‘Yote Notes –
April 1, 2003
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Mike Safford Jr.
– Sports Info. Director
msafford@albertson.edu
GENERAL
ATHLETICS NEWS:
"A WEEKEND OF
CHAMPIONS": Idaho's
own Albertson College and Lewis-Clark State will meet for single games on April
26 (5 p.m.) and April 27 (2 p.m.) at Memorial Stadium in Boise, with proceeds
to help the Coyote Athletic Association. In a year of severe budget cuts
at Albertson, all proceeds from this event will benefit athletics at Albertson,
helping to maintain the level of excellence of all Coyote athletic teams.
The athletic department has teamed with the Caldwell Youth Baseball
Association, Meridian Youth Baseball/Softball Association, RiverStone Community
School, Cole Valley Christian School, along with the Idaho Lottery and KIVI-TV
for this event. Tickets are $10 for each game and can be purchased by
contacting Dave Hahn at (208) 459-5835.
WEBSITE REDESIGN: Over the next few weeks, watch for
changes on the interior pages within the Albertson athletic website.
MEN'S
AND WOMEN'S GOLF:
COYOTES LEADING AFTER FIRST DAY IN LEWISTON: It isn't the squads with votes in
the national poll, but Albertson College leading the pack at the Lewis-Clark
State Invitational at the Lewiston Country Club. The Coyotes hold a four-stroke
lead on both British Columbia and LC-State with 18 holes left to play on
Tuesday. Albertson shot a 297 in their first round - the best round of
the day, before settling for a 330 in the afternoon. No individual men's scores were
available, but Roslyn Folk sits in third-place on the women's side after
shooting an 84 and 89 in her two rounds Monday.
NNU NO MATCH FOR 'YOTES: John
Bideganeta shot a
three-under par 69 to lead the Albertson men's golf team to an impressive
17-shot dual victory over Northwest Nazarene, this afternoon at the Ridgecrest
Golf Club.
BASEBALL (16-8): Bats
struggle vs. NNU, Garcia’s streak ends at 28; ‘Yotes embark on eight-game road
trip
COMING UP: at University of Utah (DH), Tuesday, Noon; at
Concordia (DH), Saturday, Noon; at Concordia (DH), Sunday, Noon; at Puget
Sound, Monday, 3 p.m.; at Pacific Lutheran, Tuesday (4/8), 1 p.m.
LAST WEEK: at Northwest Nazarene (L 9-4, W 5-0), vs.
Northwest Nazarene (L 6-3, W 5-1)
GARCIA ESTABLISHES NEW HITTING
STREAK RECORD: The streak may be over,
but what a ride it was for Dustin Garcia (Reno, Nev. / American River
CC), who established a new Coyote record by hitting in 28 consecutive
games. The senior tied and broke the
record in Friday night’s doubleheader at Northwest Nazarene – rolling a base
hit through the left side in the opener, then reaching on a bunt single in the
nightcap. Although “DGar” reached base
three times in Saturday’s first game, he struck out in his only official at
bat, ending the mark of nearly ten months.
MORE ON THE STREAK: Garcia recorded 13 multi-hit games during the
hitting streak, which began last season during the NAIA Far West Super-Regional
against Vanguard. “The Streak” as it
was tabbed by local media, drew all three network television stations to both
weekend doubleheaders – along with a preview story from the Idaho Press
Tribune. The longest current hitting
streak on the squad is tied between senior Darren Uranga (Homedale,
Idaho / Homedale HS) and freshman Billy Arko (Mountain Home,
Idaho / Mountain Home HS), who each have hit in two straight games.
BLAIR WELCOMED BACK IN A BIG WAY:
Arm troubles kept All-Conference hurler Taylor
Blair (Sacramento, Calif. / Feather River CC) out of the Albertson
rotation for exactly one month, but the right-hander returned last Friday with
a vengeance. The senior was nearly
unhittable, throwing a two-hit shutout in the Coyotes 5-0 win over NNU. Blair struck out the side in the first
inning – retiring the first 13 batters that he faced before a one out double in
the fifth broke up the perfect game and no-hit bid. Blair struck out five batters and walked just one to improve his
mark to 2-0 on the season.
SHUTOUT EARNS
PITCHER-OF-THE-WEEK HONORS: The
fine pitching performance earned Blair Cascade Conference Pitcher-of-the-Week
honors for the second time in his career.
The shutout was the fifth in his two seasons at Albertson, tying former
All-American Levi Lacey for the all-time record.
WHERE DID THE BATS GO?: A troubling signal for Coyote head coach Shawn
Humberger was the lack of offensive support against a Northwest Nazarene
pitching staff that came into the weekend set with a 9.34 ERA. Albertson hit .198 as a team, recording just
three extra base hits in the four games.
Even more shocking were the numbers with runners in scoring position,
where the ‘Yotes went 4-for-48.
SLUMPING: A trio of everyday players struggled in the NNU
series, dropping their seasonal numbers considerably. Most notable was junior Josh Orr (Winnemucca, Nev. /
Lowry HS), who followed up an outstanding three-game series against Central
Washington with a 1-for-11 series against the Canyon County rivals. Also struggling at the plate was freshman Jake
McGrady (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS), who recorded just two hits in 13
at bats. Also slumping as of late is
senior Nick Snow (Everett, Wash. / Cal Poly-SLO), who has gone
2-for-15 in his last five games.
MOSER THROWS GEM ON SATURDAY: An outstanding pitching performance from Mike
Moser (Arlington, Wash. / Bellevue CC) helped the ‘Yotes salvage a
weekend split with NNU. The junior went
seven innings, giving up just one run and four hits, while striking out
five. Moser improved his season mark to
3-2 with the win.
HUBBARD, BERGSTROM SOLID IN
RELIEF: The last two games that
Albertson has had to go to the pen with a lead, a pair of relievers have closed
the wins in impressive fashion.
Sophomore Matt Bergstrom (Hermiston, Ore. / Hermiston HS) and
freshman Clayton Hubbard (Pocatello, Idaho / Pocatello HS) each
have retired the side in order in their last two outings. In the last 11 innings pitched by the duo,
the combined ERA is just 1.64.
CRUCIAL REGIONAL SERIES AT
CONCORDIA: The first step in the quest to
host the NAIA Region I tournament for the second-consecutive season begins this
weekend with a four-game series at Concordia. The Cavaliers (0-4, 9-17) are coming off a tough-luck weekend
against British Columbia, having dropped all four games of the set – with three
of the games one-run affairs.
Right-hander Michael Devaney anchors the CU rotation, with Cascade
Conference Player-of-the-Year Chris Baird returning in the outfield. Last season, Albertson won 4-of-6 games
against Concordia, including a 21-4 decision at the regional tournament to
eliminate the Cavs from the postseason.
The Coyotes hold a 47-5 all-time mark against the squad from Portland,
Ore.
FOUR NON-REGIONAL GAMES ON THE
DOCKET: Albertson opens up the
eight-game road trip Tuesday with a twinbill at the University of Utah. The NCAA Division I Utes (11-15) were swept
over the weekend by BYU and have lost 5-of-6 games. Last season, the Coyotes split a pair of games in Salt Lake,
upping their all-time mark against Utah to 6-4. Following the series with Concordia this week, the squad will
stay on the west side of the Cascade Mountains for single games on Monday and
Tuesday. Up first is Puget Sound,
a squad the Coyotes won 2-of-3 games against last month. The Loggers (9-13) sit in eighth-place in
the nine team Northwest Conference, but took 2-of-3 games from Tuesday’s
opponent, Pacific Lutheran, over the weekend. Albertson holds a 17-5 all-time mark against UPS. The Lutes (5-15) have struggled at times
this season with new head coach Geoff Loomis at the helm, including 12-of-20
games where the opponent has scored eight or more runs. It is the first meeting between the schools
since the 1998, with the Coyotes holding a 6-0 advantage in the all-time
series.
REGIONAL RANKINGS: When the NAIA poll is released on Wednesday
afternoon, it will be interesting for all to see where the three Region I
squads stand. Lewis-Clark State, which
continues to lead the regional balloting, won 4-of-5 games in Hawaii against
NCAA Division I opponents – giving them a strong case to move up from the No. 2
spot in the national poll. British
Columbia looks to move from the No. 16 slot after a 4-0 road trip to Oregon,
while Albertson went 2-2 on the weekend and is in jeopardy of falling out of
the poll for the first time this season.
Concordia, Oregon Tech, and Western Baptist round out the regional
top-six.
NO THE INTERNET/RADIO: The next eight road games will not have either
radio nor Internet coverage for Coyote fans.
However, when the Coyotes return home for games against Western Baptist
and British Columbia, games will be broadcast live on the Albertson athletic website
at www.collegeofidaho.edu/webcam/Athletics.asx
with Mike Safford Jr. calling the action.
Archived broadcasts of internet games from earlier this season can be found
on the baseball homepage by clicking on the “Internet Broadcast” link.
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. Up to date regional scores and standings can
also be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/baseball/stats/standings.htm.
SOFTBALL (6-3): Long stretch of games
begin at NNU, Cascade Conference openers against Southern & OIT
COMING UP: at Northwest Nazarene (DH), Wednesday, 2 p.m.; vs.
Southern Oregon (DH), Saturday, 11 a.m.; vs. Oregon Tech (DH), Sunday, 11 a.m.
LAST WEEK: Idle
COYOTES LOOK TO KEEP STREAK
ALIVE AGAINST RIVALS: Wednesday afternoon’s
doubleheader at Northwest Nazarene is interesting from different
viewpoints. The meeting between the
Crusaders (0-19) and Albertson will be the first-ever on the NNU campus at the
newly finished softball diamond. Last
year’s games were played at Skyview High.
The Lady ‘Yotes also have a seven-game winning streak on the line – and
the fact that NNU has never defeated Albertson on the fastpitch field. It is also the home swan song for Crusader
head coach Duane Miller, who announced his resignation last week – after
compiling a 4-53 record in his two years at the NCAA Division II school. NNU was swept by Central Washington in a
four-game series last weekend – being outscored 31-2.
THE ANIMAL CONTROL BOARD WILL
BE THERE: Last season, Southern
Oregon head coach James Gravelle was injured at a softball game at Oregon
Tech, when a loose dog found its way on the field and bit the skipper in the
groin. The only loose dog will be the
Coyotes on Saturday, when the No. 17 Raiders (2-0, 15-4) mosey on into Caldwell
on Saturday. Southern did not need any
litigation from the Klamath County Animal Control Board this spring, as the
Raiders opened the season with 12-1 record.
Of the four losses, two are to No. 1 ranked Simon Fraser, and the other,
a 1-0 loss to NCAA Division III No. 6 Pacific Lutheran. Leading the SOU charge is senior hurler
Brandi Brown (14-3, 1.26 ERA) – a two-time All-Region selection. The Raiders won 4-of-5 meetings with the
Coyotes last season, including a pair of lopsided decisions at Symms Field.
THE HOOTERS ARE COMING, THE
HOOTERS ARE COMING: Yes, Oregon Tech and
their Hustlin’ Owls (2-0 CCC, 12-12) will swing by the Treasure Valley on
Sunday morning for a key Cascade Conference twinbill. OIT has struggled at times this spring, having lost three
All-Americans from last season’s regional runner-up squad. The Owls, mainstays in the NAIA poll for
years, received just one vote this week – as the team boasts a 2.96 ERA, well
above Hooter teams from the past.
Albertson is looking for its first win over the Klamath Basin school,
having lost all five encounters last season.
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. All six games this week will be live on the web, beginning
with Wednesday’s 2 p.m. twinbill at Northwest Nazarene (click on the softball
link at www.nnu.edu/athlete/livebroadcasts),
with the Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech games at Symms Field being heard
online at http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/webcam/Athletics.asx,
with the first pitch slated for 11 a.m. on both days.
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.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS: Up-to-date
NAIA Region I standings can be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/softball/stats/standings.htm.
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