SPRINGFIELD – Incoming Drifter Diego Vazquez had an outstanding weekend at the plate, going 8-for-15 with six RBI across four games at the 3C2A Regionals for Fullerton College. The Oregon State commit finished with one double and three walks during a 3-1 weekend for the Hornets.
Vazquez’s future teammates, Austin Takahashi and Zac Daigre, also had big weekends at the plate. Takahashi, an infielder from Lane Community College, hit .455 with a triple, a double, two runs, and an RBI across three games for the Titans. Daigre, who plays at Rice, finished 4-for-10 with a double and four RBI during the Owls’ three-game series vs. UAB. The trio will also be joined by Hunter Meyer, a freshman outfielder at Cal State Fullerton, who extended his hit streak to six games this past week, going 5-for-16 with four runs scored for the Titans across four games against San Diego State and UC Davis.
■ On the mound, 2026 returners Matthew Tacheny and Kaden Harris continued to find success. Tacheny fired five scoreless innings for Linfield against Lewis & Clark while fanning five and walking none. Harris, a right-hander from Mount Marty, allowed only one run across six innings for the Lancers.
■ Southpaw Griffin Scott, who is also joining the Drifters this summer, had another strong outing for Lane, allowing only two runs in 6.1 innings pitched for the Titans. The Oregon commit struck out six and walked two against the defending NWAC champs, Linn-Benton.
■ Elsewhere, Drifters alum Eli Holbert (’22 & ’23) had his best start of the season for Virginia Commonwealth. The hard-throwing right-hander needed only 80 pitches to complete seven innings, allowing one hit and no earned runs while striking out four and walking three. Austin Wolfe, who played with Holbert on the Drifters in 2023, struck out seven Oregon Tech batters across seven innings of three-run baseball in the CCC Tournament for Bushnell.
■ Alumni Andrew Gauna (’24 & ’25), Nick Gimino (’25), and Bobby Blanford (’24) had standout performances. Gauna, in his return to Oregon, hit .500, going 6-for-12 at the plate with five RBI and a double for San Diego during the Toreros’ three-game series on the bluff against Portland. Gimino, who has had an outstanding season at Oregon Tech after redshirting last spring at Cal Poly, continued to tear it up offensively for the Owls, hitting .455 with a home run, a double and four RBI in the CCC Tournament this past weekend. Blanford, who is one of five Drifters alumni playing minor league baseball, hit two home runs during a 7-for-17 week at the plate for the Stockton Ports against the Fresno Grizzlies at the Class-A level.
■ Also notable from this past week, incoming Drifter Peyton Tyner hit his first career collegiate home run during Lane’s four-game series against Linn-Benton. Ely Kennel (’24) also hit a home run as a part of a 5-for-13 weekend at the plate for Linfield, driving in four runs during a series against Lewis & Clark. Isaac Evaniew (’22) and Toby Twist (’23) each pitched two scoreless innings out of the bullpen for Arkansas-Little Rock and Oregon, respectively. Evaniew fanned two batters and Twist struck out three.
■ See the full list of Drifters-connected players in college baseball at driftersbaseball.com.
■ Springfield begins its fifth season of West Coast League baseball on May 29, with its first home game scheduled for June 2. You can view the full schedule on the team’s website. Season tickets and single-game tickets are on sale now.
