Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Lyle McKinnon will play for this summer’s Humboldt Eagles 19U team.

By Ray Hamill — The Humboldt Eagles 19Us are gearing up for a busy summer and will kickstart their campaign with an always challenging trip to the Arcata Ball Park to play the Humboldt Crabs on Wednesday night.

As usual, this year’s Eagles team will feature some of the best young high school and college talent from around Humboldt and Del Norte counties with an all-star roster that includes players from six different H-DNL programs.

This year’s team also sees the addition of longtime local baseball coach Scott St. John, who returns to the dugout for the summer season.

And the new coach likes the players he has available, especially the pitching staff.

“You know, I feel like we had pretty much the cream of the crop from the county at our tryouts,” St. John said. “For the most part, we’ve got a good group of 19-year-olds.”

This year’s roster features five collegiate players, along with nine high school standouts, and St. John is hoping to add a couple of more players to round out the team.

But the experienced coach, who has also enjoyed successful stints at McKinleyville High School and with the Humboldt B52s, believes this is a group that can go out and compete.

“I think we’re going to be pretty balanced, and I like the pitchers we have,” he said.

The staff includes former Hoopa Warrior Lyle McKinnon, who appeared in 11 games for the Shasta Knights this spring.

“He’s going to be real important for us,” St. John said of the former Hoopa star, who was one of the top pitchers in the Little 4 during his time as a Warrior.

Eureka High junior Ryder Mitchell, St. Bernard’s senior Michael Manzi and McKinleyville junior Joe Tanno also will see plenty of time on the mound, and each of them will be expected to play big roles for the summer Legion team after impressive springs for all three on the local high school fields.

Tate Saso

Ryder Mitchell

“Those are three of the best pitchers in the H-DNL,” the new Eagles coach said. “I thought all three of those guys pitched really well (this spring), and I think our pitching is going to be good.”

Another McKinleyville standout, Tate Saso, is also on the summer roster after an MVP caliber spring both at the plate and on the hill on a Panthers team that took home Big 5 and Charles Lakin Tournament championships.

So too is Mack High’s Rhythm Green, who also enjoyed an impressive spring on the mound, as well as McKinleyville catcher Jake Brunner, who played a pivotal role behind the plate all season long for the conference champs.

Eureka senior Garrett Levitt, who signed his letter of intent to play for College of the Redwoods this week, is also expected to have a big summer in the lead-off spot and “is going to be a big part of what we do,” according to St. John.

One player who is making a return to the diamond this summer is former Little 4 MVP Parker Prior.

The college freshman did not play this spring, but he was a force for the Ferndale Wildcats on their march to a conference and North Coast Section double championship as a junior in 2024.

Jake Brunner

Joe Tanno

“We’re hoping to see him shake off the rust,” St. John said. “And I think he’s going to help us out a lot.”

Former Eureka Logger Alex Jimenez, who plays for CR, and former Del Norte Warrior Aidan Rice, who plays with McKinnon at Shasta, both also are on this year’s roster and will bring some valuable experience to the lineup.

“We’ve got some representation from the whole county,” St. John said.

Eureka junior Nolan Neff and former Del Norte Warrior Anthony Cardenas, who now plays at East Los Angeles College, round out the roster and both of those players will also see plenty of game time.

St. John is hoping to add at least two more players, but he is still waiting on confirmation.

Whether he does or not, however, he believes he has plenty of talent at his disposal.

But the summer season is about far more than winning games.

Michael Manzi

“First and foremost, we want to be competitive with everybody we play,” he said. “And we want to develop these kids and try to help them get to where they want to go.”

St. John will be joined in the dugout by assistant coaches Cameron Saso, Sean Brantley and Kenton Johnson.

As usual, Wednesday’s game at the Arcata Ball Park will be a tough challenge for the young Eagles, who will be going up against more experienced Division-1 players, but it’s a challenge they’re embracing.

“The goal is to be competitive and be in the game,” St. John said. “That’s what we told the guys, go out there and compete. We’ve got nothing to lose.”

First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

The Eagles’ schedule also includes a trip to the Fairfield tournament over July Fourth, as well as a trip to the Petaluma tournament on June 18, both of which are always competitive.

The Eagles will also host their own annual tournament, beginning on July 9.

Parker Prior

Rhythm Green