‘Yote Notes – May 10, 2006

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BASEBALL (34-18): ‘Yotes off to Canada, gunning for first Region I championship since 2002

 

LAST WEEK: at Oregon Tech (W 6-1, W 11-2, L 3-1)

 

COMING UP: at NAIA Region I Championships, Vancouver, B.C. – Thursday vs. Oregon Tech, 1 p.m. (PDT); games Friday and Saturday determined by wins and losses.

 

20-STRAIGHT APPEARANCES AND COUNTING: The Albertson College baseball team will make their 13th-striaght regional tournament and 20th-straight playoff appearance in a row this week, traveling to the NAIA Region I Championships at Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver, B.C.  Dating back to 1946, the Coyotes will be making their 23rd overall playoff appearance and hold a record of 74-41 all-time in postseason competition.  ACI took home back-to-back Northwest Conference championships in 1948 and 1949, won the District Five championship in 1966, and took home regional crowns in 1998, 2000, and 2002.  The Coyotes also won Timber-Prairie Athletic Conference titles from 1987-91 and have advanced to the regional tournament every season since 1994.

 

SCOUTING THE FIELD: The ‘Yotes are one of four teams looking to move on in the NAIA playoffs, as the winner of the regional tournament will host the winner of the NAIA Region II tournament (Concordia-Irvine, Point Loma Nazarene, Cal Baptist, Biola) in the best-of-three sectional round, next weekend.  Up first is Oregon Tech, whom the ‘Yotes just took 2-of-3 games from in Klamath Falls over the weekend.  The Owls (22-24) did not hit well against Albertson during the six games the teams played in 2006, swinging the stick at a .222 clip – with just three extra-base hits.  Derek Bodeen (.362 1 HR 24 RBI) was the lone All-Conference position player for OIT, while pitchers Brian Parnell (2-4 3.63 ERA), Corey Merritt (3-5 3.28 ERA), and Anthony Baca (6-4 5.00 ERA) are all top-line starters.  ACI took 5-of-6 from the Owls this season and holds a 44-10 all-time series edge.  Also in the tourney is top-seeded British Columbia has been the dominant team in the regional round-robin schedule, winning 28-of-30 games – including all eight meetings with ACI.  The T-Birds (42-12) come into the playoffs having lost 3-of-4, all to Lewis-Clark State, with all three losses coming by one-run margins.  Left-handers Shawn Schaefer (9-1 1.70 ERA) and Jeff Tobin (6-2 1.97 ERA), along with righty Doug Grant (9-1 3.22 ERA) have been outstanding for UBC on the hill.  Steve Bell-Irving (.373 7 HR 41 RBI) and Connor Janes (.346 10 HR 46 RBI) are among nine T-Bird regulars that hit .300 or better during the regular season.  ACI will look to end a 12-game losing streak to UBC if the two teams meet, as the T-Birds hold a 24-33 all-time mark against the Canadians.  Rounding out the tournament field is Concordia of Portland, who are making their fifth-consecutive playoff appearance.  The Cavaliers (18-30) have fallen off a bit since their 2004 NAIA World Series appearance, but are still a dangerous team, thanks to All-CCC right-hander Mike Allen (6-3 3.60 ERA), who has not lost a decision since March.  Seniors John Grote (.291 11HR 34RBI) and Adam Hackstedt (.288 5 HR 30 RBI) have been two of the Cavs top hitters for four seasons.  The ‘Yotes took 4-of-6 meetings with Concordia this season and holds a 57-22 all-time series edge.

 

PREVIOUS REGIONALS: This is the seventh year that the NAIA has conducted the baseball postseason with 14 regional tournaments.  Prior to 2000, the ‘Yotes and the current Region I members were a part of the Pacific Northwest Region and participate in the Far West Sectional.  Former winners are – 1994 (Point Loma Nazarene), 1995 (Lewis-Clark State), 1996 (Lewis-Clark State), 1997 (Cal Baptist), 1998 (Albertson), 1999 (Lewis-Clark State), 2000 (Albertson), 2001 (Western Oregon), 2002 (Albertson), 2003 (British Columbia), 2004 (Concordia), 2005 (British Columbia).

 

OLIVER NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: For the fifth time this season, an ACI player has been named Cascade Conference and NAIA Region I player of the week.  Casey Oliver (Pocatello, Idaho / Coll. of Southern Idaho), a week after being named to the All-CCC team, earned the nod after hitting .500 in the ‘Yotes five games against Eastern Oregon and Oregon Tech.  The junior went 6-for-12 with two doubles, his first home run of the season, and seven runs batted in.  With his solid weekend, Oliver raised his regional-best average to .394, to go along with 21 doubles and 69 hits – both also tops in the Region I.

 

TAYSOM NAMED PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Albertson also took home the CCC and NAIA Region I pitcher of the week honor, as lefty Carson Taysom (Pocatello, Idaho / Century HS) won the award for the first time in his career.  The junior picked up his first collegiate save, tossing a scoreless final inning last Tuesday in a 4-1 win at Eastern Oregon.  Taysom then pitched six innings of five-hit ball at Oregon Tech, allowing an unearned run without a walk, fanning three.  He dropped his ERA to 3.03 in 62 innings of work.

 

COYOTES NO. 30 IN FINAL REGULAR-SEASON POLL: Despite remaining out of the NAIA Top-25 for the fourth-straight week, the Coyotes remained in the middle of the other teams receiving votes (22 voting points) in the final regular-season rankings – which is the ninth-straight poll they have earned votes. Two other NAIA Region I teams were in the poll – No. 1 ranked Lewis-Clark State and No. 6 ranked British Columbia.  The final national poll of the season will be released next week.

 

CAREER RECORD BOOK INFO: Seven Coyotes have rewritten the pages of the ACI career record book so far during the 2006 season.  Greg Stalling (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) leads the way, already the career leader in walks (145), stolen bases (95), and runs scored (222).  He currently is second in games started (212), hits (267 – three from tying the record), and at bats (764), is third in hit by pitches (44) and games played (216), is fourth in doubles (46), ninth in RBI (130), and tied for tenth in triples (5).  Jake McGrady (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) ranks third all-time in stolen bases (73) and sacrifice bunts (19), is fourth in games played (207), at bats (702), and games started (189), is fifth in hits (224), and is seventh in runs scored (159).  Nate Freese (Vancouver, Wash. / Skyview HS) sits in third-place in doubles (48), is fourth in saves (9), is fifth in all-time in hit-by-pitches (36) and games played (190), is sixth in games started (176), at bats (640), and RBI (137), is ninth in hits (184), and tenth in triples (5). Rounding out the group is Lars Alsager (Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS), who ranks third all-time in appearances by a pitcher (78), Dominic De La Paz (Nampa, Idaho / Nampa HS), who is ninth in appearances (47), Pat Burke (Sisters, Ore. / Sisters HS), who is eighth in doubles (36) and tenth in at bats (527), and Charlie Strandlund (Victoria, B.C. / Coll. of Southern Idaho), who is tied for ninth in doubles (35).

 

ALSO SOME MOVEMENT IN THE SEASON BOOK: Three ‘Yotes have worked their way into the single-season record book this year – as Casey Oliver currently ranks seventh in doubles (21), Dane McGrady (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) ranks eighth in hit-by-pitches (15), with Greg Stalling sitting in fourth-place in stolen bases (30) and sixth in stolen base attempts (34).

 

‘YOTES TAKE 2-OF-3 FROM TECH: In the regular-season final series, ACI took 2-of-3 games at Oregon Tech – to finish the campaign 20-4 against Cascade Conference opponents.  Jason Roach (Sacramento, Calif. / Sacramento City CC) and Carson Taysom provided solid starting pitching and Casey Oliver and Charlie Strandlund provided the fireworks, as the ‘Yotes swept Saturday’s doubleheader, 6-1 and 11-2.  Roach went six innings in the opener, allowing just one run on five hits, while striking out four.  The junior dropped his ERA to 2.33, while winning his eighth game and fanning his 80th batter.  The Coyotes got all the support Roach needed in the third, as they tallied five runs off Tech starter, Corey Merritt.  Oliver ripped an RBI single and Strandlund lined a two-run double to highlight the frame.  Game 2 saw Taysom go six innings of five-hit ball, with Strandlund, Pat Burke, and Drew Cauffman (Mountain Home, Idaho / Mountain Home HS) each had two hits, while Oliver smacked his first home run of the season, a three-run shot in the fourth inning.  Sunday morning, Anthony Baca tossed a complete game two-hitter, as Oregon Tech salvaged the final game, 3-1.  A two-run Derrick Draper single in the bottom of the fourth inning off Coyote reliever James Porter (Greenleaf, Idaho / NW Nazarene U.), got OIT on the board.  The ‘Yotes would cut the margin in half in the sixth on a Paul Erickson (Burlington, Wash. / Everett CC) RBI single, but would not get closer.

 
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.
 

TRACK: Coyotes have strong showing at CCC Championships, off to Western Oregon’s Last Chance Meet on Friday

 

LAST WEEK: at Cascade Conference Championships – men finished sixth, women finished seventh

 

COMING UP: Western Oregon Open No. 2 (Last Chance Meet), Friday, Monmouth, Ore.

 

EDWARDS, FLUCKIGER WIN CCC TITLES: Paced by individual championships by David Fluckiger (Herisou, Switz. / Va. Commonwealth) and Shannon Edwards (Sherwood, Ore. / Eastern Oregon U.), the Albertson College track squad had a fine showing at the 2006 Cascade Conference Championships, hosted by Cascade College, at Mt. Hood Community College.  A total of seven men and eight women recorded personal bests at the meet, which saw the ‘Yote men place sixth with 45 points, and the ACI women place seventh with 37 points.  Fluckiger took home the gold in the 3,000-steeplechase for the second-straight year, winning the event in 9:22.07 – an NAIA “A” qualifying time.  Edwards was gunning for a double – winning the 5,000 in 18:03.01, but could not outkick Marsella Bosch of Eastern Oregon in the 1,500, taking second in 4:52.60. 

 

OTHER TOP MARKS AT THE CCC’S: A pair of Coyotes also earned NAIA “B” qualifying times, as freshman Jayne Saunders (Emmett, Idaho / Emmett HS) placed second in the 400-hurdles (1:05.28), and sophomore Tyler Hopper (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) finished second in the 1,500 (3:56.14).  Other men’s top finishers saw Matt Barclay (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) finish second in the 400 (49.73), Jacob Haas finish second in the 5,000 (15:24.27), and Hopper third in the 800 (1:55.66).  The women saw Katie Ball (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) finish third in the 800 (2:20.82), while the 4x400 relay team finished fourth (4:07.61).

 

RESULTS FROM PORTLAND: Concordia took home the men’s crown in their first-ever season of track competition, while Oregon Tech claimed their fourth-consecutive women’s championship.

 

LAST CHANCE FOR THE ‘YOTES: Head coach Pat McCurry will take five runners to Monmouth, Ore. this Friday night for the Coyote final opportunity to score NAIA “A” qualifying times.  Both Jacob Haas and Jesse Chlebeck will run the 5,000, Tyler Hopper will run the 1,500, Jayne Saunders will run the 400-hurdles, and Katie Ball will run the 800.  Of the group – Hopper and Saunders look to better their NAIA “B” (provisional) times.

 

TOPS IN THE NATION: Five Coyotes are among the NAIA Top-25 in their individual events – David Fluckiger is ninth in both the 1,500 and the 3,000-steeplechase; Shannon Edwards is 12th in the 5,000 and 15th in the 10,000; Tyler Hopper is 20th in the 1,500; Jayne Saunders is 24th in the 400-hurdles; and Jacob Haas is 25th in the 10,000.

 

RECORD BOOK: A record book for track and field at Albertson College has begun (www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/track/records.htm), dating back to the College of Idaho days.  Although the records are not complete, they are a beginning.  If any of the marks are incorrect, please contact the ACI sports information office (459-5681) with the correct information – any help is appreciated.

 

MORE INFORMATION: Updated information and statistics on the 2006 track team can be found on Albertson track official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/track.htm.

 
 

SOFTBALL (18-25): Lady ‘Yotes bow out at CCC tournament, season ends with 18-25 mark

 

LAST WEEK: at Cascade Conference postseason tournament – vs. Eastern Oregon (L 11-0), vs. Concordia (L 5-2) – season complete.

 

COYOTES TWO-AND-OUT IN PORTLAND: The playoff run for the Albertson College softball team lasted just seven hours, as the Lady ‘Yotes dropped an 11-0 opening round decision to Eastern Oregon, then lost a 5-2 loser-out contest to Concordia – finishing tied for fifth in the Cascade Conference Tournament, Sunday at Delta Park.  The Coyotes came in to their first postseason contests riding a five-game win streak, and were scoreless after three innings with Eastern.  However, a three-run Sheena Lindholm homer capped a four-run fourth, and a Hannah Shelley grand slam capped a seven-run sixth inning for the Mountaineers.  Kelly West allowed just three hits in the shutout victory, with EOU pounding out 12 hits against ACI pitching.  Nicole Illias (Beaverton, Ore. / Valley Catholic HS) had two of the three Coyote hits.  Game 2 saw Concordia jump out to a 2-0 lead in the first, but the Coyotes rallied to tie it in the third on a Katie Zillner (Emmett, Idaho / Chicago State U.) RBI single and an A.J. Cavanaugh (Covington, Wash. / Kentwood HS) RBI double.  However, A Rebekah Cox RBI double in the bottom of the frame, and a pair of insurance runs in the fourth were all Annele Huckins needed, fanning 13 batters to get the win.  Heather Kirtley (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) went 2-for-4 with a stolen base for the Coyotes, while Zillner went 2-for-2, along with five strikeouts in the circle.

 

TECH WINS TOURNEY, CONCORDIA TAKES FINAL SPOT: Oregon Tech completed a 3-0 weekend by claiming their first Cascade Conference championship since 2002 with an 11-3 victory over Southern Oregon.  SOU took second place, and Concordia took the final spot to the NAIA Region I tournament with a come-from-behind 4-3 win over Eastern Oregon in the consolation bracket championship.  Simon Fraser will be the No. 1 seed, OIT the No. 2 seed, with Southern and Concordia rounding out the tournament – with the winner of the event earning a spot in the NAIA Women’s World Series in Decatur, Ala.

 

ZILLNER NAMED ALL-CONFERENCE: The Albertson College softball team placed one member on the All-Cascade Conference team, as pitcher/outfielder Katie Zillner was selected by CCC coaches to the 15-member team.  The sophomore from Emmett had a banner season, hitting a team-high .368, with 11 doubles, two home runs, and 27 RBI.  She also went 7-9 with a 3.82 ERA in the circle, with a school-record 134 strikeouts, including five games with ten-or-more punch-outs.  She was a two-time CCC and NAIA Region I Player of the Week selection and was also named CCC and NAIA Region I Pitcher of the Week once.  Two other Coyotes were named to the team as honorable mention selections.  Freshman catcher Nicole Illias earned the honor after batting .327 with nine doubles and ten RBI in her rookie campaign.  Junior outfielder Heather Kirtley received accolades after hitting .354 with 19 stolen bases.  League champion Oregon Tech led the way with five selections – sweeping all of the major awards.  Shortstop Amanda Doherty was named Player of the Year, pitcher Jenni Bittle was named Pitcher of the Year, and Greg Stewart was named Coach of the Year.

 

18 WINS FOR THE THIRD TIME: For the second-straight season and the third time in program history, the Lady ‘Yotes recorded 18 wins.  ACI has recorded just one winning season in the five years of softball (18-17 in 2003), but the 18-25 mark was the second-highest win percentage for the Coyotes.

 

RECORDS BROKEN: As a unit, the Lady ‘Yotes broke nine team records during the 2006 season – highest batting average (.273), runs scored (159), RBI (142), double (55), home runs (20), total bases (426), slugging percentage (.386), fielding percentage (.948), and saves (5).  The squad also set records for most hits in a game (14) and for most consecutive games without being shutout (34).

 

PLAYER-BY-PLAYER RECORDS FOR THE 2006 SEASON:

 

Katie Theisen (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) – No. 1 in career hits (144), RBI (70), doubles (31), and triples (7), No. 2 in batting average (.314), home runs (5), and runs scored (64), No. 3 in at bats (458), stolen bases (51), and walks (35), and No. 4 in games played (165) and games started (155). 

 

Kerri Russell (Melba, Idaho / Melba HS) – No. 2 in single-season starts (21) and appearances (27), No. 3 in wins (9) and decisions (21), No. 4 in innings pitched (118) and complete games (7), No. 6 in strikeouts (47), and No. 9 in ERA (4.33); No. 1 in career starts (58), appearances (80), and shutouts (5), No. 2 in ERA (4.54), innings pitched (325), complete games (21), walks (110), and strikeouts (156), No. 3 in wins (17) and saves (2). 

 

Angie Gribble (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS) – No. 5 in career games played (139), games started (130), and sacrifice hits (11), No. 7 in doubles (9), at bats (292), and hit by pitches (3), No. 8 in hits (55) and runs scored (34), and No. 9 in stolen bases (9) and walks (22).

 

Lisa Stout (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) – No. 7 in single-season hit by pitches (3); No. 6 in career hit by pitches (6), No. 7 in hits (61) and doubles (9), No. 8 in games played (112) and games started (105), and No. 9 in batting average (.226), RBI (22), and at bats (270).

 

Nikki Stevenson (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) – No. 6 in career sacrifice hits (9). 

 

Anna Schroeder (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) – No. 8 in single-season batting average (.325), stolen bases (12), and stolen base attempts (14); No. 1 in career batting average (.325) and stolen bases (57), No. 3 in triples (4), No. 4 in hits (105) and runs scored (60), No. 5 in walks (30), No. 6 in RBI (28) and at bats (323), and No. 7 in games played (114) and games started (107). 

 

Heather Kirtley – No. 2 in single-season runs scored (27), No. 3 in sacrifice hits (13) and on base percentage (.430), No. 4 in batting average (.354), hits (40), and hit by pitches (5), and No. 6 in stolen bases (19) and stolen base attempts (21); No. 1 in career walks (39), hit by pitches (14), and runs scored (67), No. 2 in stolen bases (53) and sacrifice hits (25), No. 3 in batting average (.314), No. 5 in hits (101) and at bats (333), and No. 6 in games played (130), and games started (129). 

 

Katie Zillner – No. 1 in single-season strikeouts (134 – pitching), No. 2 RBI (27), doubles (11), and on base percentage (.448), No. 3 in complete games (14), innings pitched (119), batting average (.368), hits (43), home runs (2), and walks (16), No. 4 in wins (7), starts (19), and decisions (16), No. 6 in ERA (3.82), No. 7 in appearances (22), and No. 8 in runs scored; No. 3 in career complete games (14) and strikeouts (134), No. 4 in career wins (7), innings pitched (119), and starts (19), No. 6 in career doubles (11) and home runs (2), and No. 7 in career RBI (27) and appearances (22). 

 

Nicole Illias – No. 3 in single-season home runs (2), No. 4 in doubles (9), No. 7 in batting average (.327), and No. 8 in runs scored (19); No. 6 in career home runs (2), and No. 7 in career doubles (9). 

 

A.J. Cavanaugh – No. 1 in single-season saves (4), No. 2 in home runs (5), No. 5 in ERA (3.50) and RBI (22), No. 8 in doubles (6), and No. 9 in at bats (123); No. 1 in career saves (4), No. 2 in home runs (5), and No. 8 in strikeouts (22) and appearances (18). 

 

Stacy Smith (Draper, Utah / Juan Diego Catholic HS) – No. 1 in single-season home runs (8), No. 3 in RBI (25), and No. 7 in hit by pitches (3); No. 1 in career home runs (8), No. 7 in hit by pitches (3), No. 8 in RBI (25).  

 

MORE INFORMATION: Updated information and statistics on the 2006 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.