UCC SOFTBALL TEAM HONORED BY LARGE CROWD AT CHAMPION CAR WASH FIELD

April 25, 2027 4:10 a.m.

It was the biggest crowd in years at Roseburg’s Champion Car Wash Field on Thursday night.

While attendees enjoyed watching baseball as the Umpqua Community College RiverHawks hosted the Lane Community College Titans for a doubleheader, the focus was on honoring UCC’s softball team, following the two-vehicle crash last Friday night that claimed the lives of Head Coach Jami Strinz and student-athlete Kiley Jones, and left the rest of the team with moderate to serious injuries.

While a planned 6:00 p.m. program got pushed back by around 45 minutes, due to the length of the first baseball game, the delay gave community members an opportunity to talk amongst themselves about the tragedy and share stories about the impact the growing UCC sports program is having on athletes and fans.

While admission was free, the crowd was given the opportunity to contribute to the UCC Softball Support Fund which has been established to remember the lives lost and help the survivors affected by the incident. UCC softball team t-shirts and other items were on sale as well.

The crowd included community leaders and fans of all ages, along with a strong showing from the first responders – police, fire, emergency medical technicians and others.

After game one was complete, UCC President Dr. Rachel Pokrandt led players from the softball team, including two still in wheelchairs due to their injuries, along with members of the soccer and volleyball teams and coaches, onto the field for the solemn remembrance. The event was live-streamed, and Pokrandt said Assistant Softball Coach Steve Williams, Jami Strinz’s partner, was watching from his hospital bed in Eugene, where he is beginning what Pokrandt said would be months of recovery from the wreck.

Pokrandt thanked the community for all the support the school has received since the tragedy took place. She thanked those who came to the crash scene near Myrtle Point last Friday and asked for a round of applause for the first responders.

Then, players from all three sports represented shared their thoughts about Coach Strinz and Kiley Jones. Pokrandt called for a moment of silence. The ceremony wrapped up with the playing of what Pokrandt said was Strinz favorite song to play on the bus ride home – one that annoyed the male assistant coaching staff – “Dancing Queen” from the group Abba.

As the teams left the field and most of the crowd headed for the parking lot, many tears were seen, but it was a moment of true community as well. #UCCStrong.