Baseball
Pleasant Hill Billies: 6-4, ranked #12 – The Main Event
Leading off: The Billies have a brief reprieve from conference play as they host Class 4A No. 3 Marist Catholic in a doublehead on Friday. Marist is led by senior Cooper Mullens, a Michigan baseball commit. Pleasant Hill needs a big pitching day from Alejandro Ziolkowski or Caden Richardson if it wants to take down a Class 4A contender.
Cottage Grove Lions: 3-3, ranked #27
Leading off: The Lions begin Sky-Em League play this week when they host a doubleheader on Friday against Marshfield, who finished second in the Sky-Em League last season. Cottage Grove has benefitted from a deep pitching group that includes Isaiah Cushman, as well as Christian and Micah Spear.
Creswell Bulldogs: 1-8, ranked #38
Leading off: Creswell got their first win on the board last week and should look to build on that momentum when they host No. 3 Sisters on Friday. Evan Jenkins, Cam Leonard, and Landon Palmer were all key contributors for Creswell last week, and will likely need to play well for the Bulldogs to upset Sisters.
Springfield Millers: 3-5, ranked #29
Leading off: Springfield had a tough opening to the Midwestern League season, but it gets tougher this week as they head to No. 6 Crater for a doubleheader on Saturday. Head coach Jim Fryback’s squad continues to be led by the only two seniors on the team in Gabriel Laird and Noah Roemen.
Thurston Colts: 7-3, ranked #9
Leading off: Thurston had a perfect start to its Midwestern League title-defense and look to build on that this week as they host No. 19 North Eugene twice on Saturday. Thurston’s starting pitching trio of senior Maddox Molony, sophomore Connor Molony, and freshman Grady Saunders continues to be scary for opponents.
Softball
Cottage Grove Lions: 4-3 overall, ranked #18
Leading off: Cottage Grove hosts No. 10 Marshfield in a doubleheader on Friday. The Lions will be competitive in a deep Sky-Em League, and a win in one or both of the games against Marshfield would be big for head coach Adam Dimock’s team.
Creswell Bulldogs: 6-3 overall, ranked #17
Leading off: Creswell hosts Sisters in a doubleheader on Friday, although it’s worth noting that Sisters has forfeited its last three games for currently unknown reasons. Either way Creswell’s big matchup is against rival No. 12 Pleasant Hill on Tuesday. While Hope Ukolov has played well on the mound, Creswell is still looking to find its identity on offense. A big rivalry win could be a great spot to find that identity.
Pleasant Hill Billies: 7-3 overall, ranked #10
Leading off: Pleasant Hill heads to rival No. 17 Creswell on Tuesday in a matchup of two of the top-three teams in the Mountain Valley Conference. If the Billies want to win and keep pace with Harrisburg atop the standings they’ll need a great offense that will likely be spearheaded by seniors Shyanne Fenley and Kiley Campos.
Springfield Millers: 0-6 overall, ranked #31
Leading off: The Millers remain on the search for their first win, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier. Springfield heads to No. 11 Crater this week for a doubleheader on Friday. Holly Arendt and Emma Patrick–Busby have both hit the ball well recently for the Millers.
Thurston Colts: 5-5 overall, ranked #10
Leading off: Thurston’s only action this week is a home doubleheader against North Eugene on Friday. NE is currently 1-7, so Thurston has a great shot to grab a couple wins and keep pace at the top of the Midwestern League. Thurston has been top-three in the Midwestern League every year since 2017, but hasn’t won a league title in that span.
