UCC Baseball Preview: Riverhawks look to build off of best season with mix of vets and talented freshmen

The Umpqua Community College Riverhawks baseball team got a taste in 2025 and the program is hungry for more.

The Riverhawks reached a number of program milestones last season. UCC earned a berth in the Northwest Athletic Conference championship tournament for the first time and secured its first tournament victory while making a run to the semifinals before bowing out with a 7-5 extra-innings loss to eventual champion Linn-Benton.

Now a large group of returning players will look to help Umpqua take the next step in the program’s progression.

“They understand what it takes,” second-year head coach Jake Whisler said ahead of UCC’s season-opening weekend series against the Big Bend Vikings Saturday and Sunday at Champion Car Wash Field in Roseburg.

“Getting there was definitely a grind,” sophomore catcher Jeremiah Robbins said. “Last season was a lot of ups and downs, but when we did really put in the work and got to that spot, it was really rewarding.”

Robbins is one of 10 sophomores on the Riverhawks’ roster in 2026, eight of which were regular contributors in last year’s deep playoff run. It’s that veteran group that Whisler thinks can help set the expectations for the most talented recruiting class that the program has brought to the Umpqua Basin.

“It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of sacrifice. It’s a lot of leaning on each other and I think that’s what the sophomore group’s really bringing that we haven’t had before,” Whisler said. “They’re willing to help their teammates and move them in the right direction.”

“We’ve got a couple of third-year guys who have been through a lot. The sophomores returning, we know what it takes. We’ve really taken them (the freshmen) under our wings and got them acclimated to Riverhawks baseball and they’re grinding. It’s a good group of guys,” Robbins said.

The Riverhawks bring back most of their experience in the field. Robbins and Porter Strother combined for a significant number of innings behind the plate last year. Tristan Schaefer won an ABCA Gold Glove as UCC’s everyday centerfielder and Jackson Thomsen was a staple at second base. Trevor Ratliff and Aiden Metzker also saw opportunities on the infield as freshmen.

Schaefer and Thomsen ended last season as some of the top hitters for UCC. Schaefer led the Riverhawks in hits (53), RBIs (26) and stolen bases (23) and was second on the team in batting average (.279). Thomsen hit .256 in 42 games, with 17 RBIs.

Thomsen said he’s seen growth from the returners during the off season and explained that “physically, it’s a lot easier for us sophomores to come back this year and mentally, too.”

Freshman Taylor Davis will join the infield as the expected starter at shortshop. The Snoqualmie, Washington, native hit .367 as a senior at Mount Si High School, but talked about the adjustment to playing college baseball.

“Every little thing matters now. You can’t really get away with anything, especially base running. All the small bunts, things like that. You can’t get away with that stuff,” Davis said.

Whisler believes he’s got depth in the outfield and said there’s a lot of freshmen that will get opportunities to play alongside Schaefer. The Riverhawks will feature a number of fast, left-handed bats that are very good defenders, according to Whisler.

“It’s probably the most dynamic outfield group that we’ve had,” Whisler added.

The biggest question mark will be on the mound, where Umpqua saw six sophomores graduate from the program. That group tossed 83% of the innings thrown for UCC last season.

Tristan Ledbetter and Camden Hartsell, a couple of local products, will be the most experienced returning arms. The pair combined to throw 37 2/3 innings over 13 appearances last year.

Josh Jackson is another veteran arm that will be in the mix after missing last season. The Eagle Point High School graduate pitched in seven games for the Riverhawks in 2024.

Teammates and coaches have heaped praise on the trio of experienced throwers, but it will be the incoming freshmen who will be asked to shoulder much of the load this year.

“It’s pretty exciting to be able to have some talented freshmen that we have this year, to kind of throw them into the fire and see how it goes,” Whisler said. “We really like our group on the mound. Very talented. A lot of strike throwers and you know a couple of the guys that are back with us this year. They got some real time last year, so we’re excited about that.”

A good defense can help a pitcher feel more comfortable on the mound and freshman Beau Ramsey said he’s got complete faith in the guys behind him.

“I can trust them with anything. The infield, I see them diving everywhere. Same with the outfield, they’re just throwing their body on the line to catch every ball and as a pitcher that’s obviously one thing that you really want because you can trust that they’ll make a play,” Ramsey, a Middleton, Idaho, native, said.

UCC has continued to see the program develop. Thomsen said this year’s squad needs to “keep good energy, good focus throughout the year,” if the team hopes to reach even greater heights than last season.

Whisler said this year’s motto is E.A.T., which stands for effort, attitude and teammate. The Riverhawks are looking to take that to heart and feast on the NWAC this season.

Watch Umpqua Riverhawks baseball games this spring on the Riverhawks TV YouTube channel.