KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Offense was key to the Oregon Tech baseball success in 2023 – hitting nearly .300 as a team, pounding out 147 extra-base hits, drawing 238 walks, while averaging nearly eight runs per game. With the bulk of the production returning in 2024, along with the addition of key newcomers, the Hustlin' Owls are poised to shatter the all-time record book.
 
"Seven of our main starters return from last season," said head coach Jacob Garsez. "Those seven might be the top seven in our order and all are good defensive players. I anticipate each of these guys having big years. Our goal in the end is to be dangerous 1-through-9 in the batting order."
 
Tech will have to replace four players from last season – first-baseman Bryce Petrilla, middle infielders Sean Tobin and Adam Jacques, along with catcher Brodie Marino. Petrilla hit .242 in 46 games, Tobin and Jacques platooned at shortstop, with Marino platooning at catcher.
 
Behind the plate, All-Cascade Conference pick Tyler Horner returns for his junior season. The left-handed stick hit .357 with five homers and 43 RBI, adding a school-record 39 walks – and will split time again this season between catcher and third-base.
 
Backing up the catcher spot are transfers Ty Blakely and Brady Culp – both competing for innings when Horner is on the infield. Blakely was an All-Big 8 pick at Santa Rosa CC, hitting .295 with 28 RBI as a sophomore, with Culp playing in 57 games during his career at Umpqua CC.
 
Lakeview product, Anders Erickson, provides depth behind the plate, with Folsom High grad Ryan McCabe using a redshirt year.
 
"Horner had a great year last season and will be a mainstay in the top of the order throughout the season," Garsez said. "Both Blakely and Culp have great tools and will get reps early in the season."
 
Transfer Kyle Norton is set to take over the first base position after a dominant season a year ago at NAIA-power Georgia Gwinnett. The 6-foot-5 left-handed hitter led GGC to the NAIA Tournament, hitting .349 with five homers, 16 doubles and 46 RBI – earning All-Continental Athletic Conference and CAC Gold Glove honors.
 
Returners Kellen Mendez, Justin Francis and Chase Southern will also battle for innings at first base. Mendez returns after a season away from the club – posting a .299 batting average as a freshman; Francis had a homer and six RBI before an injury sidelined him last season; while Southern is coming off a redshirt season.
 
Transfer Jacob Cook, a Klamath Union grad, joins the team from Lassen College and had a big fall camp, while Cooper Rathbun, a freshman from Ashland, will redshirt.
 
"Norton is a plus-offensive player and can run the bases extremely well," Garsez said. "He will be a key part of the top of our line-up. Cook progressed tremendously in the fall and has a big target over at first. Mendez and Francis will be key, as Mendez has as good of barrel-to-ball skills as anyone on the team and Francis has displayed power."
 
At the hot corner, look for junior Matthew Ortiz to play the bulk of the innings when Horner is behind the plate. Ortiz, who will also see time at both middle infield positions, led the Owls with 51 RBI in 2023, hitting .308 with 15 stolen bases.
 
Also in the mix at third base is junior Chase Hedani, who hit .263 in a limited role last season.
 
"Both Matt and Chase are very versatile players," Garsez said. "Matt will be in the line-up, whether at third, short or second and Chase has the ability to have a breakout season for us."
 
Tech has options up the middle – as along with Ortiz, newcomers Patrick Barry and Logan Macy can play both the shortstop and second base positions. Barry transfers in from Butte College, where he earned All-Golden Valley Conference honors in 2023, hitting .293 with 24 RBI, while Macy was a 2A All-State selection at Culver High.
 
Returner Korrey Siracusa will see time both at second base and as a designated hitter after a stellar 2023 season. Siracusa hit .329 with 24 RBI, adding 33 walks and 10 stolen bases.
 
Three other infielders – freshmen J.D. Gunderson from Pocatello High in Idaho and Cy Dempsay of Vacaville High in California – along with returner, Matthew Peterman, are candidates to potentially redshirt.
 
"Barry is a very good defender and handles the bat well," Garsez stated. "He will be key for us at the bottom of the lineup. Macy played great defensive shortstop during the fall and we look forward to what he can do this spring. Siracusa is a tough, tough out at the plate – he has a knack to get on base any way possible."
 
The Hustlin' Owls return their entire outfield from 2023 – as left fielder Ka'ala Tam, center fielder Alonzo Vergara and right fielder Julien Jones all return. Tam finished the year with a .301 batting average with five homers and 31 RBI, leading the team with 20 stolen bases. Vergara hit .290 with five homers and 22 RBI, adding 10 doubles. Jones had a monster season, earning All-CCC honors after leading the club with a .379 average, with 14 doubles, five triples, six homers and 43 RBI.
 
"Having Alonzo back in center is a big deal," said Garsez. "He covers a lot of ground in the outfield, is a plus-runner and is a tough out at the plate. Jones had such a great season for us a year ago and will be a key factor in our lineup, he and Tam are outstanding defensively in right and left as both have great arms."
 
Five returners will also be battling for playing time, along with a junior college transfer. Dane Bradshaw had eight doubles, nine stolen bases and 16 RBI as a freshman, Matthew Lehrbach had a homer and eight RBI and was a key late-inning bat, while both Kage Southern and James Graser saw limited action. Potentially in the mix is Riley Cronin, a 2-way player who hit .250 last season – but his main focus in 2024 is on the mound.
 
Look for Keanu Mizuta, a Shasta College transfer, to make an impact at the plate – potentially as a designated hitter. The switch-hitter earned All-Golden Valley Conference honors last season, hitting .341 with six homers and 45 RBI.
 
The experience of the line-up will be a factor in the most ambitious preseason schedule in program history. Following a January trip to Jessup, the Owls travel to Louisiana for the Cajun Collision, meeting four Top-25 teams (Central Methodist, LSU-Shreveport, Freed-Hardeman, Texas Wesleyan). Tech will travel to Antelope Valley for a 4-game series, before opening the home schedule by hosting Division II Western Oregon and rival Eastern Oregon in 4-game series. The club will host the preseason top-two teams in the CCC – Lewis-Clark State and British Columbia, while making league trips to College of Idaho, Bushnell and Eastern Oregon.
 
"We don't have anything to lose this season," Garsez said of the schedule. "We scheduled tough, and I know we have a mature group that will be able to compete. I am excited for this season."