Colts’ Minium says team focused on journey, not end result
THURSTON – It might be appropriate to look ahead for the Colts baseball team – the two-time defending Class 5A state champions.
Coach Dennis Minium won’t let that happen.
“The kids have a chance to have history again, and it’s a big thing on their back,” Minium said. “So far, they’ve done a good job of focusing on what’s in front of them and not what’s three weeks or a month down the road. Right now, the kids are focused on every Monday.
“Ultimately, in the back of their heads, they know they want to play on June 7 (championship game) but they don’t look to June 7,” he said.
It’s easy to understand why they might get ahead of themselves. The Colts are reining six-time Midwestern League champions and are favored again this year.
But their coach wants to slow down the clock amidst the awakened daffodils, the spring showers, and the green-dotted trees.
“We look at what’s in front of us that day. For the beginning of the season, that’s what we’re focusing on,” Minium said.
That approach is paying off early this year, as Thurston opened the 2025 season with a 3-0 win against Class 6A Sheldon at the University of Oregon’s PK Park last Tuesday. It was redemption for the Colts, who lost 7-5 to Sheldon in an opening-night upset last season. On top of the loss, the Colts also lost Connor Molony, the 2023 Class 5A Pitcher of The Year, to injury for the remainder of the regular season.
A fast start
A year later, with another championship trophy on their shelf, it was a different outcome.
“We didn’t make any errors defensively this year,” Minium said. “Our pitching was really, really, really good. Collin Hernandez came out and pitched really well. That’s gonna be one of our big strengths: our pitching.”
Along with pitching, Minium said there are four other areas of strength he hopes to polish this early season: defense, offense, speed, and experience.
Minium highlighted Molony, Hernandez, Grady Saunders, Kyle Miller, and Brock Johnson as key assets.
Molony comes back as a starting pitcher for this season and will bat leadoff. Saunders, who had an .812 ERA and was crowned 2024 Class 5A Pitcher of The Year, will bat second in lineup. Hernandez, a left-hander who allowed one hit and no runs over five innings against Sheldon, will be the Colts’ third starter. Miller, who filled in for Molony last year and throws 86-88 mph, will be the Colts’ “main reliever,” Minium said. Miller collected a save against Sheldon. Lastly, Johnson allowed no hits and struck out two to close out Sheldon.
“Ultimately, our goal is to limit innings for those four guys,” Minium said. “So when we get into the playoffs, we’re healthy and we have no injuries. The benefit for us is having four solid No. 1s in our rotation. Brock Johnson is going to step into the role we had last year – the kind of guy that if you get stuck in the middle of an inning and you need to get out of the inning, he doesn’t need any time to warm up. He can just go in and get the inning over. So he plays a big part in our pitching staff as well.”
Defensively, Minium said key players are Bryson Bowser and Noah Blair, citing their speed.
“Defensively, the big thing would be our left fielder – which will be a combination of Bryson Bowser – who’s one of the fastest kids in Thurston – along with Noah Blair – the most athletic kid in Thurston. So we’re very athletic and have strong arms on defense. We fly to the ball as well. So that kind of covers the defensive part, as well as our speed. We’ve got guys all through the order with some speed that can steal bases offensively.”
Lastly, Minium outlines the strength of the Colts’ offense and how it connects to their deep experience, with returners who have played in the state championships for two years straight – including eight seniors and six juniors this year.
“We got guys in our lineup that can hit and run, can put balls in the gap, hit home runs, and know how to play the game of baseball,” Minium said.
“Our middle order is pretty good with Grady and Connor … Next, the big thing for us is probably trying to solidify a five, or six guy right now in our order. Hopefully, we’ll get back from Arizona and have that dialed in. We’ll try some different options and see what works best for us,” he said.
Goals and roles
Minium highlights the Coach Bob National Invitational in Arizona as a key preseason tournament for establishing roles and settling into a new season,
“Our goal is to go down and solidify some roles for some players,” Minium said. “So when we come back, all the kids know their goals, their roles, and what they’re going to contribute to the team. Our goal is to be over .500 when we’re down there, you know, playing five games at least with a 3-2 record while we’re down there.”
With so many early-season thoughts and goals, it’s hard for Minium to fathom how the Colts will extend their legacy even further this year. Will they be able to be the third baseball team in Oregon history to have won three straight state titles along with Drain from 1949-51 and West Linn from 2022-24?
“That would be pretty cool,” Minium said. “Going back-to-back, we were the first 5A school to do that; it would be awesome to send our senior class out with another historic feat. They have played together forever. Ultimately, everybody’s goal is to make it to June 7.
“If we play our game and we do what we should be able to do, then I think we will be a tough out in the playoffs with the pitching staff that we have. We look at what’s in front of us that day,” he said.
