Davis to play for Umpqua
Former HDNL MVP looks to make name at revived Umpqua CC
A former Humboldt-Del Norte League MVP will begin his collegiate baseball career in Oregon.
Hunter Davis, St. Bernard’s Academy’s biggest bat of the 2019 season, has committed to Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore.
Davis, a 2019 Little 4 MVP and a would-be four-year varsity starter if not for the cancellation of the 2020 spring season due to the coronavirus pandemic, will join a a revived baseball program at Umpqua which prior to the abbreviated 2020 season, had not fielded a team since the mid-1980s.
Davis said being a part of a groundup operation is “very exciting,” and that he knows he’ll be led by a coach who knows exactly how to reach the mountaintop.
Jeremiah Robbins, prior to taking over at Umpqua for its reboot debut season in 2020, spent five seasons leading Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho.
He won three straight NAIA World Series titles, the latter counting as his parting gift to Lewiston.
“He’s a guy who knows what it takes to win, and I want to go be a part of that,” Davis said.
Davis led St. Bernard’s in 2019 with a .391 batting average. He had 27 hits, 16 RBIs and a team-best three home runs. Davis won Little 4 titles in each of his three full seasons with the Crusaders. During his summer 2019 season with the Humboldt Eagles 19-Under, an American Legion club, Davis played a major role on the team’s road to the state championship final four tournament.
“(Davis) was an absolute star for us,” St. Bernard’s head baseball coach Matt Tomlin said. “We’ve had some great pitchers here recently and Hunter’s work at catcher was a big part of their success.”
Davis said being closer to his family, which recently moved to Oregon, was also a factor in his decision.