Sandy Pack Wins Northern Oregon Cal Ripken 9U State Title

Congratulations to your 2024 state champion Sandy 9-and-under baseball team. Next up: The regionals.
The Sandy Pack went undefeated with a 5-0 record en route to winning the Northern Oregon Cal Ripken State Championship the weekend of July 12-14. With the title, Sandy received an automatic berth in the Pacific Northwest Regional tournament.
Sandy beat the Lower Columbia All-Stars 11-3 in the championship game at Main City Park in Gresham. Sandy dominated the competition throughout the four-team midsummer classic, with the exception of an exciting 12-11 come-from-behind victory the first time the Pack played Lower Columbia.
“The team really came together,” Sandy head coach Mike Kosderka said. “We had tryouts in August and September and they all have been practicing very hard all through the winter and through the crummy spring season here in Oregon because it’s always raining. They all played really well, it was neat to see them.”
High-scoring Sandy set the tone early, stringing together lopsided victories against most of their opponents. The Pack defeated Gresham Barlow 16-6 and the Lakerige Pacers 13-3 before coming back to beat Lower Columbia 12-11. The Pack then closed out the tournament by beating Gresham Barlow 11- 1 and Lower Columbia 11-3.
“There are two things that stand out the most about the team,” Kosderka said. “The kids are great and they are really into baseball and really love it. Even when we have optional practices, everybody shows up.”
“It’s a testament to how much they enjoy playing but it’s also a testament to their parents because their parents are fantastic and everybody gets along. That’s what really makes it special.”
Sandy will face some tough competition July 24-27 at the 2024 Pacific Northwest Cal Ripken Regional Tournament 9U in Meridian, Idaho.
The regional is going to be a challenge because it’s 10 state championship teams – so they are all really good. The 9U Champion will be given an automatic bid to the Cal Ripken 10U World Series in 2025. Dates and location have yet to be determined for the World Series.
“I think we’ll go there (regionals) and compete well,” Kosderka said. “Hopefully, we can win a couple of games and see what happens.”
The Sandy Pack is made up of 12 players living in the Oregon Trail School District. They are a club travel team playing in tournaments primarily in the Portland metro area.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Kosderka said. “The 12 kids all will go to Sandy HS. They play kids from all around the Northwest. They compete really well against other club teams.”
The Sandy Pack roster:
Benjamin Kosderka CF/P
Hudson Mansfield P/2B
Jaxon Harvey C
Luke Nowka 3B/P
Jacob Rohrbough 1b/P
Hunter Baker IF/P
JJ Harrell RF
Kaden Maki LF/P
James Schmidt RF
Ryker Burbach SS/P
Landon Mengis 1B
Jackson Sanchez OF