The 2024 Mark Dickens Tournament took place this past week during Spring Break. Oakdale High School’s annual varsity baseball tournament, named in honor of the longtime baseball coach at OHS, the late Mark Dickens, was held April 1 through April 3. Oakdale battled to the finals but lost to Hughson 7-1 to finish in second place.
On hand for Opening Day were Mila Dickens, wife of the coach, and Eriksen Dickens, son of the coach. Eriksen threw out the ceremonial first pitch and both posed for photos with the entire Mustangs team.
Oakdale then opened the tournament with a 5-0 victory over Wheatland. Oakdale’s shutout over the Pirates took place on April 1. Oakdale led 1-0 in the first inning and scored four more runs in the bottom of the third inning. Carlo Antinetti led the team with three hits, including a triple. Griffin Costa had a pair of hits and drove in two runs. Landon Schutte also brought in a pair of runs for Oakdale. Glen Weber had a single and an RBI to help power the home team past the Pirates. On the mound for Oakdale was Schutte, who pitched a complete game shutout. He pitched seven innings, gave up two hits, no walks issued, and he also struck out 17 batters.
On April 2 the team hosted Los Banos. Oakdale never trailed against the Tigers as they defeated Los Banos 9-2. Oakdale had a 7-0 lead in the fifth inning before Los Banos tagged them for a pair of runs. Weber had two hits and RBI as did Schutte. Tommy Chance had an RBI and Reid Grandstaff added another. Trey Parsons pitched five innings giving up four hits, two runs and struck out seven. Colby Crofts pitched two clean innings, striking out four batters and never issued a hit or a walk.
The finals were set for April 3 between Hughson and Oakdale. Unfortunately for the host team, they could not hang with the Huskies. Oakdale had a total of five hits in the loss, taking second place in the tournament while Hughson claimed the championship. Chance, Costa, Ayden Ardis, Weber and Schutte each had a base hit. Ardis pitched four innings, surrendering eight hits, three earned runs, struck out a pair and walked one. Chance also appeared in the game as a pitcher, pitching three innings, giving up four runs (two earned), one hit, struck out three and walked two.
Valley Oak League action continues this week as Oakdale takes on East Union. The Mustangs will host the Lancers on April 10 with a 4 p.m. start time. The series wraps up on April 12 at East Union with a 4 p.m. start time.
JV Title
The junior varsity baseball boys did earn the championship in their Spring Break tournament, playing Tuesday through Thursday, April 2 through 4. They opened up action with a decisive 12-5 win over Los Banos and then handled Enochs by an 11-4 final. The final day, they shut out Turlock by an 11-0 score. For the tournament, the JV boys outscored their opponents 34-9.
