Nearly every player on the 2023 The Dalles High state playoff baseball squad returned to Quinton Street Ballpark last week to begin practicing for the Hattenhauer Distributing-sponsored Columbia Gorge Hustlers American Legion team.
The Dalles High Riverhawks concluded the OSAA Class 4A baseball season with their first state playoff appearance in 10 years. The No. 7-ranked Riverhawks (18-10) won a May 23 first round home game, 7-3, over the Stayton High Eagles (16-7). Their season ended three days later with a, 4-0, road loss May 26 to the No. 2-ranked Gladstone High Gladiators (23-5) in the state quarterfinals.
Most of the players on the Hustlers’ summer league team last year — which had a 37-4 record — are also on this year’s squad.
The Hustlers’ AAA squad opens its 36-game schedule with a 2 p.m. June 10 season-opening doubleheader versus the Post 58 Crushers at Regis High School in Stayton. The Hustlers, guided by a coaching staff that includes Riverhawk head coach Pat Clark, Ken Brock, Chad Smith, and Ed Ortega, will face a familiar opponent in the opener. A majority of the Crushers players were members of the Stayton High team that The Dalles beat in the playoffs.
“It’s kind of funny how it worked out that we’re playing a Stayton team again,” said Clark, in his second year as a Hustlers’ coach. “My good friend, Kyle Baker, who is the Regis High Rams baseball coach, is the coach of the Crushers. I really wanted to get them on our schedule. We’re excited about this year’s team, and we created a lot of momentum with the success that we had last summer. It was very positive and obviously we’re hoping to recreate that this year.”
For the first time in recent years, the Hustlers are tentatively scheduled to have both a single A team and triple A squad. That depends on how many players participate in tryouts; the goal is 30. Clark will guide the A team that will include younger players. Smith, who was a Dufur High Rangers assistant baseball coach in 2022, will be head coach of the AAA squad that consists of older players.
“As much as I love the group that will be on the triple A team and it’s fun to be with them, it really makes more sense for me to take the group of kids who will be on The Dalles High School team next year,” Clark said. “Our goal is to keep the younger kids on the single A team. A few of them will be on the triple A team. The idea of having two teams is that it will provide the younger kids with more opportunity for playing time and development. Last year was fun, but we had a lot of younger kids that didn’t get to play as much as they would’ve liked to.”
Players who will compete on the Hustlers include 2023 The Dalles High graduated seniors Diego Gonzalez, Braden Schwartz, Manatu Crichton-Tunai, Riley Brock, and Nathan Hedges. Carson Smith and Gabe Petroff, who were 2022 Dufur High graduates and played on the Hustlers last summer, will also be on the team this year.
“We’ve put together a schedule that includes some pretty tough teams, so I’m not sure if we’re going to be having as good of a record as we had last summer,” said Clark.
Key players who will also provide the Hustlers with a strong squad include seniors-to-be Nolan Donivan, Cooper Klindt and Sam Shaver. Incoming juniors who will also play on the team include Trey Hodges, Will Booth, Finley Corbin, Emerson Traub, Avery Schwartz, Cody Agidius, and Sterling Coburn.
Following Saturday’s opener, the Hustlers will play a 6 p.m. contest June 12 versus the Sherwood Lobos at Sherwood High School. The Hustlers’ home opener is June 13 at 6 p.m. versus Gorge rival Hood River. The Hustlers then travel to Glencoe High School in Hillsboro for a 6 p.m. contest versus the Baseballism White Sox.
The single A team begins a 25-game schedule with the season opener June 14 at 6 p.m. at Sherwood. The A squad will play six road games before its home opener on June 25 at Quinton Street Ballpark.
The AAA Hustlers will conclude the season at the state tournament, July 21-23, in Eugene. The Single A state tournament will be July 18-20 at Redmond High School.
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