Five Eagles Make 2nd Team All-Conference, Three are Freshmen

Many good things happened for the Eagle baseball team in the spring of 2026, especially on the offensive side of the stat sheet. They were also good in the field and, while their pitching overall left much to be desired, they got some good efforts from unexpected places.

While their won-loss record (6-19 GVC and 12-27 overall) wasn't anything to crow about, they more than doubled their win total from the previous year and saw good signs for a better future.

Five Eagles were rewarded with 2nd Team All Golden Valley Conference honors, and three of them were freshmen. Sophomore second baseman AJ Duenez repeated as a 2nd Team All-Conference pick and was joined this year by sophomore centerfielder Nakea Kahalehau, freshman shortstop Jayden Arbogast, freshman leftfielder Josh Berry and freshman right fielder Owen Abrams.

"We had the offensive production to be competitive in every game, a .292 team batting average, and we had an opportunity to win more," said head coach Tevin Cadola. The Eagles averaged about 10 hits and 6 runs per game, but when the team's initial pitching plan went awry due to injuries and other issues, it got to the point that they held a team-wide tryout to find replacements.

Two freshmen who initially came to College of the Siskiyous to play other positions, Gunnar Tinari and Maicah Cabral, became good starting pitchers. Still, opponents averaged nearly 9 runs per game overall, and the pitching staff finished with an earned run average slightly over 8.

On defense, the Eagles had the third best fielding percentage among GVC teams overall, .959, which was just .001 behind league champion Feather River's .960.

The Eagles placed fifth in conference with 6-19 record (12-27 overall). They did win a game against Feather River (21-4 and 29-11) and won 2 of 3 during an April home series against Shasta, which finished third (14-11 and 16-22). Lassen (18-7 and 27-13) placed second, Butte (12-13 and 18-22) was fourth, and Redwoods (4-21 and 6-32) last.

As a team in 39 games, the Eagles had a .292 batting average and .372 on-base percentage. They had 386 hits.

Before their final game, the Eagles said goodbye to this year's sophomore class which included Nakea Kahalehau, AJ Duenez, starting third baseman Davin Aea-Kubota, starting first baseman Max Rossmeier, outfielder/DH Colton Knight, relief pitcher Davin Almeida,

infielder Beau Killingsworth, and 6-foot-6 first baseman Trey Quezada, a transfer from Solano.

While work continues to find baseball homes at the next level for the sophomores, as of last week Aea-Kubota was the only one who had signed with a four-year program. He'll be moving on with a scholarship to New Mexico Highlands University.

Cadola, who saw many positives this season, expressed his appreciation for the guys who made all-conference and the sophomores and enthusiasm for what lies ahead.

FIVE MAKE 2ND TEAM ALL CONFERENCE

AJ Duenez from Lathrop, CA, was all conference for a second year in a row after leading the Eagles with a .358 batting average in GVC games, and his .407 on-base percentage was second on the team only to Kahalehau's .415.

Duenez played in all 39 games overall and finished his Eagle career with a .326 batting average and .415 on-base percentage. His overall fielding percentage improved dramatically, from .913 last year to .963 this year.

"AJ was a two-year guy who hit for a high average and plays a quality second base," Cadola said. "He was steady and will be dearly missed and never forgotten. His ability to hit .350 and contribute to the team culture was huge for us. He can be cocky at times, and that helps him stay confident. As consistent as he was, it felt like he was always hitting. You just expect him to hit. He has a great mindset."

Nakea Kahalehau, who came to Siskiyous from Wailuku, HI, "is a quality guy who hits all the time and does not strike out," Cadola said. "He will be missed. Now we have to start fresh without him. He's the most level-headed kid I've ever coached, soft-spoken and very laid back, but in-game his fire came out. He wants to win more than most guys."

Overall, Kahalehau led the Eagles with a .356 batting average and .442 on-base percentage. He was second on the team with 16 stolen bases.

Jayden Arbogast, from Eugene, OR, "was crazy good," Cadola said. "He's an undersized guy who doesn't look like a college baseball player but then he beats out a sophomore shortstop for the starting job and plays every game. If you told him he doesn't look like a college baseball player, he'd say, 'I know, that's why I'm as good as I am.' We call players like him a 'dirt bag,' they do whatever it takes to stay in the lineup. We want our infielders to make all the routine plays, and he does a good job of that. He had an impressive batting average hitting in the nine hole, and it was like having a second leadoff hitter."

Arbogast finished second on the team overall with a .328 batting average and drove in some big runs, including the game-winner in the bottom of the 9th that secured a 6-5 victory over Shasta in late March and ignited a wild player celebration in rightfield.

Cadola sees Josh Berry, from Junction City, OR, as providing the team's heartbeat. "He genuinely loves playing at College of the Siskiyous; he's an energy light in the dugout, a team guy and a maniac on the base paths. We're happy to have him back, and we think he's as close to a lock as you can get for 1st Team all-conference next year. He scored 50 runs this season, tying the school record, and had an opportunity to break the record on the last day, although it didn't happen. He stole 18 bags, and we think he can be a better base runner next year."

Batting leadoff, Berry scored 17 more runs than any other Eagle, and his 50 runs scored ranked 2nd among all GVC players, trailing only Feather River's Nick Anderson, who scored 53. Berry's 71 total bases were tied for 4th among GVC players, and his 18 stolen bases ranked 5th. Berry also led the Eagles with 4 home runs, which was half the team's total.

Owen Abrams' story is different, Cadola said. "He was at a D2 school and went into the transfer portal, which is how we got him. He wasn't an everyday guy for us going into conference, then started playing after an injury (to another player). Our lineup never changed after that, and he hit .468 in conference; that's a video game number. If he got more at-bats he would have been 1st Team all-conference. He was a freshman, and we're excited to have him back next year. We don't expect him to hit .468 again, just want to see the consistency he can bring. Guys like that, who work their way into a starting role, play with a chip on their shoulder, they want to keep their job, and we want to see that."

AJ Duenez and Josh Berry played in all 39 games, while Nakea Kahalehau and Max Rossmeier both played in 38 and Arbogast 37.

GOOD SOPHOMORE GROUP

Among the other sophomores, Davin Aea-Kubota, from Hauula, HI, spent three years in the Eagles' baseball program, including a redshirt season. "He battled and pushed to win an everyday role at third base this year and continued to battle after suffering a compound fracture in his little finger the second week of the season and later a high ankle sprain," Cadola said.

Cadola said Max Rossmeier, from Puyallup, WA, "is an unbelievable kid, a great human being; he's going to be very successful at life, and we're working to find him a place to play next year. He's a gentle giant and hit in the four-hole a lot with guys on base." Rossmeier led the Eagles with 26 runs batted in this year. He played 70 games in the past two years and finished his Eagle career with a .272 career batting average, .386 on-base percentage, and .987 fielding percentage.

"We call him Chuck," Cadola said of Davin Almeida, from Waialua, HI. "He's a great kid who had a hot start to the season and was always trying to perfect his pitching."

Cadola described Trey Quezada from Vacaville as "an absolute light in the dugout who kept morale up" but found himself behind Rossmeier at first base.

Colton Knight, like Cadola, graduated from Yreka High School. "He's a big strong physical kid" who was in the lineup often at DH and finished the season with a .304 batting average, 2 home runs, 14 runs batted in and 15 runs scored. He went 5 for 7 in a doubleheader at Contra Costa in mid-February with a walk, two doubles a home run and three RBIs. "He turned it on and matured as a hitter. I believe his best baseball hasn't been played yet. He can hit at the next level. He's a very good baserunner and had one of our best slides of the season as a pinch runner against Shasta to tie the game" that the Eagles then won on a walk-off single by Arbogast.

LOOKING AHEAD

Cadola said the strong group of freshmen expected to return for a second season and the success the Eagles are having "recruiting guys we're high on" makes him "extremely excited about next year."

"We can formulate excuses for everything, but excuses just make you tired. I've made it a priority to talk about how to overcome it. It's not impossible to win here. I plan to be here for the long run, and I want to see this place succeed, make the playoffs, which has not happened since 1984."

Among the standout freshmen were Gunnar Tinari and Maicah Cabral, both from Castle Rock, CO, the two players who became starting pitchers partway through the season, as well as pitcher Klayton Rizzardo of Yreka, catcher Ismael Hinajosa from Buckeye, AZ, and pitcher Andrew Padilla from Las Vegas, NV.

Tinari came in as a centerfielder, was converted to closer, then finished the season throwing seven games as a starting pitcher. He threw 6 or more innings in 5 of those starts, including 6.2 innings of four-hit ball in an 8-6 win over Shasta and 6 innings of four-hit ball in a 3-2 win over conference champion Feather River. Overall, Tinari finished with a team-best 5.54 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.

Cabral came to the Eagles as a catcher and was one of the team's best hitters, finishing with a .343 batting average, although his at-bats diminished after he became the most used pitcher on the staff. He started a team-high 14 games on the mound and led the Eagles

with 71.1 innings pitched. His pitching highlights included two 8 inning outings during which he allowed just 2 runs in a 13-2 win at Contra Costa and just 3 runs in a 6-5 win at home against Shasta.

With a full year of pitching behind him, Cadola believes Gunnar Tinari could have been one of the best pitchers in conference. "Gunnar is a fierce competitor, and he's fearless. He helped us stay competitive. Maicah kept guys off-balance and threw quality innings. He was one of the best hitters in conference, but he put his pride aside to help the team."

Still, Cadola said the plan for next year is to recruit pitching and allow Gunnar and Maicah to return to their original positions.

Cadola is also looking forward to seeing continued progress next year from Klayton Rizzardo, who started 10 games on the mound and, according to Coach, dealt with some difficulties that are common to freshmen from small towns. "I was in the same position at his age," Cadola said. "The game moves faster… But he believed and blossomed and was big for us as a reliever later in the season. I still don't believe we've seen the best of him yet. He has the talent."

Rizzardo's best game as a starter was a 13-2 win against Redwoods when he pitched 7 strong innings, allowing six hits and one earned run. He also allowed just two earned runs in 6 innings in a loss to Butte that got out of hand after he left the game. In three relief appearances in the second half of April, including the 3-2 win over Feather River, Rizzardo gave up just two earned runs on six hits in 7.2 innings. And he far and away led the team with 8.68 strikeouts per nine innings (45 in 46.2 innings pitched).

Andrew Padilla mostly pitched in relief but started two games, including an 8-4 win at Redwoods late in the season where he allowed just three hits and two runs in 8.1 innings. He led the team in appearances (18) and wins (5) and finished with a 5-0 win-loss record.

Ismael Hinajosa hit well in the second half of the season, finishing with a .313 batting average in conference, .338 on-base percentage, and .406 slugging percentage that was second on the team only to Josh Berry's .457.

By Steve Gerace