New Golden Eagles Look for Same Successful Result

There will be a lot of new names and faces on the 2026 Feather River College baseball team.

But that won't change the goals for the defending Golden Valley Conference champions, who went 33-12 last year including 20-5 in league play. The Golden Eagles would go on to host regional and super regional tournaments before their season finally came to a close.

Head coach Terry Baumgartner graduated seven All-GVC players from that successful squad, including GVC Most Valuable Player Anthony Cepeda and Will Page-Allen, both who would also earn All-American honors.

A lot of offense from a team that hit .327 has moved on, giving opportunity to other Golden Eagles to step up to the plate.

"We did graduate a bunch of key players that contributed a lot to the success of our program over the last two years," Baumgartner acknowledged. "But we have returnees, newcomers and players that redshirted last year that are ready to step into those positions."

Baumgartner has more experience returning on the pitching staff than in the field. "So far we really like our pitching and feel like that group should carry us early on in the season until we get the offensive side figured out."

That arms group is led by ace Tanner Hail, who went 7-3 last season with a sparkling 3.41 ERA. The 6-foot-5 righthander allowed just 66 hits in 74 innings pitched and was selected First Team All-GVC. Jayden Andrade, a 6-foot-4 righty, fanned 37 batters in 29 innings pitched and compiled a 5-1 record and a 2.73 ERA out of the bullpen.   Jack Hanna, a starter, went 3-3 with a 2.61 ERA.

"Tanner Hail and Jack Hanna started quite a bit last year on the mound and hopefully can get us quality innings again," Baumgartner said. "Jayden Andrade and Ben Davalos have shown upside out of the bullpen with Andrade having the ability to start as well when needed. Carl Colavecchio and Gunner Mountcastle will provide us with quality left-handers out of the pen and both of them have the opportunity to start as well. Additionally, Colton Siewell will be an impact arm out of the bullpen."

Offensively, the top returning bats are Nick Anderson and Kory Chu. Anderson, a First-Team All-GVC nod as an infielder, hit .327 with 22 RBI. Chu, also an infielder, hit .406 with 24 RBI.

"On the offensive end Kory Chu and Nick Anderson should help us jump start our offense early on," the longtime leader said. "We have some other quality returners who will get an opportunity to work their way in the lineup, including Christian Obos, Tomoharu Hidaka, Jackson Phillips, and Landon Sable."

Even with that stable of players that have experience, Baumgartner will have to rely on his newcomers as well.

"We have some quality newcomers in our program that should contribute right away," he confirmed. "On the offensive side we have Luke Henderson (DH/1B), Legend Lancaster (1B/DH), Noah Carrington (INF), Bryce Sargent (INF), Jackson Hertel (SS), Walker DesRosier (INF/OF), Josh Davies (C), and Jake Dahl (OF) to name a few.

"On the mound, we like some of the new guys who were hurt last year but healthy for this spring, such as Marcus Maeder, Keller Bloodworth, Jack Rogers, Ryan Pineo, and Carter Lindyn."

In addition to finding the right combinations on the field, perhaps more important is advancing the culture of a program that has won the GVC title 15 of the last 18 years, and has gone on to the postseason for 25 consecutive years.

"Our coaching staff and returnees emphasize advancing the culture by first setting clear standards and holding everyone accountable to them every day," added Baumgartner, who is 532-201 in his 18 seasons in Quincy.

"They model the work ethic, discipline, and attention to detail that define this program, showing us that success comes from consistency, not shortcuts. Returnees play a big role in mentoring younger players—teaching them how to prepare, communicate, and compete the right way while playing the game they love."

After a fall and winter of program building, the Golden Eagles will get their first game reps this Thursday (Jan. 15) at Solano and Friday at Yuba City. Both encounters are officially scrimmages, with 16 innings of game action on tap each day.

Officially, the season gets under way the following weekend with three games at Taft (Jan. 23-24) and another at Merced (Jan. 25). The first Golden Valley Conference contests of the season will be February 20-21 against Butte.

Hopefully in just over a month from now, the veterans will have imparted their wisdom to the new Golden Eagles to continue program success.

"Together, our veterans stress being team-first, staying humble, and earning everything through hard work," Baumgartner concluded. "So the culture continues to grow stronger with each new group and we have a lot of fun along the way."

To meet the team, read the player bios by clicking here.

See the 2026 schedule by clicking here.