Warmer weather and longer days in Southwest Washington mean that Ridgefield Raptors baseball is right around the corner!
The Raptors open their 2026 season vs. the Northwest Star Nighthawks at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex (RORC) Thursday, May 28 at 6:35 p.m. PT. The Raps went 4-0 against the Nighthawks in non-league play last year.
Ridgefield will have to replace its top two hitters, Noah Karliner (UC Santa Barbara), who crushed 13 home runs and hit .345, plus its RBI leader and .340 average from infielder Andrew Estrella (Loyola Marymount).
The Raptors finished in sixth place in the West Coast League South Division, going 24-30 overall, and 12-15 in both the first and second half. They missed the post season for only the second time in the last six years.
Ridgefield seeks to return to the WCL playoffs and spark another summer of fun and memories at the RORC!
Longtime skipper Chris Cota returns for his seventh season as head coach. Coach Cota is knocking on the doorstep of his 200th career win as Raptors head coach. Assistant coach Nick Allen also returns for his seventh year. Allen is widely respected and a veteran coach in the Washington baseball world. He’s spent the last 25 years coaching high school baseball and is currently the head coach at Ridgefield High. Filling out the coaching staff is Tyler Jackson. This will serve as the pitcher coach in his first year under Cota. Jackson is currently an assistant coach at Eastern Oregon University.
Ridgefield is building a talented roster made of highly touted Power Four Division I talent, like JT Summers (Oregon) and Brock Leitgeb (Michigan), and gritty junior college players like Orange Empire Conference Player of the Year Ken Tomitaka (Orange Coast College).
Not to mention, local standouts like slugger Liam Ostrom, reuniting with his former high school coach at Ridgefield, Nick Allen. Ostrom also plays for Cota at College of the Canyons in California.
WCL play begins Friday night when the Raptors begin a three-game series hosting the Nanaimo NightOwls. It’s an opening weekend full of fun and excitement presented by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. Friday night, the first 500 fans through the gates will receive a 2026 Raptors magnet schedule. Saturday, the first 300 fans will get a souvenir Rally Towel. First pitch will be at 6:35 p.m. PT Friday and Saturday. Sunday’s finale will start at 1:05 p.m. PT.
Go to ridgefieldraptors.com to purchase tickets to the home series against the NightOwls at the RORC. The live stream to watch or listen to the games will be available on ridgefieldraptors.com/stream. #GoRaps