Lane faces tough decision

After an outstanding two years with Mt. Hood on the diamond, sophomore Tommy Lane will now have a hard decision ahead of him.

Either way, the 6-foot-6, 240-pound first baseman will be quite satisfied.

Earlier this week Lane traveled to Scottsdale, Ariz., for a pre-draft workout with the major-league Arizona Diamondbacks. Already the owner of a scholarship offer from NCAA Division 1 Marshall University, he was among 15 position players and 15 pitchers who worked out at Salt River Fields, home of the Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies spring training facilities.

Lane received his invite from Diamondbacks area scout Donnie Reynolds, brother of former Seattle Mariners All-Star infielder Harold Reynolds. Lane first met Donnie while playing ball at Pendleton High School. Little did the big redhead know he would impress the longtime scout enough to land an opportunity of a lifetime.

“(Donnie) came to watch a catcher from Roseburg, and I ended up hitting the ball really well that day,” said Lane of his fortunate impact on the scout. “That’s when we first started talking.”

He impressed more than just Reynolds during his workout, especially after taking batting practice in front of all the Diamondbacks scouts.

“I did what all the scouts expected – played some good first base and hit some balls out of the park. It was nice putting on a show,” he said.

Lane finished the 2015 regular season with the Saints leading the NWAC with 11 home runs, to go along with 49 RBI, which was good for second in the entire league. He was named to both the South Region and NWAC first teams for his efforts.

During his two-year stint with the Saints the Pendleton native belted 16 home runs and had 74 RBIs, while hitting .307.

If drafted by the Diamondbacks this coming week, Lane would become the fourth Saint since 2009 to play in their organization. The list includes DJ Johnson (2011-12 seasons at Mt. Hood), Michael Blake (2011-12) and Taylor Ard (2014).

The MLB first-year player draft is slated for Monday through Wednesday. Lane plans on being at home in Gresham during the process, making sure to have his cellphone closer to him than normal. He doesn’t plan on missing this special call, should it come.

“(The scouts) told me to have your phone on you during the draft at all times,” said Lane. “That’s what I am going to do.”

If the draft doesn’t pan out accordingly, Lane would have no hard feelings since he has a scholarship in hand to play for Marshall in Huntington, West Virginia. Even if drafted, Lane won’t make any move until he sees a money figure attached to a rookie contract.

He’s just happy for having the chance to display his skills in front of MLB scouts, he said.

“I wasn’t too nervous at all,” said Lane. “I had nothing to lose since I’m signed on with a four-year college. I just went out there and did my thing.”

Saints skipper Bryan Donohue knows a little bit about the draft process, since taking over the program in 2008. Donohue replaced Matt Dorey, who took a job with the Boston Red Sox as an area scout. Dorey now serves as an area scout for the Chicago Cubs.

Since 2008, six former Saints have either been drafted by major league clubs, or signed on as free agents.

Not too shabby.

Taylor Williams, selected in the fourth round by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2013 out of Kent State University, was the last former Saint to be drafted.

“Tommy might (get drafted),” said Donohue. “Fifty-fifty chance. (The Diamondbacks) might call his name, but it’s up in the air if they offer him a contract.”

The Saints coach went so far as to say Lane is the best power hitter he’s had since Ard played for the Saints back in 2009. Ard would eventually sign with the Seattle Mariners in 2012 after they selected the power hitter in the seventh round out of Washington State University. During Ard’s 2009 campaign with Mt. Hood, recorded a school-best .490 batting average, while hitting 12 home runs and driving in 49 runs.

“Best power since Ard,” said Donohue of Lane. “You can’t argue with numbers.”

Missouri Western University-bound outfielder Nick Gawley, who played alongside Lane for the last two years, had the chance to witness from up close his teammate ring up some serious mileage on the ball with his fence-clearing shots. Gawley believes Lane has a high ceiling and is headed in the right direction, regardless whether he gets drafted or not this season.

“I think he still has a lot of room for growth,” said Gawley. “He’s one of the best hitters I’ve played with. He can hit a long ways when he connects. He was responsible for a lot of our runs.

“From his (workout) with the Diamondbacks, I feel like he might have a shot,” Gawley said.

Lane plans on playing for the Bend Elks this summer. The Elks are apart of the summer West Coast League, a wooden-bat league for topflight collegiate players in Oregon-Washington-British Columbia.

“That’s the plan,” Lane said of heading to Bend this summer. “But we’ll see what happens.”