LBCC basbeball
The LBCC baseball program dates back to 1970 with first head coach Dick McClain, who boasted a winning record of 181 to 80 and an even better conference record of 74 and 6.
McClain’s teams won the Oregon Community College Athletics Association championships five out of six times they qualified. Today's LBCC Roadrunners are likewise enjoying a winning record, currently 10-2, with about 30 more games to go.
This year’s Roadrunners are aiming for another shot at the NWAC championship.
Linn-Benton’s baseball team has not had a losing record since the 2013-14 season, over a decade ago and even then it was under a new head coach who went on to have three winning seasons.
The Northwest Athletic Conference is made up of 37 community college athletic programs in the Pacific Northwest. LBCC has taken home the NWAC championship three times in the last five years.
Over the last decade, the Roadrunners have enjoyed winning season after winning season, taking home the NWAC championship in 2022, and back-to-back wins in the 2024 and 2025 season.
Coach Andy Peterson has been the head coach since the 2018 season, and has an overall record of 208-74-2, winning the conference South Division every year, except for the year Covid took over the season. Peterson played baseball at OSU, earning two letters playing for the Beavers and was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.
“Andy was a young coach. Hadn't been a head coach, but it was kind of the right place, right time, and he just picked it up and ran with it,” said Mark Majeski, LBCC’s director of athletics.
In the fall of 2025 the Roadrunners upgraded their facilities by adding a new turf field. The turf infield is an organic material from GreenplayUSA, a Merrick, New York, company that works with institutions all over the country.
“Yes, it has been an absolute blessing to have the full turf field, being able to practice every day rain or shine is a blessing and we are truly grateful for the donors that made it possible for the one-of-a-kind facility upgrades for a junior college,” said sophomore infielder Bryant Starr. “This program and school is like no other and isn't possible without the staff in our athletic department, and all the donors making sacrifices to see our program continue.
“Our individual and team growth is all due to the little details about the game,” Starr continued, “with this turf we can break down the game and really fine-tune the necessary problems to help push towards winning every pitch and game, to help lead to our overall goal of a three-peat NWAC title.”
This new turf technology replaces the commonly used rubber pellets and is more environmentally safe, according to LBCC’s website.
On its website, Greenplay notes: “Corkonut is blended using an exclusive, natural process utilizing only select pesticide-free coconut fibers and high-quality pure cork that is guaranteed to be environmentally friendly and human safe in every regard.”
Without the rubber pellets the field is more suited for baseball and does not have the "splash" often associated with rubber-filled fields.
“They love it, so they're really enjoying it,” Majeski said. “And they had to suffer as the project went through the fall, which wasn't anticipated.”
At a glance:
What: LBCC baseball
Record: Overall since 1971 – 1,358 wins 818 losses and only 2 ties; this year they are at 10-2
Coach: Andy Peterson and his team have won the NWAC championship three times, in four years – 2022, 2024 and 2025
LBCC Athletics Website: https://athletics.linnbenton.edu/sports/bsb/index
Greenplay turf website: www.greenplayusa.com/greenplay-makes-difference
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