Canby's Colby Herren (shown here against Wilsonville) finished his high school baseball career in the Oregon All-Star Series on Saturday and Sunday, June 21-22. (Miles Vance)

Canby’s Colby Herren and Brady Ackerman went out on top.

Indeed, Ackerman and Herren capped their high school baseball careers by battling the state’s best players in the annual Oregon All-Star Series, held Saturday and Sunday, June 21-22, at Goss Stadium on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis.

While the South won the series – they tied the opener 1-1 on Saturday, then beat the North 13-6 on Sunday – Herren and Ackerman finished their high school athletic careers right where they spent so much of it – competing against the best players in Oregon.

“Knowing that you are surrounded by the best 5A and 6A talent in the state is a good feeling,” Herren said. “Knowing that I can compete at a high level and was chosen to play at these games, I feel, is a good way to end my high school career.”

“It was a great event and a way to end my career on a high note playing with the best,” Ackerman said. “My favorite part of the experience was getting to meet people from all over Oregon and getting to play against the best of the best.”

In the nine-inning Series opener, Herren went 0 for 2 at the plate with a pair of strikeouts, while Ackerman went 0 for 1 with a walk and reached base twice. On defense, Herren made one putout at first base.

In the nine-inning Series finale, Ackerman went 1 for 4 with one RBI and one run scored, including a third-inning sacrifice fly to drive in Grant’s Kaeden Cruse. Herren, meanwhile, went 0 for 2 at the plate with one line out and one strikeout, and also handled three defensive chances without an error in right field and made two putouts.

“I feel that I played pretty solid. I took good swings and hit some balls hard, just right to people,” Ackerman said. “Defensively, I didn’t get a ton of action, but I am happy with my performance.”

“My overall performance was decent,” Herren said. “Hitting-wise, I struggled ‘til the end when I found rhythm and caught some barrel. In the field, I played exceptionally well. At first base, I didn’t catch much action, but when I played some right field, I had some opportunities and a chance to show off my arm.”

Herren, a first-team all-Northwest Oregon Conference selection in 2025, will play baseball at Yakima Valley Community College next year. Ackerman, another NWOC first-team selection, will play baseball next year at Arizona Christian University.

During the 2025 spring season, Ackerman and Herren led Canby to a runner-up finish in the NWOC, and later, a berth in the Class 5A state championship.

“My favorite part of this experience was outside of baseball,” Herren said. “When we had downtime, I was able to go connect and make bonds with other ballplayers that I have rarely or never even talked to. We got a chance to go get some ice cream, bowl, and talk about our own experiences. These memories I made will last a lifetime and I will be forever grateful for this opportunity.”

Jace McGowan of Grants Pass was named the Bob Brockman Oregon All-Star Series MVP. He finished Saturday’s game pitching two scoreless innings, and on Sunday, played solid defense and collected two hits to spark the South.

The South Most Outstanding Player was Alex Via of South Medford, who started the Series opener and had a base hit on Sunday.

Luke Erwin of South Salem earned Most Outstanding Pitcher honors for the South and was the winning pitcher in game two.

The North’s Most Outstanding Player and Pitcher were Sunset catcher Dakota Chun and La Salle righthander Max Bishop. Chun went 2-for-2 with two doubles on Sunday and threw out a runner attempting to steal, while Bishop threw three scoreless innings of relief on Saturday.