Yote Notes – Mar. 21,
2007
Mike Safford Jr. – Sports
Info. Director
ATHLETIC NEWS: Steak Feed, Basketball
All-Americans, updates on Golf, Tennis, Track
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
STEAK LUNCHEON: The
3rd Annual ACI Women's Basketball Steak Luncheon is set for April 4th at the
Outback Steakhouse on Karcher Road in Nampa. The event,
which costs $15, will run from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and features a menu of
steak and chicken, along with potatoes and salad. All proceeds help the
Lady Yotes in their fundraising efforts. To purchase tickets, contact
Reagan Rossi at 459-5855.
STAFFORD NAMED ALL-AMERICAN: Coyote guard Ike Stafford (Auburn, Wash. / Salt Lake CC) was named to the NAIA Division II Men’s
Basketball All-America team as an honorable mention selection, released at the
conclusion of the National Tournament in Branson,
Mo. The senior led the Coyotes in scoring this
season, averaging 17.4 points a game, while leading the Cascade Conference in
three-pointers made per game. He finished his career among the top-ten in
ACI history in three-point percentage and scoring average. Four CCC players were on either the First or
Second Team lists - with Warner Pacific's Scott O'Gallagher
earning First-Team honors and Oregon Tech's Ryan Fiegi
and Lavell Hesia, along
with Northwest's Aaron Sawyer earning Second-Team honors.
FOUR HOOP PLAYERS EARN ACADEMIC
HONORS: Two men’s
basketball and two women’s basketball players were named to the Daktronics/NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete teams for their
respective sports, released at the conclusion of the NAIA Division I
Tournament. On the men’s side, senior Brandon Nielsen (Twin Falls, Idaho
/ Big Bend CC) and J.R. Maggard (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) were honored, as were Whitney Martin (Paul, Idaho / Boise State U.) and Magen Dufurrena (Denio, Nev. / Lowry HS) on the women’s
side. Each of the players had to be of
junior status and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher. The quartet runs the total number of ACI
scholar-athletes during the 2006-07 season to 19.
GOLFERS LOSE AT NNU: Andrew Kroes and Tyler Jones
shared medalist honors this afternoon, as Northwest Nazarene defeated Albertson College,
315-349, in the Spring opening golf dual for both
teams at Broadmore Country Club in Nampa.
The Yotes struggled all afternoon, with John Pasley shooting a seven-over 79 -
the best round carded by ACI on the Par-72 course. The three other
scorers for the Coyotes were Cris Tietsort (+12), Ben
Coate (+16), and Mitchell Johnson (+26). Three other ACI men competed - Kurt Nielson (+18), Colin Slaughter (+26), and Alex Hayden (+32), as did a pair of
women - Catherine Everist
(+42) and Erica Sheppard (+43).
WOMEN’S TENNIS TAKES 2-OF-3 IN HAWAII:
The ACI women’s
tennis team won two of three matches during their five-day tour of Hawaii. The Lady Yotes (5-7) opened the trip with
victories over a pair of NCAA Division II teams, defeating Dixie State,
8-1, and Chaminade, 5-4. ACI ended the trip with a 9-0 loss to
BYU-Hawaii, the top-ranked and defending NCAA Division II national
champions. The squad will take this
weekend off, preparing for their first home match of the season, March 30,
against Lewis-Clark
State.
OUTDOOR TRACK OPENS SATURDAY: The ACI track team will open up the
2007 outdoor season on Saturday morning at the Eastern Oregon Mini in La
Grande. The Coyotes will send a full
contingent of runners to the meet – which will be run on the same track as the
upcoming Cascade Conference Championships in May.
BASEBALL (15-5): No. 12 ranked Coyotes set for
three-game series at Concordia
LAST
WEEK: vs. No. 1 Lewis-Clark State (L 10-1, L
8-0, L 5-1)
COMING
UP: at Concordia (DH), Saturday, Noon (PDT); at Concordia, Sunday, 1 p.m.
(PDT), at Northwest Nazarene, Tuesday, 5 p.m.
RADIO/INTERNET BROADCASTS: As of today, there are no plans for
broadcasting of the three-game series at Concordia. However, the game Tuesday at NNU will be
carried live on the Internet via www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/caa/radio.htm
with Mike Safford calling the action.
COYOTES REMAIN AT NO. 12 IN NAIA
POLL: For the
second-consecutive week, the ACI baseball team sits at No. 12 in the NAIA, as
the second Top-25 Coaches’ Poll was released by the national office on
Wednesday. Lewis-Clark State
received 20 of the 23 first-place votes and sits in the No. 1 spot. The regional top-six has L-C and ACI at the
top, followed by British Columbia,
Corban, Oregon Tech, and Concordia. The regional ranking will be released on
Tuesday’s, the national poll released on Wednesday’s.
COYOTES BEST START IN 50 YEARS: The 15-2 start to the 2007 seasonby the Coyotes was their best start in the metal-bat
era – eclipsing even the NAIA World Series’ teams of 1998, 1999, 2000, and
2002. In fact, only two other ACI teams
have had equal or better starts to the season, the 1957 team which opened 15-2,
and the 1940 Northwest Conference Eastern Division championship team which
opened with 22-straight wins.
BROCK NAMED PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Coyote right-hander Andrew Brock (Burnaby, B.C. / Douglas CC) was
named Cascade Conference and NAIA Region I Pitcher of the Week after an
outstanding performance Sunday against Lewis-Clark State. The sophomore held the No. 1 ranked team in
the NAIA to just one run and six hits in seven and a third innings of work –
earning a no-decision in the Yotes extra innings loss. For the season, Brock saw his ERA drop to
2.27 following the game, to go with a 2-1 record.
A ROAD TRIP?:
For the first time since
mid-February, the Coyotes will hit the road outside the Treasure Valley
for games. ACI has played their last
seven games at home, and have played 13 of their last 14 games at Simplot
Stadium. The Yotes, however, better get
used to living out of a suitcase, as ACI will play 14 of their final 18 games
of the season on the road, playing just two home dates after April 1.
OFF TO CONCORDIA: The Coyotes head to Portland this weekend for
a three-game series at Concordia. The Cavaliers (5-13, 2-7 Region I) have
played a ton of tight games this season – boasting a 4-3 mark in games decided
by two runs or less. Rob Vance’s club is
coming off their best week of the season, splitting a four-game series against regional
power, British Columbia,
and notching a 13-10 win Tuesday night at Linfield. Bryan Goff (2-2 3.80 ERA) leads the way on
the mound for CU, while Eastern Oregon
transfer Cody Herrick (.341 2 HR 6 RBI) is their top hitter. ACI won 4-of-6 games from the Cavaliers last
season, including a pair in Portland, ending a 12-game losing streak on
Concordia’s home field. The two schools
have met 77 times since 1987, with the Yotes holding a 57-20 series edge.
A FRIENDLY WITH THE CRUSADERS: ACI will round out their four-game
series with Canyon County rival Northwest
Nazarene on Tuesday afternoon in Nampa,
the final game of their set. The Coyotes
have won the first three games against the Crusaders (8-13) – clinching the
traveling “Pulaski” trophy that goes to the season series winner. NNU has played just two games since the 8-7
loss to the Yotes on March 6 – dropping a doubleheader at Dixie State. The Crusaders are led at the plate by Eric
Duke (.322 2 HR 15 RBI) and Tully Gallagher (.258 1 HR 15 RBI), while Justin
Mace (2-3 4.18 ERA) and Dan Baerlocher (0-3 4.41 ERA,
five saves) are their top hurlers. It
will be the 216th meeting between the clubs since 1937, with ACI holding a
160-54-1 all-time series lead.
STATS WITHOUT L-C, AGAINST L-C: The numbers are downright scary when
looking at the Coyote statistics against Lewis-Clark State
and the statistics in the 15 other games ACI has played. Against L-C, the Yotes have a team batting
average of .179 – with just one player with an average higher than .300, as Bryan Champ (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) is 4-for-12 against the Warriors. The squad has just one extra base hit against
the Warriors, while ACI pitchers have posted a 6.20 ERA against L-C (with the
Warriors racking up a 0.59 ERA against the Yotes). Against all others, the numbers flip-flop, as
ACI has a .355 team batting average – with Pat
Burke (Sisters, Ore. / Sisters HS) hitting
.519, Casey Oliver (Pocatello, Idaho / Coll. of Southern Idaho)
hitting .440, Kent Bradshaw (Caldwell, Idaho / Tacoma CC) hitting
.410, and Jacob Garsez
(Caldwell, Idaho / Columbia Basin CC)
hitting .400 against teams other than L-C.
Pitching wise, the Yotes have a team ERA of 2.21 against other
opponents, with the ACI bullpen allowing just seven earned runs in 52 innings
(1.21 ERA) against all other teams.
RECAPPING THE SERIES WITH L-C: Game 1 – L-C 10, ACI 1: Mark Thompson and Jessie Mier each
had three hits as top-ranked Lewis-Clark
State ended an ACI
11-game win streak with a 10-1 victory Friday.
L-C jumped on the board early and often, as Thompson led off the game with
a single and moved to second on a Brett Wyant base
hit. Beau Mills then hit a ringing double into the rightfield
corner, scoring Thompson. Mier followed with a
single to make it 2-0, a lead that would grow to 9-0 in the third on the first
of two Thompson triples. The got stellar
relief work by Kris Bittner (Hollister, Calif. / San Benito HS), who
allowed just one hit in three innings of work, and two scoreless innings from Drew Cauffman
(Mountain Home, Idaho / Mountain Home HS)-
but it wasn't enough, as L-C starter Chris Kissock
scattered eight hits over seven innings to pick up his fifth win of the
season. The senior allowed just one run - a Pat Burke RBI groundout,
following a Tyler Smith (Fruitland, Idaho / Lower Columbia
CC) triple in the third. ACI got
three hits from Bryan Champ and a pair of hits from Smith, but were done in by
four errors, which led to five unearned Warrior runs. Game 2 – L-C 8, ACI 0: Matt Fitts and Will Morgan combined for a five-hit shutout as
the Lewis-Clark State baseball team blanked the Yotes,
8-0, Saturday afternoon. The top-ranked
Warriors also got a pair of long home runs from Mills to extend their win
streak to six games. L-C got on the
board in the first, as Mills singled home Wyatt from second base - part of his
3-for-6, four RBI day. They would add a pair of
runs with two outs in the fourth on RBI singles from Mike Rivera and Kyle
Melton, before ACI had a threat in the sixth. The Yotes would have
runners at second and third with one out, but Morgan came out of the pen and
got Burke and Casey Oliver to pop out to end the threat. Mills would hit the first of two bombs
leading off the seventh, an opposite field shot to left, then hit a two-run
blast in the eighth, as the Warriors improved to 4-0 this season against ACI. Carson
Taysom (Pocatello,
Idaho / Century HS) pitched well in the loss for the Coyotes, going
six-plus innings, allowing four runs on nine hits. Five different ACI
batters had one hit on the afternoon. Game 3 – L-C 5, ACI 1 (10 innings): No.
1 ranked Lewis-Clark State scored five runs on only one hit in the top of the
tenth inning, as the Warriors completed a three-game sweep of ACI, defeating
the Yotes, 6-1, Sunday at Simplot Stadium.
ACI reliever Richie Snider (Sandpoint, Idaho / Porterville
CC) walked the first five men he faced in extra innings, with a free pass
to Mills bringing in the eventual winning run. The Yotes would go to the
pen, but Kris Bittner allowed a sixth walk and a two-run single to Kyle Greene
to cap the five-run rally. L-C took a
1-0 lead in the third on a Mills RBI single, but a pair of double plays, an
outfield assist at home plate, and a pickoff at third base kept the Warriors at
bay. Andrew Brock stymied the big bats of the top-ranked team, allowing
just one run on six hits in seven and a third innings of work. The Coyotes drew even in the sixth, as Adam Roach (Sacramento, Calif. / New Mexico Highlands U.) rapped a two-out
single and moved to second on a walk to Dane
McGrady (Boise,
Idaho / Borah HS). Drew Echanis (Ontario, Ore.
/ Western Oregon U.) followed with an RBI single to center to tie the
score. ACI nearly won it in the ninth, as the Yotes got a two-out single
from Luke Howarth
(Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) and a
walk to Smith, but Thompson, the Warriors shortstop made a nice back-handed
stop of a Burke smash in the hole, getting the lead runner to send the game to
extra innings. Brian Parker notched the
win for L-C, allowing just one run on three hits in four-plus innings of
relief. Starter Jared Joaquin allowed just two hits in his four-plus
innings of work. Howarth
had a pair of hits in the loss for ACI, while Wyatt and Greene each had two
hits for the Warriors, who extended their win streak to seven in a row.
ABOUT THE SKIPPER: The 2007 season marks
the 20th year in the Albertson College of Idaho baseball program for head coach
Shawn Humberger,
his seventh year as Coyote skipper. Last
season, he led the squad to a 36-20 mark, their second-straight Cascade
Conference championship, and a runner-up finish at the NAIA Region I Tournament. During his tenure, Humberger
has compiled a 217-145-1 record, including a third-place finish at the 2002
NAIA College World Series. He has been
named CCC Baseball Coach of the Year in 2002, 2005, and 2006, along with
earning NAIA Region I Coach-of-the-Year and CCC Men's Coach-of-the-Year for all
sports in 2002. A native of Twin Falls, Humberger graduated
from Twin Falls High, played for the College
of Southern Idaho for two seasons, and
played at the University
of Nevada-Las Vegas for
one year. In 1984, Humberger
was part of the CSI national championship junior-college team. In addition, he was named to the 1985 Junior
College All-America team. Humberger, a 1989 ACI graduate, also served as the
facilities coordinator for the J.A. Albertson Activities
Center for ten years, is a physical
education instructor at the College, and coached Nampa's American Legion baseball program for
eight seasons.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE COYOTES: For game stories, statistics, and
information regarding the ACI 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 (13-6): Lady Yotes off to best start ever,
open CCC slate with games at Corban and Concordia
LAST
WEEK: at Idaho State
(L 3-0, L 8-1), vs. Great Falls (W 8-0, W 8-4),
vs. Walla Walla
(W 8-0), at Northwest Nazarene (W 5-4, W 17-2)
COMING
UP: at Corban (DH), Friday, 2 p.m. (PDT); at
Concordia (DH), Saturday, 11 a.m. (PDT)
COYOTES RANKED IN REGIONAL POLL: The ACI softball team was ranked
fourth in the first NAIA Region I rankings, released Tuesday afternoon. It is just the third time that the Coyotes
have been ranked in the weekly regional poll – and the No. 4 mark is the
highest the team has attained. Simon
Fraser is ranked No. 1, followed by Oregon Tech, Concordia, and ACI. The poll is released each Tuesday, with the
NAIA Top-25 released each Wednesday.
BEST
START EVER: The start by the Lady Yotes is their best
in program history, eclipsing the 12-7 start by the 2003 team. In fact, they are the only two times that ACI
has been over the .500 mark 19 games into the season. The 2002 team began 3-16, the 2004 went 5-14,
and each of the last two seasons, the Coyotes began 9-10.
HIGH
WATER MARK FOR PROGRAM: Sitting at 13-6 heading into CCC
play, the Lady Yotes have equaled their highest mark above .500 ever. Only one other time has ACI been seven games
above .500 – when the club was 12-5 during the 2003 season.
LONGEST
WIN STREAK EQUALED: With their sweep of Northwest Nazarene on
Tuesday, ACI extended their win streak to five games, equaling the longest in
school history. The Coyotes have won
five-straight games three different times – the final two games and the first
three games between the 2002 and 2003 seasons,
and five in a row during both the 2003 and 2005 seasons.
LEAGUE
PLAY OPENS UP ON THE ROAD: The Lady Yotes will open up the
20-game Cascade Conference schedule this weekend, traveling to the Willamette Valley for doubleheaders at Corban and Concordia. Friday, ACI will
meet the Warriors (2-12-1), a team they defeated, 6-4, back in February at the
Priscilla Benham Classic in California.
Corban has dropped their last five games –
scoring just two runs during that stretch, as their team batting average has
dipped to .209. First-year head coach
Michelle Hext looks to hitters Siriana
Guest (.314 2 HR 6 RBI) and Lindsay Batey (.279 3 HR
7 RBI) for production, while Erin Sailors (1-7 5.44 ERA, 61 K) is their top
pitcher. The two teams have met 15 times
previously, with ACI holding a 8-7 edge. Saturday, it’s up I-5 to meet the Cavaliers
(5-4), who have struggled to get games in this Spring. Concordia, which advanced to the NAIA Region
I Tournament last season, has had a doubleheader with both Pacific and Pacific
Lutheran rained out, along with their games at the Capitol Cup. Hard-throwing Annele
Huckins (2-2 1.53 ERA, 39 K in 22 innings) is one of
the top pitchers in the league and will keep the Cavs
in every game. The two teams have met 24
times previously, with ACI holding a 13-11 series edge.
RECORDS
SHATTERED AT NORTHWEST NAZARENE: ACI continued their
record barrage on Tuesday in a 17-2 win at Northwest Nazarene. The Lady Yotes set or tied five new school
records in the win – breaking the mark for most runs in a game, most RBI in a
game, and biggest victory margin. ACI
tied the record for hits in a game with 14, while Amy Rhoades (Eagle, Idaho / Dixie
State Coll.) tied the
record for RBI in a game with five.
ZILLNER
TOSSES NO-NO, SETS K RECORD: The Lady Yotes tossed
their third no-hitter in program history last Friday against Great
Falls, as Katie Zillner (Emmett, Idaho
/ Chicago State U.) joined the elite club.
The junior walked four and struck out eight in the five inning win,
joining Kerri Russell, who tossed a five inning no-no against Concordia in
2005. Nicole Glenn holds the lone seven
inning no-hitter, which was a perfect game during the 2003 season against Walla Walla. Zillner also broke
another of Glenn’s records on Saturday, striking out 14 batters in the win
against Walla Walla. That surpassed the 13 K’s
Glenn notched in 2002 against Northwest Christian.
HITS
KEEP COMING: For the first time in program history, the
Lady Yotes have recorded double-digit hit games in four consecutive
contests. ACI had 12 hits in Game 2
against Great Falls, had ten hits against Walla Walla
and in the opener against NNU, then had 14 hits in the
nightcap against the Crusaders. The
previous mark was three, set midway through the 2005 season.
COYOTES DROP TWO AT IDAHO STATE: Lindsay Boughton
tossed a pair of complete games, allowing just five hits and striking out 16,
as Idaho State
swept a softball doubleheader from ACI, 3-0 and 8-1, last Tuesday at Cappel
Park in Chubbuck. After the Lady Yotes stranded potential
go-ahead runs in scoring position in the third, fourth, and sixth innings of
Game 1, the Bengals broke through with a three-spot
in the bottom of the sixth to take control. Limited to just one hit
through five innings by ACI starter Katie Zillner,
Heather Dixon and Whitney Nix hit back-to-back home runs off the right-hander
to give ISU the lead for good. Game 2
saw ACI jump out to a 1-0 lead on an RBI single from Haley Butcher (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) that scored Heather Kirtley (Eagle, Idaho
/ Eagle HS) from third in the opening frame. But the Bengals would tie the score in the second, then take the
lead for good on a Christine Keeton three-run homer in the third. Boughton would retire the final 15 batters to end any
Coyote threat.
YOTES SWEEP GREAT
FALLS: Katie Zillner
tossed a no-hitter in Game 1, as the Lady Yotes completed a sweep of Great Falls, 8-0 and 8-4,
Friday at Symms Field. Zillner got all the
runs she would need in the first, as Haley Butcher laced a two-run double -
then got a six-run third inning to put the game away. She helped her own
cause with a two-run double and Stacy
Smith (Draper, Utah / Juan Diego HS) had the big blow
with a two-run homer in the Coyotes first mercy-rule win of the season. Game 2 was a bit tighter, as ACI jumped out
to a 4-0 lead in the third - getting six consecutive two-out hits,
including RBI doubles from Amy Rhoades and A.J. Cavanaugh (Covington,
Wash. / Kentwood HS) and RBI singles from Smith and Stefanie Gonsalves (Weed, Calif. / Coll. of the Siskiyous).
However, the Argonauts, playing their first-ever intercollegiate doubleheader,
rallied, getting a two-run homer from Kelsey Noble to make it 4-2 in the
fourth, then tying the game on a double-steal in the fifth. ACI would plate the go-ahead runs in a
four-run sixth - as Heather Kirtley slapped a base
hit to score Gonsalves from third to make it
5-4. Zillner then busted the game oper with a two-run double to left. Cavanaugh got the
win in relief in her first appearance in the circle this season. Zillner went
3-for-7 with five RBI in the twinbill, with Butcher, Gonsalves, and Kirtley each
recording three hits apiece.
NIGHT GAME EQUALS VICTORY: Katie Zillner
struck out 14 batters in the Lady Yotes 8-0 softball victory against Walla Walla
College Saturday night at
Symms Field.
ACI got all the runs they needed in the first inning, sending ten
batters to the plate, scoring six runs. Stefanie Gonsalves
had the big blow, a two-run double down the left field line. In all, all
nine batters in the initial Coyote order recorded at least one hit.
ACI CONTINUES DOMINANCE OF NNU: ACI tied or established five
school records in a doubleheader sweep of Northwest Nazarene, defeating the
Crusaders 5-4 and 17-2 Tuesday at Halle Field.
The Lady Yotes broke open a 2-0 game in the third, scoring eight
unearned runs after the Crusaders committed a throwing error with two
outs. Amy Rhoades, who tied a school record with five RBI in the win, had
a three-run double and Katie Zillner added a two-run
homer in the inning. The Yotes would add seven runs on eight hits in the
fourth - getting a two-run singles from Rhoades and Haley Butcher. Stacy Smith went 3-for-4 with three runs
scored for the Yotes, with Zillner going 2-for-4 with
three RBI in the Game 2 win. Game 1 saw ACI hang on for the win. The
Coyotes got a two-run A.J. Cavanaugh single and a Smith two-run homer in the
opening frame to take a 4-0 lead. The Crusaders would rally, getting a
two-run single from Shawna Juarez in the third to cut the lead in half.
Leading 5-2 in the seventh, Juarez would rip another two-run single, but
reliever Chelsey Nokelby (Olympia,
Wash. / River Ridge HS) struck
out Katie Free with the tying run aboard to notch the save. Brooke Judy (Kuna, Idaho / Kuna HS) got the win for ACI, allowing three earned
runs in six-plus innings of work, with Smith and Cavanaugh each recording two
hits for the Coyotes.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE COYOTES: For game stories, statistics, and
information regarding the ACI softball program, head to the official site
Coyote softball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/fastpitch.htm.
