History of the Springfield Drifters
Building Hamlin
If you’ve found yourself on the corner of Pioneer Parkway and Centennial Boulevard in Springfield, you’ve probably seen the large outfield walls and beautiful blue bleachers of Hamlin Sports Complex and thought to yourself, “how the heck did they build a stadium this nice at a middle school?” The story goes back to summer 2020. In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, local business owner Ike Olsson of Olsson Industrial Electric received a phone call from a local long-time baseball coach asking if he could sponsor a local legion baseball team after nearly 60 kids showed up for try-outs. Olsson, who has helped support local youth sports for years, agreed to sponsor the team, naming them the “Ole Athletics.” Olsson’s son Sam, then a catcher at the University of Oregon, coached the team with three other local baseball friends who were home for the summer after the pandemic shut down their spring seasons.
At the end of the Summer, Olsson was at a team barbecue when the same local coach approached him and expressed his desire to build a public turf field in the Eugene/Springfield area. Most cities in the Pacific Northwest have public turf fields, which help teams play during the early spring, when many natural turf fields are unplayable due to rain. Eugene/Springfield, unlike cities like Portland and Salem, did not have a youth turf field at the time — a glaring hole for youth athletics in the community. Brainstorming with Olsson on how they could bring a public turf field, the coach asked, “Have you ever thought about starting a West Coast League baseball team?”
The idea struck Olsson to his core. By creating a WCL team, he could start a local sports business venture while also building a much-needed turf field to benefit the community. To do that, though, he would need to find a college to partner with to help support the summer league team. With the Eugene Emeralds already leasing PK Park, Olsson had to look elsewhere than the University of Oregon, and the local coach had the perfect partner — Bushnell University, a small private Christian university located right next to UO’s campus.
Right then at the barbecue, the coach called Bushnell University’s President, Joe Womack, and introduced him to Olsson. The two hit it off and soon met for breakfast at the Eugene Country Club to discuss what it would take to build a shared stadium for a WCL team and Bushnell University. With limited land in the south University District near the Bushnell campus, the two had to look elsewhere in the community. That led them to the current site at Hamlin Middle School, a location 4.1 miles from the Bushnell campus, which already featured two grass fields and space to build a stadium.
Olsson, whose non-profit Huddle Up had previously worked with Springfield Public Schools on a turf field project at Maple Elementary, utilized his connections to pitch the stadium idea to the school district. Springfield Public Schools was looking to improve their facilities to benefit their students and the community at the time. They loved the idea.
Next, Olsson began searching for a pair of business partners to assist him with his new local sports venture. The first person he called was Kelly Richardson of Richardson Sports. The pair had worked together on a variety of projects at Sheldon High School, including the covered stadium project in the mid-2000s and the baseball facility renovations in 2014.
Olsson met Richardson at North Fork Public House for a beer and said, “I’m thinking of doing this, and I’d like you to be my partner.” Richardson responded by saying, ‘I’m in, but it’s just you and me because if we get someone else in on it, then it will be a cluster.”
Together, they would co-own the 16th active franchise in WCL history, the Springfield Drifters.
Just like that, Olsson and Richardson were in business once again, this time with Bushnell University and Springfield Public Schools.
2022
Led by then-Bushnell head coach — and 2010 West Coast League MVP — Tommy Richards, the Springfield Drifters finished 17-37 in the club’s inaugural season. The Drifters won their first game in franchise history on the road against the Bellingham Bells, 4-2, to begin 1-0 as an organization.
After the opening road trip, Springfield opened Hamlin Sports Complex with back-to-back home series against the Cowlitz Black Bears and Bend Elks. During the Elks series, the Drifters ignited the home crowd with walk-off hits in extra innings in Games 2 and 3. Ryne Hays (Yakima Valley College/Seattle) blooped a single to left in the 13th inning of Game 2, and Nate Stevens (Washington State) ripped a double down the right-field line in the 10th inning of Game 3, giving Springfield its first series win.
The following week, Dylan O’Connor (Bellevue CC/Cal State San Bernardino) threw the first complete game in club history, allowing just three hits and two earned runs in a 7-2 win over the Walla Walla Sweets.
At the end of June, the Drifters upset the five-time defending champion Corvallis Knights, taking two of three games. Theo Millas (LSU/Central Arizona) tossed seven scoreless innings in Game 1 and KJ Ruffo (Portland) added five scoreless frames in Game 3. Springfield won both games 3-1 against the “Evil Empire.”
On July 4, the Drifters beat the Victoria HarbourCats 5-4 in front of a packed holiday crowd. Millas — a Burnaby, British Columbia, native — pitched seven strong innings against his home-province team in what became his final start as a Drifter.
Several members of the 2022 team went on to successful careers. Utility player Jaylin Rae (Central Arizona/Charleston Southern), who led the team with a .372 average, finished at Western Kentucky and now plays professionally for the Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian Baseball League. Outfielder Canon Reeder (Oregon State) was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 18th round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Julian Hernandez (Whitman), who led the team with a 0.88 ERA, was a two-time Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Year and now plays for the Idaho Falls Chukars in the Pioneer League.
Roseburg natives Jace Stoffal and Austin Anderson (Umpqua CC/Oregon) also found success with the Ducks. Stoffal earned First-Team All-Pac-12 honors and became the first Drifters alum to be drafted when the Minnesota Twins selected him in the eighth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Anderson posted a 0.66 ERA in 23 appearances in 2023 before medically retiring after the 2024 season.
2023
The Drifters showed notable improvement under Richards in Year 2, finishing 22-32. Springfield swept Port Angeles in its opening series — the first sweep in club history — and won its first three series to begin 7-2.
Pitching was the strength of the 2023 team. Hunter Dryden (Whitworth) and Rylan Haider (Washington State) each finished in the top 15 in the WCL in ERA and innings pitched. Haider’s 58 1/3 innings still stand as a club record. Dryden added 51 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings, ranking third in the league.
Bridger Holmes (Oregon State) also impressed, striking out 37 across 25 2/3 innings with a 2.10 ERA. His best outing came June 23 against Cowlitz, when he struck out 10 in seven two-run innings.
Offensively, Ryan Cooney (Oregon) and Jason Shedlock (Cal State San Bernardino) led the attack. Cooney, then an incoming freshman, finished with a .351 average after going 11-for-16 in his final four games. Shedlock tallied 28 hits, 10 stolen bases and a .315 average in 27 games.
Fresno State teammates Bobby Blanford and Ben Newton combined for 28 RBIs. Both went undrafted but signed with the Oakland Athletics in 2025, with Newton reaching Triple-A and Blanford playing for Stockton (Single-A).
Holmes (Angels, seventh round) and Dryden (Giants, 17th round) were each drafted in 2024. Holmes reached Triple-A in 2025, while Dryden posted a 2.90 ERA in 93 innings for Single-A San Jose.
Bryce Boettcher — a two-sport standout at Oregon — also played two games for Springfield before being drafted by the Houston Astros in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft.
2024
The Drifters were thrown a curveball at the start of the 2024 season. Two days before Opening Day, Head Coach Tommy Richards stepped down from his position to accept an assistant coaching job at Washington State. Pitching coach Alan Embree — who pitched 16 MLB seasons and won the 2004 World Series with the Boston Red Sox — was named interim head coach and guided Springfield to a 20-34 record.
After starting 3-9, the Drifters rattled off a five-game win streak in mid-June, the longest in franchise history. Two of those wins came against the defending WCL Champion Corvallis Knights.
Kyle Larsen threw the first complete-game shutout in club history in Game 1 of that series on June 18, needing only 94 pitches for the nine-inning gem. Larsen was named the WCL Pitcher of the Week for his performance against the Knights.
The WCL All-Star Game returned in 2024 after a five-year hiatus, held in Bellingham. Infielder Kedren Kinzie (Pierce CC/Hawaii) and catcher Dane Woodcock (Tacoma CC/New Mexico State) represented the Drifters.
Later in the season, Springfield made its first trip to Edmonton, Alberta. Despite travel delays and wildfire smoke, the Drifters won two of three, including a shortened seven-inning complete game by Billy Dotson (Ottawa-Arizona).
Later in the season, Springfield made its first trip to Edmonton, Alberta. Despite travel delays and wildfire smoke, the Drifters won two of three, including a shortened seven-inning complete game by Billy Dotson (Ottawa-Arizona).
The Drifters finished strong, winning two of their final three series and several club records were broken. Elijah Maris (Linfield) broke the single-season home run (5) and hit-by-pitch records (12).
Dotson set the single-season innings pitched record (59 1/3) and tied the club wins record (4). The team also broke the single-season saves record with 10 saves, led by Kaden Alberghini’s (Seattle) club-record six saves.
2025
From the first-ever sellout on July 3 to 18 individual and team records broken, the Drifters reached new heights in 2025. Under first-year head coach Jeff Lyle, Springfield finished 22-32, matching its best record set in 2023.
After a 7-14 start, the Drifters surged in late June, winning 14 of 24 to move into playoff contention for the first time in club history. They trailed Marion by just 2.5 games for the final playoff spot on July 29 with nine games remaining.
Local standouts Cooper Mullens (Marist/Michigan) and Nolan Miller (Sheldon/Portland) led the offense. Mullens played in a club-record 51 games and was named to the WCL All-Star Game. Miller set multiple single-season records, including hits (60), batting average (.326), at-bats (184) and RBIs (31).
Outfielder Jack Brooks (Oregon) joined midseason and hit .282 over 42 games. He set the club doubles record (12), walked a team-record 32 times and shattered the single-season steals record with 30.
Cesar Chavez (Cal State Los Angeles) also impressed, hitting .341 with 18 RBIs despite missing a month with a broken nose and concussion.
Catcher Isaiah Ibarra (USC) earned an all-star nod, hitting .284 with 15 RBIs and five doubles — the third-highest batting average among catchers in the WCL.
The Drifters relied on a deep pitching staff in 2025. Caden Richardson (Linn-Benton) set a club record with 23 appearances, ranking second in the WCL. Kaden Harris (Lower Columbia/Mount Marty), Michael Klein (Fresno City College/Arkansas Tech), Blake Stavros (Bushnell), Jack Klee (Chemeketa) and Diego Carrillo (Yakima Valley College) all finished top 10 in appearances.
