‘Yote Notes –
Feb. 17, 2004
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Mike Safford Jr.
– Sports Info. Director
msafford@albertson.edu
GENERAL ATHLETIC NEWS:
NEXT C.A.A. DINNER: The next Coyote Athletic Association
booster dinner will be at 6:30 p.m., March 22, in the Simplot Dining
Hall. Cost is $8.00 at the door and RSVP's are being taken by Dave Hahn
at 459-5835.
TAILGATE PARTY IN BLATCHLEY: The Albertson alumni office will be hosting the final tailgate party prior to next Saturday's game with Western Baptist. Cost is $5.00 and gets you food and drink at Blatchley Hall - beginning at 6 p.m.
CHEERLEADER RAFFLE: This weekend, look for the Coyote cheerleaders passing around the Coyote mascot head for donations - for a new mascot costume.
SKIING: Coyotes
off to USCSA Western Regionals
SKI TEAMS OFF TO REGIONAL: Both the Albertson men's and women's ski teams left early Tuesday morning for Red Lodge, Mont. and the 2004 USCSA Western Region Championships. The Coyotes head into the meet against teams from the Grand Teton and Rocky Mountain conferences. Teams to watch out for are British Columbia from the Northwest, Rocky Mountain and the University of Montana from the Grand Teton, and Colorado Mountain College, Colorado State, and Colorado School of the Mines from the Rocky Mountain. The top four teams in combined totals from a day of slalom and a day of giant slalom racing qualify for the USCSA National Championships.
FINAL INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS: Albertson placed two skiers on the women's All-Conference team and three skiers on the men's All-Conference team. Cassie Marcial finished second to Andrea Lustenberger of UBC in the race for Skier-of-the-Year, while Molly Bullard finished fifth. On the men's side, Sam Elias, Matt Slyvester, and Justin Rackley finished No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 in the conference - all earning All-Conference honors.
FUNDRAISER GOES WELL: The ski team had a unique fundraiser last Tuesday - raising money while trying to break the Brundage Mountain record for individual runs in a day. The hill record of 49 stood, although an average of about 30 runs per skier was attained, before fatigue set in. "I didn't want to see any injuries on the mountain," said head coach Ron Bonneau. The 'Yotes hoped to raise upwards of $5,000 on the afternoon.
SNOW REPORT: Recent precipitation has helped the status of our local ski resorts. At Bogus Basin, the hill reports a 74 inch base, with 82 inches at the top. At Brundage Mountain, site of the 2005 USCSA National Championships, they report a 79 inch base, with 104 inches at the top. Both report great groomed runs.
MEN’S BASKETBALL (21-6, 14-2 CCC): ‘Yotes
clinch share of CCC title, need one victory to secure NAIA Tournament berth
LAST WEEK: lost at No. 24 Southern Oregon, 63-60; won at No.
13 Oregon Tech, 92-78.
COMING UP: vs. Concordia, Friday, 7:30 p.m.; vs. Western
Baptist, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
RADIO: All 29 regular-season contests will be broadcast
live on radio during the 2003-04 season with Mike Safford Jr. calling the
action for the third-consecutive year.
Join him this weekend as the Coyotes round out the regular-season
against Concordia and Western Baptist.
Catch all of play-by-play on the “Home of the Coyotes”, 1490 KCID-AM.
INTERNET BROADCASTS: This weekend games will be simulcast on the
Albertson Athletic Website (www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mbasketball/profiles/0203/radio.htm).
‘YOTES CLINCH SHARE OF CONFERENCE
CROWN: With a split on last weekend’s
road trip, the Albertson men’s basketball team guaranteed themselves a share of
the Cascade Conference championship for the first time since 1996. It is the third CCC title for the Coyotes
since the league was started in 1992.
During the last 12 years, Albertson has finished second on three
occasions, third on three occasions – and fifth-place or worst on just three
occasions.
ONE WIN AWAY FROM BRANSON: The Coyotes can earn their 15th trip to the NAIA
National Tournament with a victory in one of their final two games this weekend
– as the regular-season CCC champion receives an automatic ticket to
nationals. It would be their third trip
to the event in Branson, Mo., in the four years that Mark Owen has been
head coach. If Albertson were to lose
both weekend games, they would still have a chance for the automatic berth if
Oregon Tech were to knock off Southern Oregon on Saturday.
CASCADE CONFERENCE PLAYOFF
PICTURE: The OIT-Southern game in
Klamath Falls has huge ramifications for playoff seeding as well – as the
winner will most likely be the No. 2 seed and have home court advantage into
the semifinal round of the CCC Tournament.
Concordia and Western Baptist are also battling for a first-round home
date, as CU has a one-game lead on Western heading into the final weekend. Four other teams – Eastern Oregon,
Evergreen, Northwest, and Warner Pacific are jockeying for the final three
spots. Eastern and Evergreen are in,
Northwest is with a win – but the positioning is up for grabs.
COYOTE FALL TO NO. 5 IN THE
POLLS: After spending three weeks as
the No. 3 team in the NAIA, Albertson dropped to No. 5 in the latest NAIA
Division II poll after Friday’s loss at Southern Oregon. Jamestown (N.D.) remains at No. 1, followed
by St. Ambrose (Iowa), William Jewell (Mo.), and Bellevue (Neb.). Oregon Tech dropped from No. 13 to No. 16,
while Southern jumped into the poll at No. 24.
HANGING OUT IN THE TOP-FIVE: The ‘Yotes have been ranked in the NAIA’s top-five
for the last seven weeks, surpassing a school-record stretch that the 1999-2000
team had achieved. Five years ago, the
Coyotes climbed to No. 2 in the polls on four occasions, including back-to-back
weeks in late January. Albertson has
been ranked No. 1 in the nation only once, during the preseason poll during the
1991-92 season.
DOMINANT AGAINST NATIONALLY
RANKED OPPONENTS: One thing that the
Albertson men have done during the 2003-04 season is knock off fellow ranked
opponents. Starting early in the season,
the ducks have fallen in order – Montana-Western (received votes in NAIA I
poll), Robert Morris (No. 11 in latest NAIA I poll), William Jewell (No. 3 in
latest NAIA II poll), Christian Heritage (was No. 12 in NAIA I poll),
Westminster (No. 22 in latest NAIA I poll), Rocky Mountain (received votes in
NAIA I poll), Warner Pacific (received votes in NAIA II poll), Eastern Oregon
(was No. 19 in NAIA II poll), Concordia (was No. 18 in NAIA II poll), Oregon
Tech (was No. 2, now No. 16 in NAIA II poll), and Western Baptist (received
votes in NAIA II poll). Albertson is
14-6 against teams that have been ranked this season (losses to Westminster,
twice to Southern Oregon, along with Boise State, Weber State, and Nevada – who
have garnered votes in the NCAA Division I poll.
WIRE-TO-WIRE AT OREGON TECH: The top two defensive teams in the Cascade
Conference hooked up on Saturday night in Klamath Falls – Albertson, who had
held Warner Pacific to a league-low 35 points in a game, and Oregon Tech, who
had held their last seven opponents to a 53 point per game average. The defensive struggle that fans expected
turned into a one-sided contest, as the Coyotes jumped out to an early lead and
never allowed OIT into the game, securing a 92-78 win at Danny Miles
Court. Albertson held the Owls without
a field goal for the first 6:30 of the game, taking a 16-4 lead on an Andy
Harper (Idaho Falls, Idaho / Columbia Basin CC) three – extending
the margin to 30-11 with eight minutes left in the period. The ‘Yotes would withstand a trio of OIT
runs, cutting the margin to 41-33 in the second half, before building a lead of
as many as 21. It was the third win for
Albertson in the Klamath Basin in five tries under Mark Owen and the ‘Yotes 15th
win in 26 appearances in the gym.
BIG MEN GET THE JOB DONE: The defense was solid, but it was the trio of big
men that gave the Coyotes the win. Tom
Perkes (Spokane, Wash. / Big Bend CC) had a season-high 28 points in
the game, while junior Steve Humphreys (Reno, Nev. / Lassen CC)
scored a career-high 19 points to go along with five blocks. The other “big”, Justin McCarthy (Boise,
Idaho / Boise HS), scored 12 points – with the group going a combined
18-for-18 from the foul line. Albertson
also outrebounded Tech, 38-34 – the seventh time in nine games that the ‘Yotes
have grabbed more boards than their opponents.
ROAD STREAK ENDED: A tentative Coyote squad saw their six-game win
streak and a 13-game road win streak against NAIA opponents ended in a 63-60
loss at Southern Oregon. Albertson
opened up an early 21-12 lead, thanks to 12 first half points from E.J.
Costello (Pleasanton, Calif. / Chabot CC). However, the Raiders clamped down on the defensive end and took
an eight-point edge late in the second half.
The ‘Yotes would whittle the lead to 61-60 inside the final minute, but
a Costello jumper to take the lead rimmed out, and two tries to tie in the
waning seconds drew iron. The junior
transfer led Albertson with 22 points on the night.
NATIONAL STATS: The Coyotes as a team rank in the NAIA’s Top-40 in
eight separate categories. Albertson
ranks No. 3 in free throw percentage (.767), No. 7 in three-point percentage
(.396), No. 9 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.25), No. 10 in turnover margin
(3.74), No. 17 in three-pointers made per game (8.13), No. 26 in blocks per
game (3.63), No. 32 in scoring defense (71.0), and No. 37 in both steals per
game (9.04).
RECORD WATCH AS SENIOR NIGHT
APPROACHES: This weekend marks the final
regular-season home games for a trio of Coyotes seniors. As their career start to head off into the
sunset, they have begun to make a dent in the all-time record books. Leading the group is Tom Perkes, who ranks
in the career top-ten in eight separate categories, including No. 3 all-time in
scoring average (18.46). Perkes is
sixth all-time in points scored with 1,163, just 79 points behind his head
coach, Mark Owen, who holds down the No. 4 slot. Andy Harper has moved into seventh-place in three-pointers made
in a career (145), while scoring 932 points – trying to become the 12th ‘Yote
over the 1,000 point mark. Justin
McCarthy ranks third all-time in blocked shots with 55, but is fifth in games
played in a career with 114 – having a chance to break the all-time record if
Albertson goes deep in the playoffs.
Also on the record list is Joe Green (Pocatello, Idaho /
BYU-Idaho) who is third all-time in steals (167) and sixth in assists
(276). Green needs just four steals to
break the single-season mark, set by Matt Muniz in the late 1990s.
CONCORDIA AND WESTERN COMING
TO TOWN: The final two Cascade
Conference tilts of the season take place this weekend in the Treasure
Valley. Friday night, Concordia
will be welcomed on “Caldwell Appreciation Night” by a big Coyote crowd. The Cavaliers (20-10, 10-6 CCC) secured
their third 20-win season in the last five years with a win over Cascade on
Saturday and have won three-in-a-row.
Head coach Brad Barbarick saw his title hopes dashed in mid-season, when
then leading scorer Brandon Erlandson (15.8 ppg) was lost for the year with a
wrist injury. Andre Johnson (17.0 ppg)
has picked up the slack, as has fellow senior Nate Ferrier (12.1 ppg, 7.1
rpg). Albertson rallied from a
second-half deficit to knock off Concordia 78-72 in January, and holds a 35-8
all-time edge in the series. Western
Baptist brings its two-headed scoring monster to town on Saturday
night. The Warriors (17-11, 9-7) ended
a five-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over the weekend. Eric Fiegi (24.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and Jeff Dunn
(21.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg) are the top scoring duo in the league, with Dunn earning
three CCC Player-of-the-Week awards.
Albertson led by as many as 23 points in the first meeting this season,
eventually stopping Western, 83-73, just three weeks ago. The ‘Yotes hold a 34-18 series lead, dating
back to the 1977 season.
PLAYOFF GAME INFORMATION: All Cascade Conference tournament games in the
J.A. Albertson Activities Center will begin at 7:30 p.m., starting with the
quarterfinal round on Feb. 25. Tickets
for the opener, along with subsequent games, can be purchased in advance in the
Albertson athletic department from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Tickets will also be on sale following the
doubleheaders this weekend. On Monday,
the Coyote athletic staff will keep the office open until 8 p.m. for fans to
purchase tickets and have a chance to chat with coach Mark Owen and
athletic director Marty Holly.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE
COYOTES: For game stories, statistics,
and information regarding the Albertson men’s basketball program, head to the
official site Coyote Basketball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (7-15, 6-10 CCC): Lady ‘Yotes
look for turn-around this weekend, heading into CCC Tournament
LAST WEEK: lost at Southern Oregon, 62-60; lost at Oregon
Tech, 69-65
COMING UP: vs. Concordia, Friday, 5:30 p.m.; vs. Western
Baptist, Saturday, 5:30 p.m.
INTERNET BROADCASTS AND LIVE
STATS: Both games this weekend will
be carried live on the internet, via the Albertson athletic website. Join Jordan Komoto for the play-by-play at www.collegeofidaho.edu/webcam/Athletics.asx
as the Lady ‘Yotes meet Concordia and Western Baptist. Saturday night’s game with Western will also
be heard in the Willamette Valley on 90.3 KWBX-FM with Mike Safford calling the
action.
BIG WEEKEND AHEAD FOR PLAYOFF
SEEDING: The Cascade Conference has
separated itself into two playoff groups – those teams hosting first-round
games and those teams traveling on the road for first-round games. Only Eastern Oregon has assured themselves
of their seeding – the Mountaineers clinched the regular-season title and their
first-ever trip to the NAIA Tournament with a weekend sweep of Oregon Tech and
Southern Oregon. Three other teams –
OIT, Northwest, and Warner Pacific, all sit within one-half game of each other,
heading into the final weekend. The
bottom four teams – Western Baptist, Evergreen, Southern Oregon, and the Lady ‘Yotes,
have just two games separating fifth-place and eighth-place. Key games this weekend include Northwest at
Warner Pacific, Western Baptist at Albertson, and Southern Oregon at OIT.
LADY ‘YOTES AND TIEBREAKERS: Of the three teams Albertson can draw even with in
the standings, the Coyotes have good chances and bad chances to win tiebreakers. If Albertson were to tie alone with Western
Baptist, the Lady ‘Yotes would win all tie-breakers due to their win over
Oregon Tech. A tie with either
Evergreen or Southern Oregon is a bit more precarious, as both teams would win
a tiebreak if Northwest finishes ahead of OIT in the standings, while Southern
would win the battle if Warner Pacific finished in second-place. All said and done, things should shake out a
bit by Saturday morning.
PLAYOFF GOLD ON THE ROAD: Despite losing a tough 60-54 decision to Oregon
Tech as the No. 7 seed last season on the road, Albertson had success as an
underdog during the 2001-02 campaign.
As the No. 5 seed, the Lady ‘Yotes upset both Concordia and Eastern
Oregon, before losing in the CCC title game to Southern Oregon – all on hostile
floors.
WILLIAMS SHINES IN LOSS AT
OREGONTECH: Four years and 91 games into
her college career, Saturday night was a breakout game for Carley Williams (Boise,
Idaho / Boise HS) – one of eight Lady ‘Yotes who will play their final
regular-season home games this weekend.
Williams scored career-highs with 19 points and eight rebounds,
including a 6-for-9 shooting night from outside the arc. She currently ranks No. 7 on the all-time
list for games played in a Coyote uniform.
MORE ON THE TECH GAME: Albertson never led in the contest and fell behind
by as many as 13 in the second half before rallying late. A Carley Williams three inside the final two
minutes got the ‘Yotes to within 65-64, but after a defensive stop, a lay-up by
Alyssa Latham (Walla Walla, Wash. / Walla Walla CC) rimmed out in
the final minute, and OIT cinched the game from the foul line.
GOICOECHEA CONTINUES TORRID
STREAK: Guard Heidi Goicoechea (Burley,
Idaho / Burley HS) nearly grabbed her second Cascade Conference
player-of-the-week award in the last three weeks after a solid weekend
performance. The senior scored
game-highs against both Southern Oregon (19 points) and Oregon Tech (22
points), while hitting 50-percent of her field goal attempts and all nine free
throw opportunities. Goicoechea has
scored in double figures in 15-of-16 Cascade Conference games this season, including
11-in-a-row. She has been nearly unstoppable
in the Lady ‘Yotes last seven games, averaging 20.3 points and six rebounds a
game – upping her CCC-only scoring average to 16.3 points per game, third-best
in the loop.
HOOTER HAS MONSTER NIGHT AT
SOUTHERN OREGON: Forward Kasey Hooter
(Nampa, Idaho / Walla Walla CC) had an outstanding individual
performance at Southern Oregon on Friday night, netting career-highs for both
points and rebounds. The junior scored
17 points and grabbed 17 rebounds – the sixth time this season that she has
pulled down at least 13 boards in a game.
Hooter leads the league and ranks No. 3 in the NAIA in field goal
percentage (.629), along with ranking No. 3 in the league and No. 11 in the
nation in rebounds per game (10.1).
MCNEAL MISTIQUE BITES COYOTES
AGAIN: It is a proven fact that the
Albertson women and McNeal Pavilion in Ashland do not get along. Despite holding a 16-point second half lead,
the Coyotes fell to 1-9 all-time on Southern Oregon’s home floor in a 62-60
loss to the Raiders. Heidi Goicoechea
scored 17 first half points to build a 33-19 lead that swelled to 44-28 with 13:27
left. However, Southern would go on a 26-9
run spanning an eight-minute stretch to give the Raiders the lead for
good. Albertson had chances to win or
tie in the waning moments, but couldn’t prevail.
WHERE HAVE THEY GONE?: Late season struggles have plagued the Lady ‘Yotes,
but no more than starting guard Dani Cotterell (Nampa, Idaho / Nampa
HS) and starting post Michelle Dyreng (Fruit Heights, Utah / Snow
CC). Over the last six games, the
sophomore three-point specialist has made just 11-of-49 shots from the field
(.224 percent) and just 9-of-37 shots from outside the arc (.243 percent) –
well below her season average.
Cotterell has averaged just five points a game over that stretch,
compared to the 11 points a night she scored during the first 16 games of the
year. Dyreng struggled over the
weekend, missing all 14 of her shots from the floor – having made just 14-of-50
attempts (.280 percent) in the last six games.
She is averaging six points a game during the stretch, five points below
her season average.
NATIONAL NUMBERS: As a team, the Lady ‘Yotes rank No. 11 in the NAIA
Division II statistics in rebound margin (+6.9), No. 12 in blocked shots per
game (4.0), No. 13 in total rebounds per game (42.4), and No. 14 in defensive
rebounds per game (28.5).
END OF THE ROAD FOR EIGHT
SENIORS: This weekend marks the final
home games for eight Coyote seniors.
Michelle Dyreng, Alyssa Latham, Sarah Wilkin (Twin Falls,
Idaho / SW Oregon CC) and Lindsey Karren (Brigham City, Utah /
Salt Lake CC) are two-year members of the team, Krystal Thacker is in her
third season with the club, while Carley Williams, Heidi Goicoechea, and Tia
Sinclair (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS). These players will be honored in a ceremony at halftime of the
men’s game Saturday night vs. Western Baptist.
CONCORDIA AND WESTERN IN TOWN:
The Lady ‘Yotes conclude their
regular-season with a pair of crucial home games with playoff seeding on the
line. Friday night, Concordia comes
to Caldwell with a different look, as head coach Jeff Stanek resigned midway
through the year. Athletic director
Joel Schuldheisz and Dean of the Art and Sciences Charles Kunert have taken
over the Cavs (4-23, 2-14 CCC) – which have struggled all season. Concordia ranks in the bottom two in 11 different
statistical categories, including having the worst team three-point percentage
(.225) and worst rebound margin (-6.0) in the league. The squad, however, has one of the top players in the league in
transfer Katie Atkins (15.4 ppg, 8.7 rpg) – who is almost a shoe-in for
All-Conference honors. Albertson
squeaked out their fourth win in a row with a 62-61 win in Portland in January,
and leads the all-time series, 14-4.
Saturday, Albertson looks for a better performance against Western
Baptist, whom defeated the Coyotes, 60-48, three weeks ago. The Warriors (13-12, 8-8) hope the CCC
Tournament holds the key for a return trip to the NAIA Tournament, where
Western lost to Hastings (Neb.) last season.
Western is led by guard Lindsy Brownell (13.5 ppg), the most prolific
three-point shooter in school history.
Albertson holds a 14-6 all-time advantage.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE
LADY ‘YOTES: For up-to-date statistics,
stories, and information about the Albertson women’s basketball team, head to
the official website for the Lady ‘Yotes – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm. For updated scores and standings from the
Cascade Conference women’s basketball season, head to www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wbasketball/stats/standings.htm.
BASEBALL (1-3): Coyotes lose 3-of-4 at San Francisco State, head
off to tournament at LC-State
LAST WEEK: at San Francisco State (L 16-4, W 2-1, L 11-7, L
6-5)
COMING UP: at Cannon Building Supply Tournament, Lewiston – Friday
vs. Concordia, 10 a.m. (PST); Saturday vs. Linfield, 10 a.m. (PST), vs. Eastern
Oregon, 1 p.m. (PST); Sunday vs. Lewis-Clark State, 4 p.m. (PST)
ON THE INTERNET: Sunday’s game with Lewis-Clark State will be
carried on the internet at www.koze-sports.com,
with Brian Danner and Mike Tatko calling the action. The first home internet broadcast of Coyote baseball will take
place on Feb. 26, when Albertson hosts Central Washington at 2 p.m.
COYOTES FINALLY TAKE FIELD: After nearly five months without an opportunity to
take the diamond, the Albertson baseball club worked out the kinks over the
weekend in a four-game series at San Francisco State. Although the ‘Yotes dropped 3-of-4 to the NCAA Division II club,
the squad was able to utilize 20 different players – allowing the coaching
staff to size up the 2004 team.
‘YOTES PICKED TO WIN CASCADE
CONFERENCE: The votes are in and Albertson
College is once again the team to beat amongst the five Cascade Conference
teams to play baseball. Albertson
received 28 points in the poll, along with four of the five first-place votes. Right behind the ‘Yotes was Concordia, who
earned the other first-place nod, followed by Western Baptist, Oregon Tech, and
Eastern Oregon. Both British Columbia
and Lewis-Clark State were not a part of the balloting.
TWO SOLID PITCHING
PERFORMANCES: Pitching coach Chris Frith had
to have liked what he saw from starters Brad Burrow (Taylorsville,
Utah / College of So. Idaho) and Matt Zachary (Bellevue, Idaho /
Treasure Valley CC) in the Bay Area.
Burrow notched a 2-1 victory over SFSU, throwing a complete game
four-hitter. The senior shut the Gators
out over the first six innings, then stranded the potential tying run at third
in the bottom of the seventh. Burrow
walked two and struck out two in the win.
Making his first start in two years, Zachary fanned eight SFSU batters
in his six innings of work. The junior
gave up just five hits, one earned run, and walked four.
OUTFIELDERS STEP UP WITH THE
BAT: Head coach Shawn Humberger noted
that he had many options in the outfield during the 2004 season preview. Two of those players had solid weekends at
Maloney Field – as sophomore Derek Rose (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) and
junior transfer Josh Przybos (Boise, Idaho / Cochise CC) each
swung the stick admirably. Rose, who
had just 12 hits as a freshman, went 7-for-16 at the plate, scoring three runs
and knocking in two. Przybos went
5-for-14 with an RBI and fielded ten balls without an error.
STALLING HAS MONSTER GAME: Sophomore All-American Greg Stalling (Boise,
Idaho / Borah HS) got the nod at shortstop over the weekend – and had a
career-high five RBI in Sunday’s first game.
Stalling had a pair of two-run singles, along with an RBI groundout,
notching the most runs batted in by a ‘Yote player since April 9, 2002, when
Scott Freeman had six RBI’s at Central Washington.
GAME-BY-GAME RECAP: Game 1 (SFSU 16, Albertson 4) – The ‘Yotes scored
in the first frame of the season on a Jake McGrady (Boise, Idaho /
Borah HS) sacrifice fly, but watched the Gators score seven runs off Matt
Bergstrom (Hermiston, Ore. / Hermiston HS) in his five innings of
work. The Coyotes would cut the SFSU
lead to 5-3 in the fourth on a Nate Freese (Vancouver, Wash. /
Skyview HS) single, but could not get over the hump. Josh Przybos went 3-for-4 in the loss. Game 2 (Albertson 2, SFSU 1) – Brad Burrow
went the distance, allowing two sixth-inning runs stand up to get Albertson in
the win column. The ‘Yotes managed just
four hits, but they were timely, as Sage Kendall (Parma, Idaho /
National American Univ.) doubled home a run in the sixth, while freshman Drew
Cauffman (Mountain Home, Idaho / Mountain Home HS) beat out a
fielder’s choice to score the would-be winning run. Game 3 (SFSU 11, Albertson 7) – The Coyotes rallied from 1-0 and
4-2 deficits, but could not stop the Gators attack. Greg Stalling singled home two runs in the third to give the ‘Yotes
a 2-1 lead, then repeated the feat in the fifth as Albertson plated four runs
to take a 6-4 edge. However, SFSU would
outscore Albertson 7-1 over the final five innings to get the win. Game 4 (SFSU 6, Albertson 5) – Maybe the
toughest game to swallow, as the Gators scored three runs in the bottom of the
seventh to win. Leading 5-3 heading
into the final frame, Andrew Hall (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) got
the first out of the inning, but surrendered back-to-back doubles to make it a
one-run affair. He wasn’t helped by his
defense, as a fielding error put the winning run on first, and the bases were
cleared by the third double of the inning, giving SFSU the win.
ABOUT THE CANNON BUILDING
SUPPLY TOURNAMENT: The Coyotes head north
to the site of the Avista NAIA World Series for the Cannon Building Supply
Tournament at Harris Field. The
five-team tournament is a round-robin affair, and unlike most tournaments in
Lewiston, there will be no championship round.
Albertson opens up the fracas against Concordia, the squad that
knocked the ‘Yotes out of the NAIA Region I Tournament in 2003. The Cavaliers (24-29 in 2003) have a solid
one-two punch in their rotation, with righties Michael Devaney (5-8 3.58 ERA)
and Andrew Page (8-1 3.64 ERA) returning.
Gone is two-time CCC Player-of-the-Year, Chris Baird, but the Cavs do
return All-Conference third-baseman Andy Carlile. Albertson dropped 5-of-6 games to Concordia last season, but
holds a 48-10 all-time series lead.
Saturday, the ‘Yotes meet NCAA Division III foe Linfield, a team
picked to finish second in the Northwest Conference. The Wildcats (21-19 in 2003) return 21 letterman from last year’s
team, including two-time All-NWC pick David Moore at third base. It will be the 32nd meeting between the
teams, with Albertson leading the series, 18-13 – despite losing last year to
the ‘Cats, 8-7. Game 3 of the tourney
pits the ‘Yotes against Eastern Oregon, picked fifth in the Cascade
Conference preseason poll. The
Mountaineers (5-32 in 2003) hope to be improved this season, thanks to the
return of All-CCC catcher Joshua Adams.
Albertson has dominated the all-time series, boasting a 84-12-1 mark
against Eastern. Rounding out the
weekend is a game with the two-time defending NAIA champs, Lewis-Clark State. The Warriors (3-0) have a deep pitching
staff – despite the loss of All-American Mark Kaiser to the Colorado Rockies,
along with one of the most potent offensive attacks in the nation, keyed by
third-baseman Allen Balmer. This will
be the 96th meeting between the teams, with LC-State holding a 72-22-1 edge.
AROUND THE REGION: British Columbia and Lewis-Clark State kicked off
their 2004 seasons last week – with UBC splitting the first four games of a
ten-game trek through the Southwest, while LC-State swept a three-game set with
Central Washington. UBC (2-2) dropped
games to the University of Missouri and the University of San Francisco, before
defeating University of the Pacific and Northwestern – all NCAA Division I
teams. LCSC (3-0) had a much tougher
time than most anticipated with Central, trailing both games of Saturday’s
doubleheader until the late innings.
Along with Concordia and Eastern playing in Lewiston, Western Baptist
kicks off their season at St. Martin’s, and Oregon Tech heads south for games
in the Bay Area.
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 (0-0): Lady
‘Yotes head off to St. George, Utah to open season at Icebreaker Classic
COMING UP: at Icebreaker Classic, St. George, Utah – Friday
vs. Western Nebraska CC, 6 p.m.; Saturday vs. Idaho State, 10 a.m., vs.
Colorado Northwestern CC, 2 p.m.; tournament play on Sunday.
FIRST TIME ON THE FIELD ON
FRIDAY: For the past two years, the
Albertson softball team could not keep enough water on Symms Field. This winter, the diamond has received its
share of H20. The onslaught of snow and
now rain to the Treasure Valley has made the infield surface a muddy mess and
the outfield a mudpuddle, forcing the Lady ‘Yotes indoors for their preseason
training. It all comes to a climax on
Friday, when the 2004 squad opens the season at the Icebreaker Classic, hosted
by Dixie State College.
IF THE FIELD DRAINS?: The warm weather expected this week should dry
Symms Field out in time for the home opener, set for next Thursday against
Northwest Nazarene. It is also the
first time that the Albertson softball and baseball teams play home games on
the same date at the same time.
BABIES AND MORE BABIES: Little ones are going to be prevalent this spring
around the Coyotes, as head coach Kelly Gibbons is expecting her fourth
child within the next month. When she
begins her maternity leave – which could begin as soon as this week, assistant Ron
Nicolosi will take over the reins.
Babies are nothing new to Nicolosi as well, as he became a grandpa for
the first time over the weekend.
LOOKING AT THE WEEKEND: The fastpitch team will have an opportunity to
sort out question marks over the weekend.
Third-base has been at the top of the list, as sophomores Nikki
Stevenson (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) and Lisa Stout (Caldwell,
Idaho / Caldwell HS) battle for the starting nod. It will also be the first chance for freshmen Heather Kirtley (Eagle,
Idaho / Eagle HS) and Anna Schroeder (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) to
take the field. Looking to get the
majority of the innings in the circle will be junior Lindzi Wasko (Lakenheath,
England / Lakenheath American HS) and true freshman Katie Pond (Boise,
Idaho / Centennial HS).
ABOUT THE TEAMS: The Icebreaker Classic has 12 teams broken up into
three groups for pool play. Of the 12
teams, Albertson and Northwest Nazarene are the only NCAA or NAIA schools in
the field. Three of the teams represent
NCAA Division I schools on a club level, with five of the teams from junior
colleges. Only games between Albertson
and NNU would count in the season standings.
The Coyotes open up pool play against Western Nebraska, a member
of the NJCAA Region IX. The Cougars
(11-28 in 2003) had just three sophomores on the club last year and will be
making their first appearance in St. George.
Albertson will then tangle with Idaho State, a club team from the
Pocatello institution. The ‘Yotes do
not know what to expect from the Bengals, considering it is an entire new team
from the one that defeated Albertson, 3-0, last year. Rounding out pool play is a rematch with Colorado Northwestern,
a squad the Lady ‘Yotes shutout 7-0 last year.
The Spartans (0-8) have struggled this year, scoring just nine runs in
their eight games, while having a team ERA at 11.08.
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Both Western Baptist and Concordia were to have
opened up their 2004 seasons during the last seven days, however, heavy rains
in the Willamette Valley postponed their games. Concordia will try again later in the week, hoping to play both
Lewis & Clark and Pacific.
INTERNET BROADCASTS: The
first scheduled internet broadcasts of Coyote softball will be the March 20th
doubleheader with Walla Walla College.
Games can be accessed at http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/webcam/Athletics.asx. Archives of games broadcast this year can be
found on the softball website.
MORE INFORMATION:
Updated information and statistics on the 2004 softball team can be found on
Albertson softball official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/fastpitch.htm. Up-to-date NAIA Region I standings can be
found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/softball/stats/standings.htm.
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