‘Yote Notes –
Feb. 25, 2003
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Mike Safford Jr.
– Sports Info. Director
msafford@albertson.edu
GENERAL
ATHLETICS NEWS:
"A WEEKEND OF CHAMPIONS": The 2003 Spring fundraiser, centered around a big weekend of baseball - more information to follow...stay tuned.
ALPINE SKIING:
COYOTES HEADED TO NATIONALS: Both
the men’s and women’s Alpine Ski programs will represent Albertson College at
the 2003 USCSA National Championships in California in March. The women’s program used a strong finish in
the slalom race last weekend to win their first Western Regional championship
since 1998, while the men’s team used consistent finishes to take home
third-place.
MARCIAL WINS COMBINED: Freshman
Cassie Marcial continued her blitz of the collegiate ski circuit last
weekend, winning the combined regional championship. Marcial finished second in Saturday’s giant slalom, but took home
the gold on Sunday in the slalom race.
In the combined results, all of the Coyote women’s skiers finished in
the Top-17.
OFF TO NATIONALS: On the
women’s side, Albertson, Puget Sound, Rocky Mountain, British Columbia, and the
University of Oregon will represent the Western Region at the national
championships. Men’s teams will include
British Columbia, Rocky Mountain, Albertson, Fort Lewis, and the Air Force
Academy.
MEN’S BASKETBALL (18-13): Coyotes
falter on road, start Cascade Conference tournament at Warner Pacific
LAST WEEK: Lost
at Eastern Oregon, 75-72.
COMING UP: Cascade Conference postseason tournament – at
Warner Pacific, Wednesday, 8 p.m. (MST); vs. Cascade or Eastern Oregon (with
win), Saturday, TBA.
‘YOTES STUMBLE IN SNOWY LA
GRANDE, FACE ROAD BATTLE: The good times for the
Albertson men’s basketball team came to a screeching halt on Saturday night,
dropping a game at Eastern Oregon – which, in turn, knocked the ‘Yotes from
hosting a first-round Cascade Conference tournament game. Coupled with two Warner Pacific victories
last weekend, the two schools finished the CCC season with identical 11-7
records – with the Knights winning the all-important tiebreaker, thanks to
sweeping the two regular season meetings with the Coyotes.
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT: The eight-team tournament begins Wednesday night
on the home floors of the top four seeds.
Besides the Albertson-Warner game, No. 8 Eastern Oregon, who got into
the tournament thanks to their win over the ‘Yotes and Warner’s win over
Northwest, meets No. 1 Cascade. The
winners of those two games meet on Saturday night in the higher seeds gym. The other side of the bracket has No. 6
Western Baptist at No. 3 Oregon Tech, and No. 7 Evergreen at No. 2
Concordia. Both Western and Evergreen
split the season series with their respective opponents.
ALREADY IN: Both Cascade and Oregon Tech have clinched berths
to the NAIA Division II national tournament in Point Lookout, Mo., March
12-18. Cascade earned one of the
Cascade Conference’s two automatic bids by winning the regular season
championship, while Oregon Tech has secured a spot due to its final national
ranking – the No. 8 Owls will earn an at-large bid even if they do not win the
CCC tournament.
COYOTE HISTORY IN CCC
TOURNAMENT: Since the first Cascade
Conference tournament took place in 1994, Albertson has fared well, qualifying
for the playoffs in nine of the ten years.
The ‘Yotes have a 10-6 record in the tourney, including CCC
championships in 1996 and 2001.
Albertson has won at least one game in every CCC tournament, except last
year, when the Coyotes lost to Southern Oregon, 103-101, in two overtimes.
ALL-TIME PLAYOFF HISTORY: Dating back to the 1950-51 season, Albertson has
advanced to the postseason 28 times, including 20 of the last 21 years. During that time, the Coyotes won NAIA
District titles in 1962, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, and 1991. The ‘Yotes have played 89 playoff games
during that 53 year stretch, compiling a 52-35 record, which includes 13 trips
to the NAIA national tournament.
EASTERN PULLS OFF SHOCKER: Albertson had won four consecutive road games,
five straight against Eastern Oregon, and eight of their last night games
overall – but none of this mattered to Art Furman and his Mountaineers on
Saturday night. Eastern rallied from a
seven-point second half deficit behind an arsenal of outside shots to stop the
Coyotes, 75-72. The second of two Tyree
Jones 25-foot three-pointers, with 25 seconds left, gave the Mountaineers a
73-69 edge – one they would not relinquish.
OUTSIDE SHOT LOST FOR A NIGHT:
In the Eastern debacle, the perimeter
jumper was nonexistent for the Coyotes.
Between the guards, Albertson made 4-of-22 shots from 18 feet and out –
including an 0-for-7 stretch from outside the arc in the first half. Of the ‘Yotes 72 points, the posts combined
for 49 points – giving them 104 points in the two games against Eastern.
PERKES HAS BIG NIGHT: Quinn Coliseum was the spot for a one-night only
performance from Tom Perkes (Spokane, Wash. / Big Bend CC), as
the junior transfer wowed the big crowd for a game-high 30 points and 15
rebounds. His night was accentuated by a
five-minute stretch to start the second half, where Perkes scored the first 15
Coyote points. On the season, Perkes
needs just 11 made free throws to set a new single-season record, and ranks No.
2 in free throw attempts. His 595
points scored is the fourth-highest total for an Albertson player since the
1982-83 season.
DEFENDER GETS INTO THE SCORING
KNACK: As big of a second half that
Tom Perkes had on Saturday, Justin McCarthy (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS)
made a name for himself in the first half.
The junior scored 16 of his 17 points before intermission, including a
streak of three consecutive 15-foot jumpers.
McCarthy has recorded four games this season of 17-or-more points,
including his career high 19-point outburst against Concordia.
AMONG THE NATIONS BEST: Four the seventh consecutive week, the Coyotes
lead the NAIA Division II in free throw percentage at .777 percent. They are only one of nine schools in all
divisions of the NCAA and NAIA that shoot 77-percent or better from the foul
line. Albertson also tops the Cascade
Conference in field goal percentage at .481 – ranking them No. 16 in the
nation.
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM TO BE
ANNOUNCED FRIDAY: This Friday, the
All-Cascade Conference team, the All-Newcomer team, the All-Defensive Team, and
the Coach-of-the-Year will be announced by the CCC. Top candidates for the ‘Yotes include Tom Perkes as a All-CCC
player, Andy Harper (Idaho Falls, Idaho / Columbia Basin CC) as
an All-Newcomer member, and Justin McCarthy as a possible All-Defensive Team selection.
ROUND THREE VERSUS WARNER: In what has become a very entertaining series
amongst the two schools, Albertson will travel to Warner Pacific for the
third meeting of the season between the teams.
The Knights (22-10) have won both meetings this year against the Coyotes
– by a combined total of four points.
Warner has won three in a row over Albertson, that coming after the
Coyotes had won 11 straight against the Portland school. Conference Player-of-the-Year candidate Matt
Segrin (18.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg), who needs 10 points to break the 2,000 point mark
in his career, leads the Knights, who topped the ‘Yotes 69-68 in Portland and
76-73 in Caldwell three weeks ago.
Point guard Demarcus Best (14.1 ppg, 5.1 apg) has been a thorn in the
side of Albertson, as has marksman Nick Hudson (11.2 ppg, .450 percent from
three-point range), who is averaging 17 points a game vs. the ‘Yotes. It is the 31st all-time meeting between the
schools, with Albertson holding a 21-9 advantage.
ON THE AIR: All playoff games will be carried live on 1490 KCID-AM and on the Albertson athletic website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/webcam/Athletics.asx. Join longtime “Voice of the Coyotes” Dave Hahn on Wednesday night from Portland as Albertson meets Warner Pacific. The pregame show is set for 7:50 p.m. (MST), with the tip-off set for 8 p.m. If the ‘Yotes win, Saturday’s game will also be carried – if in Portland vs. Cascade, game time is set for 8:30 p.m.; if in Caldwell vs. Eastern Oregon, game time will be 7:30 p.m.
CORPORATE SPONSORS: The ‘Yotes would like to thank the 2002-03
corporate sponsors of Albertson basketball – Pioneer Title, Hewlett-Packard,
U.S. Bank, Caldwell Transportation, Curt & Hall Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep,
Jackson Oil, Nagel Beverage, Re-Max Realty, United Oil, Wendy’s, Intermountain
Community Bank, Chevrolet of Caldwell, S.S.I., Paul’s Market, Wells Fargo Bank,
Best Western Caldwell Inn, Idaho Lottery, and Hopkins Financial Service.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE COYOTES: For game stories, statistics, and information
regarding the Albertson men’s basketball program, head to the official site of
Coyote basketball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm.
CASCADE CONFERENCE HOTLINE: For up-to-date scores from the Cascade Conference,
call the Cascade Conference Hotline at (208) 459-5135. Each night, scores and updated standings are
posted on the Conference Standings page within the Albertson men’s basketball
website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mbasketball/stats/standings.htm.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (14-18):
Playoff push begins Tuesday at Oregon Tech, Bailey
named All-Cascade Conference
LAST WEEK: Lost at Eastern Oregon, 61-55.
COMING UP: Cascade Conference Tournament – at Oregon Tech,
Tuesday, 8 p.m. (MST); at Concordia or Western Baptist (with win), Friday, 8:30
p.m. (MST).
THANK YOU WESTERN BAPTIST: As the late season slide continued for the Albertson
women’s basketball team, a little help was needed to keep the Coyotes away from
a first-round playoff date with No. 1 seed Southern Oregon. After falling into a tie with Warner Pacific
for seventh-place, the Lady ‘Yotes got tiebreaking help from Western Baptist –
a team Albertson swept during the regular season. Western was in a three-way logjam for third-place, but won all
tiebreakers with Eastern and Cascade.
The Lady ‘Yotes and Warner had to go to a descending order tiebreak to
determine seventh-place (compare record head-to-head with each team, starting
from the top of the CCC, until there is a difference). Both Albertson and Warner were swept by No.
1Southern Oregon and No. 2 Oregon Tech, but the Coyotes 2-0 mark against
Western was better than Warner’s 1-1, giving Albertson the No. 7 seed.
BRACKET STRUCTURE: With the seeding taken care of, it is time to get to
business. This year, the women’s
tournament will have eight teams playing a straight-seeded bracket, with the
higher seed hosting games. Tuesday’s
opening round match-ups pit No. 8 Warner Pacific at No. 1 Southern Oregon, No.
5 Eastern Oregon at No. 4 Cascade, No. 6 Concordia at No. 3 Western Baptist,
and No. 7 Albertson at No. 2 Oregon Tech.
The winners of the 1-8 and 4-5 games will meet, as will the winners of
the 3-6 and 2-7 games on Friday, with the championship game set for Monday
night. The winner of the tournament
receives the second automatic bid to the NAIA Division II national tournament,
set for March 12-18 in Sioux City, Iowa (if Southern Oregon wins the CCC
tournament, the team it plays in the title game will receive the second bid).
LADY ‘YOTES HISTORY IN PLAYOFFS: This is the sixth trip for Albertson to the Cascade
Conference postseason tournament since women’s basketball was reinstated in
1995. During the period, the Lady
‘Yotes hold a 5-5 record in the tourney, including championship game
appearances in 2000 and 2002. Albertson
has advanced, however, to three NAIA national tournaments – in 1998, 2000, and
2001, with an Elite Eight finish in 2000 and a national runner-up finish in
2001.
SCORELESS STRETCH AGAIN DOOMS LADIES: In the regular season finale Saturday at Eastern
Oregon, a very even ballgame was turned one-sided once again by an Albertson
long scoring drought, as Eastern topped the Coyotes, 61-55. The visitors to Quinn Coliseum held a 27-26
lead at halftime and scored the first basket of the second half – but then
missed nine consecutive shots and turned the ball over five times during an
eight minute stretch that handed the Mountaineers a 38-30 lead. Although the Lady ‘Yotes would cut the edge
down to four in the final seconds, Eastern hung on to win their fourth consecutive
regular season game against Albertson.
QUEEN OF THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE: With an 18 point, 13 rebound performance against
Eastern, Kristen Bailey (Fountain Green, Utah / Snow CC) has now recorded 18 double-doubles this season, and
28 for her career. In just Cascade
Conference counters, the senior has recorded 23 double-doubles – more than any
other Lady ‘Yote player in school history.
With four blocks against Eastern, the 6-4 swat machine has 132
rejections this season, just two away from the highest previous total an entire
Albertson team had ever recorded in a single season. Bailey has 217 career blocks (No. 1 all-time), is on pace to set
a new career mark for rebound average (10.0), is No. 5 on the all-time rebound
list with 615 (one board behind Lynne Overly and fourth-place), and No. 6 on the
all-time scoring list (792 points).
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM: For her outstanding season, Kristen Bailey was the
lone Coyote on the All-Cascade Conference team, announced earlier today. Bailey, who was an All-CCC selection last
season, was the lone player in the loop to average a double-double – 13.9
points and 10.7 rebounds, along with 132 blocks and 84 assists. Guard Heidi Goicoechea (Burley,
Idaho / Burley HS) was selected as an
honorable mention selection. Kara-Magee
Arick of Southern Oregon and Nicole Brown of Cascade shared Player-of-the-Year
honors, Marquetta Pruitt of Cascade was the Freshman-of-the-Year, and Southern
head coach Kevin Wilson was named Coach-of-the-Year.
RECORD BASHING: With 12 points against Eastern, Heidi Goicoechea moved
into fourth-place on the all-time scoring list with 1,013 points. Next in sight for the junior is former
teammate Jeannie Thompson, who scored 1,035 points in her four-year
career. Goicoechea has played in 97
games as a Coyote (sixth most in school history), and started 68 games (No. 5
in Albertson history). She ranks No. 2
all-time in field goal attempts (1,037), three-pointers made (166) and
attempted (524), is fourth in free throw percentage (.799), fifth in both steals
(110) and field goals made (350), sixth in assists (193) and free throws made
(147), and eighth in rebounds (449) – all with one year to go. Also moving up the charts is Krystal Thacker (Elko, Nev. / BYU-Idaho), who is on pace to claim hold to the all-time top
spot for career free throw percentage (.813), with one year left at
Albertson. The junior is also No. 6 on
the all-time three-point field goal attempts chart, and No. 7 in three-pointers
made.
CONFERENCE LEADERS: At the conclusion of the regular season, the Lady ‘Yotes
led the Cascade Conference in just one category – a school record 188 blocked
shots. The team ranked second in both
rebounds (42.8) and rebound margin (+4.4), third in both three-point (.310) and
free throw (.702) percentages, fourth in field goal percentage (.404), and
fifth in points per game (66.9) and score differential (+0.8). Individually, Kristen Bailey ranked among
the top-five in five different categories – leading the league in both
defensive rebounds (250) and blocks (132), ranking second in rebound average
(10.7 – No. 6 in the NAIA Division II), fifth in field goal percentage (.484),
and eighth in scoring average (13.9).
Heidi Goicoechea continues to lead the league in free throw percentage
(.866), while ranking No. 5 in three-pointers made (63), and No. 10 in scoring
average (13.3). Lindsey Karren (Brigham City, Utah / Salt Lake CC) ranks seventh in rebound average (8.5) and eighth in
defensive rebounds (165), Krystal Thacker ranks No. 3 in free throw percentage
(.826), and Dani
Cotterell (Nampa, Idaho / Nampa
HS) ranks No. 8 in three-point percentage (.343).
CAN THE THIRD TIME BE THE CHARM AGAINST
OREGON TECH?: Outside of a pair of big
runs by Oregon Tech, the Lady ‘Yotes have played the No. 2 team in the
Cascade Conference pretty even during the 2002-03 season. For the Owls (19-10), the first year of
women’s basketball in a decade has been one for the ages – using the top
defense in the CCC (57.8 ppg) to a second-place finish. Head coach Tom Loney has received stellar
play from All-Conference forward Jaime Stanford (15.6 ppg, 6.9 ppg), along with
center Pam Frei (11.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg), and wing Katya Spiecker (10.7 ppg, 3.1
apg). OIT blew a 19-point second half
lead in the meeting in Caldwell in January, letting Albertson cut the edge to
50-48 with seven minutes left. However,
the Hooters scored 11 unanswered points to win, 68-55. It was much of the same two weeks ago in
Klamath Falls, where a 36-36 tie was turned into an 19-point Lady ‘Yote loss
thanks in part to a 12-minute stretch without a field goal. In the two games, OIT held Albertson to a
combined 30-for-124 field goal percentage (.242 percent).
IF THEY WIN: If Albertson upsets OIT on Tuesday, they would play
the winner of the Concordia-Western
Baptist match-up in Salem on Friday
night. The Coyotes swept both the
Cavaliers (12-18) and the Warriors (15-13) during the regular season by an
average margin of over 20 points.
PLAYOFF INTERNET BROADCAST INFORMATION: Tuesday’s playoff game at Oregon Tech will be a simulcast of the KAGO 1150-AM broadcast from the Klamath Basin carried live on the Internet at http://sports2.oit.edu/kago.ram with longtime OIT broadcaster Bobby Thompson calling the action beginning at 8 p.m. (MST) If Albertson plays Western Baptist on Friday, that game will also be on the internet at www.air1.com/listen/ with Mike Allegre calling the action.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE LADY ‘YOTES: For game stories, statistics, and information
regarding the Albertson women’s basketball program, head to the official site
of Lady ‘Yote basketball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm.
BASEBALL (5-4): Coyotes to open home schedule
this weekend, hosting Whitworth and Puget Sound
COMING
UP: vs. Whitworth (DH),
Friday, 1 p.m.; vs. Whitworth, Saturday, 10 a.m.; vs. Puget Sound, Saturday, 4
p.m.; vs. Puget Sound (DH), 11 a.m.
IT MAY
BE COLD, BUT THEY ARE AT HOME: Temperatures in the 40s are not the most conducive to baseball, but for
the Albertson hardball team, the sunny skies and chilly temperatures are just
what the doctor ordered. The Coyotes,
after playing their first nine games of the 2003 season on the road, will open
up their 24-game home season on Friday, hosting the annual Spring
Tournament. Friday’s doubleheader will
be the earliest home game for the ‘Yotes since the 1997 season.
ABOUT
THE WEEKEND: A
pair of schools from Washington state, Whitworth and Puget Sound, will join
Albertson for weekend action. The
Coyotes will play a three-game set with both schools, and the visitors will
also meet in a single game at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
PRIDE
OF THE DIVISION III ON LINE: The forecasted good weather for the weekend is a welcome sign to Whitworth, as the Spokane school had a
doubleheader snowed out against the Coyotes last year. The Pirates (2-1-1) opened the season in
Arizona at the High Desert Classic – playing four games, only two that went at
least seven innings (rain hampered play at the tournament). Sixth-year head coach Keith Ward saw
All-Northwest Conference pitcher Kurt Reese stop Pacific, 6-2. The big threat in the Bucs lineup is All-NWC
shortstop Chris Hughbanks (.367 in 2002).
Whitworth won last years meeting, 4-1, behind a four-hitter by Reese –
but Albertson holds a 13-7 all-time advantage.
Also coming to the Treasure Valley is Puget Sound, a member with Whitworth in the
NCAA Division III. The Loggers (3-3)
have a new skipper in Brian Billings – who saw his team sweep a three-game set
with Pacific Lutheran last weekend. In
that series, UPS scored 33 runs on 39 hits – that after being outscored 25-4
during three games in Arizona during the prior week. Sam Brunett has started the season hot for the Loggers, going
9-for-15 at the plate. Albertson won
last season’s meeting, 4-1, running their win streak over UPS to nine
games. The ‘Yotes hold a 15-4 all-time
advantage over Puget Sound.
BURROW,
MOSER IMPRESS IN LEWISTON: The ‘Yotes got solid pitching performances in their two victories in
Lewiston last weekend. In the early
morning game on Saturday, Mike Moser (Arlington, Wash. / Bellevue CC) shook off a
rocky first start to pitch seven strong innings in his second outing. The junior gave up just two runs on eight
hits, while striking out nine batters without a walk. Just as impressive against Eastern was Brad
Burrow (Taylorsville, Utah /
College of Southern Idaho), who also tossed seven gutsy innings in Sunday’s
consolation final. The junior struck
out ten batters – giving up just a pair of runs on seven hits to run his season
record to 3-0. Burrow leads the Coyotes
with a 1.89 ERA in 19 innings of work.
BATS
AWAKEN A BIT:
Things began to heat up a tad for the aluminum sticks the ‘Yotes call
bats. One stick head coach Shawn
Humberger was glad to see ignite
was senior shortstop Darren Uranga (Homedale, Idaho / Homedale HS), who went 6-for-16 during the
four games, with three doubles and six RBI.
Also swinging a consistent bat was second-baseman Greg
Stalling (Boise, Idaho / Borah
HS), who scored six runs and went 5-for-10 at the plate. Transfer Sage Kendall (Parma, Idaho / National
American), one of the platooning catchers, drove in two runs and went
3-for-7 in Lewiston.
PROBLEMS IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE ORDER: A
major concern for Coach Humberger is production from the No. 4 and No. 5 spot
in the batting order. Through the first
nine games, the six different players who have hit in the clean-up spot are
batting just 6-for-30. One spot down in
the line-up, the numbers are even worse – just 7-for-36 (.194). On the opposite end of the spectrum – the
No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the order are hitting a combined .383
ANOTHER
FROSH PITCHES WELL: With
a limited amount of available arms out of the bullpen, the ‘Yotes got an
unexpected boost from freshman Clayton Hubbard (Pocatello, Idaho / Pocatello
HS) over the weekend. Hubbard
pitched an inning and a third of scoreless relief against Lewis-Clark State,
and followed it up with a scoreless eighth inning against Eastern Oregon. In four appearances this season, he has
given up just one earned run and struck out seven batters in three and
two-thirds innings.
GAME-BY-GAME
RECAPS:
Linfield
8, Albertson 7 –
Centerfielder Dustin Garcia (Reno, Nev. / Feather River CC) tripled home the go-ahead run in
the top of the ninth inning, but the Wildcats scored three times in the bottom
of the inning to steal the victory.
Linfield used four hits, two hit batters, and a dropped foul ball to
earn the victory. Garcia went 3-for-5,
including the first Albertson home run of the year – a leadoff shot over the
leftfield wall.
Albertson
9, Eastern Oregon 3 – A
five-run eighth inning broke open a close game as Albertson won for the 79th
time over Eastern. Leading just 4-3,
freshman Derek Rose (Boise,
Idaho / Boise HS) tripled home Greg Stalling to get the rally started. Later in the inning, Darren Uranga scored
two runs on a bases-loaded double to put the game away. Mike Moser picked up his first win of the
season on the mound.
Lewis-Clark
State 7, Albertson 3 –
Timely hitting was the key for the No. 1 team in the land on Saturday. A pair of seeing-eye singles in the first
inning drove in three runs, as LCSC jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Albertson scored twice in the fourth – on an
error and on a Darren Uranga RBI single, but a three-run seventh inning doomed
the ‘Yotes. The Warriors benefited from
three two-out walks and a pair of wild pitches to plate the insurance runs.
Albertson
9, Eastern Oregon 4 – A
two-run triple from senior Nick Snow (Everett, Wash. / Cal Poly-SLO) was the big
blow in a five-run eighth inning in the Coyote win. Snow, Sage Kendall, Dustin Garcia, and Greg Stalling each had two
hits as part of the Coyote 13 hit barrage.
ON THE
INTERNET/RADIO: The
Coyotes are currently in negotiation with KIOV 1450-AM to broadcast a limited
amount of regular-season games on the radio.
Furthermore, all first-games of home doubleheaders will be broadcast
live via the internet at www.collegeofidaho.edu/webcam/Athletics.asx
with Mike Safford Jr. calling the action.
The internet schedule for this weekend has the ‘Yotes meeting Whitworth
on Friday at 1 p.m., Whitworth on Saturday at 10 a.m., Puget Sound on Saturday
at 4 p.m., and Puget Sound on Sunday at 11 a.m.
MORE
INFORMATION ON THE COYOTES: For game stories, statistics, and information regarding the Albertson
baseball program, head to the official site Coyote baseball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/baseball.htm.
SOFTBALL (2-0): After a (sort of) perfect weekend in Utah, Lady ‘Yotes head to Central
Washington Invitational
COMING UP: At Central Washington Invitational, Richland,
Wash. – Friday vs. Whitworth, 9 a.m.; vs. Eastern Oregon, 12:30 p.m.; Saturday
vs. Simon Fraser, 1:30 p.m.; vs. Seattle, 3:45 p.m. (all times PST);
championship round on Sunday.
LAST WEEK: At Icebreaker Classic, St. George, Utah – defeated
Northwest Nazarene (7-1 and 7-2); won exhibition games against Weber State
(6-4) and Northwestern CC (7-0); lost exhibition games with Dixie State (6-2),
Utah Valley State (8-4), Western Arizona CC (5-1), and Idaho State (3-0).
PITCHING THE KEY IN THE
DESERT: One of the big question marks
for the 2003 Albertson softball team was the improvement in the pitching
circle. During the 2002 season,
Albertson had a 5.21 team ERA – the highest in the Cascade Conference. If the Lady ‘Yotes performance at the
Holiday Inn Icebreaker Classic last weekend was any indication, that number
will drop significantly this year.
During the eight games Albertson played in the desert, the ‘Yotes gave
up just 16 runs in 51 innings of play – a 2.19 ERA. Counting just the two games that count in official statistics,
the Coyotes gave up just one earned run in 13 innings.
GLENN STARTS OFF STRONG: No. 1 starter Nicole Glenn (Nyssa, Ore.
/ BYU-Idaho) got off on the right foot in 2003, winning both starts against
Northwest Nazarene. The lone senior on
the team threw all 13 innings, giving up just seven hits, two walks, and
striking out ten. Dating back to last
season, Glenn has given up just two earned runs in her last 30 innings pitched. She also faced Western Arizona in an
exhibition game – giving up just two earned runs in a 5-1 loss.
RUSSELL WELCOMED BACK TO THE
CIRCLE: After a season-ending knee
injury cut the freshman season for Kerri Russell (Melba, Idaho /
Melba HS) short, a long rehabilitation process began. That rehab ended as a success last weekend,
as the redshirt freshman pitched a complete game four-hitter in the Lady ‘Yotes
shutout of Northwestern CC, 7-0. In the
victory, Russell struck out five batters while walking just one.
KEEPERS COMES THROUGH IN THE
CLUTCH: Timely hits are the key to
success – and for shortstop Heather Keepers (Apache Junction, Ariz. /
Apache Junction HS), timing was everything. The sophomore had two big hits in the Saturday win against
Northwest Nazarene – a two-run double to give the Lady ‘Yotes a 2-0 lead, then
followed it up with a two-run triple in the fifth inning. Keepers went 2-for-3 with a school record
tying four RBI.
CONSISTENT BATS: Over the course of the weekend, two bats stuck out
for Albertson. Last years leading
hitter, Kira Leaton (Boise,
Idaho / Centennial HS) continued where she left off in 2002 – going 9-for-20
during the eight games. The sophomore
went 2-for-3 in the season opener against NNU, with an RBI single in the first
inning, and a two-run base hit in the fourth.
Also swinging a hot stick was freshman Katie Theisen (Meridian, Idaho / Centennial
HS), who went 5-for-11 at the plate.
RUNS SCORED: During the 48-game season in 2002, the Coyotes
averaged just 2.5 runs per game.
Although six of the games played last weekend were exhibitions, coach Kelly
Gibbons must be happy with the scoring punch – 34 tallies in the eight
contests, an average of 4.25 runs per outing.
AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR: What a difference a year makes. During the first eight games of 2003, the
Coyotes are outscoring their opponents, 38-30.
Looking back to the opening trip to California last season, the numbers
were startling – Albertson had given up 54 runs, while bringing just two across
home plate themselves.
THIS WEEKEND IN RICHLAND: It was at the Central Washington Invitational last
season in Richland, Wash., where the Lady ‘Yotes picked up their first two
victories in school history. They hope
for even better things in 2003, where they are guaranteed at least five games
against NCAA and NAIA opponents.
Albertson opens up pool play against Whitworth, an NCAA Division
III club from the Northwest Conference.
The Pirates (5-29 in 2002) were led last year by Aubri Azzarito, who hit
.317, along with hurler Lacey Thompson (2-8, 5.76 ERA). It will be the first meeting between the
programs. Friday’s second game will be
against Cascade Conference rival Eastern Oregon. The Mountaineers (20-18 in 2002) swept all
five games from the Coyotes, but Albertson was close in four of the five
meetings. Eastern will have to replace
its No. 1 hitter (Krissy Bacon) and its No. 1 pitcher (Katie Martin) – but does
have Lady ‘Yote killer Beth Hull back (went 9-for-11 with nine RBI against
Albertson). Saturday, Albertson meets
NAIA preseason No. 3 ranked Simon Fraser. The Clan (6-3), who finished fifth at the Women’s College World
Series last year, just completed a tour of Hawaii against NCAA Division II opponents. Mike Renney, the head coach of the Canadian
National Team, returns to lead the squad – which has Auburn Sigurdson prowling
the circle, and All-American Shannon Rossiter back from 2002. SFU swept three games from Albertson,
outscoring the Coyotes 46-6 – but the Lady ‘Yotes scored five times in a 17-5
loss, the most runs the Clan gave up to an NAIA opponent all season. The final pool play game has Albertson
meeting Seattle, an NCAA Division II school from the Great Northwest
Conference. The Redhawks (20-17 in
2002) posted their first-ever winning season last year, and return ten of the
13 members of the squad. Sarah Carrier
(.405 with 41 RBI in 2002) leads Seattle, who defeated Albertson 6-3 in the
same tourney last year. Other teams in
the tournament are Central Washington, Humboldt State, St. Martin’s, Northwest
Nazarene, Western Oregon, Western Washington, and MSU-Billings.
INTERNET
BROADCASTS: Nearly all Albertson
home softball games will be broadcast live on the Internet, via the Albertson
athletic website. Sports information
director Mike Safford Jr. will handle the play-by-play for the second
consecutive season. The first scheduled
internet broadcast will be the first game of the Walla Walla doubleheader on
March 23. Listen to the games online at
http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/webcam/Athletics.asx,
with the first pitch slated for 11 a.m.
OFFICIAL
WEBSITE: Updated information and
statistics on the 2003 softball team can be found at the Albertson softball
official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/softball/index.htm
- ALBERTSON -