NASELLE — March rain has kept the Naselle baseball indoors for much of the 2026 season, however when the Comets take the field this season they will feature six seniors on a full roster of 27.
Seniors include Leith Chadwick, Carson Bisbing, Kyle Eastham, Scott Henington, Trajen Ford and Kingston Quashnick, a bigger senior class of players than the Comets have had in recent years.
A majority of the players (18 overall) are sophomores or freshmen, but they come with experience.
“Although we have a large group of underclassmen, the majority of them have played a lot of baseball,” said Naselle head coach Randy Lindstrom. “With our biggest group of seniors in some time, it’s a good mix of veterans with the younger guys to go along with a good blend of talent and senior leadership. We have some strong arms returning.”
Senior pitchers Leith Chadwick and Trajen Ford will be leaned on this season as the staff aces for Naselle.
“They are looking strong so far, everyone is healthy — knock on wood — and that is the key early on and throughout the year keeping everyone in top shape and out there competing every day,” Lindstrom said. “[Chadwick and Ford] have a ton of innings under their belt and have pitched in some big games for us over the years. Both are fierce competitors and have a nice mix of off-speed to go along with a good fastball.”
One area the Comets are looking to address will be the infield, where they will need to replace three-year all-league shortstop Jack Strange and league MVP Jacob Lindstrom, who graduated last year.
“The middle infield is where we will be working some different guys in to see who fits best at second and at short,” Lindstrom said.
Coaches are excited about a few new faces on the roster this season, including a sophomore from Seaside who’s been “swinging a good bat.”
“Blythe Engelson, Eli Gardner and Kayden Wirkkala are a few of our talented younger guys that didn’t get a lot of playing time last year for the varsity — really looking forward to seeing them out there every day competing this year,” Lindstrom said. “We have a sophomore who moved here from Seaside this year, Brodie Troffer, he’s swinging a good bat early on and has played a lot of different positions on defense.”
Naselle finished 15-7 last season, including going unbeaten in league play. League rivals Wahkiakum and Ocosta, both featuring “a lot” of returning players, “should be some good competition,” Lindstrom said.
The Comets are scheduled to begin the season this week, but that will depend on the weather.
“Hoping we can get this front of moisture behind us and get out there on the diamond soon,” Lindstrom said. “It’s been a wet start so far!”
New assistant coach Chris Wood, a 2019 Ilwaco graduate, will join the Naselle coaching staff this season.
The 2026 Naselle baseball roster includes:
Leith Chadwick, Tristen Laney, Carson Bisbing, Mikel Knight, Kyle Eastham, Marvin Tucker, Scott Henington, CJ Engelson, Trajen Ford, Mitchell Drago, Kingston Quashnick, Jerritt Chandler, Brodie Troffer, Cameron Ramos, Kyle Pakenen, Kegan Busenius, Kayden Wirkkala, Rylee Lozano, Eli Gardner, Caleb Depaul, Blythe Engelson, Viktor Stephons, Garett Boggs, Elijah Gremmert, Jackson Higginbotham, Travis Osborn and Alec Watson.
2026 Naselle baseball schedule
3/16 vs Raymond/South Bend, 4 p.m.
3/19 vs Non Varsity Opponent, 4 p.m.
3/24 vs Ocosta, 4 p.m.
3/26 @ Oakville, 4 p.m.
3/30 @ Astoria, 5 p.m.
3/31 vs Wahkiakum, 3 p.m.
4/3 vs Oakville, 4 p.m.
4/7 @ Ilwaco, 4 p.m.
4/14 vs Pe Ell/Willapa Valley, 3 p.m.
4/17 vs Lake Quinault, 3 p.m.
4/23 @ Pe Ell/Willapa Valley, 3 p.m.
4/24 vs Mary M. Knight, 4 p.m.
4/28 @ Wishkah Valley, 4 p.m.
5/1 @ Ocosta, 4 p.m.