North Bend enters the Class 4A baseball playoffs with the top ranking in the coaches poll and a 20-game winning streak.

A big reason for that is a starting pitching trio that has put up amazingly good numbers this season.

Bryce Weidman and Kale Forrester, North Bend’s top two pitchers, have combined for a 17-2 record and 187 strikeouts this season. Bruce Ohlrich, the team’s No. 3 starter, is 3-0.

North Bend coach Brad Horning has enjoyed the luxury of the standout pitching staff.

“It adds a lot of confidence to your club when you’ve got guys who are going to go out there and force guys to swing the bat,” Horning said. “Defensively, I’m not afraid to have guys hit the ball, because we have guys who will make plays.”

It helps when the pitchers aren’t likely to give up many runs.

The only blemishes on North Bend’s record are a pair of one-run losses early in the season — to Marshfield and Newport.

The team is believed to be the first in school history to go unbeaten in league play.

The starters were especially impressive against their Far West League foes.

Weidman pitched a total of 53.6 innings against league foes, striking out 96 batters, while allowing 12 walks and 28 hits. He gave up just five earned runs, four coming in his final outing against Siuslaw.

Forrester, meanwhile, struck out 49 batters in 29.3 innings, allowed just six earned runs and gave up just one extra base hit.

In addition to their effectiveness in allowing few runs, the pitchers also have a tendency to throw deep into ballgames.

“It’s nice to know that you’re going to get strikes and your pitching is going to be intact for long portions of the ballgame,” Horning said. “And they all want to go deep into games.”

Ethan Ottemiller, North Bend’s veteran catcher, has had the best view of the pitchers this season. He said they all stand out.

“(Bryce and Kale) both have the stuff needed to be effective,” Ottemiller said. “They both have ridiculous off-speed pitches.

“I love (catching them). They both listen. They both understand what needs to be done. It’s rare when they make a mistake.”

The Bulldogs entered the season knowing Weidman and Forrester would be their top aces. Ohlrich has been a pleasant surprise after learning the ropes at the junior varsity level in past years.

“For a kid who wasn’t supposed to pitch, he’s done pretty well,” Forrester said.

Ohlrich said he’s learned a lot from watching the other two pitchers work.

The top goals, he said, are “throw consistent, throw away from guys and make them reach for it.”

Ohlrich has tried to follow the patterns of the other two.

“They put the ball in play for groundouts and pop-ups,” he said. “We don’t give up base hits a lot.”

Horning said Ottemiller has done a great job at catcher, where he has the responsibility for calling all the pitches — on some other teams, coaches fill that role.

“Ethan has handled these guys well,” Horning said. “The pitchers are comfortable with him, and it allows me to look at other things (going on in the game).”

Ohlrich has been the spot starter for the second game of doubleheaders and generally been available whenever needed. He knows he might not spend any time on the mound during the playoffs, and he’s fine with that.

“Bryce and Kale can get the job done,” he said. “I’m satisfied staying at third.”

Ohlrich has been part of a mostly new varsity infield that has done extremely well for North Bend.

Dalton Iveans, the first baseman when Weidman pitches, and Jarred Lincoln, the regular second baseman, have come up this year to join veteran shortstop Andrew Slack.

“If it’s a ground ball, I have every confidence that it’s going to be fielded,” said Forrester. “Jarred and Bruce are doing absolutely amazing. They’ve never played on a varsity team.”

“Ohlrich, Iveans and Lincoln are doing very well,” Horning said, adding that reserves Mike Montalbano, Sean Jany and Josh Hampton also have served important roles. Montalbano has frequently been used as a pinch runner and has proven effective at the plate. Jany is a standout in the outfield. Hampton has hit three home runs.

The offense has been another boon for the Bulldogs, who suddenly have a knack for hitting the long ball.

Ottemiller and Skyler Walton both have six home runs this season, while Hampton has three, Weidman and Forrester two each and Iveans and Ohlrich one.

North Bend also has proven effective at producing runs in other ways, but with the team’s pitching, the team doesn’t always need big production.

“Even if we don’t have a huge game offensively, we can score four or five runs and we’ll be fine,” said Forrester.

That’s because of the guys working the mound.

“That’s the No. 1 key in winning — pitching,” Ohlrich said.

Playoff time

North Bend has kept a level head going into the playoffs, despite the team’s lofty ranking.

“We’re the No. 1 team in the state, but none of us have the mind set now when we’re No. 1, we can relax,” Ottemiller said. “We push each other to keep getting better.”

Still, the team has gained confidence both from nearly beating eventual state champion La Grande during last year’s playoffs and then almost upsetting Sisters in the state football playoffs last fall.

“We know what a No. 1 looks like having played the state champion last year,” Horning said.

Tuesday’s game against Henley will start at 4:30 p.m. Admission, set by the Oregon School Activities Association, is $6 for adults and $4 for students. Henley beat Tillamook 1-0 in a first-round game on Friday.

“Playing a playoff game at home is special,” Horning said. “You get a chance for you community to come out and support the kids.”

And when Clyde Allen Field is full, like last week when more than 250 watched all or part of a doubleheader with Siuslaw, that adds to the moment.

“It’s pretty charged,” Horning said. “It’s a pretty alive place.”