‘Yote Notes –
Mar. 17, 2004
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Mike Safford Jr.
– Sports Info. Director
msafford@albertson.edu
GENERAL
ATHLETICS NEWS:
C.A.A. DINNER TO HONOR WINTER
SPORT CHAMPS: The
next Coyote Athletic Association booster dinner will be this Monday evening at
6:30 p.m., in the Simplot Dining Hall. Cost is $8.00 at the door and
RSVP's are being taken by Dave Hahn at 459-5835. Both the Cascade
Conference champion men's basketball team along with the top-ten nationally
ranked ski teams will be honored.
SKIING: Year end
awards abundant for Coyotes
USCSA HONORS ALBERTSON SKIERS: Head coach Ron Bonneau has
to be very pleased with his 2004 ski squad, after the women placed fourth and
the men eighth in the USCSA national championships in Maine.
ALL-AMERICANS: Four different Coyotes earned
All-America honors from the USCSA. On the women's side, Cassie Marcial
earned first-team honors in the slalom, and second-team honors in both the
giant slalom and the combined. Teammate Molly Bullard earned
second-team honors in the slalom and combined, as did Kelly Farmin.
On the men's side, Matt Slyvester was a second-team selection in the
combined.
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS: Six different skiers were
represented on the Academic All-America team. Molly Bullard was the lone
first-team selection, with Kevin Makinson and Mike Wolfe earning
second-team honors. Rounding out the group was Sam Elias, Justin
Rackley, and Matt Slyvester - all on the honorable mention team
WOMEN’S
TENNIS (1-4): Coyotes win first match of the season
LAST WEEK: Defeated Pacific (6-3); Lost to
George Fox (5-4).
COMING UP: vs. Willamette, Monday, 9 a.m.;
vs. Southern Oregon, Monday, 2:30 p.m. – both at River City Racquet Club in
Nampa.
LADY 'YOTES NOTCH FIRST WIN: The Albertson tennis team notched
their first dual victory of the 2004 season, knocking off NCAA Division III
Pacific University, 6-3. The Coyotes swept the first four positions in
the singles ladder, including an impressive 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 2 by Anna
Moylan, along with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Albertson was
then knocked off in a tough match with George Fox, 5-4. Lauren Writer and
Katie Webster rallied for a 9-8 victory at No. 1 doubles for the
Coyotes.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS: The ladies have gotten production
from the No. 2 and No. 4 singles slots, where they are a combined 6-4 this
season. However, Albertson is still looking for that elusive win at No. 5
and No. 6 singles, along with No. 3 doubles.
HEADED TO TOWN: Albertson will host a pair of
matches next week, as Southern Oregon will make their first trek across the
mountains to meet the 'Yotes, along with a match-up with Willamette.
BASEBALL (12-12, 3-3 Region I): Stalling and Bergstrom sweep Regional honors, ‘Yotes-Eastern
to play home-and-home series
LAST WEEK: lost 3-of-4 vs. No. 20 British Columbia (L 12-5, L
6-1, W 14-7, L 9-6), defeated Northwest Nazarene, 12-6.
COMING UP: at Eastern Oregon (DH), Saturday, Noon (PST); vs. Eastern
Oregon (DH), Sunday, Noon.
ON THE AIR: The Coyotes and Sporting News Radio have nearly
finalized a radio package to air Albertson baseball on KIOV 1450-AM this
spring. Look for games to be aired beginning
the first week of April.
BIG INNINGS CONTINUE TO HURT
COYOTES: Through the first 24 games
this season, big innings have been the downside to the 12-12 start for the ‘Yotes. Albertson has allowed 12 innings with
four-or-more runs scored by their opponent, with the Coyotes owning a 3-7
record in those games – including two losses to then No. 20 ranked British
Columbia over the weekend.
THE ‘YOTES CAN PUT UP BIG
INNINGS TOO: Big innings are nothing new
for the Coyote bats as well. Albertson
has scored at least five runs in an inning on eight occasions this season. The ‘Yotes have strung together a nine-run
inning, two eight-run innings, and a pair of six-run innings – all during the
month of March.
STALLING’S TEAR NETS HONOR: All-American infielder Greg Stalling (Boise,
Idaho / Borah HS) has extending his outstanding play for a second
consecutive week – this time earning Cascade Conference and NAIA Region I
Hitter-of-the-Week honors. The
sophomore went 10-for-17 at the plate over the week (.588 average), with a .708
on base percentage and a .824 slugging percentage. Stalling has registered eight multi-hit games in his last 11
outings – including five in a row, as part of a nine-game hitting streak. Over the last two weeks, he has 21 hits in
37 at bats for a gaudy .568 batting average – put more importantly drew 13
walks and was hit by three pitches.
BERG BATTLES FOR KEY WIN AND
REGIONAL AWARD: Not even a bum foot
could stop Matt Bergstrom (Hermiston, Ore. / Hermiston HS) from
continuing his dominance within the NAIA Region I – and earning Cascade
Conference and NAIA Region I Pitcher-of-the-Week honors for the second time in
his career. The junior, who is battling
an injured foot sustained earlier in the week, gutted out five innings on
Sunday to top British Columbia, 14-7. “Berg”
went five innings, giving up just one run while fanning six. This season in regional play, the big
right-hander is 2-0 with a save in three appearances, with a 1.23 ERA. Dating back to his last six appearances
within the region, Bergstrom is 5-0 with a save, with a 1.19 ERA and 21
strikeouts.
PRZYBOS HAS SOLID WEEK: Transfer Josh Przybos (Boise, Idaho /
Cochise CC) has solidified himself a spot in the Albertson line-up with
another good week at the plate. The
junior went 9-for-17 in the five games against UBC and NNU for a .529 batting
average – raising his season mark to .379.
Przybos also ranks second on the ‘Yotes with 17 runs scored.
BURKE’S HITTING STREAK ENDS: A great start to the season for catcher Pat
Burke (Sisters, Ore. / Sisters HS) came to a crashing halt in the
series vs. British Columbia, as the freshman saw his 15-game hitting streak
ended by the Thunderbirds. The
youngster went hitless in his first ten at bats against UBC, but rebounded by
recording hits in three of his last four at bats, including a pinch-hit two-run
single in the 12-6 victory over Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday afternoon.
MOSER FINDS HIS PLACE IN THE
PEN: Head coach Shawn Humberger
made the decision last week to send right-hander Mike Moser (Arlington,
Wash. / Bellevue CC) to the bullpen after posting a 6.63 ERA as a
starter. The senior has responded,
returning to the form that had him posting six saves as a sophomore in junior
college. Moser has given up just one
run in three appearances spanning five innings – helping the ‘Yotes in a spot
they have struggled this season, holding leads late in the game.
HUBBARD NOTCHING K’S: After missing nearly a month of the season with a
broken foot, sophomore Clayton Hubbard (Pocatello, Idaho / Pocatello
HS) returned to the hill this past week.
The right-hander with the nasty breaking ball recorded six strikeouts in
just three and a third innings of work – including striking out the final two
batters with runners in scoring position in the win over NNU.
FIRST NATIONAL POLL RELEASED: The first NAIA baseball poll of the regular season
was released today, with Embry-Riddle (Fla.) taking over the No. 1 slot after
starting the 2004 season with a 28-0 record.
Regional foe Lewis-Clark State sits at No. 2 with a 19-3 record,
followed by Oklahoma City, Biola (Calif.), and Cumberland (Tenn.). The only other NAIA Region I team in the
rankings was British Columbia, who received 27 votes – good enough for No. 30
in the nation.
HOME-AND-HOME SERIES WITH EASTERN: Albertson
and Eastern Oregon will meet this weekend for four games – all counting
within the NAIA Region I standings. The
first two games of the series will be at Snowflake Field in La Grande on
Saturday, with the final two games Sunday at Simplot Stadium. The Mountaineers (2-11, 0-3 Region I) were
swept last weekend in a three-game set by Concordia in Portland. Eastern has struggle this year, with a team
batting average of just .202 and a team ERA of 10.17 – however, one of their two
victories this season was a 6-4 win over the Coyotes. Albertson leads the all-time series between the schools, 84-13-1.
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 (2-8): ‘Yotes
end losing streak with shutout of NNU, test Symms Field lights Saturday vs.
Walla Walla
LAST WEEK: vs. Northwest Nazarene (L 5-0 – completion of
2/26 suspended game, L 6-3, W 1-0)
COMING UP: vs. Walla Walla, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
INTERNET AND RADIO BROADCASTS: The
first scheduled internet broadcasts of Coyote softball will be this Saturday,
as Albertson hosts a doubleheader with Walla Walla College. The game will be heard via the Albertson
College Athletic Website at http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/webcam/Athletics.asx. The ‘Yotes and Sporting News Radio have just
about sealed a package that will air four softball doubleheaders in April on
KIOV 1450-AM – stay tuned for more information.
‘YOTES END EIGHT-GAME SKID WITH VICTORY OVER NNU: After
a tough weekend in Richland at the Central Washington Invitational, the Lady
‘Yotes took a six-game losing streak into Tuesday’s tripleheader against
Northwest Nazarene. Originally scheduled
to be played in Nampa, the long day of softball was moved to Caldwell – due to
the fact that darkness could be a factor and the lights at Symms Field could be
needed. In the end, they weren’t, as
NNU held Albertson scoreless in the final three innings of February’s suspended
game to take a 5-0 win, then rode an early 4-0 lead to a 6-3 victory in Game 2
– the eighth straight loss by the Coyotes (third-longest losing streak behind a
12-game streak and a ten-game streak in 2002).
The finale on Tuesday got the ‘Yotes on the right side of the scoreboard
– holding the Crusaders to just three hits, with Tiffany Mathews (Las
Vegas, Nev. / El Dorado HS) scoring the game-winner in the seventh on a
wild pitch.
RUSSELL SOLID IN CIRCLE:
Finishing off the suspended game and tossing the first five innings of the Game
3 win over NNU, sophomore Kerri Russell (Melba, Idaho / Melba HS) was
very impressive for the Lady ‘Yotes.
The right-hander retired all six batters she faced in the two innings of
work in the suspended game, then held the Crusaders to just three hits and no
runs in the late game – keeping the Coyotes in position to win. Russell has a 1.58 ERA this season – with
her offense scoring just five runs in her five appearances.
MILNE SHOWING PROMISE IN 2004: Wildness
and injuries plagued the freshman season for pitcher Laura Milne (Woodburn,
Ore. / Blanchet Catholic HS). Given
a new role as the Coyote closer this year, the sophomore has thrived in
relief. In her two outings, Milne has
recorded a win and a save, with a 1.40 ERA.
The key statistic is walks vs. strikeouts – last year, Milne walked 34
batters and fanned ten in just 21 innings, this season she has walked four
batters and struck out five in five innings.
SCHROEDER CONTINUES TO IMPRESS: Head
coach Kelly Gibbons knew she had a solid recruit in infielder Anna
Schroeder (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) – one of the top prep players in
Idaho last year. The freshman has not
disappointed her critics in 2004 – leading the Coyotes with a .464 batting average,
including a team- high 13 hits. She has
recorded five multi-hit games and notched a safety in seven of the ‘Yotes ten
outings.
SHORING UP THE INFIELD: One of
the concerns for the Coyotes coming into the 2004 season was the development of
a young infield after losing two starters from last year. The Albertson infield has registered a .881
fielding percentage through the first ten games this season – 20 errors in 169
chances. However, a bright light is at
the end of the tunnel, as the Lady ‘Yotes recorded just one error in 16 innings
of play on Tuesday.
LOOKING AHEAD – COYOTES TO HOST CCC PRESEASON
TOURNEY: In less than two weeks, all six Cascade Conference
softball teams will converge on Symms Field for the second CCC preseason
tournament – the most action that Albertson College has seen on its softball
diamond at one time. Games will start
promptly at 8 a.m. on the 26th – with eight games throughout the day, with the
finale Friday beginning at 8:45 p.m.
Seven games will be played on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. – with each
team playing one game against the other five clubs in the league, and all games
counting in the CCC standings.
Albertson assistant men’s basketball and head golf coach, Garry Matlock
– an accomplished fastpitch softball player himself, will serve as tournament
director.
BUT FIRST, HERE COMES WALLA WALLA: The
Coyotes will look to head into the tournament on a high note, as they test out
the Symms Field lights on Saturday against Walla Walla College. The Wolves (0-4) opened up the 2004 season
with games at Western Baptist and Northwest Christian – dropping all four
contests by a combined 34-10 score.
Albertson has won 5-of-6 games against the Seventh Day Adventist school
from Washington state, including all four meetings last season, including 14-0
and 10-0 shutouts in Caldwell.
BEGINNING OF A HUGE HOMESTAND: Albertson
will get to know the cozy confines of Symms Field over the next month, as the
‘Yotes will play 21 of their next 27 games on their home field. The next seven games will be played at home,
then after a six game trip to the Willamette Valley, the Coyotes return home to
play 14 games in Caldwell over a three-week stretch. Albertson has accumulated a 14-18 all-time record at Symms Field.
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.
MEN’S BASKETBALL (27-7): Season
Review; Perkes named First-Team NAIA All-American
LAST WEEK: NAIA Division II National Tournament – defeated
Tabor (Kan.), 77-60; lost to Daemen (N.Y.), 76-71.
SPECIAL THANKS TO RADIO
SPONSORS: All 34 games this season were
carried live on 1490 KCID-AM, the “Home of the Coyotes.” The athletic department and the men’s
basketball team would like to thank the 2003-04 radio sponsors – Hopkins
Financial, Best Western Caldwell Inn, Les Schwab Tires, Paul’s Market,
Elliott’s Sports Pub & Grill, Franklin Building Supply, Edmark Superstore,
Cold Stone Creamery, Silverhawk Realty, The Hartwell Corporation, and John
McGee.
AT THE NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: Things did not go the way the Coyotes had hoped at
the 2004 NAIA Division II National Tournament, as the Coyotes bowed out in the
second-round for the second consecutive season. It was a good week, however, for the Cascade Conference, as
Albertson advanced to the round of 16, with Oregon Tech going 5-for-5 at the
tourney, defeating Bellevue (Neb.), 81-72, to claim their first-ever national
title.
A BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT: Lost in all of the emotion of the national
tournament was the fact that for only the fourth time in school history that
the Coyotes had registered back-to-back tournament appearances. The Coyotes advanced to the NAIA Tournament
during the 1984, 1985, and 1986 seasons, logged back-to-back appearances in
1988 and 1989, then returned to the tournament in both 1995 and 1996.
BOB & KAREN, YOU ARE THE
BEST!: The entire travel party who
traveled to the Ozarks would like to extend a big thank you for the third time
in four years to Bob and Karen Phillips of Scaggs Community Hospital in
Branson, the ‘Yotes host family. From
our sunset dinner overlooking Table Rock Lake, to the Dixie Stampede, to the
golf “challenge” on the estate – memories have been etched in everyone’s heart
forever. Thank you for all that you
have done for Coyote basketball and we hope that someday we can extend the same
hospitality in the Treasure Valley.
PERKES EARNS THE HIGHEST OF
HONORS: His personal goal at the start
of the 2003-04 season was to become Cascade Conference Player-of-the-Year, and
senior Tom Perkes (Spokane, Wash. / Big Bend CC) accomplished
that feat. He then earned a very
exclusive accolade following the NAIA Tournament, becoming the fifth Coyote player
to earn First-Team All-America honors.
Perkes joins Elgin Baylor (1955), Johnnie Hilliard (1991), Jimmy
Kolyszko (1996), and Shermon Ewell (2001) as the only first-teamers in school
history. He finished his Coyote career
having scored 1,297 points – fourth-best in school history since 1978, along
with 525 rebounds.
IN ELITE COMPANY: A stat that shows how much Tom Perkes has meant to
the Coyotes over the last two years is startling. Since 1950, only three players have scored more than 600 points
in back-to-back seasons for the Coyotes – R.C. Owens during the 1953 and 1954
seasons, Taft Jackson from 1966-68, and Perkes.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Ten players were named to the All-Tournament team
at the NAIA national championships, with Tom Perkes earning that distinction as
well. Perkes averaged 19 points and ten
rebounds in the Coyotes two games, including 22 points and 13 rebounds in the
final loss to Daemen (N.Y.).
MCCARTHY TIES ALL-TIME MARK: If the Coyotes could have only played one more
game – that is still going through the mind of senior Justin McCarthy (Boise,
Idaho / Boise HS), who ended his five-year career in Branson. McCarthy played in 121 games in the Purple
& Gold, equaling the all-time mark that Rob Smith had accomplished during
the late 1990s.
GREEN LEADS NATION IN RATIO: A record-breaking season for point-guard Joe
Green (Pocatello, Idaho / Columbia Basin CC) came to a close, not
before the sophomore topped the NAIA charts.
Green finished the 2003-04 campaign atop the NAIA standings in
assist-to-turnover ratio, notching nearly 3.5 assists for every turnover he
committed. He also established a new
Coyote single-season record with 107 steals over the course of the season.
BROWN SHOWS A GLIMPSE OF THE
FUTURE: Forgotten in the Coyotes 76-71
loss to Daemen (N.Y.) was the performance by sophomore guard Derek Brown (Las
Vegas, Nev. / Desert Pines HS).
Brown hit 7-of-8 shots from the floor, including a pair of
three-pointers, scoring 16 points off the bench in the loss. He finished the season tops on the ‘Yotes in
field goal and three-point percentage.
OWEN NEARS 100 WINS: When the final bell rung on the 2003-04 season,
head coach Mark Owen has to look back on his first four years as Coyote
skipper and smile. Three national
tournament appearances, a perfect 3-0 record in first-round games, three
Cascade Conference tournament titles, a CCC regular-season title, four 20-win
seasons, and a CCC Coach-of-the-Year award.
In his time at Albertson, Owen has notched a 98-42 record, an even
70-percent winning percentage.
FORMER COYOTE HEADS BACK TO
TREASURE VALLEY: When Boise State hosts
the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee on Saturday night at the Idaho Center,
it will be a homecoming for UWM assistant Kenny Johnson. Johnson was a guard during the early 1990s
for Marty Holly and the Coyotes, earning All-District honors in leading
Albertson to the 1991 NAIA Tournament.
He is in his third-season at UW-Milwaukee, after spending time at the
University of Southern Indiana, an NCAA Division II school.
OTHERS IN THE COACHING RANKS: Marty Holly had a knack in producing top-notch
coaches after their playing days. In
all, seven former pupils of Holly are now coaching in the college game,
including four at the NCAA Division I level.
Besides Kenny Johnson at UW-Milwaukee, Ray Lopes is the head coach at
Fresno State, Damon Archibald is the top assistant at Iowa State, and Mark
Amaral is an assist at UC-Santa Barbara.
Other coaches include Ben Riley at Feather River CC in California, Mike
Holtz at Minot State in North Dakota, and of course, the ‘Yotes own, Mark
Owen. This list does not count the
scores of prep coaches – including Middleton High’s Dale Karst and Caldwell
High’s Matt Muniz
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.
- ALBERTSON -