UPDATE: FRIDAY’S GAMES HAVE BEEN RAINED OUT AND THE TWO TEAMS WILL NOW PLAY A DOUBLEHEADER ON SATURDAY, STARTING AT NOON.

By Ray Hamill — Baseball returns to the North Coast on Friday as College of the Redwoods welcomes De Anza to Eureka for a three-game series.

The two teams will play twice on Friday, with game one at noon, and once more on Saturday, also at noon, with all three games taking place at Bomber Field in Eureka.

The Redwoods men are 1-5 on the season, including three close losses at Mendocino, and head coach Andrew Aiello is hoping they can start to build some momentum this weekend.

“It’s been kind of up and down at times, but that’s kind of to be expected at the beginning of the season and with some new guys coming in,” he said. “But there’s definitely been some high points, especially our returning pitchers. They’ve done well and we were competitive in all of our games against Mendocino.”

Back to lead the way on the mound are sophomores Christian Katnik and Shadd Jones.

Jones pitched a complete-game seven-hit shutout in a 7-0 win over San Francisco last weekend, while Katnik has been effective out of the bullpen.

“He was carving guys up and really attacking the zone and he set the tempo we were looking for,” Aiello said of Katnik.

The left-handed Katnik will get a start in one of the three games this weekend.

This year’s roster also features several local players, including starting catcher Parker Rodgers.

The former Eureka Logger transferred back to the area after a stint at Butte College and the CR coach is happy to have him on board.

“Parker’s a good kid and he was looking for an opportunity he wasn’t going to get at Butte,” Aiello said. “He’s definitely a solid guy for us behind the dish and he can definitely hit. He’s very smart.”

Jeran Ford, who played a key role on the St. Bernard’s NorCal championship team a year ago, also has joined the Corsairs and is having an immediate impact.

The former Crusader hit a home run in the win over San Francisco.

“He’s another great kid, who’s pretty talented and has some pop,” Aiello said. 

Parker’s former Eureka teammate Richard Reeves also is expected to play a key role on this year’s team.

The second baseman is out injured right now but will be counted on to provide a reliable glove in the middle infield when he returns.

“He’s a kid that any coach would love to have,” Aiello said. “He’s super coachable and he puts the ball in play.”

Three former Fortuna Huskies also will play a key role this spring, including Joey Quen, Regan Nyberg and Cody Sauers, as will former McKinleyville Panther Logan Maher and a third former Eureka Logger, Conner Johnson.

Aiello and his staff — Brian Barreto, Kokko Figueiredo and Hokem Sadon — are trying to instill the right mindset in their players and within the program, something they feel will lead to success.

“We’re still focused on culture and fundamentals,” Aiello said. “Changing our habits to create success, that’s our focus. We’re focused on trying to develop these guys, so that they’ll be ready for the next level.”

And the second-year head coach is hoping to see continued improvement this weekend.

“I want us to be competitive. I want us to do the little things the right way,” he said. “Kind of being locked in at all times. Whether we’re up by 10 or down by 10, we want to compete on every pitch.”

He’s also looking forward to playing at home after two weeks of travel.

“Hopefully we can come out and put on the best show we can,” he added. “We just want to represent our school, our community and our program.”

De Anza is 2-2.

The Corsairs will play four of their next five series at home, including a three-game stand against Napa Valley next Thursday and Friday.