Written by Raptors Broadcaster Patrick McColl
The Ridgefield Raptors put together another good season of West Coast League (WCL) baseball in 2024, making it back to the playoffs for the fourth time in the previous five years.
Ridgefield returns many faces in 2025, including head coach Chris Cota and assistant Nick Allen. Former Raptors pitcher Jaren Hunter will be the pitching coach this season. The three coaches will lead the team into four games in Week 1. Ridgefield will play the Cowlitz Black Bears on May 29 and the Bend Elks in Oregon from May 30 to June 1.
With a game against the Black Bears, Ridgefield will start another round of the Columbia River Cup. The cup is won by the team that wins four games first in the season-long, seven-game series played between Ridgefield and Cowlitz. Last year, the ‘Raps went 5-2 against the Black Bears, giving the squad Cup and bragging rights for 2025. Thursday’s game will be a non-league game, meaning it will not count towards the Raptors regular season record.
To open the WCL regular season, the Raps’ will travel to Vince Genna Stadium in Bend, Oregon for a three-game series against the Bend Elks. Last season, Ridgefield played to a 3-3 record against Bend. Raptors returner and Gonzaga standout Ryder Cutlip had three hits and an RBI in a Sunday win at Bend last June. The Elks ended the regular season 32-22 and lost to the Portland Pickles in the first round of the 2024 WCL postseason.
Thursday’s non-league game against Cowlitz will begin at 6:35 p.m. The games in Bend on Friday and Saturday will start at 6:35 p.m., and Sunday’s finale will start at 5:05 p.m.
Tickets to the game against Cowlitz at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex (RORC) are available on ridgefieldraptors.com. The live stream to watch or listen to the games against Cowlitz and Bend will be available on ridgefieldraptors.com/stream. #GoRaps