Thompson Sticking With Beavs
The number one prep baseball prospect in the state, according to Baseball Northwest, will forego a contract with the Chicago Cubs and instead stick with his previous commitment to be an Oregon State Beaver.
Jake Thompson signed a National Letter of Intent last fall to play baseball for the Pac-12 champion Beavers. The 6’2”, 205 pound right hander was selected by the Cubs in the 34th round of the MLB draft last month, at the same time he was receiving his diploma at Siuslaw High School in Florence.
That’s when the dilemma arose. Would he immediately pursue his dream of pursing a career in the big leagues? Or wait and get more experience under the tutelage of two-time NCAA national champion coach Pat Casey.
Thompson said he was grateful for the chance afforded by the Cubs organization, but opted to stay with the Beavers, signing off on an informal agreement Wednesday that gave Chicago the ok to pursue him again in three years when he becomes eligible once again for the draft.
In his senior year with the 4A Far West League Champion Vikings Thompson was 7-2 with one no-decision and faced 250 batters over 63 innings. He struck out 105; walked 38; and allowed only 21 hits while maintaining an ERA of .88. Thompson also ended the season with a .349 batting average with 18 RBI, 21 runs scored and was 11-of-11 for stolen bases.
In the Northwest League…
The number one draft pick in the San Diego Padres organization… former Mississippi State outfielder Hunter Renfroe… made his pro debut last night at PK Park and helped the Eugene Emeralds snap a three-game losing streak.
Renfroe was two-for-four with a double and a walk and the Ems got by the Everett Aquasox 6-3 to even the five game series at one game each… the two teams meet again nightly through Sunday.
American Legion Ball
The Sandblasters have plenty of baseball on the schedule this weekend… all against the same opponent. They’ll start off with a double header at home tomorrow at noon against the Canyon Crushers, then follow that with a single game against Canyon again Sunday at noon. All three games will air on Coast Radio Sports with the pregame shows on Saturday and Sunday going on the air at 11:45.