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Historic No-Hitter by Joe Mendazona Jr. Leads Central to 5A State Title

June 20, 2026
Maggie Akins
PNW Reporter

For the first time in history in Oregon 5A baseball, Central High School's Joe Mendazona Jr. threw a no-hitter in a state championship game.  

Central defeated Thurston in the championship by a final score of 7-0, capping off their incredible run.

Central's Head Coach Ben Kramer had high expectations for Mendazona heading into the championship.

“The cool part is it's not a huge surprise, just knowing him as a player and a human being and the way that he works. Just the way he carries himself in all different aspects, from on the field to off the field,” Kramer said.  

“I didn't expect to throw a no-hitter, especially since we were playing a good team like Thurston, but I was just really amped up, and I was sitting low nineties all year, which I haven't really been there since I've been hurt, but it's great. I just kinda surprised myself,” Mendazona Jr. said.

After coming off a torn meniscus from the football season, the TCU commit did not play for the first half of the season, working back through six months of rehab. Mendazona's mpact was felt in a huge way once he returned.

“Not having him for the first half of the season was also really good for our team, and as much as it pained him to not be on a baseball field competing, he took that role really well and handled what he needed to and brought some of the younger guys along. When he was back, it was just like, ‘Whoa,’” Kramer said.  

Mendazona Jr. mentioned that though going through the injury was tough, it made him better than he was before.  

“It's a tough time for sure, but in the end it just takes you to greater places than you would've been and builds you for the tougher moments,” Mendazona Jr. said.  

Mendazona Jr. still tallied up eight home runs with a .600 batting average in his limited action, with a great year on the mound as well.

“He's got a strong arm and takes care of it really well, and he was amped up…We see 93, and we just kind of look at each other as coaches and smile,” Kramer said. “He also did a really nice job of calming back down and just being a pitcher when he needed to be and executing that, knowing that we needed him to sustain it for as long as he possibly could, and he did that and looked under control.”

Though Mendazona Jr. stole the headlines with the no-hitter, the Panthers needed every player to contribute to get to that point.

Junior INF JT Girod, an Oregon Duck commit and one of the top-ranked juniors in the state, was one of the team's most important players in the title game and all spring, finishing the day going 2-3 and slashing .453/.561/.686 overall.

Kramer refers to Girod as the heartbeat of this Panthers team and stands as the captain in their dugout.  

“He’s never asked me, ‘What's my ERA? How many strikeouts did I have?’ Anything like that,  he's like, ‘Hey, we got another win today, coach, for our team,’ and that's the coolest part for him. But he's been absolutely dominant on the mound and also at the plate, just a really good competitor,” Kramer said.  

Girod's dominance on the mound recently earned him 5A Pitcher of the Year, per OSAA.

Juniors Jackson Barba, Santi Alarcon, and Easton Herbert were also key contributors in the playoff run, delivering huge hits and plays all over the diamond.

“Jackson, the way that he grew in his approach offensively throughout the year, and the commitment to doing what we need to as a team, was huge. Santi going three for four in the biggest game of the year after just continuing to grind out adjustments in his swing was incredibly impressive. And Easton, I cannot say enough about him,  just an incredibly hard worker,” Kramer said.

Through all the heart and grit on this Panthers team, they finished the season 24-7, including winning their last 8 games in a row. Despite some adversity early in the season, the team played their best baseball when it mattered most.

“I'm just so proud of them as a team that they chose to stick together for each other and obviously cool stuff can happen as a result,” Kramer said.  

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