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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar, Feb. 5, 2016 ... New photo book explores joys near Ashland ... Human Bean will be reborn ... Ashland Calendar, Feb. 5, 2016 ... New photo book explores joys near Ashland ... Human Bean will be reborn ... BASEBALL Four-year letterman Fredrickson leads sizzling Grizzlies Experienced pitcher, slugger a force for 6-1 Ashland Comment By Kris Henry For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Kris Henry For the Tidings Posted Apr. 3, 2015 at 2:00 AM By Kris Henry For the Tidings Posted Apr. 3, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News Steen Fredrickson has taken a lot of good-natured ribbing from his teammates in years past. From his first days on Ashland’s varsity baseball team as a freshman to probably 10 seconds after someone reads this, Fredrickson has never been able to avoid playful teasing from his peers. “I’ve always been the young guy,” he says with a laugh. “It’s just my fate in my friend group, I guess. We like to mess with each other and I kind of set myself up for it. I can’t really use comebacks as well as the other guys.” What the 6-foot, 180-pound right-hander does possess, however, is a natural ability for the game of baseball and a competitive fire that has helped him play a key role with the Grizzlies in every spring since he stepped on Ashland’s campus. Fredrickson has twice been named to the honorable mention list on the Class 5A all-state baseball team and, at 4-0 with a 2.41 ERA already this season, is in line to potentially land a higher designation this time around for a young — but determined — Ashland squad. The Grizzlies are 6-1 overall and 1-0 in Midwestern League play heading into Saturday’s doubleheader at Springfield. “I’ve always just tried to do my best,” says Fredrickson, 18. “One thing I know is I’m never going to give up. I’m always going to pitch my heart out, no matter what the situation is and who we’re facing.” Still, for Fredrickson, it’s always been a work in progress. He started working with Ashland pitching guru Chuck Thacker when he was 8 in Little League and credits Thacker’s guidance, as well as Medford’s Paul White, for molding him into a better pitcher each day. “I came in my freshman year trying to just throw hard and didn’t have a ton of control other than it would go across the plate sometimes,” says Fredrickson. “Chuck Thacker has really helped to get that mental approach down that I need to throw to spots and have three pitches you know you can get across the plate.” Ashland head coach Mike Kenask is in his first year with the varsity but has been in the program for three years — JV assistant in 2013 and freshman head coach in 2014 — and has seen the steady maturation of Fredrickson. “I definitely think it could be a breakout year for him,” says Kenask, a New Jersey native who ventured to Oregon six years ago. “He’s had great success in the past but he’s definitely our ace this year and a great workhorse for us on the mound. He has good experience and he never gives in. Every at-bat is a new battle and he treats each one with that respect.” It’s a respect forged on taking pride in donning an Ashland uniform and taking the mound for a program that has produced so many standout players before him. “It’s kind of an honor to be a pitcher in this program,” says Fredrickson, who has signed to play next year at Montana State. “When I was in Little League, I was seeing Ian Kendall and Sam Gaviglio thrive and now to see them in the pros and know we all started in exactly the same place, that’s just an awesome feeling.” “I’ve pitched at Ashland High School with so many great names before me like Jeremy Guthrie and all those guys,” he adds, “and with so many great guys currently ... it’s really just an honor for me to have this chance.” In fact, it’s the guidance provided over the years by the Ashland upperclassmen that Fredrickson says has really helped him along. They may have teased him, but they also helped him develop. It’s something he’s tried to give back in his own way this season to an Ashland team that boasts only three senior returners from a squad that reached the 5A state quarterfinals for the seventh time in eight seasons last year. “He’s really started to develop his leadership skills and not just his baseball skills,” says Kenask. “He’s not just concerned about himself, he’s concerned about the team and he’s making the effort to take some of the younger players under his wing and share his experiences — positive and negative — with them as guidance.” Fredrickson says he’s not surprised at all by his team’s fantastic start to the season, which included an impressive 11-run inning in Wednesday’s 15-7 win over Springfield. “We just play together with such a passion for the game and such a passion for Ashland baseball, it’s fun,” he says. “A lot of these guys have been working their butts off all year in the weight room and doing whatever they can and I can definitely see how that’s paid off.” “It doesn’t matter where we are in the lineup or where we are defensively,” adds Fredrickson, “we have so many athletes on our team that we can rely on to pick each other up.” Fredrickson was one of the team’s hottest hitters early on and enters Saturday’s twin bill batting .292 with five runs and four RBIs. “He’s been hitting the ball great,” says Kenask, “he’s just been hitting into some bad luck the last couple games with some balls finding some gloves on line drives.” Junior catcher Jett Hamik — Fredrickson’s pick as breakout player of the season — is leading the team with a .474 batting average to go with nine runs and 10 RBIs, while honorable mention all-state first baseman Nick Sanderson is hitting .393 with eight runs and five RBIs. Junior Caleb Bell (.409) and senior Kyle Milgram (.333) also each have eight runs and five RBIs, and senior Jerry Carroll is hitting .300 with nine runs and five stolen bases. Fredrickson has shouldered most of the pitching load thus far, striking out 26 and walking 11 in 20⅔ innings, but Milgram is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 14 strikeouts against five walks in 13⅓ innings. All that bodes well for a Grizzly program entering its first year of competition in the MWL, which boasts all-state returners at North Eugene (senior catcher Dane Stapley, senior infielder Tommy Ahlstrom and senior utility Jake Owens), Springfield (senior infielder Alec Cook) and Churchill (senior outfielder Hank Forrest). “Everyone’s happy to finally be in a conference that’s recognized and respected,” says Fredrickson. “That’s not talking down on Eagle Point, but it hasn’t been a conference at all for either of us the last few years. Hopefully we can come out on top and be a conference champ and have that mean something. That would be a great thing to have my senior season.” Springfield (5-4) graduated several key contributors to last year’s title run in the MWL, giving rise to an expected battle at the top between Churchill (6-0), North Eugene (5-2) and Ashland. Marist (2-5) and Crater (0-8) have gotten off to slow starts but are proven programs capable of contending in any game, while Eagle Point (2-3) features a number of underclassmen who are looking to lay a solid foundation for the future. “If we play our Ashland style of baseball,” says Kenask, “with good starting pitching and fundamental, sound fielding and timely, clutch hitting, then we can compete with any team on any day. It’s a brand new league so we’re going to be getting to know them and they’re going to be getting to know us very quickly.” “For us, every single team is a concern,” he adds. “We don’t underestimate anyone or rank anyone above or below another. We go into each game thinking every team we face has the championship potential and caliber to win.” Reach reporter Kris Henry at 541-776-4488, [email protected], www.facebook.com/krishenryMT or www.twitter.com/Kris_Henry By Kris Henry For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Kris Henry For the Tidings Posted Apr. 3, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » 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. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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