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by Steve Mims The second edition of the Springfield Drifters will feature 26 Division I baseball players at Hamlin Field this summer. The Drifters will have 11 Pac-12 players, including five from Oregon and three from Oregon State, when they embark on a 57-game West Coast League schedule that begins at home on June 2nd… Continue reading Revamped Drifters Roster Set to Debut in June

By Steve Mims   Charlie Updegrave posted some eye-popping stats in a part-time role last spring as a freshman at Lewis-Clark State.   The 6-foot-2, 235-pound left-handed hitting first baseman started only four games for the Warriors as a veteran squad led the school to a runner-up finish at the NAIA national tournament. Updegrave appeared… Continue reading A Big Bat for the Drifters Lineup, Charlie Updegrave

By Steve Mims Springfield’s pitchers will get a big-league boost this summer. The Drifters announced that Alan Embree has been hired as their pitching coach for the 2023 West Coast League season. The 52-year old Northwest native spent 16 years pitching in the major leagues between 1992 and 2009. “That was more than a decade… Continue reading Longtime MLB Pitcher Joining Drifters Staff

By Steve Mims Toby Twist plans to be a two-way player for as long as he can. The Bakersfield (Calif.) Christian senior is batting .390 with three home runs this spring while going 6-1 with a 1.51 ERA in 10 starts. “When you are doing both, you focus on the now and doing what you… Continue reading Toby Twist, Two-Way Player Committed to UO

By Steve Mims Trey Newmann was a 5-foot-10 freshman when he entered North Medford High School. Near the end of his freshman season, he tore his labrum and suffered an injury to his rotator cuff. Even when he sprouted up to 6-6 as a junior, he wasn’t on the radar of college recruiters. “Last spring… Continue reading Future Oregon Pitcher, Trey Newmann

By Steve Mims   Ryan Cooney is spending his spring on a high school all-star team.   Jesuit, the top ranked team in the state, features 15 seniors and nearly half of them have committed to play in college including Cooney, an infielder who will join the Oregon Ducks in the fall. Noble Meyer, a… Continue reading Ryan Cooney, Infielder Committed to UO

By Steve Mims   Dawson Santana will follow his parents to Oregon State. The Lakeridge High School senior originally committed to Oregon before switching his decision to follow the family tradition with the Beavers. His dad, Chomo, was a wrestler at OSU while his mom, Renee, was a two-time All-American gymnast with the Beavs. Santana… Continue reading Dawson Santana, Infielder Committed to Oregon State

By Steve Mims   Bridger Holmes’ recruiting process got blocked by COVID. The right-handed pitcher had his junior season at North Bend cancelled due to the pandemic and his senior season was abbreviated. “Losing both of those years was a problem,” Holmes said. The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder found a home at Feather River Community College in… Continue reading Oregon State Pitcher, Bridger Holmes

By Steve Mims For the first time since he was 4-years old, Jason Shedlock had to sit out a baseball season. When Cal State San Bernardino’s 2021 season was wiped out due to COVID-19, Shedlock’s college debut was delayed a year. Living at his parents’ house about 15 minutes away in Rancho Cucamonga, he joined… Continue reading New Drifters Infielder from CSUSB, Jason Shedlock

By Steve Mims There was a time when Joe Longo thought he might follow in the footsteps of his father and play college football. “Big” Ray Longo, as Joe’s buddies nicknamed him, was a linebacker at The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. Joe Longo played linebacker as well as quarterback at Holy… Continue reading Outfielder from University of Michigan, Joe Longo