Drifters Debrief: Week 14
Zac Daigre hitting for Rice this spring
By Dillon Zamperin
Springfield — Incoming Drifter Zac Daigre had one of the best weekends of his college career, going 7-for-15 at the plate for Rice, helping the Owls sweep Tulane. Daigre found nearly every way to get on base, even getting hit by a pitch. His two RBIs and three runs scored were instrumental in the victories and helped raise his batting average to .394 on the year. Daigre and Rice will now prepare for the American Conference Baseball Championship this weekend after finishing third in the conference during the regular season.
At Lane Community College, future Drifter pitchers Griffin Scott and Lucas Geren helped the Titans sweep Bellevue College in the NWAC Super Regional to advance to the NWAC Championships in Longview, Washington. Scott started the first game on Friday and was lights out. He pitched seven innings, allowing just two runs, while striking out four. In the win, he boosted his season record to 8-3, and his ERA now sits at 2.14. The next day, Geren came in and dominated as well. He allowed one run in six innings and also struck out four. His record also stands at 8-3, and his ERA is down to 2.45. Both aces will be fantastic additions to the pitching staff over the summer for the Drifters.
Longtime and returning Drifter Nolan Miller had an eventful weekend for the Portland Pilots. Despite only taking two pinch-hit at-bats, Miller was as productive as can be, recording two hits in both at-bats. He also helped bring in two runs and lifted the Pilots over the University of Pacific in both games. The Pilots will look ahead to the WCC Tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona, this week.
Another returning Drifter, Michael Klein, had a strong weekend for Rogers State University. Across three games on the mound, Klein threw five innings, allowing just three hits and no earned runs. In his first game, he recorded the win, pitching three innings. In his second appearance, he recorded a save on just six pitches. During the series finale, Klein struck out three batters, closing out a dominant weekend for the left-hander.
Many Drifters alumni were phenomenal this weekend, but none were as good as Ben Newton (23’) of the Lansing Lugnuts, the Athletics High A Affiliate. In Newton’s first two games back from being placed on the Development List, he went 2-for-4 with one triple and four walks. Newton being healthy and playing is a great sign as he looks to move up the A’s system and get back to AAA, where he finished last season.
At the Single A level, Bobby Blandford (23’) put on a show in his last four games. Blandford hit two home runs and one double as part of his eight-hit parade for the A’s Class-A affiliate, Stockton Ports. He also drove in eight runs for the Ports, helping Stockton win their 16th game. Blandford is now hitting .288 in May with a .588 slugging percentage and 15 RBIs.
Eugene Emeralds pitcher Hunter Dryden (22’ & 23’) was a force to be reckoned with Friday night. In four innings, Dryden allowed no earned runs and struck out four batters, helping him record his first-career save at the professional level. Dryden, who is in his second season in the San Francisco Giants organization, improved his season ERA to 2.73, one of the best in the Northwest League.
Other notable performances include former Drifters Mac Moyer (22’) and Gage Bruce (23’ & 24’) having big weekends for Nebraska and Portland, respectively. Moyer helped Nebraska sweep Minnesota, going 3-for-7 over the weekend with one home run and four RBIs. Bruce also belted a home run, going 2-for-4, with three runs scored and two RBIs for the Pilots in their series win over Pacific.
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.