SPRINGFIELD – Springfield Drifters past and present players popped this past week, highlighted by a historic performance from local standout Dylan Carson (2024, ’25). Carson, a Churchill High graduate, had a record-setting performance for Bushnell on Saturday, going 8-for-9 with 5 home runs, 12 RBIs and 1 steal across two games against Warner Pacific. This included a 5-for-5, four-homer, nine-RBI effort in Game 1 of the Beacons’ doubleheader. The senior outfielder has nine home runs and 26 RBIs while hitting .362 through 16 starts. Carson’s nine home runs lead NAIA, and his 26 RBIs lead the Cascade Collegiate Conference and rank fourth nationally.
Carson’s teammates at Bushnell, Austin Wolfe (’24) and Kai Keamo (’22), also had strong outings for the Beacons this weekend. Wolfe, who was named CCC Pitcher of the Week two weeks ago, threw six innings of two-run ball with eight Ks against Warner Pacific. Keamo, a left-hander from Hawaii, struck out eight in a 21-1 win over Warner Pacific on Saturday. He has three straight outings with eight or more Ks and has a 31-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 innings this season.
Just down the road at PK Park, Drifters alum Toby Twist (’23) earned his first win of the season for Oregon on Friday against Youngstown State. He threw five innings with five strikeouts, allowing two hits and one earned run in his first start of the season. Ryan Cooney (’23) went 5-for-17 with two doubles, six runs and one RBI in four games against the Penguins, batting leadoff for the Ducks.
Diego Chavez, who pitched for the Drifters in ’22 and ’25, delivered his best performance of the season for William Jessup this weekend. The right-hander threw seven scoreless innings with two hits allowed against Hawaii Hilo on Saturday. Chavez has a 0.95 ERA across three starts, with only four hits and two earned runs permitted in 19 innings.
Elsewhere, Drifters alums Matt Quintanar (’22), Eli Kennel (’24) and Mac Moyer (’22) all succeeded at the plate. Quintanar, a two-time NJCAA Region XIV Player of the Year at Blinn College, went 10-for-21 with three doubles and four RBIs for Texas Tech in five games against UT-Rio Grande Valley and Albany. Kennel, now at Linfield after two seasons at Washington State and Oregon State, hit a home run and two doubles for the Wildcats in three games against La Verne this weekend. Moyer, son of longtime MLB pitcher Jamie Moyer, started four games for Nebraska over the weekend. The former Oregon outfielder went 6-for-13 with seven walks, two doubles and three runs against Stanford, Louisville, Kansas State and Florida State.
Drifters fan favorite Andrew Gauna (’24 & ’25) went 5-for-12 with seven RBIs over the weekend, including a 3-for-5, four-RBI game against rival San Diego State for the University of San Diego. Gauna’s 2025 Drifters teammate Bryant Starr also impressed, going 5-for-15 with two doubles, one triple, five RBIs, four runs and three steals for Linn-Benton against Clark.
Looking ahead, incoming Drifters Ethan Atchley, Diego Vazquez, and Peyton Tyner stood out at their institutions. Atchley, a right-hander from Rice, needed only 45 pitches for four perfect innings against USC over the weekend. He struck out five with no hits, walks or runs allowed in a dominant relief outing for the Owls. Vazquez, an Oregon State commit, had a big weekend against Sacramento City College, going 6-for-12 with three doubles, eight RBIs and four runs for Fullerton College. Tyner hit .500 (7-for-14) with six runs, two RBIs and three walks for Lane against Spokane in four games for the Titans.
Johnny Elliott, headed to Springfield this summer from Tulane, hit his first home run of the season against top-ranked UCLA on his birthday last Tuesday. He also added a double and scored two runs in two games last week.
Also …
■ Fans can view the full list of Drifters alumni playing college baseball on team’s website.
■ The Drifters begin their fifth season of West Coast League baseball on May 29, with their first home game scheduled for June 2. View the full schedulel, check out season tickets, and more at driftersbaseball.com.
