High school baseball: In 1A baseball, it's still 'Wayne's World'

When it comes to 1A high school baseball in the state of Utah, it seems like it just continues to be "Wayne's World" and everybody else is simply living in it.

With last year's 1A MVP, senior right-hander Randy Ellett, back on the mound throwing and going strong again, the defending state champion Wayne High Badgers again look like the team to beat for the title this year.

But there are at least three teams — Panguitch, Tabiona and West Ridge Academy — who have definitely set themselves apart from the rest of the pack a month into the 2011 season.

The Region 20 twosome of Wayne and Panguitch are accustomed to plenty of success on the diamond, and both teams are rolling along again thus far this year.

Wayne, which won last year's 1A state title, is currently 5-0 in league play and 11-4 overall, while Panguitch, which won the state championship in 2009, is 4-1 in Region 20 and 10-3 on the season.

Tabiona has risen to the top of the Region 18 race with a 6-0 league mark and a 9-1 season slate, with Tintic next in line at 4-0 and 6-3 entering a key league doubleheader between the two teams on Friday.

And West Ridge Academy certainly looks like the top team in Region 17, boasting a 3-0 region record to go along with a 7-3 overall mark — the only team in the league with a winning overall record at this juncture. What's more, two of West Ridge's preseason victories came at the expense of Panguitch — which has lost only three times all season long.

WAYNE BADGERS: "I think we're one of the top four teams," said Wayne coach Scott Ellett, whose program has taken home five state titles since 2002, including three straight from 2006-08. "I like our chances and I feel good about the way our players have progressed. We're a much better ballclub now than they were first week of August. Our defense has improved a lot, we have more depth with our hitters and we've got some young hitters that are starting to improve.

"Our region is tough, and there's going to be two really good teams from our region that don't go to state."

Randy Ellett, the coach's son, was struggling with a stiff shoulder early in the season, but he threw 112 pitches and allowed just two hits in a 2-1 victory over Panguitch last Wednesday, then followed that up with a five-inning no-hitter against Piute two days later, throwing 45 of 56 pitches for strikes.