KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The 2022 season of Oregon Tech baseball starts this weekend as the Owls head to Redding, California for a pair of doubleheaders against Simpson University this Saturday, and Sunday starting at 11:00 am both days.
The four games this weekend will be followed with four more games next weekend at William Jessup University in Lincoln, California. Tech then heads to Tempe, Arizona for the Firestorm Invitational on February 10-12 with games against Arizona Christian University, Midland University, and Vanguard University at
DIABLO STADIUM.
The Owls will make their home debut at their new location on
Bocchi Field at Steen Sports Park on March 5 & 6 against St. Martins University. The Hustlin' Owls are also scheduled to host University of British Columbia, Eastern Oregon University, Bushnell (who is new to the CCC this year) and perennial powerhouse No. 4 ranked Lewis-Clark State.
Season Preview
Coming off a rebuilding year that saw Tech finish in second place in the Cascade Conference, Oregon Tech baseball looks to compete for the CCC title in their second year under head coach
Jacob Garsez. Last year the Owls finished 18-14 in conference and 23-25 overall, falling just one game short of the NAIA national tournament in a 13-inning loss to Corban. Tech returns the bulk of their roster and experience in 2022, as the club will look to make it to the national tournament for the first time in program history.
A key to some of the first-year success that Coach Garsez had at Oregon Tech was the play of their infielders. The returning tandem of
Dalton Daily and
Mitchel Swanson will provide OIT the leadership and experience on the dirt.
Daily had a monster 2021, earning All-Cascade Conference honors. The now-senior shortstop hit .369 with 21 doubles, 14 home runs, and 51 RBI. Daily was Tech's best hitter across last season and will be the backbone of their program heading into 2022.
Joining Daily in the middle of the order is
Mitchel Swanson. Last season Swanson spent a bulk of his time at 3rd base, and showed real power, sending seven over the fence in his 2021 campaign. Swanson finished the year hitting just under .300 with 51 hits, 10 doubles, and 37 RBIs.
Both
Micah Jio (2B) and
Dalton Daily (SS) earned first-team all CCC last season, but with Jio not returning to the club, Tech will look to fill his shoes in 2022.
Finishing out the corners,
Zeke Cruz and
Kellen Mendez will look to receive playing time at first base. Mendez is the returning Gold Glove first baseman in the conference and Cruz brings good defensive athleticism to the position. With Mendez as RH hitter and Cruz as LH hitter, Coach Garsez looks to utilize them both based on the matchup. "
Ryan Mendez is also getting reps at first base and has progressed well," says Garsez. "He will continue to compete for a role at the position." Returner
Ian Peters has earned DH opportunities.
Rounding out the infield,
Matthew Ortiz projects as the lead candidate at second base. Ortiz is a transfer from Washington State University and was named Preseason All-America California Region and Empire League All-State Team in his senior year of high school. Coach Garsez spoke on Ortiz and said, "He has great athleticism at second base and projects to hit somewhere at the top of our order. As a hitter, he uses the field well and can make an impact in multiple ways offensively." Finally, Tacoma Community College transfer
Adam Jacques projects to see time as a utility infielder and is an above-average defender in the infield. When Garsez talked about Jacques he mentioned, "He plays the game with a high motor and has great baseball intuition."
Behind the dish, a four-man race is taking place at Steens Sports Park, as Garsez expects all four to see playing time at some point this season.
South Mountain Community College transfer
Brodie Marino is projected to see the bulk of the time behind the dish. Marino brings leadership to the clubhouse and an impact bat. Also looking for time is
Tyler Horner, a utility player who Garsez expects to see time behind the plate, at first base, or the DH spot in the middle of the order. Returning starter
Brodie Maloney is also in the race as his experience and command behind the plate are a trait the staff at Tech feel they can rely on. Finally,
Brody Connell will be in the mix for playing time as well. Connell totes a power bat and is a plus athlete that Tech might look to utilize in various situations.
Heading into 2022, Tech has the luxury of returning their entire starting rotation in the outfield defensively. The Owls have a lot of speed in the outfield, and at the plate, each outfielder consistently finds ways to get on base.
The returning starters for the Owls include
Kaleb Keelean,
Michael Tarakhchyan and
Alex Malcolm.
Keelan projects to play both left and right field while hitting at the top of the OIT order. Kaleb joined the team over Christmas break last season as a transfer from Cal State Eastbay and thrived for the Owls, hitting .331 with an on-base percentage of .498, the highest in the team. His on-base percentage was a staple to his play last season as the senior was hit by a pitch 22 times, double the amount of his next closest teammate.
Tarakhchyan returns as the conference gold glove in centerfield; he projects to play mostly centerfield and to be a spark plug in the lineup.
Malcom has continued to improve and projects to see time in leftfield and possibly some DH opportunities. Alex hit .252 in 2021 with an on-base percentage of .368. Coach Garsez admires Malcolm's leadership, remarking that, "He is a leader on the field."
Ka'ala Tam is a very athletic freshman who will battle for time in the outfield. The coaching staff really like his competitiveness and athleticism on both sides of the ball.
Matthew Macias,
Cooper Way, and
Kage Southern are all competing for opportunities in Tech's outfield as the 2022 season approaches.
When it comes to who will toe the rubber for Oregon Tech this season, returners
Patrick Arman,
Jacob Miller, and
Dylan Grogan project to start the year in the starting rotation. They all bring quality experience and ability to that role.
Arman is a returning First Team All-Conference pitcher. In 2021, he led the starting rotation in ERA as the sophomore gave up an average of 3.98 while leading the club in innings pitched with 72 and a third. Arman was second for the Owls in strikeouts (57) and allowed the fewest number of walks or hits per innings pitched, with a WHIP of 1.23.
When it comes to Tech's second and third starters, Coach Garsez said, "Miller and Grogan have put in a lot of work, and we are excited to see them compete." Last season Grogan toted an ERA of 7.88 in 48 innings pitched while Miller had an ERA of 6.5 in the same number of innings.
With veteran experience on the bump, a back-end starting job is still up for grabs with the loss of
Trask Telesmanich who led the club in strikeouts in 2021 with 71.
Garsez projects that returning LHP
Cody Dubray, will see that time as a starting pitcher early in the year. Dubray showed guts out of the pen many times last season getting two wins for the Owls on the hill.
Transfers
Braeden Bellum,
Alex Bratton,
Cruz Hamilton, and
Cody Kemble, along with returners
Spencer Dahlke and
Brendan Talonen are all experienced arms the Hooters will rely on out of the bullpen. Pitchers
Cade Sheets,
Lalo Barraza, and
James Garcia are experienced transfers that will have an impact role during the second half of the season. Returners
Ryan Poling and
Trevor Thissell, as well as freshman
Jaden Domingsel, are also competing for roles.
