Lakeridge baseball ready to defend TRL title

The Pacers have elite pitching, three D1 commits and a desire to win again in 2023.

Team: Lakeridge baseball

Coach: Ray Pearson

Team Leaders: Senior pitcher/first baseman Paul Wilson (the reigning Pitcher of the Year in the Three Rivers League, a first-team all-state pick last spring and an Oregon State commit), senior shortstop Dawson Santana (a first-team all-league and all-state selection a year ago, and an Oregon State commit) and senior pitcher Erik Hoffberg (a Gonzaga commit).

Wilson has “always been very down to earth,” said Lakeridge coach Ray Pearson, whose team won the 2022 TRL crown and advanced to the Class 6A state semifinals. “He’s super grounded, loves playing the game of baseball … whether he’s pitching, hitting or playing defense at first. He is someone who is a great role model for all of our younger kids, regardless of what position they play.”

Santana, Pearson said, is “off to a great start. He’s already hitting well over .400, actually closer to .500.”

The Lineup: Pitchers — Starters Wilson, Hoffberg and senior Luke Brooks, and relievers senior Jack Ulwelling, sophomore Charlie Petersen, sophomore Lukas McLeroy. Catcher — Senior Cameron Masters-Doble, senior catcher Carsten Lowe. First base — Wilson, sophomore Ty Truong. Second base — Sophomore Jake Kotansky, freshman Jaden Tragesser, sophomore Porter Bayne. Shortstop — Santana. Third base — Sophomore Jack Barss, senior Jake Steinberg, Ulwelling. Left field — Brooks, Tragesser. Center field — Senior Tristan Seber. Right field — senior Jackson Martin.

Outlook: “We’re excited. We’re looking forward to it,” Pearson said of the coming TRL race. “We’re just going to take it day-by-day and try to get better. We’re going to be playing a lot of younger kids and that should bode well for us not only this year, but I think it’s going to great for the future.”

League Race: “I think the Three Rivers is gonna probably be the toughest it’s been a decade, and I’ve been around it for that long,” Pearson said. “It looks like there’s nine Division 1 pitchers, either committed or verbal.

“Lake Oswego is off to an incredible start, and then it’s all the usual suspects — Lake Oswego, Tualatin and West Linn.”

See the West Linn team preview by clicking here.

See the Lake Oswego team preview by clicking here.

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