MaxPreps Oregon Team of the Week: Dufur baseball

For a small school of less than 100 students, the baseball team at Dufur High sure puts up some big and impressive numbers.

Off to a 7-1 start, the Rangers have scored 86 runs, hit .362 and piled up 83 hits, 19 for extra bases. They've also stolen 23 bases.

On top of that, they own a scant 1.96 team ERA and have struck out 84 in 50 innings.

For their fast start and big numbers, the boys from Dufur have been selected as the MaxPreps Oregon Team of the Week, presented by the Oregon National Guard.

"For a small fish in a big pond we do all right," said Dufur coach C.S. Little, who will not and has not revealed what the letters of his name stand for. And he's been coaching 32 years. "It's still a mystery."

Sophomore Kolbe Bales leads the staff with three wins (31 strikeouts, 2.00 ERA) while Trever Tibbets (1.27) and Bryson Caldwell (2.15) have two wins apiece.

Bales, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound lefthander, threw a nifty one-hitter with 17 strikeouts in a 12-0, seven-inning win over Union/Cove.

"He was a bench player last year, but we were pretty good," said Little, whose team reached the state quarterfinals. "When he got the chance this season, he made the most of it."

The three pitchers are also the team's top three sluggers thus far for the Rangers. Tibbets, a 5-10, 180-pound senior, is hitting .593 with 16 hits and 13 RBIs.

"He's definitely our ace and when not pitching plays third," Little said. "He's probably our best hitter too. He hits No. 2 in the order and hits a ton of line drives."

Caldwell, a 6-4, 190-pound senior, has 15 hits, 14 RBIs, two doubles and a homer and is hitting .556, while Bales is hitting .464 with 13 hits, 16 RBIs, four doubles and a homer.

"Bryson is a big kid and prototypical power hitter," Little said. "He plays shortstop when he doesn't pitch. He really delivers."

Other top hitters for the Rangers are senior Nick Little (.393), sophomores Bailey Keever and Connor Uhalde and freshman Hagen Pence. Little and Tibbets have five steals apiece.

With six seniors, five sophomores and two freshmen on the 13-man roster, the Rangers all contribute. They reached the state tournament two of the last five years at the 3A level, even though it is 2A classification school.

Little, who triples as the football team's defensive coordinator and a girls basketball assistant, said the baseball team always relies on underclassmen. This team has benefited from new pitching coach Dean Dollarhide, which may explain the team's superb ERA.

"We've always been known for our hitting," Little said. "Seven of our 13 this year are pitchers so that should bode well for the season."