The College of the Redwoods baseball program saw another player commit to a four-year school following their stint with the Redwoods, with infielder Bode Joyner committing to the University of Jamestown in North Dakota.
The University of Jamestown has run a very successful NAIA program in recent years, but they’re preparing to take the jump to Division II in 2026, joining the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Joyner is coming off of a strong sophomore season with CR, where he was named First Team All-Golden Valley Conference. Joyner posted a team-high 30 RBI in 33 games while batting .347 with four home runs and three stolen bases.
CR was Joyner’s third college spot after graduating from St. Bernard’s in 2021, initially heading to Santa Rosa Junior College, where he redshirted for a season. During his second season with Santa Rosa, but his first where he was set to see game action, Joyner broke his back.
“I was just doing a jump squat and when I landed I broke my L5 and L4 vertebrae,” Joyner said. “I was in a back brace for nine months, so I was pretty stiff as you could imagine.”
After his time in the brace and some additional time in physical therapy, Joyner was finally ready to get back out on the diamond. He then resumed his collegiate career with Napa Valley College in 2024 but didn’t find the success he was looking for.
College of the Redwoods’ first baseman Bode Joyner stretches for a ball at first base earlier this season against Mendocino College. (Dylan McNeill/Times-Standard)
“It definitely took some time,” Joyner said of refinding his swing following his back injury. “It was just a difficult year. I just had a really hard time after not playing in over a year, it kind of set me back a little bit and left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.”
Following the season, Joyner was reached out to by former CR baseball head coach Andrew Aiello and assistant coach Kokko Figueiredo, gauging his interest oin joining CR’s program and allowing him to continue his Humboldt County baseball journey.
The highlight of Joyner’s season, and perhaps the highlight for the entire CR season, came in March when Joyner cracked a two-run home run to walk-off Butte College 7-6 with CR down to their final out, which he called “the pinnacle of my entire baseball career.”
Bode wasn’t the only Joyner in the CR baseball program this season, with his father, Dan Joyner, working as an assistant coach, an opportunity that Bode was grateful to get to experience.
“I just got goosebumps thinking about it,” Joyner said, reflecting on the opportunity to get to play beside his father. “People probably think I’m a little biased because he’s my father, right, but if you ask any one of the guys, he forms a really close relationship with each player. You can call him, text him, in the middle of the night and he’ll come help you out. To get to experience college baseball with your father, it’s really something else.”
Jamestown University and North Dakota will all be brand new for Joyner, as he’s yet to visit the state but will be headed out that way in August for a brand new adventure.
“I knew from a very young age that I wanted to play college baseball,” Joyner said. “Once I went through that bump in the road, there was a time where I thought maybe I wouldn’t get that opportunity.”
Joyner is excited for hunting and fishing out in North Dakota while also getting the chance to play D-II baseball for the Jamestown Jimmies. He received a phone call out of nowhere from the Jamestown coaching staff, who discovered Joyner from the internet, where they saw some video and his statistics and reached out to gauge his interest.
“Baseball’s a mental game. You just have to believe,” Joyner said. “If you believe that you’re going to get healthy and pursue your dreams like you’ve always wanted, odds are you will.”
Dylan McNeill can be reached at 707-441-0526.