History of the Springfield Drifters
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.
