Colts calmer on return trip to state title game.

Byline: Andrew Greif For The Register-Guard

It's June, which means Thurston is still playing baseball.

The top-ranked Colts will play in Saturday's Class 5A final for the second year in a row on Saturday in Keizer. They will face Corvallis is a return trip that is the culmination of the Colts' seemingly seamless transition from upstart Midwestern League champion in 2008 to the league's most targeted team this season.

Another deep playoff run has the Colts feeling, well, comfortable.

"I feel like there's less pressure this year, actually because we've been there before," Midwestern League player of the year Skip Spencer said before Tuesday's 13-2 semifinal victory over The Dalles/Wahtonka.

The same can be said for senior pitcher Chris Reed, whose move back into the Phil Dube's starting pitching rotation from the closer role last year has put him back in his comfort zone - and in the process kept the Colts in the hunt for their first state title.

Reed says he worked harder than ever this year to get back into the regular rotation through fall and winter workouts to get back the stamina to throw seven innings rather than just the one he had become used to.

But his own transition to becoming Thurston's ace took more than just physical conditioning - he had to learn to relax on the mound again.

"When he came in to close, he would be really excited and the heart rate would be going once he got out there," Spencer said.

Early in the season, Spencer used to try to help Reed.

"Sometimes when I'm at home plate, I'll put my hands up to my chest and back down just so he knows to breathe," Spencer said.

Whatever method he and his teammates used, it has undoubtedly worked. Reed was named an all-league pitcher and second-team all state with his 5-1 record, allowing nine total runs in 29 innings pitched, with 29 strikeouts. He, Spencer and Brooks Chapman have combined for one loss and 19 runs in 80 innings, and have more than capably filled the hole left by departed Class 5A player of the year Darrell Hunter.

"We came in prepared better than last year and worked really hard to get to that No. 1 spot in the pitching rotation," Reed said. "It's been a lot easier, because the defense has been helping me out and putting me in a better situation to win."

And when the defense has made one of its few mistakes in the field behind Reed, he's been able to block out the mistakes.

"It wasn't that hard to come back and be a starter," Reed said. "I've been doing it my whole life."

One of the biggest signs of confidence Dube could give his senior was the starting call in the team's playoff games against Pendleton and West Albany, four days apart.

"There was an adjustment going from closer to starter, and he's had some bumps in the way," Dube said. "Without a doubt, he's turned into one of the top pitchers in the state, and it's been a growing process for him this year, where he got first-team all-league this year and second-team all-state.

"But I guess in some ways, he looks to prove himself as better than second-team all state."

And in many ways, the second year under Dube and his staff is the best chance the team has had to prove it is the best club in the state.

Dube calls the team's experience one of its best attributes as it tries top last year's record-breaking season.

"We probably are a more confident team this year than last year just because of that experience," Dube said.

It's not just possibly the team's best chance, it is the only chance for 12 seniors, the majority of whom have played together since middle school. It's the last chance to "leave a legacy," Dube said.

"I try to soak it up a little bit more," outfielder Danny Urness said. "I kind of look at it as it's not going to be here forever, and I need to take this time to actually have fun out here."

To do that, the Colts will face the Spartans, who have been a fixture in the state top 10 all season. Corvallis beat defending state champion Ashland 9-2 in the other semifinal, and like the Colts, the Spartans are a high-scoring team, averaging more than 12 runs per game.

It's a tough matchup, but the kind Thurston has thrived on the past two years while becoming a staple of the playoffs.

"I tell the guys that, you know, proving people wrong is kind of a fun thing to do," Dube said.