Sophomore standout pitcher Grady Saunders excels for No. 1 Thurston baseball

Grady Saunders is shining bright on the reigning 5A state champion Thurston baseball team.

The sophomore pitcher recorded his fourth shutout of the season in the Colts' 8-0 victory against Crater on Tuesday.

A week prior, he dominated in one of his most standout performances on the mound, striking out 11 batters in the Colts 3-1 victory over Eagle Point.

"He had some high intensity pitches," Colts head coach Dennis Minium said of Saunders' performance against Eagle Point. "His 96 pitches felt like the stress level of maybe way more than that."

Saunders, an Oregon State commit, has lifted the Colts to a 19-3 overall record, 13-0 in the Midwestern League and No. 1 in the OSAA 5A rankings as of Saturday morning.

While almost a mirror image record from this time last year for the Colts, Saunders has found more comfort in his approach the second time around.

"The first year was nerve wracking being a freshman (and) having a lot of expectations for the whole team and myself," Saunders said. "This year, I feel like the expectations are also high, but we know that we can live up to those expectations because we've done it before."

An ace on the mound

Saunders hasn't shied away from exceeding expectations in his young high school career.

But after teammate Connor Molony went down with a pitching injury during the Colts season-opener in March, Saunders stepped in to the ace role when the team needed him most.

"He's a really hard pitcher to read off the mound, which is very important," said Molony, a junior and Oregon commit. "He doesn't show his emotions at all, no matter what happens whether he gives up a hit or misses a spot."

Part of what has led Saunders into being a tough pitcher to hit off of is his pitch shapes, their movement and his timing, he said. He's also succeeded with one of his strongest pitches — changeup.

"It's not a special grip, it's how you throw it," said Saunders, who credited a prior coach who taught him at a young age. "... It's a lot of bullpens within throwing the changeup and getting used to it. Once you get used to it, you can throw it more where you like it and with more movement."

Saunders said he feels in control on the mound and in the batter's box. On paper, he has racked up 85 strikeouts in 47 innings.

Thurston offense makes for well-rounded threat

Thurston's batting lineup has been good all season, outscoring opponents 109-20 in league play.

The Colts have been helped by seniors Adam Elliott and Eli Crist along with sophomore Brock Johnson, a North Eugene transfer.

The trio play a crucial role in the first three spots in the batting order, while Saunders serves as cleanup hitter and Molony in the fifth hole.

"We've been very fortunate with our lineup to be able to put the ball in play and score runs," Minium said.

Johnson brings numerous accolades, including being Oregon's No. 7 ranked middle infielder in the Class of 2026 in the Pacific Northwest.

For Elliott, the success came after he recovered from a hamstring injury at the start of the season. He said he spent his time off trying to be the "best teammate as possible."

"That was a big factor for me as an expectation of me being in the leadoff spot," Elliott said.

Crist hasn't made major adjustments at the plate but has been focused on working deeper into counts.

"When it gets closer to the postseason every at bat matters," Crist said.

The Colts were set to host Crater in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday and will close out league play in a three-game series against Springfield at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

"We need to finish our league season strong, come here and work every day and expect nothing less than a state championship," Johnson said.

Edith Noriega is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at ENoriega@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Noriega_Edith.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Thurston baseball team looks to repeat as 5A state champions