‘Yote Notes – April
1, 2002
(To subscribe to ‘Yote Notes, contact Mike Safford
Jr. at msafford@albertson.edu or
208-459-5681
BASEBALL: 15-8-1, 5-1 in Region I
LAST WEEK: at Western Baptist – Friday (W
1-0, W 3-0), Saturday (W 4-2, L 10-8)
THIS WEEK: at Utah (DH), Tuesday, Noon; at
British Columbia (DH), Saturday, 1 p.m. (PST); at British Columbia (DH),
Sunday, 1 p.m. (PST).
GONZALEZ OUT INDEFINITELY WITH
BROKEN HAND: Just when the injury bug seemed to elude the Coyotes
for a week, another catastrophic ding hits the Albertson baseball program. All-Conference shortstop Patrick Gonzalez (Ontario, Calif. / Riverside CC)
sustained a hairline fracture on his glove hand during practice last
Wednesday. The extent of the injury is
unknown until swelling on the hand goes down, with down time anywhere from as
little as three weeks to the remainder of the season. The senior was coming off an outstanding week where he earned NAIA
Region I Hitter-of-the-Week honors. It
is the second such injury for Albertson, as Jack Mitchell (Kennewick,
Wash. / Columbia Basin CC) chipped a bone in his wrist a month ago.
COYOTES PERSERVERE, WIN 3-OF-4 AT
WESTERN BAPTIST: Pitching once again was the key for the ‘Yotes, as
the squad took the first three games of its regional series at Western Baptist,
before dropping the getaway game.
Despite extending its domination over the Warriors, a 44-5 record since
1987, the Coyotes fell into a tie for second in the Region I standings, as both
British Columbia and Concordia swept series this weekend.
BLAIR NAMED REGIONAL
PITCHER-OF-THE-WEEK: The best pitching staff in the region has now seen
back-to-back Pitcher-of-the-Week honors bestowed upon them, as Taylor Blair (Sacramento, Calif. / American River CC) earned
the nod, a week after Chris Eggleston (Chewelah,
Wash. / Grays Harbor CC) received the award. Blair threw a nine-inning complete game
shutout of Western on Friday night, giving up just one walk and four hits in
the win. The sophomore has allowed just
one earned run over his last two starts, spanning 17 innings, both wins. Eggleston could have received kudos from the
NAIA as well, as the senior hurled his second-straight shutout, this one a
seven-inning three hitter of the Warriors.
SCORELESS STREAK ENDED AT 30 1/3
INNINGS: For almost a week, Albertson pitchers threw goose
eggs at opposing batters. Including the
final two outs of last Saturday’s loss against Lewis-Clark State, opponents did
not have a run come across the plate for 30 1/3 innings. The streak consisted of a shutout of British
Columbia last Sunday, back-to-back whitewashings of Western Baptist on Friday,
and 4 2/3 more scoreless innings on Saturday.
A total of 118 opposing batters came to the plate against Coyote pitchers
during the streak.
SKEEN STARTING TO HEAT UP: After
missing almost three weeks with shoulder problems at the beginning of March,
senior Scott Skeen (Bend, Ore.) has
begun to regain the stroke the stroke that earned him a spot on the 2001 NAIA
All-America team. Skeen went 7-for-14
at the plate against Western Baptist, scoring four runs, driving in a pair of
runs, and stealing two bases. His
batting average has climbed to .310 on the season.
THE UP’S AT THE PLATE: Both Cory Acklus (Everett, Wash. / Alabama-Birmingham) and Rob Reid (Boise, Idaho / Cochise CC) showed
signs of breaking out of a season-long slump this weekend. Acklus went 7-for-15 in the series,
including his third home run of the season.
Reid went 3-for-6 with a double, as both players now have their batting
average over .200.
AND THE DOWN’S AT THE PLATE: Both D.J. Eberlin (St. Maries, Idaho / St. Maries HS) and Todd Howell (Marysville, Wash. / Skagit Valley CC) each
failed to get a hit in the weekend set in Salem. Eberlin has not recorded a safety in his last 15 at-bats, and has
seen his batting average dip to .188. The junior Howell has had a hit in 14
plate appearances, and his average has plummeted to .174.
FRIDAY’S
BLANKING OF THE WARRIORS: Behind the pitching of
Chris Eggleston and Taylor Blair,
the Coyotes 1-0 and 3-0 NAIA Region I victories over the Western Baptist on
Friday. The two pitchers combined to
give up seven safeties to a squad batting over .300 on the
season. In game one it was all Eggleston, as he held Western to just
three hits over seven innings to pick up his fifth consecutive victory.
His back-to-back shutout wins has dropped the Chewelah, Wash. native's ERA to
1.12 in 40.1 innings of work. Scott Skeen went 2-for-3 and scored
the lone Albertson run in the sixth inning. Skeen and Scott Freeman singled, were bunted
into scoring position by Darren Uranga,
and Josh Orr (Winnemucca, Nev. /
Lowry HS) was intentionally walked. Reliever Bryan Edwards then
plunked Trey Reid (Boise, Idaho /
Capital HS) with a fast ball to score Skeen from third. Game two saw Albertson get on the board in
the third on a Cory Acklus solo
home run. Skeen plated both Dustin
Garcia (Reno, Nev. / Feather River CC) in the sixth and Todd Howell in the eighth with singles
for the Coyotes runs.
SATURDAY’S SPLIT: Nick Williams (Poulsbo,
Wash. / Lower Columbia CC) pitched six innings of three-hit ball in the
opener for Albertson, but timely hitting and four errors cost the Coyotes in
the late game, as Western Baptist salvaged a doubleheader split, losing 4-2 in
the opener, and winning the nightcap 10-8.
A Josh Orr two-run single in the first gave Williams a 2-0 lead before
he had to take the hill for Albertson.
The senior mowed down Western batters for 4 2/3 innings before a K.C.
Rumrey sacrifice fly got the Warriors on the board, ending the Coyotes
scoreless inning streak. Scott
Freeman, who went 2-for-4, hit his third home run of the season in the seventh,
and Ben Frank (Paul, Idaho / North Idaho CC) got the final three
outs for his second save of the season. Cory Acklus went 3-for-3, while
Scott Skeen went 2-for-4. Game two was a see-saw affair from the
get-go. A two-out single by Skeen followed by an RBI double by Freeman
gave Albertson a 1-0 in the first.
However, Western scored four times on four hits in the bottom of the
inning, chasing 'Yote starter Andrew Hall (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS). Albertson regained the lead with a four run
third inning, thanks to an error, an Orr RBI double, and a pair of run-scoring
ground outs. But Western scored three runs off Frank, thanks to a
throwing error by the hurler, in the fourth, and two more off Eric Jensen
(Mountain Home, Idaho / Mountain Home HS) in the fifth to take a 9-5
lead, a lead they would not relinquish.
Orr, Acklus, and Rob Reid each had two hits for Albertson, which saw a
four-game win streak snapped, along with a five-game Region I win streak.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: The
first NAIA National Poll was released last Wednesday, and the ‘Yotes dropped
from their No. 13 spot in the preseason poll to No. 19. Lewis-Clark State also dropped from No. 1 to
No. 3, the only other Region I team in the Top-25. Oklahoma City took over the top-spot, with Embry-Riddle (Fla.) at
No. 2. Incidentally, Azusa Pacific, a
team Albertson swept at the British Columbia Tournament, rose to No. 13 in the
poll.
WHO’S TOUGHER – UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
OR UBC?: Another eight-game road trip will finally conclude
32 straight games away from home for the Coyotes. The adventure begins Tuesday at the University of Utah, who won
2-of-3 games at home over San Diego State over the weekend. The NCAA Division I Utes (18-13) have a 6-1
record this season at home, average over eight runs a game, but have a team ERA
at 6.23. However, their No. 1 starter,
Mitch Maio has a 5-1 record with a 3.20 ERA this season, earning back-to-back
Mountain West Conference Player-of-the-Week honors. The two teams split a doubleheader last season. More important to Albertson, however, is
this weekend’s four-game series at British Columbia. The set could not only be a prelude to the
NAIA Region I Tournament, but the battle between the Coyotes and Thunderbirds
(18-10) may decide early who hosts the tournament. UBC is on a roll, winning five-consecutive games after a 1-0 loss
to Albertson last Sunday. Phenom
pitcher Jeff Francis, along with Brooks McNiven provide a tough 1-2 punch for
the T-Birds, as the duo have combined for a 9-0 record this season. However, Albertson has won both meetings
with UBC this year, but has not faced either Francis or McNiven. The Coyotes will finish the road trip with
single games at Puget Sound on
Monday and Central Washington on
Tuesday.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The
Coyotes will play three different home dates this season in Boise at Memorial
Stadium, home of the Boise Hawks. These
dates – April 16 (vs. Northwest Nazarene), April 20 (vs. Oregon Tech), and
April 28 (vs. Lewis-Clark State), will give Albertson baseball fans a different
experience, and allow the City of Trees to see the ‘Yotes up close and
personal. More information, including a
free rooter bus to the LC-State game (leaving Albertson at 11:30 a.m.) and
ticket prices will be available as we get closer to the games.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: For updated information and
statistics, visit the official website of the Coyote baseball team at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/baseball.htm.
SOFTBALL: 7-17, 0-0 in Cascade Conference
LAST
WEEK: Swept by Northwest Christian (L 5-4, L 7-4)
THIS
WEEK: at Cascade Conference Preview, Ashland, Ore., Saturday –
vs. Oregon Tech, 10:55 a.m.; vs. Southern Oregon, 3:55 p.m.; Sunday – vs.
Eastern Oregon, 9:15 a.m.; vs. Concordia, 11:55 a.m. (All times PST)
ERRORS PLAGUE COYOTES: Eight errors in two games
– it is tough to try and stay in games, let alone win contests with a mixing of
bad hops, wild throws, and mental breakdowns.
However, the Albertson softball team fought diligently despite the eight
recorded miscues, but dropped a pair of games to Northwest Christian, an NCCAA
school from Eugene, Ore. The Coyotes
end their six-game homestand with a 3-3 record, with 20 of their final 25 games
within the Cascade Conference.
THE WORD ON SATURDAY – YOU’RE OUT!: Although
a tally in the loss column went next to both of their names, Lady ‘Yote
pitchers Nicole Glenn (Nyssa, Ore. / BYU-Idaho) and Lindzi
Wasko (Lakenheath, England / Lakenheath American HS) had the
strikeout pitch working to perfection.
Glenn set the first “real” school-record in the short time of the
fastpitch program, whiffing 13 Northwest Christian batters in the first game of
the doubleheader. The junior recorded
seven of the first nine outs of the game with the “K”. Wasko also had it working, striking out
eight batters, despite giving up 11 hits.
The freshman had only recorded three strikeouts in 12 innings prior to
Saturday.
MORE FIRSTS: Northwest Christian freshman
Sara Lewis became the first player to hit a home run at the Symms Athletic
Complex, taking a Lindzi Wasko change and driving a towering shot over the
left-centerfield wall in the fourth inning of game two. Not to be outdone, her Crusader teammate
Tina Houtz hit a leadoff round-tripper in the fifth, which looked almost
identical – also off a Wasko hanging change.
EN FUEGO: A quote from the Idaho Press
Tribune following last weekend’s game with Walla Walla said it all, “I finally
pulled my head out and started swinging.”
The words from second-baseman Andrea Nicolosi (Mountain Home,
Idaho / Mountain Home HS) were frank and to the point, but correct. Over the past four games, no one has been as
hot as the freshman, hitting 9-for-15 with four doubles and two RBI. Her batting average has skyrocketed, from
.133 on March 23 to .250, following Saturday’s doubleheader. Nicolosi also leads the Cascade Confernece
with five doubles.
STREAKS: Catcher Tiffany Mathews (Las
Vegas, Nev. / Eldorado HS) saw her seven-game hitting streak ended in the
7-4 loss to Northwest Christian.
Despite that, Mathews still leads the team with a .339 batting average
and eight RBI, and a conference best 21 hits.
She has hit safely in 16 of the team’s 24 games. On the flip side, Victoria DeLaRosa (Caldwell,
Idaho / Vallivue HS) is riding on a seven-game hitting streak, and seen her
average jump to .286. The freshman also
leads the CCC in runs scored with 12 and stolen bases with 16.
STAFF ERA DROPPING: With the Cascade
Conference opener this week, Albertson
is no longer the cellar dweller in the pitching department. The team ERA has dropped to 4.69, below the
4.90 average of Eastern Oregon. Nicole
Glenn leads the loop in innings pitched with 92.1, along with strikeouts with
63. Glenn’s ERA is at 3.03, having
given up just seven earned runs in her last 40.2 innings pitched.
MORE ON THE NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN DOUBLEHEADER: In game one,
Sara
Lewis led off for NWCC with a single and Tiffiny Busse was hit by a
pitch. The Crusaders tried a double steal, with Coyote catcher Tiffany
Mathews tossing the ball into left field, allowing Lewis to score. After
Busse stole third and Tina Quintero walked, the visitors tried another double
steal, with Busse this time swiping home. Julie Hood singled home
Quintero for a 3-0 lead. Albertson
would get a run back in the first on a Mathews RBI single, but two errors led
to two more NWCC runs in the third. The
Coyotes scored one in the third and two more in the sixth to draw within
one. Two-out back-to-back doubles by Danielle Landa (Homedale,
Idaho / Homedale HS) and Heather Keepers (Apache Junction, Ariz.
/ Apache Junction HS), followed by a Victoria DeLaRosa single made
it 5-4. However, Albertson stranded the tying run at second base in the
seventh inning.
Game two saw the Crusaders pound out 11 hits off Lindzi
Wasko, including the first two home runs in Symms Field history. Lewis
capped a 4-for-4 game with a solo home run in the fourth inning, only to be
followed by a Tina Houtz round-tripper in the fifth, as the NCCAA squad from
Eugene, Ore. won for the sixth-straight time.
Trailing 7-2 in the sixth, the Lady 'Yotes got an RBI ground out by Landa,
and a DeLaRosa RBI double, but Wasko, the potential tying run, grounded to
shortstop to end the threat. Keepers went 4-for-5 in the doubleheader for
Albertson, after being moved from the No. 2 spot to the No. 9 spot in the
line-up.
FIRST GO-ROUND THROUGH THE CASCADE CONFERENCE: At the
2001 Fall Coaches Meeting, the Cascade Conference decided to hold a “jamboree”
to open up the 2002 conference softball season. So this weekend in Ashland, Ore., Albertson and its four other
CCC rivals will play a round-robin schedule, with each team playing each other
once, with all games counting in the standings. The opening day for the Coyotes will be very difficult, as both Oregon
Tech and Southern Oregon have been playing extremely well as of
late. OIT (15-5) has run off
eight-consecutive victories in Northern California, including a sweep of NCAA
Division II San Francisco State. The
Owls, ranked No. 12 in the latest NAIA National Poll, hit .330 as a team, and
are led by All-American Megan Webber (.470, 3 HR, 26 RBI). Southern (8-2) is a one-man gang, so to
say. The Raiders have put their season
on the back of All-Region pitcher Brandi Brown (8-2, 2.27 ERA), who has thrown
63 of the 67 innings so far this season after leading the Cascade Conference in
that category last year. With just one
pitcher, head coach James Gravelle has tried to schedule an extra day of rest
during the CCC slate for Brown.
Although the team has won six in a row, SOU split with the same
Northwest Christian team that played Albertson this past weekend. Sunday morning, its Eastern Oregon
and Concordia. Eastern (4-8) is
coming off a difficult 1-5 trip to Hawaii, playing against NCAA Division II
opponents. The Mountaineers have one of
the best hitters in the nation in Chrissie Bacon (.575, 9 RBI). One disappointment this season so far has
been Concordia (1-5), the team which represented the NAIA Region I at last
season’s College World Series. The
Cavaliers lost a trio of All-Region players, but still have an outstanding
centerfielder in Katie Holts (no statistics provided). CU opened the season with a split at Lewis
& Clark, then lost successive twinbills with Northwest Christian and Saint
Martin’s. Following the Preview
Tournament, each team will meet again four times, with a doubleheader played at
home and on the road.
INTERNET BROADCASTS: Albertson home softball games will
be broadcast live on the Internet, via the Albertson athletic website. Sports information director Mike Safford
Jr., who has called action at the 1997 NAIA Women’s College World Series, and
games at the NCAA Division III West Regional tournament the past three years,
will handle the play-by-play. Listen to
the games online at http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mbasketball/profiles/0102/AthleticsLive.asx.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: Updated
information and statistics on the 2002 softball team can be found at the
Albertson softball official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/softball/index.htm
LAST
WEEK: Idle
THIS
WEEK: At Treasure
Valley C.C., Friday, TBA
ANOTHER EXHIBITION MATCH: The
women’s tennis team travels to Ontario, Ore. this week for a non-counting match
against Treasure Valley Community College.
The Lady ‘Yotes defeated TVCC 7-2 earlier this season, this despite
resting their top-three players in the ladder.
In that match, the Chukars brought four players to Caldwell.
MORE CC’S TO COME: Along
with a return match with Treasure Valley, Albertson will also face Green River
and Spokane CC as part of their regular-season schedule. Although the results do not figure in the
official standings, it will give the team ample competition in preparation for
the NAIA Region I Championships in Lewiston at the end of April.
SPEAKING OF NATIONAL RANKINGS: Lewis-Clark
State is the only Region I team represented in the ITA-Omni Hotels NAIA
National Poll, sitting at No. 14. Both
Southern Oregon and the University of Alberta received votes in last week’s
poll, but not enough to crack the Top-25.
Defending National Champion Auburn-Montgomery continues to lead the
pack.
OFFICIAL
WEBSITE: Updated
information and statistics on the 2002 women’s tennis team can be found on the
official website of Albertson tennis – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wtennis.htm
GOLF:
THIS
WEEK: Men and
Women play home and home duals with Northwest Nazarene – Wednesday at Riverbend
G.C., 2 p.m.; Thursday at either Ridgecrest G.C. or Centennial G.C., 2 p.m.
LINKSTERS
TO TEE OFF 2002 SEASON: After a small, but yet productive Fall season, the Albertson men’s and
women’s golf teams are set to conqueror the 2002 season. Dual matches with Northwest Nazarene, along
with trips to the Lewis-Clark State, Idaho State, and Westminster College Opens
will set the stage for the cornerstone of the season, the NAIA Region I Championships
in Couer d’Alene.
MEN
HOPE TO IMPROVE ON LAST SEASON: The Coyote men and head coach Garry Matlock look to
improve on last season’s third-place finish at the NAIA Region I Championships,
and return four members of the team.
Senior Gavin Parker (Homedale, Idaho / Homedale HS) and
junior Jeff Simonds (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS) anchor the
team, both coming off a solid 2001 Spring season. Parker had a pair of top-six finishes, while Simonds twice shared
medallist honors in matches with Northwest Nazarene, and had top-five finishes
in 3-of-4 tournaments. Adding depth to
the team are freshmen John Bideganeta (Homedale, Idaho / Homedale HS)
and Jeff Masingill (Payette, Idaho / Payette HS). Bideganeta twice earned All-State honors in
high school, while Masingill is the son of well-known Idaho amateur champion,
Scott Masingill. Also returning to the
squad this season are sophomores Chris Tillman (Boise, Idaho / Bishop
Kelly HS) and Aaron Vick (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS).
MEN
1-1 AGAINST NNU: During
the fall season, the Albertson men split a pair of matches with Northwest
Nazarene. The Coyotes won by one stroke
at Riverbend Golf Course on September 25, while the Crusaders took home a
two-stroke victory at the Ridgecreat Course on September 24.
WOMEN
WILL MISS RODWELL: All-American
Jenni Rodwell has graduated, which leaves a huge void in the women’s golf
program. The squad has just two
competitors, one of which competed a year ago.
Sophomore Jennifer Pedregon (Meridian, Idaho / Meridian HS) was
Rodwell’s partner last season, but will be teamed with freshman Amanda
Rangel (Homedale, Idaho / Homedale HS), a five-foot tall sparkplug
of a golfer. Although the duo cannot
compete in team standings, their goal is simple, follow the path that Rodwell
set before them – try to qualify for the NAIA Championships as an individual.
OFFICIAL
WEBSITE: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/golf.htm