New Knappa baseball coach: A familiar face
· Yahoo Sports
Turning of a new leaf.
This is a phrase Knappa’s new baseball coach, Luke Roth, used when asked to describe his expectations. The 25-year-old Roth informed The Astorian Tuesday morning that he had accepted the position as head coach for the Loggers. Roth said he hopes he can help jump start the Knappa baseball program after the team struggled this past year, in their first season without longtime coach Jeff Miller.
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“I’ve always lived in this area,” Roth said. “I graduated from Clatskanie in 2019, so I got a good look at what this baseball program looked like and the expectations they have. My goal this year is to try and reignite the joy for our seniors and inspire some of the kids who didn’t come out last year, to return.”
After being coached by Miller for 24 years and winning four state championships, the Loggers had a rough year in 2026. The team had an early season coaching change and were only able to win 10 games. Knappa finished the 2026 season with a 10-14 record and a fourth place finish in the 2A/1A Special District 1.
Though the Loggers are in the midst of a transition, Roth is confident his team can once again return to the top.
“We had zero seniors on the team last year so everyone is going to be returning,” Roth said. “I met with the seniors earlier this week and told them that I will do whatever it takes to give them the best experience possible. There’s lots of good building blocks on this team and my expectation is to meet them where they are and reset the program.”
In an email to The Astorian on Thursday, Knappa Athletic Director Jenny Smith said, “we’re very excited to welcome Luke as the head of our baseball program. He brings a wealth of coaching experience and a deep knowledge of the game, and we’re confident he’ll be a great leader for our players and program. We’re looking forward to seeing all that he brings to the team.”
From there to here
For Roth, this job is a few years in the making.
Ever since high school he wanted to be a coach. Roth credits current Clatskanie head baseball coach Ryan Tompkins and his staff for their help and support. Roth wants to take what he’s learned through both his playing and coaching days to help the Knappa players reach whatever heights they choose to chase.
“I believe in the transformational power of sports,” said Roth. “I’ve loved sports ever since I was a kid and I want to be inspiring to everyone I meet. There were some coaches I had that were mentors to me. Wherever there’s a need to help these kids I’m open to do it.”
After graduating from Clatskanie in 2019, Roth went on to play college baseball at Midland University in Nebraska. During the pandemic he transferred to Oregon Tech, then played one season before getting hurt in 2021. The injury allowed Roth to start his coaching journey.
Roth started his coaching career straight from college. He coached baseball at Rainier in 2020-21, helped with Oregon Tech mens basketball and was the softball student manager from 2021 to 2022 and helped coach Lakeview girls basketball and softball from 2022 – 2024. Over the last two years, Roth was a grad assistant for Oregon State’s softball and one of the coaches for Amity’s girls basketball. And in 2025 – 2026, he was an assistant coach for Scappoose softball, and Amity girls basketball — and he coached for the Mafia Baseball Club.
Though Roth said he enjoyed coaching softball, he is excited to pursue his true passion — baseball. Roth said the enthusiasm Knappa has for sports is one of the best in the state, regardless of classification.
Roth also said some former Clatskanie coaches and teammates ribbed him a bit about taking the job at Knappa.
“Even though the Knappa community has embraced me, I know that the rivalry with Clatskanie runs deep,” Roth said. ““I was honestly a little nervous about that at first. … A couple of my former teammates and coaches joked around with me about taking the job — but everyone is very supportive.”
When asked about his coaching philosophy, Roth described himself as a players coach.
“I can’t remember the last time I’ve yelled at anyone,” Roth said. “I believe in developing the kids off the field as well as on it. My whole philosophy is to try to connect with each kid and meet them where they’re at. This helps me to coach them the best way I can.”
Though Roth was just recently hired, he has experience working with one player from Knappa already. Roth coached incoming Knappa senior Oliver Stevens this summer when Stevens played for the Mafia Baseball Club. Stevens was one of a dozen baseball players from Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington to play for the MBC, which won regionals in Canada in July and took part in the recent 16-18 Babe Ruth World Series held Aug. 5 – 16 in Branson, Missouri.
Roth said going to the Babe Ruth World Series was a good experience and he was proud of the Mafia Baseball Club team. “We went 2-4 and finished sixth,” Roth said. “We got stuck in a really difficult pool with eventual champion Chinese Taipei. In bracket play, we beat the Great Lakes Champion and the Canadian Champion that we previously lost to. Ultimately, we lost to Puerto Rico in the 4th vs. 6th place game — but it was a great experience for the kids.”
Roth said last season’s interim coach Tim Miller will return as his assistant coach. Roth said he will also keep in touch with Jeff Miller.
“I want someone as successful as Jeff around the program,” Roth said. “I’m really excited to get going and the kids are all receptive to the offseason program I’ve installed for them.”