Drifters Debrief: Week 11
Jack Klee pitching for the Chemeketa Storm
Written by Henry Light
Three incoming Drifters dazzled on the mound last Thursday in Hayesville, with a pitcher duel between future teammates Griffin Scott and Jack Klee in Game 1 and a strong outing by Lucas Geren in Game 2 of a doubleheader between the Chemeketa Storm and the Lane Titans. In the front end of the NWAC doubleheader, Scott struck out five batters across six scoreless innings for the visiting Titans, stealing the win from Klee, who allowed one run across seven innings while striking out three for the Storm. Later that day, Geren started the second game for Lane, allowing three runs across 5.1 innings while fanning four batters.
On Saturday in Eugene, two former Drifters helped Oregon salvage an extra-innings win over Penn State. Toby Twist (23’) took the mound in the seventh inning with the Ducks trailing 4-2, and provided 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball, while striking out five of the eight Nittany Lion batters he faced. Later, with the bases loaded in the 10th inning, Jack Brooks (25’) drew a walk-off walk to help the Ducks eventually sweep the series.
2024 Drifters teammates Ely Kennel and Andrew Gauna (24’ & 25’) provided power for Linfield and San Diego, respectively. Kennel hit his fifth home run of the season on Sunday against Puget Sound while going 4-for-13 with six RBIs in the series. On the same day, Gauna clubbed his sixth home run of the season during a 4-for-12 weekend at the plate with three RBIs.
Two former Drifters executed their roles at the top of their teams’ orders perfectly. Mac Moyer (22’) brought his season batting average to .393 with a 5-for-14 series against Illinois, scoring four runs as Nebraska’s leadoff hitter in the process. Cesar Chavez (25’) went 5-for-17 with two RBIs and two walks, while scoring two runs and hitting second for Cal State Los Angeles.
Drifters’ freshman alumni Nigel Fahland (25’) and Nick Gimino (25’) both had excellent weekends in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. Fahland went 5-for-15 with four RBIs and three runs for Bushnell, while Gimino went 8-for-16 with five RBIs for Oregon Tech. Gimino’s weekend included a monstrous 4-for-5, three RBI game on Sunday for the Owls in their walk-off win against College of Idaho to clinch the #5 seed in the CCC tournament.
Elsewhere in the box, Dawson Santana (23’) put together an 8-for-15 weekend and scored three runs for San Diego State, while incoming Drifter Zac Daigre went 7-for-9 with an RBI and two runs for Rice.
Back on the mound, 2025 teammates Diego Chavez (22’ & 25’) and Sonny Pena found success. Chavez put together one of his best starts of the season for William Jessup, tossing seven innings and striking out three Point Loma batters while surrendering just two hits and one earned run. Pena made an encouraging return to the bump after a couple of weeks between appearances for Cal State Monterey, cruising through a scoreless inning against Chico State.
It was an exciting weekend for the Drifters’ 2026 roster, especially for the pitchers. Soon after signing with the Drifters, Luis Pable Navarro gave Tulane 4.1 scoreless innings in relief, striking out six batters in the process. Jayden Lucas and Kaden Harris also put together multi-inning relief appearances, with Lucas tossing two scoreless innings for Umpqua Community College and Harris striking out six Dakota Wesleyan batters in 4.1 innings for Mount Marty University.
You can view the full list of Drifters alumni currently playing college baseball on the alumni and records page here.
The Springfield Drifters begin their fifth season of West Coast League baseball on May 29, with their first home game scheduled for June 2. You can view the full schedule here. Season tickets are now on sale at driftersbaseball.com with single-game tickets available here.