‘Yote Notes –
April 29, 2004
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Mike Safford Jr.
– Sports Info. Director
msafford@albertson.edu
WOMEN’S
TENNIS: Lady 'Yotes play hard, but go winless at Regional
LAST WEEK: At NAIA Region I Tournament - lost
9-0 to Lewis-Clark State, 6-3 to Alberta, 6-3 to Southern Oregon.
SICK OF THE MINI BUS: Although the tennis team is
indebted to Caldwell Transportation for coming up with a bus for the trip to
the regional tournament, by Sunday, the team was sick of the bus. A
17-hour trip to Edmonton, three matches, and then a 17-hour trip to Caldwell -
all in the span of three and a half days.
AT THE REGIONAL: The Coyotes fought hard after been
swept by LC-State, as Anna Moylan and Kathy Taylor dominated
their No. 2 doubles match vs. Alberta, with Moylan getting a win at No. 2
singles, along with Mariah Armstrong at No. 6. Moylan picked up
another singles win against Southern Oregon, as Whitney Gibbon took home
a victory at No. 4. However the tide was turned with a pair of tiebreaker
losses, handing the match to the Raiders.
LOOKING BACK: Good tennis was played all season,
despite the 1-11 dual record. Anna Moylan had a combined 11 wins in
singles and doubles, with Whitney Gibbon checking in with eight.
GOLF: Wind
hurts Coyote chances at Regionals
LAST WEEK: NAIA Region I Tournament, Moscow
- men finished in seventh-place, women in sixth-place.
MEN'S
RESULTS: The men’s squad had a great first day, sitting just nine
shots out of second-place, however saw their score balloon to a final round
323. Travis Gibbens and Aaron
Vick were each tied for 19th overall with a 20-over 233.
WOMEN'S RESULTS:
Roslyn Folk was in the
medalist running after Day 1, sitting tied for fourth, eight shots back. However, a final round 92 in the 30
mile-per-hour wind dropped her to eighth-place. Teammate Sarah Gallant also had a top-ten finish. The duo will now wait to see if their scoring
average is low enough for their second-consecutive at-large berth to the NAIA
National Championships in Florida.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Lady ‘Yotes sign three
recruits
Albertson College
women’s basketball coach Reagan Rossi has announced the signing of a
trio of players to help the Lady ‘Yotes during the 2004-05 season.
BASEBALL: Coyotes
sweep Eastern Oregon, can clinch regional berth with wins at Western Baptist
LAST WEEK: at No. 2 Lewis-Clark State (L 13-3, L 5-4 in 11
innings, L 12-3, L 9-3), at Eastern Oregon (W 5-2, W 5-0)
COMING UP: at Western Baptist (DH), Friday, 1 p.m. (PDT); at
Western Baptist, Saturday, 2 p.m. (PDT)
ON THE AIR: No games this weekend will be carried on radio,
however, the remaining regional games vs. Concordia, along with the upcoming
NAIA Regional Tournament will be heard live on Sporting News Radio, 1450
KIOV-AM, with Mike Safford Jr. calling the action.
COYOTES EARN HUGE SWEEP AT
EASTERN: After dropping four games to
No. 2 ranked Lewis-Clark State over the weekend, the Coyote baseball team
needed a boost going into their final eight regional games of the 2004
season. Albertson got that much needed
lift on Tuesday, allowing just six hits in a doubleheader sweep of Eastern
Oregon. Riding complete game efforts
from both Brad Burrow (Taylorsville, Utah / College of Southern
Idaho) and Matt Bergstrom (Hermiston, Ore. / Hermiston HS),
the ‘Yotes extended a solid streak of play within the region, having won eight
of their last nine counters.
BERGSTROM FLIRTS WITH NO-NO: The Coyotes had a feeling in Game 2 that something
special might happen, as Matt Bergstrom put zeros up on the scoreboard. A pair of fine defensive plays by Robert
Hamilton (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) and Bryan Lohrman (Salem,
Ore. / Chemeketa CC) helped the no-hit bid last until two outs in the
sixth, when Ryan Carpenter slapped a single to left. The junior would toy with the 13th one-hitter in school history
until the ninth, when Carpenter again reached with an infield hit. Bergstrom finished off Eastern with the
two-hitter, allowing only four base-runners on the afternoon in registering the
sixth complete game and second shutout of his Coyote career.
ANYWAY THE WIND BLOWS: The 2004 Coyotes are not the home run threat that
previous Albertson clubs have posed.
However at Eastern on Tuesday, the ‘Yotes peppered Snowflake Field with
ball after ball that seemed destined to fly over the fence – if not for a
sustained 30 mile-an-hour wind blowing in from center. Freshman Pat Burke (Sisters, Ore.
/ Sisters HS) was the only player to go yard, a two-run blast in the first
inning of Game 1. However, senior Josh
Orr (Winnemucca, Nev. / Lowry HS) had two balls caught at the wall,
with Robert Hamilton, Sage Kendall (Parma, Idaho / National American
Univ.), and Burke each having warning track power – directly into the
howling wind.
OUCH: Right-hander Brad Burrow was dominant in his
complete game four-hitter over Eastern in Game 1, as he did not surrender a
walk and struck out a season-high nine batters. The senior, in picking up his regional-best eighth win of the
year, did set a Coyote school record by hitting six Eastern batters. Burrow leads the ‘Yotes with a 3.97 ERA, 13
starts, four complete games, along with 90.2 innings pitched. By the end of the season, he could crack the
single-season top-ten list for innings pitched.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: With two weeks left in the regular-season, the
NAIA Region I standings are still up for grabs. One team has clinched a spot to the regional (Concordia), with
one team (Western Baptist) already eliminated from the playoffs. Concordia leads the group by three games over
British Columbia and four over the Coyotes.
Oregon Tech and Eastern Oregon are battling for the final playoff spot,
with OIT holding a game lead on Eastern – while the Owls sit three full games
back of Albertson. Concordia has a
tough final stretch, with three games with Tech, two games with British
Columbia, and three games in Caldwell vs. the ‘Yotes. BC has three games at Eastern and three games at Western (along
with their twinbill at CU). For the
Coyotes to host the regional – they would need to win their final six games and
get some help to play at Simplot Stadium
STALLING TAKING AIM AT
RECORDS: After earning All-America
honors last season as a freshman, Greg Stalling (Boise, Idaho / Borah
HS) has not had the sophomore jinx.
The ‘Yote third-baseman leads the team in nine offensive categories, and
is posing to bust into the single-season top ten as well. Stalling is seventh all-time in season walks
with 40, just 14 behind the record set by Steve Downey in 1990, and is tied for
fifth in hit-by-pitches with 15. His 28
stolen bases is tied for fifth all-time, nine behind the school record. Stalling has a chance to crack the top-ten
at the end of the season in at bats, runs scored, hits, doubles, and on base
percentage. He currently leads the
Region I in hits, runs, and stolen bases.
MORE ON THE RECORD WATCH: As a team, the ‘Yotes have already established a
new record for hit-by-pitches – as batters (117), and by the pitchers
(72). Albertson hurlers are nearing
marks for most runs (earned and total) allowed, along with opponent batting
average, while issuing the highest amount of balks in a season. Nate Freese (Vancouver, Wash. /
Skyview HS) ranks third on the list for hit-by-pitches with 17, with Jake
McGrady (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) just eight stolen base attempts
away from the school record.
STEALING FANCY: Albertson has used the stolen base as a primary
weapon to move runners around the diamond this season. The ‘Yotes have stolen
123 bases in their 54 games this season, an average of 2.27 swipes per
contest. This is just behind the pace
the 1998 national championship team set when they stole 152 bases – at a 2.41
per game clip. Besides Greg Stalling
(28 steals) and Jake McGrady (27 steals), who are No. 1 and No. 2 in the
region, Derek Rose (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) with 14 steals and Bryan
Lohrman with 13 steals are also in the regional top-five.
‘YOTES HEAD WEST FOR FINAL
REGULAR-SEASON ROAD TRIP: Albertson hopes that
their final road swing of the regular-season will help the team move up in the
standings, as the Coyotes meet last-place Western Baptist. The Warriors (11-26, 4-20 Region I) have
lost 15 games in a row, including six one-run affairs. Nate Mayben (.368 19 RBI) leads Western in
hitting, with John Zumwalt (3-5 4.99 ERA) having the most success on the
mound. Albertson swept the earlier
series in Caldwell, outscoring the Warriors, 22-4, upping the all-time series
lead to 51-5.
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: Theisen earns Region I Player-of-the-Week, Lady ‘Yotes
eliminated from playoff race
LAST WEEK: vs. Eastern Oregon (L 2-1, L 8-1), vs. No. 2
Simon Fraser (L 8-0, L 11-0)
COMING UP: at Oregon Tech, Saturday, 11 a.m. (PDT); at No.
24 Southern Oregon, Sunday, 11 a.m.
THEISEN EARNS WEEKLY HONOR: For the second consecutive week, an Albertson
player was honored as Cascade Conference and NAIA Region I
Player-of-the-Week. Outfielder Katie
Theisen (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) earned the distinction this
week after outstanding performances against both Northwest Nazarene and Eastern
Oregon. The sophomore hit an even .500
in the four games, to go along with a double, two triples, five runs scored,
and two RBI. It is the second time in
her career that Theisen has been named Player-of-the-Week.
COYOTES ELIMINATED FROM
PLAYOFF RACE: With a doubleheader sweep by
Eastern Oregon on Saturday afternoon, the Albertson softball team became the
first Cascade Conference team eliminated from postseason aspirations. Albertson took a 1-0 lead in Game 1 on a Lisa
Stout (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) RBI double – but watched as an
error in the fifth tied the score, and a solo homer by Eastern gave them the
win. The nightcap saw the Mountaineers
bust open a 1-0 game with three runs in the sixth and four more in the seventh.
NOW IN THE SPOILER ROLE: Despite playing some of their best ball of the
season over the last two weeks, the Lady ‘Yotes have been relegated to the
spoiler role in the Cascade Conference.
Only five games separate first-place Southern Oregon and fifth-place
Concordia in the standings, with the top three teams advancing to join Simon
Fraser in the NAIA Region I tournament.
Southern has been sliding a bit, having split each of their last four
CCC series, while Eastern Oregon has won 8-of-9 games. Any win by the Coyotes at this stage of the
season will hurt another team’s postseason chances.
‘YOTES NO-HIT BY SIMON: Albertson ran into the Canadian Express on Monday
afternoon, as No. 2 ranked Simon Fraser blew into Caldwell and handed the ‘Yotes
8-0 and 11-0 defeats. All-American
hurler Erin Thomas tossed a five-inning no-hitter in Game 1, the second time
this season and the third time in two years that the Clan right-hander has
no-hit Albertson. What is more ironic
is the fact that the three no-hitters are the only times Albertson has ever
been held hitless. Despite losing Game
2, the Lady ‘Yotes figured out Thomas, rapping out six hits.
TEAM RECORDS OUT THE WINDOW: The offensive struggles of the 2004 Lady ‘Yotes
can be measured by matching this year’s statistics up with the first two years
of fastpitch. The .216 team batting
average is the lowest in school history, as is the 93 runs and 188 hits – with the
5.72 ERA and 128 walks allowed also on record pace. But not all of the marks are bad, as the team has already
established a new record for triples in a season with ten, tied the mark for
home runs with three, and are closing in on the stolen base mark with 57 (15
behind the record of 72 with six games to play).
MATHEWS NEARING CENTURY MARK: Junior
catcher Tiffany Mathews (Las Vegas, Nev. / Eldorado HS) is nearing
a milestone in her Coyote career. The
three-year member of the team needs just three hits to become the first Lady
‘Yote to record 100 hits in a career.
The 2003 All-Region selection is currently hitting .263, with a team-high
nine walks and nine RBI – after an unlucky week in which she hit the ball hard,
but managed only one base hit.
SCHROEDER CLOSING IN ON HITS, RUNS, STEALS RECORD:
Freshman Anna Schroeder (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) is
nearing the single-season hits and runs record for the Coyotes. The youngster has 34 hits on the season,
just six away from the mark Victoria DeLaRosa set in 2002. That same season, DeLaRosa scored 22 runs –
Schroeder has scored 20 this season, in 11 fewer games. She also has stolen 20 bases this year,
second most in school history – behind the 27 of DeLaRosa in 2002.
LOOKING BACK AT THE 14-GAME HOMESTAND: After
wrapping up a record 14-game homestand, the Coyotes ended the stretch with a
4-10 mark. Albertson hit the ball
better at home (.233 average), but surrendered 17 home runs in the cozy
confines of Symms Field. Leading the
club was Katie Theisen, who hit .405 (15-for-37) during the stretch, watching
her average climb well above the “Mendoza Line.”
BURNS, CHRISTMAS VALLEY, K FALLS, ASHLAND: The
most desolate road trip of the season awaits Albertson this weekend, as the
team heads through the thriving metropolis of Burns, the juggernaut of
Christmas Valley, before settling in Klamath Falls for a Saturday meeting with Oregon
Tech. The Owls (21-25, 8-9 CCC)
have swept all three games from the ‘Yotes this season and have never lost to
Albertson on their home field. OIT is
led by freshmen Amanda Doherty (.395 9 HR 35 RBI) and Kelsi Haylett (.377 36
SB), along with the arm of Laura Delplanche (8-7 2.40 ERA). Tech currently sits two games back of
Western Baptist in the win column for the final playoff spot. It’s then over Lake of the Woods for the
Coyotes and down into Ashland for a doubleheader with No. 24 Southern Oregon. The Raiders (31-9, 13-4) have been on cruise
control after starting the conference season with nine straight wins. Southern is led by the CCC’s top hitter Kara
Ray (.421 14 RBI), along with Miranda Gillespie (17-4 1.72 ERA), who leads the
league in wins. Albertson has fared
well in CCC double-dips at University Field, having drawn a split in each of
their first two appearances at the foot of Mt. Ashland.
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 Cascade Conference standings can
be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/softball/stats/standings.htm.
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ALBERTSON -