Former Deer Park Athlete Pitches at Avista Stadium

The Spokane Indians home field at Avista Stadium saw a contingent of local fans pulling for the opposing Eugene Emeralds, or at least for their starting pitcher, former Deer Park High School and Whitworth University standout Hunter Dryden. To the delight of his local supporters, the Em- eralds pitching rotation saw the local athlete start on the mound in the series opener on Aug. 4. In his first start at Avista Stadium, a field he played on during district playoffs while in high school, he received an abundance of run sup- port in a 13-1; win run support measures the average number of runs a team scores for a starting pitcher while he is in the game or during his total starts.

Dryden pitched six innings, allowing three hits with five strikeouts. Last week’s Northwest League series brought Dryden back to near where his baseball skills are rooted, the fields of Tri-County Little League, Deer Park High School, and Merkel Field at Whitworth University. He remembers back to his Tri-County Little League Mariners team, which was ironically also the major league team he followed, where he was coached by his parents. When Dryden, listed at just 5 feet 4 inches on his freshman year basket- ball roster, reached high school, Darren Snyder, who became head coach prior to Dryden's junior campaign, saw a kid who was quiet and humble with confidence.

Snyder said Dryden exuded confidence and sincerity that did not come off as arrogance. He also described a smirk that told him Dryden would be a good pillar to build a program off of, describing his former player as kind, innocent, and ferociously competitive. Dryden recalls encouragement from Snyder to become a more vocal leader.

During the spring 2019 season, Dryden etched his name into the Stag baseball history books with what is believed to be the only perfect game in program history. A per- fect game not only means not allowing any hits, but also no walks, hit batters, or errors by the defense. Snyder recalled the game describing Dryden's work as quick, crisp, and challenging hitters with a "hit it if you can" mentality. Deer Park defeated Riverside that day in six innings 10-0. On the night of his final home basketball game his senior year, Dryden, now standing 5 feet 10 inches, chose the Whitworth University Pirates after weighing options that he said included most of the Northwest Conference plays.

He said his final two choices were rivals Whitworth and Whitman in Walla Walla. Whitworth won, he said, because of wanting to play collegiately close to home as well as the Pirates coaching staff. His final two seasons of college play saw him earn all Northwest Conference honors on the mound. He also played infield when not pitching. On the day of the 2024 Major League draft, Dryden was actually watching draft coverage with friends and family and learned of his selection, not by a phone call from the major league team that selected him, the San Francisco Giants, but by seeing it on the TV screen. A short time later, his phone was flooded with calls and texts from family, friends, and teammates.

His first experience for the Giants organization was in the summer of 2024 in the Arizona Complex League. His performance caught the eyes of the parent club who moved him up to short season "A" affiliate San Jose for the postseason. While he didn't see action in the playoffs, he did get a brief introduction to his 2025 home. His 2025 season with the San Jose Giants would be capped with a California League championship. His local fans and followers were thrilled when they found out he was assigned to Eugene for the start of the 2026 season, meaning a trip to Spokane to play the Indians. In preparation for the season, Dryden did get to spend some time in the San Francisco Giants spring training camp and made several appearances there.

During the spring he remembered getting to see some of the Major League pitchers work and their dayto-day routines. One of his outings for the Emeralds this season saw him on the mound against the Everett Aquasox, the Seattle Mariners Northwest League affiliate. Reigning major league home-run champion Cal Raleigh was on an injury rehabilitation assignment during the series. Dryden recalled his first time pitching to the allstar catcher and seeing what he thought would be a routine pop fly end up being caught just in front of the outfield fence.

The former Stag and Pirate hurler would get the better of Raleigh on his next plate appearance as Dryden recorded a swinging strikeout on a fastball low and away. The third go-round saw Raleigh record his only hit off of Dryden in three plate appearances. The next step up the minor league ladder in the Giants organization is in Richmond, Va., if his progression remains moving up one level each season.