THURSTON – After a May 2 doubleheader loss to Class 5A No. 1 Crater, Thurston had a 5-7 league record, and had lost six of its past nine games.
Since that point, the Colts have seven victories in a row, albeit with one coming by forfeit. Thanks to their own hot streak and a North Eugene sweep of Eagle Point, the Colts earned the third automatic playoff bid in the Midwestern League and will host a home playoff game on Tuesday against Bend.
“‘I said, ‘We have to treat every game from here on out as a playoff game. You win or you go home. And our kids have kind of turned up the dial a little bit,’” Colts head coach Dennis Minium said. “Our practices have been really good. The intensity has been really good. We’ve played our best baseball the last two weeks.”
The intensity has increased, the Colts have gotten healthier, and a team relying on its sophomore class has seen those young players find their groove.
As the stakes increase late in the season, young teams look to their veteran leaders to set an example. The Colts’ four captains this season are Grady Saunders, Brock Johnson, Parker Edwards, and Jackson Lane. Since Covid-19 deprived the Colts of their 2020 season, Minium has changed his managerial approach, making his captains a liaison between his coaches and the rest of his players, with the goal of being a “player-led team.”
“Pre-Covid, it was either my way or the highway,” Minium said. “After Covid, I’ve wanted the players to lead. Obviously, coaches can’t want it more than the players, the players have to want it … if you turn it into a player-led team, it’s holding them more accountable, and good things happen by doing that.”
The results have shown the merits of Minium’s approach. Since Covid, the Colts have a 112-24 record (.824 winning percentage), including a 69-game Midwestern League winning streak and two state titles.
Minium’s philosophy also is intended to help his players grow as young men.
“It also helps them outside of the baseball field,” Minium said. “It helps them with life and their jobs. It helps them at school to where they can have a voice, and if they’ve got a problem with something, they can ask that question. Instead of an outburst or causing problems, you can resolve that by talking to the person you need to talk to.”
The veterans aren’t just leading off the field, but on it as well. The Colts needed a sweep in the series against Ashland to finish out the season, if they were to get a top-three finish in the league.
Saunders threw a complete game on Tuesday, striking out nine; as a batter, he reached in 12-of-13 plate appearances during the series, including hitting two home runs, a triple, and driving in six runs.
Edwards was 4-for-6, with a home run and eight RBI in the first two games of the series, and then threw a complete game to finish out the series, allowing one unearned run.
Johnson was error-free at shortstop and added five hits, four RBI, and stole eight bases over the three games – bringing his season total to 32.
“Our guys have been told, ‘if Brock’s stealing, you’re taking a pitch,’” Minium said. “His speed is a game changer.”
Another change Minium has instituted since the pandemic comes more on the X’s and O’s side. Traditionally, a baseball lineup has the best players hitting at the top of the order, with various archetypes filling out the different slots and the third and fourth places being reserved for the best hitters. The logic of that philosophy is that the first two hitters can get on base, and the next two can drive them home.
However, across all levels of baseball, things have been shifting, and Minium has been on the cutting edge of those changes. Placing the best players at the very top of the order, which makes them harder to pitch around, and having a plus hitter in the ninth spot in the order are two of those changes.
Sophomore Brody Corgain is fourth on the team in OPS, and tied for fourth in RBI, but hits last in the order, to be a “second leadoff hitter,” and sets up Saunders, the leadoff hitter who would have conventionally hit third or fourth.
Minium has found a mix of veteran leadership and young talent that has his team looking dangerous. The Colts may not have the same resume as those teams who have won state titles in their program in years past, but the championship pedigree and innovation of Minium and his staff have their team set up as a contender for a third championship in four years.
