ROSEBURG – The American Legion Class A baseball state tournament gets underway Wednesday morning from North Marion High School in Aurora, Oregon. The Pepsi Bottlecaps and Umpqua Lions will both represent the Umpqua Valley in the eight-team, double-elimination bracket.
For Pepsi, this has become an annual tradition. The Bottlecaps have made the state tournament for six straight seasons and nine out of the last 10 years. Head coach Justin O’Byrne was a guest on Off The Wall on Monday and said no matter what preseason expectations may be, the Bottlecaps have always set a goal of making the state tournament.
“Since 2008 we’ve always set a goal, as a coaching staff and our kids, to compete for that North title, win 20-plus, and that’s exactly what our kids have done,” said O’Byrne. “Whether we’re young or we have a season droop, those expectations have pretty much been the same every summer.”
The Pepsi Bottlecaps will face the South Medford Colts to open the tournament Wednesday afternoon. The Colts won 5-0 against the Bottlecaps at Legion Field back on July 1. The score was tight until the later innings, when South Medford broke the game open. First pitch between Pepsi and South Medford is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The Umpqua Lions snuck into the state tournament at the tail end of the year. The Lions reached the tournament a year ago, but head coach Noah Miller says that his team doesn’t have many guys back from that squad.
Miller was also a guest on Off The Wall on Monday and said that the inexperience for his players could lead to some early jitters.
“You can tell that they’re a little nervous. I only have five guys back from last year’s state tournament team, so we’re fairly young and new to this experience,” Miller explained. “I imagine that if we can get through that first inning and that first game, we’ll settle in.”
Umpqua takes on the host team, North Willamette Valley, to begin the tournament. The Lions take the field at 8 p.m. Wednesday night.
If the Lions and Bottlecaps both win or lose, they’ll face off in the next round on Thursday. Find the tournament schedule and score updates HERE.
