Over the next several weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2026 spring season. Team previews touch on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down through the official Prep Baseball Oregon Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Team Previews are generated through a mixture of coaches' responses gathered through our perennial coaches questionnaires, as well as insight from Prep Baseball Staff. Stay tuned the next several weeks for the unveiling of Team Previews and the complete Power 25.

Today, we spotlight the #24 ranked North Medford Black Tornado. 

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High School: North Medford Black Tornado   
Head Coach: Brett Wolfe
Division: 6A
League/Conference: Southwest Conference
2025 Record (Finish): 15-12
2025 Playoff Finish: 6A State Round of 32

 

ROSTER PREVIEW

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 4
No. of Returning Pitchers: 2
Key Players Lost: Colton Miller, Dominic Daffron, Macen Baker, Easton Curtis, Calvin Rayburn

TEAM OUTLOOK

Starting Pitching: Cade Pettersen, Brayden Poff, Quincy Ballard

Bullpen: Connor Roush, Merrick Jonasson

Top Seniors: Ben Morgan, Connor Roush, Joe Castillo, Colsten Staller

Top Juniors: Brady Patterson, Cade Pettersen, Merrick Jonasson

Underclassmen to watch: '29 Quincy Ballard, '28 Reese Thompson

Areas to watch: Pitching experience, power

Team Strengths: Infield, LHP

Overall Summary

North Medford enters the 2026 season as an intriguing side in the southern part of the state. The Black Tornado will be lead by junior catcher Brady Patterson, who returns after hitting .333 in the middle of the order last season. Patterson will be leaned upon heavily in a lineup that graduates several seniors from a year ago. Elsewhere, junior Cade Pettersen may be asked to do more both on the mound and with the bat. The lefty struggled with command at times last spring but can be effective when in the zone. Other players with limited varsity experience who may be asked to pitch more include Merrick Jonasson, Brayden Poff and Connor Roush. Senior Ben Morgan will return, likely manning shortstop as he did a season ago. North Medford will also welcome the arrival of freshman Quincy Ballard. The 6'2 lefty was seen at last summer's Prep Baseball Future Games, where he displayed a clean delivery and a fastball already up to 82.5 MPH with three pitches mixed in for strikes. Look for the 7th ranked freshman in the state to push for a varsity spot early. North Medford's schedule features great matchups beginning to end, including games against Willamette, Roseburg and Grants Pass. Look for the Black Tornado and new coach Brett Wolfe to make some noise in Southern Oregon this spring.

Find more information on the 2026 North Medford program below:

+ Follow them on IG: @BlackTornadoBaseball
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Oregon Preseason Power 25 homepage

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