Feather River College (FRC) baseball has achieved two historic firsts for the program, adding to its long list of accomplishments. At the Final Four tournament held at Great Park in Irvine, the Golden Eagles defeated Ohlone College 11-9 to claim third place in the California state championship, a milestone never before reached by the team.
FRC finished the season with an impressive 37-16 overall record and a dominant 21-4 mark in the Golden Valley Conference, securing the league title nearly a month before the regular season ended. This marks the 16th conference championship for head coach Terry Baumgartner in his 19 seasons at the helm.
Under his leadership, the Dirty Birds have also earned 11 regional titles and four super regional championships.
Despite a slow start to the season, with a 4-6 record, Baumgartner remained confident in his team's potential. "I saw glimpses of the potential in between all the sickness and injuries we had to deal with throughout the season," he said.
"I knew we had the guys but with all we had to deal with throughout the season I just didn't know when it would click." After that rocky beginning, the Golden Eagles turned their season around with an 18-game winning streak spanning 45 days from February 12 to March 24. During that stretch and throughout the season, the team demonstrated a remarkable ability to rally from deficits and win games late, a testament to their chemistry and resilience.
"This team had the ability to never give up," Baumgartner added. "They always put their heads down and found a way to win.
We found several different ways to do that throughout the season and it started in the first weekend when we were down 13-0 to Merced in the fifth inning and came back to win that game." After clinching the conference title early, FRC maintained momentum through the postseason, hosting three consecutive weekends at the Eagles Nest in Quincy. They defeated Monterey Peninsula and American River in a three-team series, then won two of three against Hartnell and two of three against West Valley to earn their spot in Irvine.
At the Final Four, they lost to Palomar 6-2, beat Ohlone 11-9, and fell to Santa Ana 12-3.
Baumgartner praised his team and coaching staff for the historic season. "This has to be one of the best all-time teams in FRC history," he said.
"We had great chemistry with this group and they played hard for each other and found ways to win each week. I am super proud of what this group accomplished, capping it off by winning a game at the Final Four and being the last team in Northern California standing." He also thanked the administration, faculty, staff, and parents for their support.
The 2026 team has further cemented a winning foundation at the small-town school in the mountains of northern California. "This team lets all future teams know that anything is possible and even though we are a small-town team we can play with anyone in the state," he added.
"These players will never be forgotten as they etched their mark in Feather River baseball history."