KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Last season was a breakout year for a young Oregon Tech baseball team – winning their first league championship since 1982, with the team establishing a new school record with 33 wins.
 
A year later, the team returns a veteran club looking to take the next step – securing their first-ever trip to the NAIA National Tournament.
 
"This is an exciting time for our program," said head coach Jacob Garsez. "Last year, we didn't have a lot of experience, but now we have 75-percent of our roster back. That leadership is key, as our returners have developed a great culture and are bringing our new players along."
 
The key to any team is the pitching staff, with the Hustlin' Owls featuring a deep pool of arms set to face the difficult rigors of the Cascade Conference.
 
Tech will have to replace a pair of rotation arms and a key bullpen piece from 2023. Lalo Barraza set a school record with nine victories last season, while Brendan Talonen earned All-Cascade Conference accolades after going 5-2 with a 4.09 ERA.  Braeden Bellum was clutch in leverage situations down the stretch, ending the year with a 2-0 record, a 4.28 ERA and two saves.
 
The Owls return their No. 1 starter – right-hander Patrick Arman – the all-time wins leader at OIT. The senior righty had a huge 2023 season, going 8-1 with a 3.76 ERA and 58 strikeouts – needing eight strikeouts to establish the all-time school record.
 
Also back is 2-year rotation member, Cody Dubray. The senior is poised to bounce back after a tough 2023 season, looking to rekindle his sophomore season where the lefty finished 7-3 with a 2.67 ERA.
 
Tech is excited about a pair of new right-handed arms looking to make a bid for the rotation – as Lassen transfer Bronson Chapple and Oregon State transfer Isaac Hill should make immediate impacts. Chapple had a combined 7-5 record and a 4.37 ERA in 80-plus innings in junior college, striking out 70 against just 17 walks. Hill is set to make his collegiate debut after redshirting last season at OSU, a year removed from being the No. 1 rated pitching prospect in 2022 Oregon high school class.
 
"Arman is as strong as ever," Garsez said. "We are hoping Dubray has a bounce-back year and looked very sharp in the fall. Chapple is a quality arm with an upper-80s fastball and a plus-slider and we are excited to see Hill compete."
 
Returning right-handers Riley Cronin, Landon Chaney and Ryan Poling are expected to eat up innings out of the bullpen and could join the rotation. Cronin was the Owls closer in 2023, finishing 3-4 with a 4.40 ERA and five saves, with Chaney ending his freshman season with a 2-0 mark and a 5.84 ERA. Poling led the team with 21 appearances in 2023, finishing with a 4-3 record.
 
"Cronin, Chaney and Poling all threw valuable innings out of the pen last season," Garsez said. "All are stronger heading into the new year and have better stuff."
 
Two other returning right-handers – redshirt freshman Hunter Hough and sophomore Jaden Domingsel will compete for innings.
 
Of the new right-handers in the pen, Tim Williams is poised to throw in leverage situations. The Big Bend CC transfer earned All-NWAC honors as a freshman, going 7-1 with a 3.52 ERA, striking out 55 batters in 69 innings.
 
"Williams is a plus competitor," said Garsez. "He will throw key innings late in games for us."
 
Transfers Alex Rodriguez, Collin Bougham and Jalen Jagdeo, along with freshman Cooper Layne will be firmly in the mix for innings. Rodriguez recorded a pair of saves last season at Bakersfield CC, Brougham made 21 appearances at Division I South Alabama, Jagdeo was a workhorse in the West Valley CC pen, making 40 career appearances, while Layne, from Capital High in Boise, has a fastball that tops 90 miles per hour.
 
Another freshman righty – Cash Gilles, the 5A Northern Nevada Relief Pitcher of the Year at McQueen High – will use the season as a redshirt year.
 
Tech has a pair of left-handers in the pen – returner Drake Aboud and transfer Brian McClelland. Aboud tossed 16 innings for the Owls last season, recording one save, while McClelland was a key arm for Linn-Benton CC, going 1-0 with a 3.98 ERA in 20 appearances, striking out 41 batters in 43 innings.
 
The pitching staff will make their debut next weekend, as the Hustlin' Owls head to California for a 4-game series at Jessup University