New and old help Roseburg baseball to 6-5 season-opening win over Ida B. Wells
A mixture of old and new has the Roseburg High School baseball team hopeful for something special in the spring of 2025.
Returning all-conference selections Jake Johnson and Dane St. Clair played big roles in Friday’s 6-5 season-opening win against Ida B. Wells at Bill Gray Legion Stadium at Champion Car Wash Field, but so did newcomers Luke and Cal Robbins, Fletcher Coleman, AJ Black and Danner Wertz.
“We’re a little young, but the young guys played well today and if they keep doing their thing and the older guys step up and help them out a little bit I think the ceiling’s pretty high,” Johnson said after earning his first win of the season on the mound.
Johnson — a two-time all-conference selection — pitched five innings, allowing five runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and two walks. St. Clair finished the game with two perfect innings to earn his first save. The seniors will be called upon to get everyone on the same page as the season gets underway.
St. Clair said the younger players are doing great after two weeks of practice and he “wasn’t really surprised because at practice they’re working their butts off.”
The new pieces made an immediate impact for the Indians. Cal Robbins scored the game-winning run in the fifth inning after hitting a double to lead off the frame. He was driven home on a single by older brother Luke Robbins, who was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.
While the Robbins are new names on the roster this season, they’re far from inexperienced. Cal was a first-team All-Far West League selection for the Douglas Trojans as a freshman last season and Luke, who spent his freshman year at RHS, was a second-team pick. They helped the Trojans earn the Far West League title and the No. 1 seed for the 2024 Class 3A playoffs.
Coleman, Black and Wertz also made their presences felt as they made their debuts for Roseburg. Sophomores Black and Coleman produced a run in the second when Black tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Coleman. Wertz, a freshman, was 1-for-3 in his first high school contest.
“Feels like there are a lot of moving parts and a lot of pieces that have to come together,” said RHS coach Troy Thompson, who begins his 23rd season leading the Indians. “A lot of pieces to the puzzle here and hopefully we can get on the field and see them on the field against some very good competition.”
One area that Thompson feels good about is up the middle, where the Indians have experience. St. Clair, a first-team all-conference selection, will man center field. Senior Kaden Austin and junior Paxton Burke will anchor the infield at second base and shortstop, respectively.
Thompson has options at catcher with Luke Robbins and junior Amos Bowers the primary options, but also Cal Robbins and Burke are available to suit up behind the plate.
“To have catchers that have options back there is certainly a nice option for sure,” Thompson said.
With spring break here, Roseburg will get to dive head first into the season with four games over a three-day span and the competition will be fierce.
The Indians host Clackamas, a team that reached the quarterfinals last season, at noon on Monday. McMinnville, the No. 10-ranked team in the OSAA 6A preseason coaches’ poll, travels to Champion Car Wash Field for a doubleheader starting at noon Tuesday. The spring break schedule wraps up with No. 3 South Salem at noon Wednesday.
Wells 101 210 0 — 5 8 1
Roseburg 212 010 X — 6 8 0
Robinson, Zimmer (2), Hammer (4) and Roletto; Johnson, St. Clair (6) and L. Robbins. W — Johnson (1-0). L — Hammer (0-1). SV — St. Clair (1). 2B — Burrell (W), C. Robbins (R). 3B — Griffin (W), Roletto (W), Black (R).
