School: Thurston High School
City and State: Springfield OR
Head Coach
Dennis Minium
Assistant Coaches
Brandon Benedick. Jim Rise. Cason Cunningham. Chase Elliott. Tony Corgain. Joe Burke. Matt Hubbs (JV head coach). Glen Macdonald (JV assistant). Matt Wolf (JV assistant)
Who are some key returning players for the team and what do you hope to see from each of them this year?
Maddox Molony (SR. SS/RHP) to be the leader of our team.
Easton McDonald (SR. 2B) to continue playing great defense and be consistent at the plate.
Eli Crist (JR. 1B/3B/RHP) To be our go to reliever and be the big middle of the order bat.
Adam Elliott (JR. CF) play a great CF and continue being that great 2 hitter and team player.
Braden Corgain (SO. C) to step up this year at the plate and continue leading our pitching staff behind the plate.
Connor Molony (SO. 3B/RHP) to be in our starting rotation, along with being a middle of the order bat.
Kyle Miller (SO. OF/RHP) to build on his off-season work and earn a starting outfield spot and get time on the mound.
Collin Hernandez (SO. LHP/1B) to be a key piece to pitching rotation and build off his successful freshman year on the mound. *the 4 sophomores all played varsity baseball as freshman*
Who are some key underclassmen that are moving up in the program and can make an impact? What do you hope to see from each of them this year?
Grady Saunders (FR. RHP/Utility) for him to have a productive season on the mound, and playing multiple positions
What areas will you be focusing on early in the season?
Early in the season we will be focusing on fundamentals, defense situations, making sure arms are ready for the season and situational hitting. These are things that we continue to work on as the season goes on and adjust based off of what we see we need to work on a daily basis.
What are the expectations and goals for the team in 2023?
To compete to the best of our ability and don’t beat ourselves. Just like every year we want to put ourselves in a situation to compete for a league title and a state title. We have put together a tough non-league schedule which includes a trip to Arizona to play in the Coach Bob Invitational