PENDLETON Superfan motivates his team

Published 4:06 pm Monday, May 28, 2018

The soundtrack of a softball game includes the crack of the bat, cheers and moans of the crowd and the thud of ball hitting mitt.

At Pendleton High School softball games, there’s an additional layer of sound provided by superfan Jim Rohde. The Adams man comes to every game to cheer the girls to victory. Rohde’s stream of banter both encourages and amuses spectators, players and even occasionally the behind-the-plate umpire.

“Give ’em some religion,” he quipped to pitcher Lauren Richards at last Friday’s state playoff game against Ridgeview. “Put the fear of God in them.”

And when the ace pitcher bats, the 72-year-old fan sometimes directs Richards to “Hit it to Claremont” where the talented hurler will play her college ball.

Before each game, Rohde bypasses the stands at Steve Cary Field and instead sets up a lawn chair he got on clearance about 10 years ago. Next to the chair, he places a cooler containing Gatorade and black licorice. His uniform is a Pendleton softball shirt, cargo shorts, sandals and a PHS hat.

When the game gets going, so does Rohde. Happily for the other fans, Rohde’s voice doesn’t rip into the ballpark like a chainsaw biting into wood. It’s more of a soothing, supportive refrain.

The players hear him from the field and say they like Rohde’s relentless encouragement.

“I love it,” said Aspen Garton, who plays second base. “He makes me laugh out there. He’s got a good attitude.”

Rohde said he takes pains not to say anything negative.

“I will absolutely not criticize the umpires,” Rohde said.

Richards loves having Rohde on their side.

“I enjoy having him in the stands,” she said. “He motivates me. He’s definitely a positive. I work to block out just about everything else, but I don’t block him out.”

Oddly, Rohde, who played baseball at Pendleton High School, hasn’t always liked softball. When granddaughters Reeghan and Raylee Lehnert started playing Little League softball, however, he went to the games to fulfill his grandfatherly duty. Slowly the game took hold.

“I ended up getting hooked on softball,” he said. “It’s much faster than baseball. You don’t have time to get up and go to the bathroom. I can’t believe what good athletes these girls are.”

Rohde doesn’t have work to prevent him from attending games. The farmer-turned-nurse is retired now and finds time to attend not only PHS games, but sometimes college games played by softball teams with former Pendleton players on the roster.

If Pendleton wins Tuesday’s playoff game at Steve Cary Field, Rohde will head for the state championship game in Corvallis. If that happens, he’ll have to leave his chair in the trunk of his orange Volkswagen bug.

“They don’t allow lawn chairs,” Rohde said.

The superfan said he believes the Lady Bucks could pull off another championship victory. The key is whether they can turn on the tap and let the hits flow. The last several games, they haven’t hit to their capability, he said. If they start hitting, though, watch out.

“Hitting is their strength,” he said. “They’re the best hitting team. They have power galore.”

Whatever happens, Rohde will be there in the stands cheering his team.

Play ball.

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Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0810.