The Saxon baseball team has had a successful season thus far led behind the long-standing duo of Noah Ferguson ‘19 and Ryan Brown ‘19. Both seniors have been on the varsity team since sophomore year, and have shown up big for the Saxons over the years.
So far this season, Ferguson has been a reliable pitcher for the Saxons but was admired most by head coach Max Price for his growth and the hard work he has put in these past few years on the mound and in the weight room.
“He’s worked really hard to become one of the better hitters in our league, but like Ryan, he’s also become a formidable dude on the mound for us. Both guys have changed tremendously from their first couple of years here,” Price said.
At the Buck’s Spring Classic in Boise, Idaho at the end of last month Ferguson hit his first homerun of his career while also giving the Saxons a 8-0 lead vs Capital. They went on to win 11-7 . In that same game Brown pitched the first 5 innings, striking out 10 Capital hitters and only allowing 3 hits. According to Price, Brown came into the program with a lot of natural ability and athleticism, and over the past few years he’s been able to add a curveball and changeup to his pitching repertoire, which has made him a much more complete pitcher.
“At the plate, he’s a monster and gives us a lot of pop in our lineup. Ryan brings a 90+ mph fastball and gives us a true ace on the mound,” Price said.
Along with their success on the offensive side, it is the combination of the two in middle infield that have given the Saxons a really solid defensive unit that will be crucial later on in the season. The Saxons are currently ranked fifth in the state, and have high hopes for a deep playoff run.
“I’ve been playing with Ryan since the 4th grade and so we have that connection since we’ve played for so long… we have one more chance to relive our 5th grade title year and I think our team has the depth and all-around talent to compete for a state title this year” Ferguson said.
The Saxons current overall record is 14-4 and their league record is 6-2. Their next game is today, May 3 against the Sprague Olympians at home at 5 p.m.
Following high school, Ferguson will be going on to play baseball at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma Washington, while Brown will play baseball at Oregon State in Corvallis. Ferguson said he wants to focus on finishing this season strong, and then he will start to prepare to play baseball at the collegiate level.
Brown is most looking forward to the development that he will get from playing at such a high level and how much better the OSU program will make him player and as a person.
“There is only one goal in mind and that is to do anything that it takes to make it to the only game in June and win the ‘ship.”
