Jennifer Lindsay, the mayor of Ridgefield, is all smiles with Rally the Raptor after the mayor threw out the first pitch Wednesday as the Raptors opened their 2022 season. Photo by Paul Valencia

Opening night 2022 for Clark County’s summer league baseball team

RIDGEFIELD — Will Chambers took a break from batting practice Wednesday afternoon to recall the day he fell in love with Ridgefield.

“It was the best night of my life,” Chambers said of his first game with the Ridgefield Raptors, opening night in 2021. “I remember coming in, I was nervous. … To get the opportunity to play in this beautiful place. I wish everyone could experience a fan base like this.”

Will Chambers, who led the league in home runs last season, is thrilled to be back with the Ridgefield Raptors. Photo by Paul Valencia

Which is one of the reasons why Chambers is back with the Raptors this summer.

“I remember saying, ‘If I can’t go to Ridgefield again, I wouldn’t go,’” Chambers said of his 2022 summer plans.

Now playing college ball at Dixie State in Utah, Chambers said if he would play in Ridgefield forever if he could.

“This truly has become home,” he said.

Chambers is one of the biggest names returning to the West Coast League’s Clark County franchise. He led the league in home runs a year ago.

Wednesday night, he was in the lineup as the Raptors beat the Cowlitz Black Bears 21-7. It was considered a non-league game but part of the Columbia Cup series between the two nearby franchises. The Raptors return to action Friday at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex, the first of a three-game game series with Walla Walla to open WCL play.

There are plenty of newcomers to the organization, as well.

“Coming out here, I knew nothing about this place,” said Safea Villaruz-Mauai, who played college at Hawaii but is now in the portal exploring his options. “Very glad I got to see a lot of green out here. From Hawaii, when I come to the mainland, it’s just big cities and buildings. I’m very happy to see green and some wildlife running around.”

Safea Villaruz-Mauai had never heard of Ridgefield before signing with the Raptors, but he is grateful to be here and has already heard how great the fan base is in Clark County. Photo by Paul Valencia

He said Chambers told him a little bit about what to expect, playing for the Raptors.

“I’m grateful to be out here. I’m very blessed,” he said.

Leading the team, once again, will be coach Chris Cota.

“I enjoy it up here. It’s a different place. It’s 110 back home in the summer. Out here, I have to put a sweatshirt on at night,” said Cota, who has been the head coach at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, Calif., for 22 years.

He has been with the Raptors since the beginning, in 2019. He said one of the reasons he keeps coming back is assistant coach Nick Allen, who happens to be the head coach at Ridgefield High School.

In the game for decades now, Cota said he loves opening day at whatever level.

“It just means the start of something great. It’s such an awesome feeling, starting a new season with new players,” Cota said.

Jennifer Lindsay, the mayor of Ridgefield, threw out the first pitch.

“Fans are back in the stands,” she said. “We’ve finally come out of that COVID craziness. Great to see family, friends, fans sitting in the stands together, enjoying baseball. Kind of the way life should be.”

She noted the Raptors are more than a baseball team to the city.

“The Raptors are not just a June-through-August organization,” Lindsay said. “They show up at all the community events. Any event that we have in the city, the Raptors are representing, supporting our community in so many ways.”

In the middle of the interview, something caught the mayor’s eyes.

“Look at that,” she said, pointing toward the Raptors dugout. “They’re taking pictures with kids on the field. It’s a great, great thing.”

Back for another season, another summer of Raptors baseball.