This story is part of an ongoing series featuring Basin athletes who have committed to play in college. In case you missed them, be sure to check out our other stories on Henley football’s Logan Whitlock, Henley basketball’s Annie Campos, Mazama volleyball’s Gillian Merhoff, and Lost River football’s Connor Dunlea and Joel DeJong.
In his dozen-plus-year baseball career, Marcos-Ulloa Ford never considered playing in college a real possibility.
Then, after his junior season at Mazama, Oregon Tech came calling.
“There’s a lot of baseball talent in Klamath, and there’s a lot of really good players,” Oregon Tech pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Ricky Walker said. “But it definitely takes a lot to…be ready to come in [to Oregon Tech] and Marcos displayed those abilities.”
Those abilities translated to a .410 batting average with a 1.069 OPS at the plate and a 2.39 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 44 innings on the mound, which earned him Skyline Conference player of the year and first team all-state honors.
Coaches who watched Ulloa-Ford saw his potential before he did. Mazama head coach Mike Edwards, who was an assistant for the first three years of Ulloa-Ford’s high school career, said Ulloa-Ford stood out even as the Vikings’ lone freshman during the 2021 season.
“He came in well above anyone else in his class just the way he was able to field the ball [and] hit the ball,” Edwards said.
Walker said Ulloa-Ford first grabbed his attention during his sophomore season.
“Athletically, he stood out,” Walker said. “When you look at his mound presence and…his working [velocity] with his plus curveball that he brings, you could tell he was going to grow into a special player.”
Ulloa-Ford said he didn’t have significant discussions with any other programs and was happy to stay in Klamath Falls. He signed with Oregon Tech in December.
Ulloa-Ford will be one of two Klamath Falls natives playing for the Owls next year; Klamath Union alum Jacob Cook transferred in from Lassen Community College this season. Prior to that, Oregon Tech hadn’t had a Klamath Falls native on the roster since Aaron Bocchi–another Mazama alum–graduated in 2014.
Last year, the Owls set a program record with 33 wins and captured their first conference championship since 1982. This year, they sit 23-13 and are tied for first place in the Cascade Conference with 14 games left in the regular season.
Six games into his senior season, Ulloa-Ford is hitting .500 with a 1.386 OPS and carries a 2.10 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 16.2 innings. In his career, he’s amassed 64 RBI and 6 home runs and thrown 160 strikeouts with 68 walks. Ulloa-Ford said he wants to try playing both ways at Oregon Tech. Academically, he’s undecided on a major.
“What he makes for his role as a freshman is what he’s ready to handle or what he earns,” Walker said.
Both Walker and Edwards said Ulloa-Ford’s work ethic and dedication stand out as attributes they feel will make him a successful college player.
“He’s out here putting work in every single day,” Edwards said. “He also never strays away from a challenge on the field.”
Additionally, Walker said Ulloa-Ford’s curveball is “already at a college level.”
“He’s got a ton of upside,” Walker said.
Mazama travels to Gladstone for the first game of a back-to-back at 6 p.m. Friday. Oregon Tech travels to Simpson for a one-game trip at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
