It was a great week to be a high school baseball fan in Oregon. Let me tell you why…
Comets turn Fresno into Crater haters
Last week, we shared that Crater had reached the championship game of the 36-team Fresno Easter Classic. Today, we bring news of the Comets’ 3-2 win over Bullard of Fresno (10-5), making Jay Campbell’s team champions of the tournament for the first time in 12 appearances dating back to 2007.
The Bullard win and one over North Eugene yesterday ran Crater’s record to 8-1 on the year. The only blemish to a strong start to 2026 was a one-run loss to South Medford the last week in March.
Crater’s title run was notable because Oregon teams generally do not fare well against top California nines. And Bullard is that. The Knights have won 20 or more games every year since play resumed post-Covid and have been a perennial top-four seed in the CIF-Central Section Division I playoffs. Moreover, Bullard entered the championship game on a seven-game winning streak.
Crater was able to overcome all of that, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to the Knights in the fourth on a two-run double from sophomore Michael Villareal, the 9-hole hitter. The Comets went ahead for good in the bottom of the sixth when Caleb Cornett’s heady baserunning, aided by shoddy Bullard defense, cashed in the go-ahead run.
Villareal took the mound in the seventh in relief of freshman Carson Noce and earned the save, overcoming a walk and hit batsman thanks to two grounders and a pop out.
Noce not only earned the win with what Campbell told the Rogue Valley Times was a “gutsy pitching performance,” he also was named tournament MVP. Noce scattered five hits over six innings in the final, won another game on the mound and went 6-for-10 with six runs and five RBIs at the plate.
“It’s just a different level down here, and for our kids to come down and just stay together and have each other’s backs and compete is what really pushed us over the edge,” Campbell told the hometown paper.
Undefeated
Our eight undefeated teams at this time last week have been sliced by two, to six.
Hidden Valley, which was 5-0 a week ago, has since lost twice, to South Umpqua / Days Creek and yesterday to 3A No. 1 Cascade Christian.
Douglas’ first defeat of the season came last Friday to Rogue River. The Trojans had dominated Rogue, 17-7, in Game 1 of a Friday double dip only to lose the ensuing game, 7-2.
So now we have only six. Three of the unblemished, Junction City, Taft and Kennedy, all 9-0, are unsurprising. They are all ranked first or second in their respective classifications and favorites to win state titles.
Lowell (9-0), Crosshill Christian (7-0), and Newberg (8-0) are exceeding expectations.
Lowell made the playoffs last year but has a young team with just two seniors. The Red Devils are getting it done behind junior Adam Davis on the mound and sophomores Ben Thurman and Wyatt Johnson at the plate.
Crosshill Christian won 17 games last season but did not qualify for the state playoffs. The Eagles, like Lowell, are a young team led by Miles Lute, one of only three seniors; sophomore Carter Hinderks and freshman Gavin Chin.
“We are not super surprised, as we returned every player from last season's squad and we were very young last year,” said coach Benjamin Northrop.
“I would attribute the hot start to a very deep pitching staff. I believe we have one of the deepest pitching staffs in our league if not the state. We may face teams with a better number 1 guy, but through a seven-inning game or a three-game series we have seven quality pitchers who will all fill up the zone and have secondary pitches to keep hitters off balance. Our lineup is deeper as well, bolstered through guys improving year to year and a couple of freshmen bolstering the bottom of the order.”
Newberg is senior-led and experienced, but finished a tick under .500 a year ago. Paced by catcher Carter Hawes and pitcher Parker Sellner, to be undefeated almost one-third of the way in is eyebrow-raising, but a big win over TRL power Lakeridge on Thursday has legitimized their unbeaten start.
“One of our core values as a program has been ‘Attack Adversity,’ and our guys have really owned that and played hard with and for each other,” said head coach Andrew Reichenbach. “This year does feel different with a lot of experience with our seniors having played in the program for four years and a good group of younger players that plug in well. This is something that we have been working on since the seniors were in 7th grade, trying to build a solid foundation for them, working to make it easy for whoever plugs in the next year to hit the ground running.”
“We strive to play our game, no matter the opponent, so we are just trying to win every day, every inning, and every pitch,” Reichenbach added. “The biggest part this year is that we are deeper than we have been before, with a lot of guys that can help us win in different ways. Each guy has a role every game and they have owned that role, contributing to our success, even if they don't get on the field. We have had some selfless baseball, focusing on team contributions like Quality at Bats and how they can best help the team offensively, defensively, and on the mound. Our pitching staff has done a great job challenging opposing hitters, attacking them to feed and trust our defense. We have some veteran arms that have been key contributors since their sophomore years, while also incorporating some young arms in key situations. I have a phenomenal group of assistant coaches that do a great job preparing our players to play to their full potential.”
Tuesday in the Association
A tree fell in Oregon yesterday and it made a REALLY big sound.
I had to look at the score a few times to believe my eyes.
Churchill 6, Thurston 4.
Churchill handed Thurston, the 2023 and 2024 5A state champions, its first Midwestern League loss in more than four years, snapping the Colts' 69-game league winning streak!
The Lancers touched Thurston ace Grady Saunders for six runs on 10 hits. Jace Litten, Chase Hartley, Parker Emmons and Blake Mikel combined for nine hits and four RBIs. Lucas Gansen drove in two.
On the mound, Mikel went 5.2 innings, allowing six hits; while Hartley came on for the five-out save.
Churchill is now 4-4 on the year. Thurston fell to 5-4 while suffering its first in-state defeat of the year.
Elsewhere, West Linn edged South Salem in extras, Barlow continued to impress by taking down Grant, Tigard surprised Central Catholic, Clackamas snuck by Tualatin, Lake Oswego did likewise to Wilsonville and Willamette continued to play giant killer, beating Jesuit, 12-7. Hood River Valley edged Corvallis, 3-2, in 5A action, Henley and Pendleton / Nixyaawii notched impressive shutouts, over South Umpqua / Days Creek and The Dalles / Dufur, respectively; and Stayton snuck by 4A power Scappoose, 4-3.
The Eagles, who were 11-14 a year ago, improved to 8-1 under first-year head coach Kyle Baker. Stayton, which was knocked out of the 4A playoffs last year by Scappoose, the 2023 and 2024 state champions; turned the tables by turning two – three times! The Eagles did not allow an extra base hit! Colton Connally went 5.2 innings for the win while Liam Brown picked up the four-out save.
Running the combine
Many small schools, especially in rural areas, struggle to field baseball teams on their own and look to another school to form a co-op to get their players on the field. By my count, there are 20 such baseball co-ops in the OSAA this season.
Two are particularly unique. Joseph / Enterprise / Wallowa combines three schools – one 2A and the others 1A --- to form a 3A team. Grant Union is in a co-op with THREE other schools, Prairie City, Dayville and Monument.
Joseph / Enterprise / Wallowa refers to itself collectively as “Wallowa Valley.” The Eagles, under coach Zack Grover, are 7-1 on the year and a top 10 3A team.
The decision to dub itself Wallowa Valley was intentional, Grover said.
“I would say one of the toughest things about a co-op is exactly that: trying to blend all three schools into one competitive team,” Grover explained. “We are close together travel wise, so typically play each other in the other sports (basketball, football). Going from competing against each other to competing for each other can sometimes be a tough switch to flip. Me and my staff make it very clear from Day 1 that it is no longer Joseph vs Enterprise, Wallowa vs Joseph, etc… We are one team with one combined goal. That is also why our team goes by and competes as Wallowa Valley.”
The team practices in a central location in Enterprise, but the Wallowa kids still have an 18-mile commute to the field.
Grover has 13 players from the three schools out for baseball. That’s every boy who wants to play.
“We are a ‘no excuses’ program that takes the kids that want to play baseball and helps give them the tools to get better both on the field and in life as well,” Grover said. “We love to watch the players grow and mature both on the field and off.”
Grant Union / Prairie City / Dayville / Monument, under the tutelage of Trey Thompson, also is off to a strong start. The Prospectors sit 6-3 after yesterday’s 1-0 victory over Baker / Powder Valley.
Thompson said that a co-op of four schools presents interesting coordination challenges and, logistically, it requires Monument kids to travel an hour and Prairie City kids to travel 15 minutes to GU’s Malone Field in John Day.
Thompson mentioned both benefits and challenges to blending kids from four schools into one program.
“The fresh faces as teammates can be a positive switch up but sometimes there can be interesting team dynamics-these schools are super competitive with each other, and I wonder sometimes if grudges or perceptions of schools carry into baseball,” Thompson explained.
News and notes…
McMinnville (6-2) sits atop the OSAA’s computerized 6A ranking. The Grizzlies have won three games in a row, including a come-from-behind win over Lakeridge, sparked by Aaron Rolfe’s two-out single in the seventh to tie the game. A subsequent win over Nelson saw Tyler Brummit collect four hits and Agustin Ponce-Lopez add three as well as closing out the 11-7 decision on the mound…
Freshman Hayden Weiss went the distance on Saturday as Taft defeated Brookings-Harbor, 7-1. Later that day, Zack Hankins threw a masterpiece versus Creswell, no-hitting the Bulldogs while fanning 16 in the 1-0 win. Hankins did not give up an earned run during the entire 2025 regular season and has an E.R.A. of 0.00 through 18 innings in 2026…
Umatilla had a 3-1 week, including a doubleheader sweep of Ontario on Saturday during which the Vikings stole 18 bases! Senior Carter Griggs pitched seven innings over the two games, striking out 16. Freshman RJ Nunez went 4-for-6 and added length to the lineup…
Heppner / Ione won two games in convincing fashion on Friday over Weston-McEwen, 21-0 and 11-1. Caleb George was the catalyst. The senior catcher went 7-for-8 with three singles, three doubles and a leadoff home run on the first pitch of the second game. George finished his day with six runs scored and eight RBIs…
Senior Bodie Stuben delivered a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the fifth and pitched the final three innings, with six strikeouts, to help Hood River Valley hold off Lincoln, 4-3, last Friday in the home opener for the Eagles…
Grant has started the year 6-5 against a brutal schedule. One of the wins came March 31 over West Linn, the 2022-2024 6A state champions. Jinki Tomita threw a complete-game six-hitter for the Generals and got strong defense behind him and an Elliott Raiton homer. Grant played in the 6A championship game a year ago…
North Eugene won an 18-14 slugfest over Crescent Valley / Kings Valley Christian on March 31. A five-run rally in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by Mason Baer’s three-run single; helped the Highlanders seize control. Baer also was the winning pitcher. Duncan Roudabusch had four of the team’s 16 hits…
Toledo is off to a strong 8-3 start to the season. Braden Marthaller has been impressive in all phases for the Boomers. Last week, he tossed a complete-game no-no with 17 strike outs and drove home 10 over three games while batting .800. Connor Mason also had a big week, winning on the mound versus Waldport while hitting a homer and driving in 10 during a 3-0 stretch…
Stats Categories
This is our first week of baseball stats categories.
Baseball coaches exclusively contributed to the population of these categories.
Baseball coaches who did not contribute, but wish to, may contact John Tawa at johnt@osaa.org to learn how to get their players on these lists.
Note that we have individually emailed every high school varsity head coach at least three times this year beseeching them to join our bulk email list, where they can get voting links for coaches polls, stats requests and thresholds and emails seeking updates about their teams. To date, approximately 60 programs have yet to do so.
Stats are through games played each Saturday.
Going going gone goodbye!
Everyone digs the long ball.
Here, we recognize those Oregonians who have cleared the fences three or more times so far this season.
5 – Teagan Scott, senior C, South Salem
3 – Wyatt Moist, senior 3B, Corbett
3 – Sawyer Nelson, senior SS, South Salem
3 -- Conner Clift, senior 1B, Junction City
It’s a blur
Throwing hard in high school is the easiest way to get outs.
Here, we recognize those Oregon hurlers who have hit 87 mph or higher on the bump.
Note: this list includes underclassmen listed last year until we receive news that would disqualify them from it (injury, transfer out of state, no longer playing baseball, velocity decrease).
Harrison Buckingham, junior RHP, South Salem
Michael Buschelman, senior RHP, North Eugene
Arlo Copony, senior RHP, Cleveland
Jacob Fritz, senior RHP, Crescent Valley / Kings Valley Christian
Andre Guthrie, junior RHP, Summit
Zack Hankins, senior LHP, Taft
Colin Harrington, senior RHP, Pendleton / Nixyaawii
Slade Hudson, senior RHP, Cascade
Cason Jacobs, junior RHP, Crescent Valley / Kings Valley Christian
Cade King, junior RHP, Clackamas
Will Klein, junior RHP, Westview
Malachi O'Brien, senior RHP, Westview
Jayce Phillipe, junior RHP, North Eugene
Grady Saunders, senior RHP, Thurston
Tyson Smith, senior RHP, Country Christian / North Clackamas Christian
Zeke Thomas, sophomore RHP, Willamette
August Ware, senior LHP, Glencoe
Graeme Warner-McGee, senior RHP, Lincoln
Jaxom Wetzler, junior LHP, Clackamas
Jack Wright, senior LHP, Burns / Crane
Speed merchants
In this space, we recognize Oregon baseball players who have stolen 10 or more bases this season.
17 – Jeremiah Izzo, junior UTIL, Illinois Valley
16 – Jonah Jayne, junior C/SS, Union / Cove
14 – Cooper Cemore, junior SS, Riverside (Boardman)
14 – Braden Marthaller, junior OF, Toledo
14 -- Hayden Thompson, senior SS, Bandon
14 – Cole Walters, sophomore SS, Oakridge
13 – Jesse Hernandez, senior INF, Country Christian / North Clackamas Christian
13 – Riley Tyler, junior SS, Toledo
13 – Bryce Morris, junior SS, Umatilla
13 -- Avier Quintero, senior UTIL, Woodburn
12 – Matt Blake, sophomore 3B, Union / Cove
12 – Sawyer Nelson, senior SS, South Salem
11 – Hector Magallanes, junior C, Riverside (Boardman)
11 – Mason Pickett, junior SS, Woodburn
10 – Quentin Jackson, senior SS, Rainier
10 – Connor Miller, junior C, Valley Catholic
10 – Isaac Beachy, senior OF, Joseph / Enterprise / Wallowa
10 – Oliver Hunt, senior INF, Stayton
10 – Colton Connally, senior OF, Stayton
10 – David Garcia, junior CF, Umatilla
10 – Carter Griggs, senior SS, Umatilla
10 – Treyton Powers, junior SS, Grants Pass
Get a whiff of this!
Missing bats is an art.
This list recognizes those pitchers who have fanned 25 or more batters this season.
64 – Tyson Smith, senior RHP, County Christian / North Clackamas Christian
48 – Carter Griggs, senior RHP, Umatilla
45 – Zack Hankins, senior LHP, Taft
38 – Brandon Yee, junior LHP, Valley Catholic
38 – Gunner Bustos, sophomore RHP, The Dalles / Dufur
38 -- Sawyer Miller, senior RHP, Bandon
37 – Braden Marthaller, junior RHP, Toledo
33 – Quentin Jackson, senior RHP, Rainier
33 -- Riley Tyler, junior RHP, Toledo
32 – Jonah Jayne, junior RHP, Union / Cove
32 -- Jacob Fritz, senior RHP, Crescent Valley / Kings Valley Christian
31 – Kooper Grover, sophomore RHP, Joseph / Enterprise / Wallowa
28 – Dylan DeJong, junior RHP, Crosspoint Christian
28 – Mason Richardson, junior RHP, Illinois Valley
27 – Ben Foglio, junior LHP, Clackamas
26 – Landen Pratt, sophomore LHP, Hood River Valley
26 – Gianni Lombardi, senior RHP, Marist Catholic
26 – Slade Hudson, senior RHP, Cascade
26 – Jacob Helms, junior RHP, Central Linn
26 – Kam Kudlac, junior RHP, Bandon
26 -- Baryn Huerta, senior RHP, Grant Union / Prairie City / Monument / Dayville
25 – Blake Patereau, sophomore RHP, Cascade Christian
25 – Colten Northern, senior RHP, Central Linn
Wait! What?
In this space, we recognize hitters who have put up outrageous stat lines in a single game.
Cooper Cemore, junior SS, Riverside (Boardman) – 3-for-3 with a double and grand slam, four runs scored and six RBIs in 18-3 win over Umatilla on March 31
Braden Marthaller, junior OF, Toledo – 4-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, and five RBIs in 13-4 win over Waldport on March 30
Connor Mason, junior SS, Toledo – 4-for-5 with a double, home run and seven RBIs in 10-0 shutout of Eddyville Charter / Siletz Valley on March 31
Bryce Morris, junior SS, Umatilla – 4-for-6 with two doubles and five RBIs in 18-14 extra-inning win over Sherman on March 17
Sawyer Nelson, senior SS, South Salem – 3-for-4 with two HRs and a steal in a 10-0 blanking of Mountain View on April 4
Teagan Scott, senior C, South Salem – two HRs in opening day 20-0 win over Ida B. Wells on March 17
Jace Willett, senior 1B, Century – 3-for-4 with three doubles, three runs scored and four RBIs on March 25 in 12-4 win over Putnam
No-no!
Below, we recognize pitchers who have thrown seven-inning no-hitters this year.
Zack Hankins, senior LHP, Taft – 16Ks in 1-0 win over 3A No. 3 Creswell on April 4
Braden Marthaller, junior RHP, Toledo – 17 Ks in 10-0 shutout of Eddyville Charter / Siletz Valley on March 31
Riley Taylor, junior RHP, Toledo – won 10-0 over Bandon on April 3
.600 or better batting average
Below, we recognize those hitters who, with a minimum of 20 plate appearances, are hitting .600 or better on the season.
.607 – Grady Hazen, junior C, Marist Catholic (28 at bats)
12 or more RBIs
Below we recognize those Oregon hitters with 12 or more runs driven in so far this season.
18 – Braden Marthaller, junior OF, Toledo
17 – Connor Mason, junior SS, Toledo
16 – Braxton Mattinen, junior C, Rainier
15 – Owen Hagerman, senior SS, Tualatin
14 – Bryce Morris, junior SS, Umatilla
14 -- Teagan Scott, senior C, South Salem
13 – Kaden Shafer, senior INF, Junction City
12 – Colt Mann, senior OF, Marist Catholic
12 – Miles Lute, senior SS, Crosshill Christian
12 – Pablo Estrada, sophomore 3B, Umatilla
ERA of zero
Below we recognize pitchers who have yet to allow an earned run over 10 or more innings pitched this season.
0.00 – Zack Hankins, senior LHP, Taft (18 innings pitched)
0.00 – Colton Connally, senior RHP, Stayton (10 innings pitched)
Catcher pick offs
In this space, we list those catchers who have, at least 5 times this year, cut down would-be base stealers at second or third, or back picked a runner at any of the infield bases.
6 – Ryland Thiessen, junior, Stayton
6 – Riley Tyler, junior, Toledo
5 – Johan Phillips, sophomore, Crosshill Christian
Outfield assists
In this space, we list those outfielders who have, at least two times this year, thrown out runners trying to take an extra base.
2 – Isaac Root, sophomore, Crosspoint Christian
College-Bound!
In this space, we list 68 current high school players who have made a commitment to attend a college or university of their choice and play baseball. We were at 83 at the same time last year.
Chase Austin, junior OF, Beaverton – Oregon State University
Pi Barker, senior 3B/OF, Westview – Whitman College
Nathan Bassett, senior C/RHP, Grants Pass – Ohlone College
Cooper Berta, senior OF/RHP, Lakeridge – Linfield University
Kellen Bowman, junior RHP, South Salem – University of Portland
Luke Brady, junior SS, Clackamas – University of Portland
Miles Brown, senior OF, Grant – Lane CC
Harrison Buckingham, junior RHP, South Salem – Oregon State University
Michael Buschelman, senior RHP, North Eugene - Bushnell University
Judah Campos, senior RHP/UTIL, Newberg – Lane CC
Conner Clift, senior 1B/LHP, Junction City – College of the Siskiyous
Arlo Coppony, senior RHP, Cleveland – Lower Columbia CC
Kyler Dickerson, senior LHP, Molalla -- Blue Mountain CC
Ben Foglio, junior LHP, Clackamas – University of Washington
Nolan Foglio, senior C, Clackamas – Lower Columbia CC
Ben Fong, senior LHP, Tualatin – Chemeketa CC
JT Girod, junior INF, Central – University of Oregon
Jauquin Goodlow, senior OF, Grant – Mt. Hood CC
Cal Green, senior SS/RHP, Sandy – Mt. Hood CC
Andrew Ha, senior OF/RHP, Lakeridge – Bushnell University
Zack Hankins, senior LHP, Taft – University of Oregon
Chase Hartley, senior OF, Churchill - Feather River CC
Luke Hatton, senior OF/RHP, Sandy – Mt. Hood CC
Ryan Hemsley, senior SS/RHP, West Linn – University of Portland
Trenton Hertzog, senior C, Tualatin – University of Oregon
Cam Hyder, senior LHP/1B, McMinnville – Lower Columbia CC
Trevor Jacobs, senior INF, Hood River Valley – Oregon Institute of Technology
Brock Johnson, senior SS/RHP, Thurston – Bushnell University
Nate Kagen, senior OF, Grant – Swarthmore College
Blake Kansky, senior RHP, South Salem – College of Marin
Chase Kelly, junior LHP, Jesuit – University of Washington
Jack Kiesel, senior C, Nelson – San Diego Mesa College
Cade King, junior RHP, Clackamas – University of Washington
Caden Klouda, senior RHP/OF, West Linn – Seattle University
Colby Kosderka, senior RHP, Wilsonville – Lewis & Clark College
Ryder Listy, senior C/1B, Jesuit – Feather River CC
Jace Litten, senior INF/RHP, Churchill - Bushnell University
Alexander Lopez, senior LHP, Sherwood – Everett CC
Kallen Mattila, senior RHP, Scappoose – Chemeketa CC
Kingston McAdam, senior C, Hood River Valley - Eastern Oregon University
Joe Mendazona, junior C, Central – Texas Christian University
Rylan Metz, senior OF/RHP, Lakeridge – Linfield University
Blake Mikel, senior 1B/RHP, Churchill – Walla Walla CC
Sawyer Nelson, senior SS, South Salem – Loyola Marymount University
Griffin Nichols, senior SS/2B, Jesuit – Pomona-Pitzer
Maddux Nichols, senior C, Westview – Allan Hancock College
Malachi O'Brien, senior RHP, Westview – Lane CC
Trever Olsen, senior INF, Scappoose – Mt. Hood CC
Erick Pezqueda, senior INF/RHP, Grants Pass – Clackamas CC
Parker Raubuch, senior RHP, Sunset – Mt. Hood CC
Brody Rogers, senior RHP/1B, Westview – Allan Hancock College
Jake Rolling, senior SS, Jesuit -- Gonzaga University
PJ Safford, senior RHP/C, Klamath Union – Oregon Institute of Technology
Grady Saunders, senior RHP/Utility, Thurston – Oregon State University
Dillon Shultz, senior INF, Molalla – Umpqua CC
Ty Sconfienza, senior INF, Reynolds – Mt. Hood CC
Teagan Scott, senior C, South Salem – Oregon State University
Parker Sellner, senior OF/RHP, Newberg – Linfield University
Calen Simonelic, senior OF, Tualatin -- Bushnell University
Nick Sousa, senior RHP, Clackamas – Mt. Hood CC
Luke Sullivan, senior INF/RHP, Sunset – East Texas Baptist University
Caleb Tiede, senior INF, Clackamas – Mt. Hood CC
Jinki Tomita, senior RHP, Grant – Feather River CC
Evan Valenzuela, senior INF, Grants Pass – College of the Siskiyous
August Ware, senior LHP, Glencoe – Oregon State University
Jaxon Wetzler, junior LHP, Clackamas – University of Oregon
Riley Whitwood, senior OF/1B, North Eugene - Lewis and Clark University
Grady Wilmot, junior SS, Lincoln – University of Portland
Jace Willett, senior RHP/INF, Century – Shoreline CC
To report a commitment, email John Tawa at johnt@osaa.org.
johnt@osaa.org
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