MHCC pitcher aims to help team bring home first NWAACC title since 2000

Over the recent spring break, the Saints traveled to Pendleton for an ordinary game, against an ordinary opponent. The outcome, however, was anything but.

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Eric Huson tossed a no-hitter en route to the victory, a rare feat in baseball.

Huson is from Cornelius, Ore., a town of 11,000, and is a graduate of Forest Grove High School. He arrived at MHCC last season doing nothing but bolstering the strength of their already stout pitching rotation.

He helped the Saints reach last year’s NWAACC title game, where they came close to winning it all.

In regards to his no-hitter, Huson said, “I didn’t notice anything ’til the fifth inning. We just made routine plays. The scariest moment was a soft line drive to left, but Hunter (Weiss) was able to make a play and secure the catch.”

Huson has been consistently good this season. He leads the Saints with a 1.97 ERA to go along with his 3-0 record.

Huson, one of 13 returners from last year’s squad, has been consistently good this season. He leads the Saints with a 1.97 ERA to go along with his 3-0 record.

Helping MHCC to an 18-8 record, including the lead in the NWAACC South division, Huson said he hopes to help make another deep postseason run.

“We just want to win, win the South, then go get a ring,” he said.

Outside of baseball, Huson holds a love for being outdoors. “I spend time snowboarding, hunting, and fishing,” he said.

There’s always been time for baseball, however. “I’ve been playing as long as I can remember,” said Huson. And this season has brought its own joy, he said.

“We have a good group of guys, and we all get along really well,” he said. Being part of a team was one of the favorite qualities he finds in the sport. “We know what we have to do to get to where we want to be” atop the league, he said, “and having that many returners helps pass on the winning tradition.”

Huson is currently working toward a general degree from MHCC, hoping to study business or criminal justice with a possibility of getting into forensic science in the future.

As for where he’ll wind up once his baseball days at MHCC end, that’s still up in the air. “I’ve talked with a few schools about continuing to play. But if baseball isn’t in my future, I’ll go to Oregon State to get my degree,” he said.

Huson said he will pick from among three schools, but was unable to say which ones. His inspirations and role models include his grandfather, and future major-league Hall of Famer Chipper Jones.

Right now, he’s focused on helping his team towards a Southern Region title and eventually bringing home its first NWAACC championship since 2000.