Yote Notes – May 7, 2008
Mike Safford Jr. – Sports
Info. Director
ATHLETIC NEWS:
SOCCER
ALUMNI GOLF TOURNAMENT A SUCCESS: C of I men’s soccer
coach Brian Smith stated that last
Friday’s Coyote Soccer and Friends Golf Tournament at Warm Springs Golf Club
was a rousing success. Over 60 people
were in attendance on the warm afternoon, enjoying great camaraderie and
golf. Taking home in the team title was
the foursome of C of I men’s basketball coach Mark Owen, C of I Major Gifts
Officer Dave Hahn, former C of I sports information director Todd Miles, and
former C of I men’s soccer player Chris Brazil.
ALUMNI
GAME RESULTS: Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams
held their annual Alumni Games this spring instead of the preseason – with great
participation by all. The Lady Yotes
were able to win the scrimmage, 1-0, while the men’s team played the Alumni,
which was coached by longtime C of I skipper John Calpin,
to a 3-3 draw.
WOMEN’S
HOOPS SIGNS ANOTHER: The
College of Idaho women's basketball coach Reagan Rossi has announced the signing
of Meghan Hughes to an NAIA Letter
of Intent - the fourth player of the 2008-09 recruiting class. Hughes, an incoming freshman from Bishop
Kelly High in Boise,
is coming off an impressive senior season, helping her team to the 4A state
title game. She averaged 12 points and six rebounds per game, earning
First Team All-Idaho along with All-Southern Idaho Conference honors. She joins transfers Katie Strunk
and Alexandria Hughes, along with freshman Morgan Vander Esch
as newcomers to the team. The Lady Yotes
are coming off a 19-11 season and a runner-up finish in the Cascade Conference
Tournament.
SKI TEAM INKS TWO: The College of Idaho
alpine ski team has announced the signing of their first two
student-athletes for the 2009 season, as Wesley
Beougher and Sophie
Dresser will compete for the Coyotes.
Beougher, from Whitefish, Mont., will help the
depth of the men's team, as the incoming freshman had a nice season skiing
Northern races put on by the USSA. Dresser, from Borah High in Boise, will help out the
women's team and has been racing the high school ski circuit. "Both will definitely be players for us
next year," said head coach Ron Bonneau. "Hopefully they will be able to
make an immediate impact." Both the
men's and women's teams are coming off their fifth-straight Northwest
Collegiate Ski Conference championship and open their season next January.
BASEBALL (28-24): Yotes set for 2008 playoffs, open
Region I Tournament Thursday night vs. British
Columbia
LAST WEEK: vs. British Columbia (W 6-2, L 9-6, W 4-3, W
8-5)
COMING UP: at NAIA Region I Tournament, Vancouver, B.C. – Thursday vs. British Columbia, 6 p.m. (PDT)
ON THE INTERNET: Most of the games at the NAIA Region
I Tournament will be carried live on the internet – with games vs. British
Columbia carried via http://tbirdbaseball.net/content/view/392/65/,
as part of UBC’s 777online media service., while
games vs. Lewis-Clark State will be carried on www.koze-sports.com. Unfortunately, games vs. Concordia will not
be carried on the Internet.
REGION I TOURNAMENT AT “THE NAT”: For the fourth time in the last six
years, the NAIA Region I Tournament will be held at Nat Bailey Stadium in
Vancouver, B.C. “The Nat” is a
7,000-seat park that is home of the Class A Vancouver Canadians, along with the University of British
Columbia.
UBC previously hosted the regional tournament in 2003, 2005, and 2006 –
winning the title each time.
REMATCH WITH UBC: The Yotes open up the Region I
Tournament with a rematch against British Columbia,
the ninth-straight season that the two teams will have met during the
postseason. The T-Birds (23-26) limp
into the playoffs, having lost eight of their final nine games – but play well
on their home diamond, going 10-2 in regional counters this season. Leading UBC are outfielders Mike Styrna (.344 1 HR 24 RBI) and Jon Syrnyk
(.316 2 HR 29 RBI), who are both hitting over .400 against The C of I this
season. Expect the T-Birds to throw ace
Mark Hardy (6-5 4.74) in Game 1, looking to redeem himself after a 6-2 loss to
the Yotes on Saturday. It will be the
rubber game of the season series, as the two clubs have split the eight games
so far in 2008 – with UBC holding a 42-33 all-time series edge, including an
8-5 edge in playoff games (including a 5-0 mark in postseason games in Vancouver).
OTHER TEAMS IN THE FIELD: Top-seeded and defending Region I
champ Lewis-Clark State looks to
continue a banner season. The Warriors
(47-5) have dominated opponents all season long – in fact, all five of their
losses have been one-run defeats. L-C,
who went 28-2 against Region I opponents (losses to Oregon Tech and C of I),
has a .351 team batting average, paced by Kyle Greene (.455 16 HR 74 RBI), Ikaika Lester (.380 7 HR 46 RBI), and Brett Ward (.372 6 HR
46 RBI). On the mound, a stellar group
of Warrior pitchers are led by lefties Michael Guerrero (6-1 1.93 ERA) and
Blaine Hardy (6-1 2.47 ERA), along with righty Matt Fitts (9-0 3.08 ERA).
L-C took 9-of-10 games from the Yotes this season and hold a 120-40-1
all-time series lead. Joining L-C in the
regional is Concordia, making their
seventh-straight regional tournament appearance. The Cavaliers (16-25) were led by outfielders
Roberto Reyes (.344 25 RBI) and Ben Lanier (.285 4 HR 18 RBI) and catcher Ryan Sussenguth (.320 1 HR 28 RBI), along with pitchers Ben Rue
(3-5 2.15 ERA) and Brett Hawley (3-5 4.50 ERA 5 Saves). CU won the season series with the Yotes, 4-3,
but the Yotes lead the all-time series, 65-27.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: Thursday – Game 1: Lewis-Clark State
vs. Concordia, 2 p.m.; Game 2: College of Idaho vs. British Columbia; Friday –
Game 3: Loser 1 vs. Loser 2, 10 a.m.; Game 4: Winner 1 vs. Winner 2, 2 p.m.;
Game 5: Winner 3 vs. Loser 4, 6 p.m.; Saturday – Game 6: Winner 4 vs. Winner 5,
Noon; Game 7 (if necessary), 3 p.m. (all Pacific Time)
REGIONAL WINNERS: This is the ninth year of the
current four-team regional format, with five different teams capturing title:
2000 – C of I, 2001 – Western Oregon, 2002- C of I, 2003 – UBC, 2004 – Concordia,
2005 – UBC, 2006 – UBC, 2007 – Lewis-Clark State.
UP NEXT FOR THE WINNER: The winner of the NAIA Region I
Tournament will host the Pacific Northwest/Far West Sectional, a Best of Three
playoff (next Thursday through Saturday) to determine a berth to the 2008 Avista NAIA World Series in Lewiston. Six teams from Region II – Azusa Pacific,
Fresno Pacific, Cal Baptist, Concordia-Irvine, Point Loma Nazarene, and Biola remain in the running.
22 YEARS AND RUNNING: The Coyotes
extended a pair of longstanding streaks this season – as the squad secured a
playoff spot in the Region I Tournament and picked up their 28th win. They will now participate in the postseason
for the 22nd-straight season, dating back to the return of baseball at The C of
I in 1987.
During that same stretch, the Yotes have won at least 25 games in each
of the seasons – winning 40 or more games eight times, and 50 or more games
twice. Since baseball returned, the Coyotes have posted a 790-420-4 record – winning
over 65-percent of their games.
YOTES SECURE FOURTH-STRAIGHT CCC
TITLE: Another flag
will be flying for the Coyote
baseball team, as the Yotes won their fourth-straight Cascade Conference
championship. In CCC-only games (not
counting UBC), The C of I finished with a 14-4 record, four full games ahead of
second-place Concordia. Under head coach
Shawn Humberger,
the Yotes have won CCC titles in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, and now 2008.
REGIONAL/NATIONAL POLL: The final NAIA Region I poll was
released on Monday, with the Yotes moving into the No. 2 spot for the first
time since early in the season. Lewis-Clark State
was No. 1, followed by the Yotes, British
Columbia, Concordia, and Oregon Tech. The final NAIA Top-25 saw Lubbock Christian
in the No. 1 spot for the fifth-straight week, followed by L-C, Lee, Azusa
Pacific, and Oklahoma City.
UPDATING THE RECORD BOOK: Three Coyotes have moved up the
ladder on the Yotes career record book list.
Dane McGrady
(Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) is now No. 2 all-time in hit by pitches (48), Joey Zubizarreta
(Boise, Idaho / Cochise CC) is No. 5 in appearances (67), with Luke Howarth (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) sitting
in the No. 9 spot on the sacrifice hits (13) category.
COYOTES SWEEP ALL-CCC AWARDS: For the
fourth-consecutive season, The C of I swept each of the individual honors as
the 2008 All-Cascade Conference awards were announced Tuesday by the league
office in Portland, Ore. Coyote outfielder Jake Miller (Idaho Falls,
Idaho / Treasure Valley CC) was named Player of the Year, pitcher Pat Lyon (Bonners Ferry, Idaho / Bonners Ferry HS) was named Pitcher of the
Year, with skipper Shawn Humberger named Coach of the
Year in the balloting among the league coaches.
Miller had a banner season for the Yotes, leading the club with a .369
batting average, hitting three home runs and knocking in 29. He leads the
team with ten doubles along with 65 hits on the season. Lyon, made the change from a reliever to starter midway through
the season and it paid off - tossing four complete games, going 4-2 with a 3.16
ERA, while limiting opponents to a .240 batting average. For Humberger, it
marks the fourth-straight year that the Coyote
head man has been named the CCC's top coach, and the
fifth time in his career that he has received the honor. The Yotes had two other players on the
All-CCC team - third-baseman Bryan Champ
(Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) and outfielder Cody Brubaker (Post Falls, Idaho / Spokane Falls CC).
Champ earns the honor for the third-straight year, hitting .319 with a homer
and 21 RBI, while Brubaker earns the award for the first time after hitting
.317 with three home runs and a team-high 34 RBI. Three players - reliever Jake Bottari (Wells, Nev. / Western Nevada CC),
starting pitcher Joey Zubizarreta, and shortstop Alex O'Brien (Everett, Wash. / Everett CC) were named honorable
mention selections. The entire C of I
infield was also named to the CCC Gold Glove Team, based on their defensive
excellence. First-baseman Richie
Snider (Sandpoint,
Idaho / Porterville
CC), second-baseman Brad Carlsen (Reno, Nev. / Western Nevada CC), along with O'Brien and Champ
earned the distinction.
RECAP OF UBC SERIES: Saturday - A
five-run second inning helped British Columbia salvage a split of today's
doubleheader with The College of Idaho, giving the T-Birds the host site for
next week's NAIA Region I Tournament. The C of I took the opener, 6-2,
while UBC took the nightcap, 9-6, at sunsplashed
Simplot Stadium. Things started out
right for the Yotes in the opener, as Jake Bottari
tossed a complete-game six hitter - defeating UBC's
top hurler, Mark Hardy. After spotting the T-Birds a 1-0 lead, the Coyotes responded in the third, getting a two-run
Jake Miller single and a Cody Brubaker sacrifice fly to make it 3-1. UBC
cut the margin to 4-2 in the fifth, but a pinch-hit Gavin Gamboa (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS) RBI single in the fifth made it
5-2 and Brad Carlsen hit his team-leading sixth home
run in the sixth to complete the scoring.
Bottari walked just one and struck out four to
pick up his third win of the season, outdueling
Hardy, who threw a three-hit shutout in Vancouver
against the Yotes. Carlsen, Miller, and
Dane McGrady each had two hits in the win. Game 2 saw Yotes starter Pat Lyon rocked
around by the T-Bird offense, as UBC recorded eight hits in the senior's one
and a third innings of work. Jon Syrnyk had a
bases clearing triple, followed by a long Fletcher Vynne
home run to left to make it 6-0 in the second. The Yotes would battle back, closing the
margin to 7-5 in the sixth inning on an Alex O'Brien three-run homer, but could
not get closer. Kurtis
Schumacher went five innings of three-hit relief to get the win for UBC.
The Yotes got seven solid innings of relief from Andrew Brock (Burnaby, B.C. / Douglas
CC), allowing two earned runs on five hits.
Sunday – The C of I sent their
senior class out with a pair of victories this afternoon, as the Coyotes swept the final regular season doubleheader
of the season from UBC, winning 4-3 and 8-6 at Simplot Stadium. The opener saw the T-Birds take an early 2-0
lead in the third on a Sammie Starr RBI double and a Fletcher Vynne RBI single, but the Yotes would come back, tying it
in the fourth on a Ray Morrison (Cumming, Ga. / Chattahoochee Valley CC) RBI
single and a double steal. The hosts
would take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth, as Miller scored on a wild
pitch, but the Yotes pen could not hold the lead, as Sean Everest laced a
two-out RBI single in the ninth to tie the score. However, The C of I
would win it in the bottom of the inning, as McGrady
walked and his courtesy runner Brett
Ward (Nampa,
Idaho / Nampa
HS) was sacrificed to second. Ward would move up to third on a wild pitch, and after a walk to Luke Howarth,
Bryan Champ layed down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt
to score the game winner from third. Jason Barry (Castlegar, B.C. / U.
of Northern Iowa) got the win for
the Yotes, but it was Justin
Marsh-Quinlan (Seabeck, Wash.
/ Olympic CC) who was stellar out of the pen, tossing three scoreless
innings. Morrison and Richie Snider each had two hits for the Yotes. Game 2 saw the Yotes fall behind 3-0, but
battle back, taking the lead for good on a Perry
Hamilton (Buhl, Idaho / Blue Mountain
CC) three-run homer in the fifth
inning. A two-run Nic Lindsay double in
the second gave UBC the three-run lead, but the Yotes came back, getting a Jason Cox (Sandpoint, Idaho
/ Central Washington U.)
RBI single and a McGrady RBI ground out to cut
the lead to 3-2. In the third, Garrett
Schultz (Belgrade,
Mont. / Belgrade
HS) laced a two-run single to give the Yotes their first lead. However, UBC rallied for three runs in the
fourth, two coming on a Jon Syrnyk RBI single -
setting the stage for Hamilton's
heroics. Dan Thiry (Meridian, Idaho
/ Meridian HS) got the win in relief, tossing a scoreless inning - as he, Ben Rodwell (Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS), and Dustin Carlsen
(Bremerton,
Wash. / Olympic CC) combined
to not allow a hit over the final three innings.
ABOUT THE COACH: The 2008 season marks
the 21st year in The College of Idaho baseball program for head coach Shawn Humberger, his eighth year as Coyote
skipper. Last season, he led the squad
to a 31-17 mark, their third-straight Cascade Conference championship, and a
runner-up finish at the NAIA Region I Tournament. During his tenure, Humberger
has compiled a 264-181-1 record, including a third-place finish at the 2002
NAIA World Series. He has been named CCC
Baseball Coach of the Year in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008, along with earning
NAIA Region I Coach-of-the-Year and CCC Men's Coach-of-the-Year for all sports
in 2002.
FOR
MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the Coyote baseball program, head to the official
homepage of the Yotes – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/baseball.htm.
SOFTBALL (24-17): Lady Yotes set for NAIA Region I
Tournament, open play vs. No. 14 Simon Fraser
LAST WEEK: vs. Eastern
Oregon (W 2-1, L 7-2)
COMING UP: at NAIA Region I Tournament, Klamath Falls, Ore.
– Thursday vs. No. 14 Simon Fraser, 9:30 a.m. (PT).
COYOTES SECURE BERTH TO REGIONAL
TOURNAMENT: With a
win over Eastern Oregon on Saturday, The College of Idaho secured the final spot
in the NAIA Region I Tournament, set for Thursday and Friday in Klamath Falls, Ore. The Yotes will been seeded
No. 4 in the four-team event, behind No. 1 Simon Fraser, No. 2 Oregon Tech, and
No. 3 Concordia. So far this
season, the Coyotes have a 2-2 mark
against OIT and a 1-3 record against Concordia, but have not faced SFU.
POSTSEASON HISTORY: After missing out on the playoffs
during the first four seasons of intercollegiate softball, the Lady Yotes have
qualified for the postseason each of the last three years. In 2006, the Yotes made their playoff debut
and dropped two games at the now defunct Cascade Conference Tournament, but
last year, went 2-2 at their first NAIA Region I Tournament – defeating both Oregon
Tech and Concordia, before dropping a pair to eventual champion, Simon Fraser.
FINAL REGIONAL/NATIONAL POLL: The final regional poll was released
on Monday and remained the same for the second straight week. Simon Fraser is No. 1, followed by OIT,
Concordia, the Lady Yotes, and Eastern Oregon. Nationally, Cal Baptist was in the No. 1 spot
in the final NAIA poll, followed by Point Loma Nazarene, Oklahoma
City, Mobile,
and Trevecca Nazarene – with SFU at No. 14 and OIT at
No. 20.
CAN THE YOTES FINALLY BEAT THE
CLAN?: For the Lady
Yotes to win the Region I Tournament and earn a berth in the NAIA Women’s World
Series, they will have to get past Simon
Fraser, the perennial power in Northwest softball. The Clan (14-7) have not had a dominant
regular-season, including two losses to both St. Martin’s and Great Falls, but
have tradition on their side, having won NAIA titles in 1999, 2003, and 2005
(along with three runner-up finishes) – and advancing to the past ten Women’s
World Series. Despite losing 2007
All-Stars Melanie Matthews and Erin McLean to the Canadian National Team, SFU is as potent offensively as they come,
hitting .380 – with Jessie Harris (.434 6 HR 29 RBI) and Christine Barr (.406 2
HR 18 RBI) leading the way. In the
circle, Jennifer Van Egdom (7-1 2.32 ERA) and Haley Cicchetti (5-5 4.18 ERA) have logged the most innings –
with the team ERA of 3.34 the highest for a Mike Renney
club in the last decade. Last season,
SFU toppled the Yotes 9-1 and 13-5 to win the Region I crown and holds a
perfect 20-0 record against The C of I.
OTHER TEAMS IN THE TOURNAMENT: Win or lose, the Lady Yotes will
play at least one other team in the double-elimination tournament, as both Oregon Tech and Concordia have aspirations of a trip to Decatur, Ala. OIT (34-12) has been the class of the CCC
this season, having finished the year with a 20-4 loop mark, led by Player of
the Year Jenni Bittle (.397
6 HR 31 RBI; 17-6 1.81 ERA), along with All-CCC selections Brittany Warren
(.382 9 HR 41 RBI) and Sunceray Titus (.306 5 HR 35
RBI). The Owls won 4-3 and 8-0 games in Klamath Falls earlier this season, but the Yotes took 2-1
and 5-2 decisions two weeks ago in Caldwell. Tech leads the all-time series between the
teams 25-7. The Cavaliers (21-14) come
into the tournament riding a five-game win streak – thanks to the play of
catcher Nicole Illias (.398 4 HR 21 RBI), shortstop
Denise Benedict (.398 9 RBI), and outfielder Janelle Cristofaro
(.391 1 HR 24 RBI) – all All-CCC selections.
Pitcher Danielle Pulfrey (17-11 2.44 ERA, 183
IP, 234 K) is a workhorse, leading the league in innings pitched and
strikeouts. CU took 3-of-4 games from
the Yotes this season, but The C of I leads the all-time series, 19-14.
TOURNEY SCHEDULE AND INFO: The tournament will be held on OIT’s campus field, with tickets $4.00 per day for adults
and $2.00 per day for students. All
games will have Live Stats at http://140.211.130.21/LIVEsb/xlive.htm. Day 1 schedule – Game 1: C of I vs. Simon
Fraser, 9:30 a.m.; Game 2: OIT vs. Concordia, 11:30 a.m.; Game 3: Loser 1 vs.
Loser 2, 1:30 p.m.; Game 4: Winner 1 vs. Winner 2, 4 p.m. Day 2 schedule – Game 5: Winner 3 vs. Loser
4, 11 a.m.; Game 6: Winner 4 vs. Winner 5, 1:30 p.m.; Game 7 (if necessary), 4
p.m. (all times Pacific).
CONFERENCE TO HELP “RACE FOR THE
CURE”: Players and
coaches participating in this weekend’s Region I softball tournament in Klamath
Falls will have a lot more on their minds than just trying to earn a spot
in the NAIA’s national championship field. They’ll also be thinking of a fellow CCC
student-athlete C of I junior Amy
Rhoades (Eagle, Idaho
/ Dixie State Coll.), who
is redshirting this season after being diagnosed with
breast cancer last fall. According to
Concordia coach Carrie Kosderka-Farrell, players from
all four teams involved in this weekend’s regional have agreed to wear pink
ribbons as a sign of support to Rhoades and as a way to raise awareness and
money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation. In addition, the souvenir Region I T-shirts will include a
silkscreen of the pink ribbon which has become synonymous with the Komen Foundation and Saturday’s Race For
a Cure event in Boise. “During the course of the season a number of
the softball coaches in the Cascade Conference started discussing ways we could
help Amy through this difficult time,” said Kosderka-Farrell.
“We really wanted to do something in a physical way to show our support for
her. We arrived at the idea of pink hair ribbons, and we received 100 percent
support from the coaches in this week’s Region I tournament.” OIT officials will be accepting donations
for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
during the course of the two-day tournament.
THE RHOADES STORY IN PRINT AND TV: Mike Stetson of the Idaho Press Tribune chronicled Amy Rhoades’ story in an article on
March 20 (that can be found at http://www.idahopress.com/sports/?id=4633),
while KIVI-TV’s Joe Hughes chronicled Rhoades in a television piece aired
Tuesday night (that can be seen at http://www.kivitv.com/global/story.asp?s=8281832).
ZILLNER NAMED CCC PITCHER OF THE
WEEK: For her nine inning complete game five hitter, Katie Zillner (Emmett, Idaho / Chicago State U.) was named CCC
and NAIA Region I Pitcher of the Week for the ninth time in her career and the
fifth time this season. The senior
recorded her 27th career game with at least ten strikeouts and ran her innings
streak without allowing an earned run to 37 in a row.
YOTES PLACE THREE ON ALL-CCC
TEAM: For the second straight season, Katie Zillner
was named Cascade Conference Pitcher of the Year as the All-CCC Team was
unveiled this morning by the league office, Monday, in Portland, Ore. Zillner, who is a
three-time All-CCC selection, has had a banner senior season, going 14-7 with a
league-best 1.22 ERA. She has held opponents to a .180 batting average,
while recording 203 strikeouts. Zillner was
also the lone College
of Idaho player named to
the Gold Glove Team. Two other Lady Yote players were named to the All-CCC squad -
third-baseman Haley Butcher (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) and
first-baseman Dani Villyard (Kent, Wash. / Kentlake
HS). Butcher earns the honor for the second-straight season, hitting
.382 with 12 doubles, four home runs, and 25 RBI, while Villyard
earns the award for the first time, having led the team with six home runs and
31 RBI, while batting .375. One C of I
player, Donnae Carrell (Caldwell, Idaho / Middleton HS), was
named to the All-CCC Team as an honorable mention selection, after hitting .276
with three home runs and nine RBI in the lead-off role.
YOTES SPLIT WITH EASTERN ON SENIOR
DAY: Dani Villyard ripped a walk-off RBI
single in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting The C of I
to a 2-1 victory over Eastern Oregon,
clinching an NAIA Region I Tournament berth at Symms
Field. Eastern took the nightcap with a 7-2 victory. On senior day before an overflow crowd of 500,
Villyard hit a two-out offering from Melodee Mildenberger into left
centerfield, with Stephanie Stover (Caldwell, Idaho / U.
of Nevada) scoring
from second to clinch third-place in the Cascade Conference standings.
Eastern took a 1-0 lead on C of I starter Katie Zillner
in the fifth on a Crystal Weseman two-out RBI double,
but the Coyotes came right back,
with Villyard lifting a sacrifice fly in the bottom
of the frame to tie the score. The
Mountaineers would have runners in scoring position in the seventh, eighth, and
ninth innings, but Zillner worked out of each jam,
picking up her 14th win of the year. She did not allow an earned run for
the fifth consecutive outing, striking out 11 batters - pushing her second
total to 203. Villyard
went 3-for-4 in the win, with Stacy
Smith (Draper, Utah / Juan Diego HS) adding two hits
for the Yotes, while Weseman had two hits for the
Mountaineers. Game 2 saw EOU break a 2-2
tie with a four-run fifth inning, keyed by Lydia Holm's tenth home
run of the season, to salvage a season split with the Yotes.
ABOUT THE COACH: Al Mendiola is in his third year as head coach of The College of Idaho softball
program and has a 79-54 all-time record – already the all-time winningest coach in C of I history. The native of San Diego, Calif.
has helped the Lady Yotes become a force in Northwest softball, leading The C
of I to three consecutive postseason appearances,
including the 2007 Cascade Conference championship. Following the season, Mendiola
was honored as CCC and NAIA Region I Coach of the Year after the Coyotes set a school record with 37 wins, climbing
to as high as No. 14 in the NAIA poll, an advanced to the regional title
game. A 1994 graduate of The C of I, Mendiola played two seasons of baseball for head coach Tim
Mooney, earning honorable mention NAIA All-America honors as a senior.
FOR
MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the Coyote softball program, head to the official
homepage of the Lady Yotes – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/fastpitch.htm.
TRACK:
37 Coyotes
headed to Portland
for Cascade Conference Championships
LAST
WEEK: Idle
COMING
UP: at Cascade Conference Championships, Portland, Ore. – Thursday, 4
p.m.; Friday, 4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. (all times Pacific)
TIME
FOR THE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS: This Thursday through Saturday, the eleven Cascade
Conference schools will converge on Mount Hood
Community College in Portland for the CCC Track and Field
Championships. A total of 37 College of Idaho runners, 19 women and 18 men, will
be competing – vying for medals and one last chance to meet an
time or mark for the NAIA Championships.
LAST
SEASON: Last year,
both the Coyote teams placed fifth overall – with the men’s team scoring 47
points, with the women scoring 60.
PREVIOUS CCC TITLES: Three C of I athletes have won CCC
individual titles since the Yotes reinstated their track program during the
2005 season. David Fluckiger
won the 3,000-steeplechase titles in 2005 and 2006,
Shannon Edwards won the 5,000-meter titles in 2006 and 2007, with Jacob Haas
winning the 10,000-meter title in 2007.
CHANCES FOR TITLES: The Coyotes have four different
runners that are seeded No. 1 in their events as the heat sheets were posted by
the CCC. Tyler Hopper (Caldwell, Idaho
/ Caldwell HS) is the top qualifier in both the 800 and 1,500-meter events
and will be trying to pull off the rare triple, as he is also running the
5,000-meters, which he is seeded second.
Three women have No. 1 seeds in their events – Jayne Saunders (Emmett, Idaho / Emmett HS)
in the 800-meters, Katie Ball (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) in
the 1,500-meters, and Stephanie Helm (Challis, Idaho / Challis HS) in the
5,000-meters. In fact, the Lady Yotes
have five of the top-eight qualifying times in the 1,500 and five of the
top-six times in the 5,000.
NATIONAL QUALIFIERS: NAIA "A" - Tyler Hopper
(1,500-meters, 5,000-meters), Women’s 4x800 Relay, Stephanie Helm
(5,000-meters); NAIA "B" - Tyler Hopper (800-meters), Jesse Chlebeck
(Eagan, Minn. / Eagan HS) (5,000-meters),
Tyler Gross (Buffalo, N.Y. / Springfield Griffith
Inst.) (Marathon),
Katie Ball
(5,000-meters).
FOR
MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the Coyote
track and field team, head to the official homepage of the Yotes – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/track.htm.
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