By Ray Hamill — Believe it or not, the local baseball season begins this weekend.

On Friday, College of the Redwoods will get the new season started at Mendocino College, traveling to Ukiah for a three-game weekend series.

The CR men will then return to the North Coast to play their home openers the following weekend against Hartnell, with those games set to take place at Bomber Field across from the Redwood Acres.

This weekend’s action gets under way with a single game on Friday at 1 p.m., followed by a Saturday doubleheader with first pitch set for 11 a.m.

And second-year CR head coach John Downey is excited about his team’s chance this year after a strong showing by Redwoods in the fall.

“I think we’re pretty well rounded,” he said. “We had a really good fall.”

Downey has a sizable roster of 34 players, including returning team ace Drew Franklin, who will get the start on the hill for Friday’s season opener.

Franklin, a 2024 Fortuna graduate, was the second most used pitcher on the staff last season with 14 appearances and 58.1 innings, finishing with three wins, including a one-hit complete-game victory at Butte.

“He kind of developed into our ace last year,” Downey said. “So it only makes sense he’s picked up where he left off.”

Former McKinleyville Panther and 2024 Humboldt Sports Player of the Year Evan Fraser will get the start in game two.

Fraser, who was also the Big 5 MVP as s high school senior, appears poised for a big spring on the mound.

“Evan had a really amazing fall,” Downey said of the former Panther, who committed to play for Hawaii Hilo out of high school before returning to the area before last season. “He really took it serious in the summer and has really developed into a leader.”

Downey believes the pitchers will benefit from the addition of a new pitching coach, Konrad Kisch, who joined the staff in the summer.

“He’s really helped us as far as revitalizing the program pitching wise,” the CR head coach said.

Offensively, Downey is not expecting the same power at the plate the team showed last year when CR led the Golden Valley Conference in home runs.

This year he expects to see a more balanced approach.

“The difference between this year and last year is last year we did some good things hitting wise and led the conference in home runs,” the coach said. “This year is going to be all about execution. We have a lot of speed and a lot of youth, and this group is really good fundamentally.

“We want to be a team that goes out there and pushes the envelope as far making teams make plays defensively.”

Downey believes he has a lot of players who can contribute at the plate, a group that includes returning sophomore Tyson Bragg, another former McKinleyville Panther who enjoyed some good success in high school.

Bragg will switch from right field to center field this spring and will be the team’s No. 2 or 3 hitter.

Another sophomore outfielder, Hunter Stockinger out of Oregon, is also expected to make some noise at the plate, as is Tristen Valenzuela, a two-way player who will get the start on the mound for game three of this weekend’s series.

A Division-11 transfer, Ryan Naillon, will play catcher and see some time on the mound and is also expected to have an immediate impact with the team, along with Kamole Gilliland, a Hawaii native who will play third base and is a “solid hitter,” according to the coach.

“He has a really good bat and a really good glove,” Downey said of Gilliland. 

And they’re not the only players Downey is excited about.

“We’re deep across the board,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that can play winning baseball.

“It’s a really connected group. These guys, they just love each other, and they want to see each other succeed. They’re going to compete.”

Other local players on this year’s team include former Eureka Loggers Alex Jimenez and Robert Williams, Arcata’s Finn Warner and Del Norte’s Anthony Cardenas and Saxon Taylor.

Also joining the coaching staff this year is former Eureka High,  Redwoods and Humboldt Crabs player Parker Rodgers.

“He’s been amazing, a great addition,” Downey said of Rodgers, who will work with the team’s catchers and hitters.

Last season, CR finished 12-22 overall and 9-16 in the GVC.