‘Yote Notes – May 5, 2004

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@albertson.edu

BASEBALL: ‘Yotes in playoffs for 18th-straight year, host Concordia to wrap up regular-season

LAST WEEK: at Western Baptist (W 5-1, L 8-6, W 4-3)

COMING UP: vs. Concordia (DH), Saturday, 1 p.m.; vs. Concordia, Sunday, Noon.

ON THE AIR: Weekend games with 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.

BERGSTROM EARNS PITCHER-OF-THE-WEEK HONORS: With a two-hit shutout at Eastern Oregon and seven strong innings of relief at Western Baptist, right-hander Matt Bergstrom (Hermiston, Ore. / Hermiston HS) earned Cascade Conference and NAIA Region I Pitcher-of-the-Week honors for the second time this season. Bergstrom was dominant, allowing just two runs in 16 innings of work – with only one walk. The 2003 CCC Pitcher-of-the-Year has lived up to the billing in Region I play – with a 6-2 record, a 3.52 ERA, 36 strikeouts against 16 walks, and two saves. Overall, the junior is tied for third in the region with seven wins.

STALLING RECEIVES ACCOLADES FOR THIRD TIME: With one week to go, Coyote third-baseman Greg Stalling (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) is one of the front-runners for 2004 Player-of-the-Year honors – especially after picking up his third CCC and NAIA Region I Player-of-the-Week award. Stalling had another outstanding five-game stretch for the ‘Yotes, going 11-for-19 at the plate, with eight runs scored and a .680 on base percentage. The sophomore All-American is hitting a gaudy .462 in the 27 regional games played this season, while leading the entire region in hits, runs scored, total bases, and stolen bases. Stalling is currently on a 12-game loop hit streak, and has registered two-or-more hits in 17 of the 27 regional contests.

LOOKING AT THE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT: With their loss to Western Baptist on Friday, Simplot Stadium was eliminated as a host site for the NAIA Region I Tournament, May 13-15. The regional will be held in either Portland, Ore. or Vancouver, B.C. – depending on the outcome of the final week of the regular season. As of today, Concordia holds a two-game lead on British Columbia for the top spot in the region. However, the Cavaliers and T-Birds meet on Thursday in a doubleheader – a Concordia sweep hands them the regional crown and host site, a split leaves the Cavs two-games up, a UBC sweep ties the race, with the T-Birds owning the tie-breaker. Albertson hosts Concordia and Western Baptist hosts UBC for the final three-game series’ over the weekend.

THE FOURTH SPOT: That is not the only drama left in the regional race. Oregon Tech and Eastern Oregon meet in La Grande for a three-game set – with the final playoff spot on the line. Tech needs just one win in the series to clinch their first postseason appearance since restarting baseball in 2002. However, Eastern swept OIT in Klamath Falls last month.

WHAT’S AT STAKE: The winner of the Region I Tournament will host the NAIA Region I/II Super-Regional, May 21-23 – pitting the top-two teams on the West Coast. The winner of that best-of-three series earns an automatic berth to the NAIA World Series.

REGIONAL POLL: Albertson continues to remain fourth in the NAIA Region I weekly poll, conducted by the seven coaches within the region. Lewis-Clark State, ranked fourth nationally, is No. 1, followed by Concordia, which received 13 votes in last week’s poll. British Columbia, Albertson, Oregon Tech, and Eastern Oregon round out the Top-6.

REGIONAL MARKS: Multiple Albertson baseball players are among the top-five in NAIA Region I statistical categories. Along with the aforementioned top spots Greg Stalling holds, he also ranks third in doubles (18) and fifth in the region in batting average (.388). Billy Arko (Mountain Home, Idaho / Mountain Home HS) leads the loop in triples (4), with Brad Burrow (Taylorsville, Utah / College of Southern Idaho) leading the way with eight victories and 91.2 innings pitched. Jake McGrady (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) is second in stolen bases (28) and third in hits (63), while Nate Freese (Vancouver, Wash. / Skyview HS) is fourth in doubles (16) and fifth in hits (62). Rounding out the Coyote contingent is Josh Orr (Winnemucca, Nev. / Lowry HS), who is fourth in RBI (43), and Pat Burke (Sisters, Ore. / Sisters HS), who is fifth in hits (62).

SINGLE-SEASON RECORD WATCH: Six different Coyotes have moved or are about to move into the top-ten on the single-season record list. Greg Stalling has made the most noise this season – as his stolen base total ranks tied for fourth all-time, his stolen base attempts fifth, his walk and hit-by-pitch total both seventh, and his hits and double marks each eleventh. Stalling’s on base percentage of .515 is currently second all-time, one of just four totals above .500 in Coyote history. Jake McGrady has stolen himself into the record book, as his 35 attempts rank fourth best all-time, and his steal total ranks tied for sixth. Josh Orr has been hit 18 times by a pitch, good enough for No. 4 in the book, Billy Arko’s triple count is tied for seventh, while Nate Freese is eighth in hit-by-pitches with 15. Rounding out the single-season marks is Brad Burrow – as he will move into the top-ten with his start against Concordia, his 14th of the season.

CAREER RECORDS: Four Coyotes have seen themselves move into the top-ten career record book as well. Longevity has helped Josh Orr, as heading into the weekend, the senior has played in 183 games – fifth-best in school history, while having 477 at bats, good for No. 10. Brad Burrow finds himself in the top-ten in four categories – No. 5 in saves (6), No. 6 in games started (24) and innings pitched (179.2), and is tied for ninth with 15 wins. Matt Bergstrom ranks tied for second in shutouts (2), tied for seventh in appearances (47) and innings pitched (178.0), and is tied for tenth in games started (21). Last, but not least, is reliever Sam Hackett (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS), who has appeared in 41 games, eighth-best in school history.

SHUTOUT STREAK STILL INTACT: It has been nearly two full seasons since the Albertson baseball team has been shutout. Spanning 110 games, the ‘Yotes have not been held without a run since May of 2002, when Lewis-Clark State blanked Albertson 5-0 at the NAIA World Series.

SIZING UP THE CONCORDS: Region leading Concordia rounds out the Coyotes home schedule with a three-game set, beginning Saturday. The Cavaliers (27-18, 19-6) have one of the top pitching rotations in the region, along with some impressive power totals at the plate. The Cavs rotation of Michael Devaney (5-0 2.52 ERA), Charlie Moore (5-1 2.97 ERA), and Andrew Page (6-2, 3.54 ERA) have combined to walk 59 batters while striking out 174. At the plate, John Grote (.331 12 HR 41 RBI) and Aaron Coiteux (.335 9 HR 25 RBI 20 SB) have been tough to get out – as Concordia has smacked 66 homers on the season, partly due to the cozy confines of their home park. Despite winning each of the last seven games in Portland between the teams, the Cavaliers trail the all-time series 49-13.

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: Lady ‘Yotes sign six players for 2005, end season with doubleheader at Eastern Oregon

LAST WEEK: at Oregon Tech (L 8-0, L 8-4); at Southern Oregon (L 6-3, L 9-1)

COMING UP: at Eastern Oregon, Saturday, 1 p.m. (PDT)

LADY ‘YOTES INK SIX PLAYERS FOR 2005: The Albertson softball team has already begun its rebuilding for the 2005 season, as the Lady ‘Yotes signed six players for next season. Among the local players in the group are Ashley Bowman, a pitcher from Parma High, who led her squad to the 2003 2A state championship. Also on the list are Nicole Becvar of Caldwell High, Jennifer Ward of Skyview High, and Kelsi Murdock of Kuna – each an All-Southern Idaho Conference selection. Outside of the Treasure Valley, the ‘Yotes nabbed Kristine Fancher from Scappoose, Ore., along with Sarah Carlino from North Idaho Community College.

NO SENIORS TO LOSE: Looking ahead to the 2005 season, the first “graduating” class will have progressed through the Albertson fastpitch team. Of the 15 players on the 2002 team, six are still with the Coyotes (with three others having left the college to study elsewhere), with 13 players from 2003 still on the squad (not including student-assistant Nicole Glenn). If things remain the same, the 2005 Coyotes will have five seniors, eight juniors, five sophomores, and five freshman – not counting any future signees.

COYOTES NOW IN THE SPOILER ROLE: With Saturday’s season finale in La Grande against Eastern Oregon, the ‘Yotes main goal is to be a true spoiler as the Cascade Conference playoff race winds up. Albertson is 0-4 against the Mountaineers in 2004 and 0-4 against Eastern on their home field in school history. However, a win (or wins) against their rival to the West could bounce EOU from the playoffs for the first time in years.

LOOKING AT THE REGIONAL: Two teams have secured spots in next week’s NAIA Region I Tournament in Portland – Simon Fraser, ranked No. 2 nationally, and Southern Oregon, ranked No. 23 nationally. SOU clinched their second-consecutive Cascade Conference regular-season title earlier in the week, but the remaining two slots to the regional from the conference are still up for grabs. Two games separate Oregon Tech, Eastern, Concordia, and Western Baptist from second to fifth-place in the league standings – with OIT and Southern hosting Concordia and Western this weekend. In any case, the CCC teams would still have to get through SFU – which played five games against Cascade opponents last week, outscoring them 51-5 in five wins.

MATHEWS BECOMES FIRST IN CENTURY CLUB: Junior catcher Tiffany Mathews (Las Vegas, Nev. / Eldorado HS) reached a milestone in her Coyote career in the doubleheader at Southern Oregon. The three-year member of the team rapped a first-inning single to become the first Lady ‘Yote to record 100 hits in a career. The 2003 All-Region selection is currently hitting .262, with a team-high ten walks and nine RBI.

SCHROEDER CLOSING IN ON HITS, RUNS RECORD: Freshman Anna Schroeder (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) is nearing the single-season hits and runs record for the Coyotes. The youngster has 38 hits on the season, just two away from the mark Victoria DeLaRosa set in 2002. That same season, DeLaRosa scored 22 runs – Schroeder has scored 21 this season, in seven fewer games.

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.