By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

MEDFORD, Ore.–  It was a hot day at Harry and David Field in South Medford Friday afternoon

Baseball Northwest brings in the best baseball players from the area.  From Oregon, Washington and Idaho to battle it out for the title of the best in the NW in front of college coaches and scouts.  It’s also the finish to the summer season, especially in a year where many of the student-athlete’s players didn’t have a chance to showcase what they had over the Spring and Summer properly.

“It’s good competition, it’s best-of-the-best.  I think I had a pretty good day, I didn’t try too much.  I did struggle with balls here-and-there but otherwise it’s great competition,” said Sprague’s Jackson Muth.  “It’s good because I haven’t thrown too much the past couple of weeks, it’s nice to know what I’ve done all Summer it’s the reward for all that.”

Muth was initially scheduled for a relief appearance Sunday for the Oregon State 2021 Orange team, but got the starting nod for the squad against the Oregon Metro 2021 squad on Friday.  Going three innings, striking out one before handing off to Crescent Valley’s Jackson Van Eyk.

Mountain Valley Conference opposition in South Salem’s Danny Alvarado was also on Muth’s squad.  Initially starting off as a DH, being hit by a pitch as he worked in two innings of the six inning game at first-base; following the footsteps of older brother Sean in playing in the games coming off of playing with the Nationally-ranked D-Backs Elite National Makki out of Michigan over the Summer.

 “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play with those players.  Even you’re not playing, there’s so much you can learn from guys of that caliber and just being a student of the game and just being in there was probably my biggest take away,” Alvarado said of the opportunity. 

“To be able to learn even when I’m not getting reps in the moment, just taking the small things.  The coaching staff was phenomenal and being around a bunch of guys that want to make you better and what not, it’s just great all the time,”

Alvarado went 0-1 on the day, striking out in his second at-bat as the Oregon State squad fell to the Metro squad 10-4 to start the four-day showcase in Southern Oregon that will go through Monday.  Getting the exposure and quality reps moving into Fall Ball and hopefully into a Spring season this upcoming April and May.

“It’s just a good experience just because of the talent that is brought here and the amount of exposure that you’d get from it,” said Alvarado.  “Just being able to play in front of coaches that you haven’t been able to play in front of this Summer.  Just getting out here and a great opportunity all around.”

“Just throwing strikes and throwing against great competition, the best-of-the-best,” said Muth moving into Fall Ball.  “Iron sharpens Iron is what we say so this is a perfect place to do that.”

Photos By Jeremy McDonald