sumner Spartans are the 2026 WIAA 4A state champions 🏆🏆🏆

‘26 RHP Xander Cypher (@SumnerBaseball/Hawaii Pacific) records the final K to end it@xander_cypher | @prepbaseball pic.twitter.com/JtiyzPqos3

— Prep Baseball Washington (@PrepBaseballWA) May 31, 2026

“There was a lot of emotions there and you can see all the guys hugging him and loving on him,” Mclauchlin said.

The 4A championship capped off a remarkable season for Sumner, who finished 23-4 overall. Though they will graduate some key players from the title winning team, they'll return a ton of pieces as well. Aside from Plyler and Santman, Sumner will also bring back key bats including Jake Miller, Bryce Carl, and Liam Ferguson.

McLauchlin now looks to next season with his philosophy of pushing the pace with another standout roster, looking for his third state championship as a coach in recent years.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Spokane Summer ID	WA	06/24	Gonzaga University - Spokane, WA
Seattle Summer ID	WA	06/30	Island Crest Park - Mercer Island, WA
Seattle Summer ID - Session II	WA	07/07	Bannerwood Park - Bellevue, WA
Seattle Rising Stars ID (Class of 2030-2031)	WA	07/07	Bannerwood Park - Bellevue, WA
Tacoma Summer ID	WA	07/14	University of Puget Sound - Tacoma, WA
2026 Pacific Northwest State Games (Invite-Only)	WA	07/28	Ridgefield Recreation Complex - Ridgefield, WA

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