‘Yote Notes –
April 22, 2003
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Mike Safford Jr.
– Sports Info. Director
msafford@albertson.edu
GENERAL
ATHLETICS NEWS:
A WEEKEND OF CHAMPIONS: This weekend at Memorial
Stadium. Click on the icon above for
ticket information.
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S GOLF:
FOLK WINS MEDALLIST HONORS AT WESTMINSTER: Freshman
Roslyn Folk broke a two-year drought for the Albertson women's golf
team, shooting a final-round 75 to win the individual title at the Westminster
Invitational at Wingpointe Golf Course.
The Lake City native led by one stroke heading into Tuesday's 18 hole
final, and carded a 35 on the front-nine to pull away from the pack, winning by
nine strokes. It is the first medallist honor for an Albertson women's
golfer since former All-American Jenni Rodwell won the same event in 2001. "It was a very special day for
Roslyn," said head coach Garry Matlock. "Shooting a 35
on the front-nine for her was fun to watch - especially in adverse
conditions." Sarah Gallant
also represented the Coyotes well, shooting a final-round 86 to finish in a tie
for seventh.
MEN TAKE THIRD: The men's team closed in on
front-running Rocky Mountain over the final 18 holes, but could not catch the
Battlin' Bears. The 'Yotes settled for a third-place finish, shooting a
54-hole total of (300-306-301) 907, ten shots behind Rocky and six shots behind
Lewis-Clark State. "We are really
close," said Matlock. "Hopefully we can catch a break next
weekend at Regionals. We have proven we can compete with the upper
echelon of the teams in our region, we now have to put it together for
54-holes." Jeff Masingill shot a
71 Tuesday, finishing with a three-round total of 224. Freshman Travis
Gibbens led the team with a (71-77-74) 222, good enough for fifth place.
OFF TO REGIONALS: Both squads will travel to
Missoula, Mont. for the NAIA Region I Tournament, set for Sunday and Monday at
L'archmont Golf Club.
WOMEN'S TENNIS (3-4):
OFF TO REGIONALS: The Coyote tennis team has played
a pair of exhibition matches in the past month and must shake off their rust in
time for the NAIA Region I Tournament in Ashland, Ore. this weekend. Albertson will play a round-robin schedule
with Lewis-Clark State, Southern Oregon, and the University of Alberta to set
up the championship and consolation flight.
The winner of the tournament will earn a berth to the National Championships
in Peachtree City, Ga.
‘YOTES TOP TREASURE VALLEY AND
ALUMNI: Last
week, the ladies had exhibition matches with Treasure Valley CC and played an
Alumni match on the home courts at Vallivue High. Other than an 8-1 win over TVCC, no other information from the
matches is currently available.
BASEBALL (24-17): “A
Weekend of Champions” as the ‘Yotes face LC-State this week in home-and-home
series
COMING UP: at Lewis-Clark State, Thursday, 6 p.m. (PDT); at
Lewis-Clark State, Friday, 5 p.m. (PDT); vs. Lewis-Clark State (at Memorial
Stadium), Saturday, 5 p.m.; vs. Lewis-Clark State (at Memorial Stadium),
Sunday, 2 p.m.
LAST WEEK: vs. No. 14 British Columbia (L 7-2, W 5-4, W 8-6,
L 15-12), vs. Oregon Tech (W 18-8, L 18-2)
“A WEEKEND OF CHAMPIONS”: Arguably the two most consistent baseball programs
in the NAIA over the past five years will meet this week for a four-game
series, culminating with the main spring event for the Albertson Athletic
Department. After games Thursday and
Friday at Harris Field in Lewiston, the Albertson College baseball team
will take on 12-time NAIA national champion Lewis-Clark State at
Memorial Stadium in Boise – an event that hopes to shatter all attendance
records for the ‘Yotes. Partnered with
title sponsor, Idaho Lottery, along with the Meridian Youth Baseball/Softball
Association and the Caldwell Youth Baseball Association, the weekend games
should be a great family atmosphere for all involved – not to mention a pair of
great ballgames. Tickets for the games
can be purchased at Treasure Valley Paul’s Market locations, in the Albertson
athletic department, or on the day of the games at the gate.
TRADITION OF IDAHO BASEBALL: The success of the two programs on the national
scene has carried over to the professional ranks. Former ‘Yote Jason Simontacchi is in the St. Louis Cardinal
starting rotation, while four former Warriors (Steve Reed – Colorado, Keith
Foulke – Oakland, Vic Darrensborg – Florida, and Marvin Bernard – San
Francisco) are in the big leagues.
Combined the two teams have 29 other players in minor league or
independent league organizations.
WHY THEY ARE SO GOOD?: Albertson (24-17), ranked No. 9 in the NAIA
preseason poll, has advanced to the College World Series in four of the past
five seasons. Over that time, the
Coyotes have posted a 239-79-1 record (.753 win percentage) – winning the 1998
national title, finishing second in 1999, third in 2002, and fifth in
2000. Overshadowing the ‘Yotes for
years have been Lewis-Clark State (30-9), currently the No. 2 ranked team in
the NAIA. The Warriors, from Lewiston,
are the defending national champions, and have 12 titles to their credit since
the 1984 season.
ABOUT LEWIS-CLARK STATE: The fact that LC-State skipper Ed Cheff has won
1,337 games in his tenure at the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake Rivers
can speak of the consistency the Warriors have. This season is no different, as the No. 2 team in the land has
went 7-3 against NCAA Division I opponents this year. Pitching has been the key to the 2003 squad, as the Warriors lead
the NAIA Region I with a 3.48 ERA – led by the right arm of No. 1starter
and University of Arizona transfer, Marc Kaiser (7-2 2.05 ERA, 54 strikeouts in
57 IP). Boise’s Nic Puckett (4-1 1.70
ERA) has also been a pleasant surprise for LC-State. Offensively, the Warriors saw a trio of their top-guns dismissed
from the team earlier in the season for violation of team rules, but have
plenty of firepower remaining.
Centerfielder Paul Gallegos (.389 1 HR 22 RBI) and shortstop Jose
Rodriguez (.331 1 HR 25 RBI) have been a force at the top of the line-up.
WEEKEND OF CHAMPIONS ON THE
AIR AND INTERNET: All four games of the
series with Lewis-Clark State, including the “Weekend of Champions” will be
carried live on the radio and Internet.
Mike Safford Jr., the “Voice of the Coyotes,” will call the action on
1450 KIOV-AM and www.kiov.com from Harris
Field in Lewiston on Thursday and Friday, along with Saturday’s matinee at
Memorial Stadium. Sunday’s game will be
an Internet only broadcast to start, with the game joined on radio in progress,
following a NASCAR race. All four games
can also be heard live in Lewiston on 950 KOZE-AM and www.koze-sports.com with Brian Danner
and Mike Tatko calling the action.
NO REGIONAL TOURNAMENT IN
IDAHO: Despite the Coyotes splitting
four games with British Columbia, the No. 14 ranked team in the NAIA, Albertson
has been eliminated as a host school for the NAIA Region I Tournament. Two teams, the aforementioned Thunderbirds,
along with Western Baptist, are alive for the regular-season regional
championship – which reserves the right to host the four-team tournament on May
8-10. The winner of the regional will
travel to the winner of the NAIA Region II tournament (Golden State Athletic
and California Pacific Conferences) to battle for a slot at the Avista NAIA
World Series. It will be the third
different site for the tournament in the last three years – last year’s tourney
was at Simplot Stadium in Caldwell, with the 2001 regional held in Monmouth,
Ore. on the campus of Western Oregon University.
REMAINING REGIONAL SCHEDULE: Albertson has the simplest schedule of the lot in
the region – a four-game home-and-home series with Eastern Oregon, to close out
its 20-game region slate. On the
flipside, Oregon Tech has seven games left against three opponents’ (four vs.
Western Baptist, two make-up games with Concordia, and one make-up game with
British Columbia), and Eastern Oregon has nine games remaining (four against
the ‘Yotes, four at Concordia, and a make-up game with Western Baptist). Of the others, British Columbia ends their
season with a four-game set at Western Baptist – which could seal their
regional title (along with a make-up game with OIT), Concordia has a home
series with Eastern (along with the two make-up games with OIT), and Western
finishes with a home series with UBC and a road series at OIT (along with the
make-up game against Eastern).
STALLING, GARCIA HAVE
OUTSTANDING WEEKEND: Over the 3-3 weekend,
a pair of Coyotes used the aluminum to perfection. Freshman Greg Stalling (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) was
runner-up in the balloting for Cascade Conference Player-of-the-Week for the
second straight week. The ‘Yote
second-baseman went 12-for-23 in the six games, with three doubles, his first
home run as a collegian, and eight RBI.
Stalling had multi-hit games in four of the six outings, raising his
average to .395, tops in the Cascade Conference. Also hitting well was senior Dustin Garcia (Reno, Nev.
/ American River CC), who went 11-for-23, with two doubles, his fourth home
run of the season, and six RBI. Garcia
leads the conference with 56 hits and 43 runs scored.
URANGA BREAKS ALL-TIME RECORD:
With his appearance in Game 4 of the
series with British Columbia, shortstop Darren Uranga (Homedale,
Idaho / Homedale HS) jumped to the top of the list for all-time appearances
in Coyote history. The senior has now
played in 225 games, three more than Greg Schelhaas did in his Albertson career
from 1996-99. Uranga already has the
school record for at bats (789) and games started (215), and is second on the
all-time list in hits (247), runs (196), and RBI (171).
IN THE MINORS: Many former Coyotes are beginning the 2003 season
in the professional ranks. Jason
Simontacchi (0-1 11.25 ERA) had two rocky starts with the St. Louis Cardinals –
but the 1996 All-American has had to pitch in the two toughest parks in the big
leagues – Coors Field and Minute Maid Park.
In the minors, 2001 graduate Branden Florence (.391 4 HR 12 RBI) leads
the Long-A San Jose Giants in hitting through the first three weeks of the
season. Another former ‘Yote, Patrick
Gonzalez, is in extended Spring Training with the Baltimore Orioles, and is
expected to start the season in Class A ball.
Nick Williams, a pitcher on the 2002 team, has signed a contract with
the Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings in the new Independent Arizona-Mexico League,
which begins play in May. Other players
– such as Greg Schelhaas, David Kuiper, Jason Stefani, and Michael Kraemer are
expected to play professionally.
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 (13-10): Lady ‘Yotes fall to
fourth after losses at Eastern; NNU, OIT, and Southern on the docket
COMING UP: vs. Northwest Nazarene (DH), Wednesday, 3 p.m.; at
Oregon Tech, Saturday, 11 a.m. (PDT); at Southern Oregon (DH), Sunday, Noon.
LAST WEEK: at Eastern Oregon (L 5-4, L 4-0)
SWEEP LEAVES ALBERTSON ON
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: The tight race in the
five-team Cascade Conference continues, but a doubleheader sweep by Eastern
Oregon over the Coyotes hurt the Albertson playoff chances. The 5-4 and 4-0 defeats put the Lady ‘Yotes
alone in fourth-place, two games behind Eastern for the final playoff berth –
with eight games remaining. Oregon Tech
and Southern Oregon remained tied for the loop lead, three games ahead of
Albertson. The top three teams, along
with Simon Fraser, will meet in Portland on May 9-10 to decide the NAIA Region
I’s berth to the Women’s College World Series.
EASTERN GAME NOTES: Albertson rallied from a 4-1 deficit to tie the
score in the opener at 4-4 in the sixth inning, but it wasn’t enough. Tiffany Mathews (Las Vegas, Nev. /
Eldorado HS) rapped a bases-loaded single to score Heather McClure (Boise,
Idaho / Centennial HS) to knot the score, but Eastern rallied behind two
walks and an error in the bottom of the seventh and scored the winning run with
two outs. In hindsight, the ‘Yotes had
their chances, but stranded ten runners and committed three errors in the
game. Game 2 was all Eastern, as
Albertson managed just four hits off starter Jayne-Leigh Thomas, as the
Mountaineers improved to 8-0 all-time against the Coyotes. On a plus side, Mathews went 3-for-5 in the
twinbill.
CAN NNU WIN A GAME?: Wednesday’s return match-up between Albertson and Northwest
Nazarene has a multitude of storylines.
The Crusaders (0-34) are winless this season, and have lost 41-games in
a row dating back to last year. NNU has
lost all nine meetings with the Coyotes, including four match-ups this season
(7-1, 7-2, 6-2, 7-3). Head coach Duane
Miller, with his 4-70 all-time record, has already sent his resignation letter
to the school, effective at the end of the year, so it is his final trip to
Caldwell. The NCAA Division II school
has been shutout 19 times this year, and has been outscored 105-3 in their last
13 games – and only three batters have their averages over .200.
DANNY’S BACK: One thing was missing in the rain-shortened
doubleheader split between Albertson and Oregon Tech earlier this month –
co-head coach Danny Miles. The NAIA
Hall-of-Famer missed the pair of 2-0 decisions while being honored at the NCAA
Basketball Championships in New Orleans.
Since his return, the Owls (7-3, 20-18) have been playing some inspiring
fastpitch, including a sweep of Southern Oregon in Klamath Falls. Lisa Erwert (.255 1 HR 20 RBI) was last week’s
NAIA Hitter-of-the-Week, helping the OIT surge. The Hooters have won six of the seven meetings between the
schools.
I’M SORRY JIMMY: The big bat attack that is the Southern Oregon softball
team has rebounded since a pair of losses to Oregon Tech by winning five games
in a row, and remain in the NAIA Top-25 at No. 19. James Gravelle has seen his squad put up gaudy offensive numbers
this season, including 17 home runs.
Brandi Brown has to be the candidate for Cascade Conference MVP, as the
senior has done it in the circle (20-6 1.39 ERA) and at the plate (.341 5 HR 33
RBI). The Raiders (7-3, 23-8) also have
the top loop hitter in Haley Varley (.442 2 HR 11 RBI). Albertson is 2-5 against Southern, including
a 1-2 record amid the boisterous football player laden crowd at University
Field in Ashland.
INTERNET
BROADCASTS: The next scheduled
internet broadcast of the Coyotes will be on April 23 when Albertson hosts
Northwest Nazarene in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. Games can be accessed
at http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/webcam/Athletics.asx. Archives
of games broadcast
- ALBERTSON -