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AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL Ashland connection helps power Mustangs to regionals By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 5, 2015 @ 2:00 am Updated Aug 5, 2015 at 6:32 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 5, 2015 @ 2:00 am Updated Aug 5, 2015 at 6:32 PM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Eric Carlson enjoyed the Medford Mustangs’ wild ride last summer, when they found a gear nobody knew they had in mid July and won eight straight postseason games to secure a spot in the Northwest Regional championship round. What happened next, however, is what the 2014 Ashland High graduate remembers most. “I’ve been having dreams about that for the past year, how close we were,” said Carlson in a phone interview Tuesday. “I still think about that constantly, about what kind of an experience that would have been in North Carolina (site of the American Legion AAA World Series) had we beaten Hawaii.” The Mustangs ended up falling one big hit short of the World Series, but they can make amends this week in Cheyenne, Wyo., site of 2015 Northwest Regional. Medford (38-12) will face Lakeside Recovery (33-16) of Issaquah, Wash., in the first game of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament today. The first pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 9:30 a.m. local time, 8:30 a.m. Pacific, at Powers Field. The tournament runs through Sunday. Carlson, who starts at first base, is one of four Ashland natives on the Mustangs’ roster, three of which — Carlson, outfielder Bryce Rogan and designated hitter/pitcher Steen Fredrickson — start. Catcher Jett Hamik also saw playing time at the Oregon state tournament, which the Mustangs clinched Sunday by beating the Eugene Challengers 8-3. “There’s definitely a little connection there,” said Rogan, who entered state ranked first on the team in RBIs (43) and second in batting average (.407). “For one thing, we’re always in the same motel room. All three years I’ve played for the Mustangs it’s been the four Ashland kids together, Carter (Glick) the first two years and Jett this year. But it’s nice to have a little bit of familiarity outside of the Mustangs.” “I think it’s cool,” added Carlson, who batted .318 with 24 RBIs during the regular season. “We’ve grown up playing together. I started playing with Steen with he was in seventh grade and I was in eighth, and I’ve known Jett forever basically. So it’s awesome to have that bond between us and to be able to be playing together in the same lineup.” And it’s been a superb lineup. The Mustangs entered state batting .344 as a team, then scored 46 runs in five games in Salem en route to another back-to-back state title run, the program’s third. Rogan, Carlson and Fredrickson were key contributors in Salem. Rogan delivered a key two-run single — arguably the most important hit of the tournament — to help Medford outlast the Portland Barbers in the winner’s bracket final last Friday, and also delivered three RBI singles in the championship game; Carlson had four hits and four RBIs in the first two games of the tournament and was a rock defensively at both first and third base; and Fredrickson came through with a clutch single to help spark the rally against the Barbers and picked up the victory after pitching the last three innings. “We’re never going to give in, no matter what the situation,” Fredrickson said after the comeback win over Portland, during which Medford overcame a 6-5 deficit in the ninth inning. “We’re going to find a way.” The format at regionals is identical to state — the team that wins its first three games will earn a spot in the championship round regardless of how it fares Saturday. That’s what the Mustangs did last year before suffering their first loss of the postseason on Day 4 followed by the heartbreaker to Hawaii. Rogan said he’s proud of being a part of a back-to-back state champion, but not satisfied. Not yet anyway. “It’s a totally different thing to acknowledge the success that you’ve had than to rest on it,” he said. “We still have to keep pressing because winning a state championship wasn’t our only goal. It’s a regional championship after being so close last year.” “I think we have a good chance,” Carlson said. “As long as we stay level-headed like we did throughout the state tournamanet and we don’t peak energy-wise and don’t dip, we’ll have a good shot at reaching the tournament championship. And then in the championship game, you just need to go up there and have fun.” Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 5, 2015 @ 2:00 am Updated Aug 5, 2015 at 6:32 PM » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Fantasy Football Mock Draft and Position Strategy Aug. 8, 2015 at 7:00 am Risky Players to Avoid in Fantasy Football Aug. 7, 2015 at 1:47 pm Fantasy Football Mock Draft and Cheatsheet Aug. 7, 2015 at 7:00 am Top Sleepers at Each Key Position for Early Drafts Aug. 6, 2015 at 2:24 pm Projecting the Top 10 DFS Players for the Year Aug. 6, 2015 at 1:10 pm Fantasy Football 10th-Round Values to Target Aug. 6, 2015 at 12:32 am calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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