Cota, Allen returning to Ridgefield Raptors

The Ridgefield Raptors are keeping continuity on their coaching staff.

Thursday, the West Coast League baseball team announced head coach Chris Cota and assistant coach Nick Allen will return for a fourth season.

Cota and Allen have held those positions since the collegiate wood bat franchise debuted in 2019.

The Raptors have qualified for the West Coast League playoffs for two consecutive years. Last summer, Ridgefield defeated the Portland Pickles in the divisional round before falling to eventual champion Corvallis in the South Division championship series.

Cota, who has coached College of the Canyons near Los Angeles for 21 years, has attracted a steady stream of Southern California talent to Ridgefield.

Allen, the head coach at Ridgefield High School, has helped the Raptors make connections in the local baseball community. That has resulted in several players from Clark County joining the Raptors each season.

Ridgefield’s 2023 season starts June 1 at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex with an exhibition game against the Cowlitz Black Bears.