Naches Valley's Tom Wilcox throws to first after forcing out Granger's Mychal Lopez earlier this month.   ANDY SAWYER/Yakima Herald-Republic file

Consider, for example, that while his Naches Valley Rangers have qualified for their third consecutive Class 1A state final four, the coach's request for this team differs not one iota from what he asked of the 2007 or 2008 squads.

"We just keep stressing to the kids," Walker said, "to play to the best of their ability. And we tell them that if that happens, then good things will happen for us."

It can't get much better for the Rangers, and especially their five seniors, to have been one of four 1A teams playing on the final weekend of the season for three straight years.

NV, 22-2-1 and top-ranked with a 13-game winning streak, will next oppose sixth-ranked Chimacum (17-4) at 1 p.m. Friday in Yakima County Stadium.

Fourth-ranked Kalama (24-2) and second-ranked Cashmere (18-2) will meet in the other semifinal at 10 a.m.

Friday's winners play at 4 p.m. Saturday for the state championship.

The Rangers have recent history with both Chimacum and Kalama.

In 2007 NV was one out away from a state title when the Cowboys rallied for a 4-2 victory, and last year left-hander Nick LaRoy no-hit the Rangers in a 1-0 Chinooks win. The Rangers finished fourth.

But of course this is a different season and a different Naches Valley team, with seniors Thomas Wilcox, Adam Ranger, Joe Mills, Brandon Gillespie and Ethan Flory providing a solid foundation.

Wilcox and Ranger have not only been a reliable one-two pitching punch, combining for a 19-1 record, they've also been among the team's best hitters at .570 and .500, respectively, in team statistics compiled prior to last
weekend.

Flory was at .570 with a team-high eight homers and Gillespie had a .410 average with a lineup-leading 20 runs batted in.

"Our defense might be a little better this year than the last two years," said Walker, who's in is 13th year at NV, "and hitting-wise we're pretty solid.

"Our top five are seniors, then we've got J.R. Weigel hitting sixth. Seven through nine are new kids."

Speaking of new kids, the Rangers' return to the semis is even more impressive considering that Wilcox and Ranger are in their first season as mound aces. Lucas Forgey and Jake Stiles were prominent among the pitchers last year, but Stiles graduated and Forgey, a junior, didn't return to NV.

As with Naches Valley's seniors, Chimacum also has some familiar names on its roster including Chance Eldridge -- one of three Eldridges on this year's squad. Chance Eldridge's triple drove in the Cowboys' final two runs two years ago.

Also, it should be noted, LaRoy is back. And though he's only a junior, his exploits were recently chronicled in the Faces in the Crowd segment of Sports Illustrated.

LaRoy has thrown three no-hitters this spring, including one against Stevenson in which he recorded all 21 outs by strikeout. He also had a 19-strikeout win against Rochester in district tournament play and, on the season, has fanned an astonishing 114 in 46 innings.

Whether LaRoy pitches today or Saturday remains anyone's guess. As for Naches Valley, the starters are no secret.

"We're not going to try to trick anybody," Walker said, "We'll go with Adam in Game 1 and Tommy in Game 2 -- just like we have all season."