KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – To the casual observer, a coaching change might transform a program, even a squad which posted 3-straight 30-win seasons for the first time ever. For the Oregon Tech baseball team, despite losing skipper Jacob Garsez to Sonoma State – one could say, it is business as usual.
 
Longtime pitching coach Ricky Walker is the interim head coach – with all three assistants (Kevin Olmstead, Justin Durnil, Ryan Linden) and 29 players (including four all-conference picks) back. For the Hustlin' Owls, change has been minimal.
 
"It worked out well because we were able to retain everyone, including our coaching staff," Walker said. "We have an extremely experienced team that has big goals. Not much has changed, except there is a different voice at times. Our culture is the same and the players know what it means to wear Tech Baseball across the chest."
 
Tech returns 8-of-9 everyday position players – including three 4-year starters – with the club featuring 15 newcomers on the roster.
 
"Our returners have done a fabulous job in leadership, getting our new players to buy into our culture." Walker said.
 
The biggest question mark for the Hustlin' Owls could be the pitching staff – having lost both right-hander Patrick Arman and lefty Cody Dubray to graduation. The duo were a mainstay in the rotation throughout their careers – Arman ending his career as the all-time wins leader, with he and Dubray finishing No. 1 and No. 2 on Tech's all-time strikeout list.
 
However, to Walker – the loss of their leaders can be flipped to a positive.
 
"Losing Pat and Cody is tough – they were in our rotation from the time our staff got here in 2021. Their career records speak for themselves and provided such leadership to our team. We had some growing pains through the fall, moving guys around and trying to fill that void that they left. But in a lot of ways, it gave our pitching staff an opportunity to grow and have had guys step up and say it is 'my time'."
 
Sophomore Isaac Hill looks to build off a great second half of the 2024 season and provide stability in the rotation. The right-hander finished the year with a 4-2 record and a 5.83 ERA – but provided three quality-start wins in his final three outings, including a key road victory at Bushnell – with the coaching staff looking for him to take the next step in 2025.
 
"One could argue, Isaac Hill was the best pitcher in the conference the last month of last season – his outings were phenomenal," Walker said. "I wish he could have gotten the ball in the conference tournament as he had grown so much as a pitcher and was at his strongest. This year, he is stronger than he's ever been – both physically and mentally."
 
Both Tim Williams and Landon Cheney will open the season in the Owls rotation, two right-handers with quality stuff. Williams pitched in leverage situations last season, finishing with a 3.96 ERA and a team-high five saves, while Cheney was 2-0 with an 11.20 ERA – ballooned by two tough outings. The pair will be called upon to eat up innings this year.
 
"Tim Williams was one of our key back-end relievers last year and wanted to get back to starting and take that ball and become a top-end of the rotation guy," Walker said of the senior. "We've always seen Landon Cheney as a guy who should be in the rotation. He's been a work in progress, but the way he competed in the fall and how he's looked in practice – he is right where we wanted him to be."
 
Transfer Carson Glavich will open the year in the rotation after spending two years at Chabot CC and a year at fellow NAIA school, Cumberland University. During his collegiate career, the left-hander averaged nearly a strikeout per inning pitched.
 
"Glavich gives us a lefty in the rotation like we had with Dubray," Walker said. "He fills up the zone and mixes up his speed well."
 
Walker is also excited for Bronson Chapple, the 2024 Cascade Conference Pitcher of the Year – who will return to the staff later this season. In 2024, the hard-throwing right-hander had one of the best seasons in program history, tying the school record with nine victories, while setting a new OIT mark with 83 strikeouts.
 
"Chapple is the x-factor," Walker said. "When we get him back – do we use him twice a week to close out a couple games, or do we move him to the rotation and move a someone to the back end? Either way, he makes us stronger as a staff."
 
Along with Chapple, Tech will turn to senior Riley Cronin and transfer Kaden Melzer in late-inning situations. Cronin is a dependable right-hander who thrives in leverage situations, picking up seven wins and seven saves with a 4.20 ERA over the past two season. Melzer, a righty from Centralia CC, is a power arm that posted 54 strikeouts in 61 innings during his college career.
 
"I love the back end of our bullpen," Walker said. "Melzer is a bulldog every time he takes the mound and Cronin is a guy who wants the ball in the ninth inning with the game on the line. With those two, plus Chapple – we have three guys who can go out and close a game."
 
With Williams and Cheney moving to the rotation and Ryan Poling graduating, the middle reliever and set-up man spots will look different in 2025.
 
Walker points to three returners who will have a shot to make an impact immediately – lefties Drake Aboud and Brian McClelland, along with right-hander Alex Rodriguez. Aboud posted a 2.84 ERA in 12.2 innings last season, while McClelland tied for the team lead with 18 appearances, going 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA. Rodriguez opened last year in the bullpen before injuries sidelined him for the rest of the year.
 
"Aboud, McClelland and Rodriguez are relentless competitors who fill up the zone and are not afraid to attack hitters," the skipper said. "They are reliable guys that will get us back into the dugout."
 
Transfers Noah Loew and Caleb Randolph will also get their shot – Loew, a power-arm from Spokane CC and Randolph, originally from Crater High, but started his college career at Division III Bethany Lutheran.
 
Three returning right-handers – Jalen Jagdeo and Jaden Domingsel, along with catcher-turned-pitcher Brady Culp – look to crack the bullpen rotation. The trio will be joined by three true freshmen – Ryker Altizer of Redmond High, Marcos Ulloa-Ford of Mazama High and Jace Elzy of North Valley High – to round out the staff.
 
The pitchers will have plenty of opportunities to start the year, as the Hustlin' Owls play seven games in seven days in California – beginning next Sunday at La Sierra. Sandwiched in the middle of the trip are three games against Hope International, the defending NAIA national champions.
 
"It's going to be a grind," Walker said of the California trip. "We scheduled the games vs. Hope International on purpose. We want to be challenged and know what it takes to be the best and have an opportunity Week 1 to go in and recognize what that looks like. But above all, we need to go down there and play Tech baseball."