‘Yote Notes – April
23, 2002
(To subscribe to ‘Yote Notes, contact Mike Safford
Jr. at msafford@albertson.edu or
208-459-5681
GENERAL
ATHLETICS NEWS:
DOES
$10,000 SOUND GOOD TO YOU?: The
Albertson volleyball program is in the process of conducting a fundraiser for
the 2002 team. The squad is currently
selling tickets for a drawing for up to $10,000 in early May. 200 tickets at $100 a piece are being sold,
with the person holding the winning ticket receiving half of the funds
raised. If all 200 are sold, the
winning ticket is worth ten-grand.
Contact head coach Liz Mendiola at 459-5858 for more information.
SCHEDULES
RELEASED: Fall and winter sports
schedules, albeit tentative, have been released by both basketball and soccer
teams, along with volleyball. Head to
the main athletics website (www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/default.asp),
and click on the respective sport to find the schedule. Highlights include a rigorous home men’s
soccer schedule, the volleyball team’s trip to San Diego, and men’s basketball
games at Boise State and Idaho State.
RECRUITING
HITTING FULL GEAR: Both the fall and winter
sports teams have hit the trail, looking for the players that will make the
2002-03 Coyotes tick. Following are a
list of new players that will be headed for Albertson next season.
Volleyball: Amanda Basanez (College of Southern Idaho), Frances
Hartman (Lakeview (Ore.) HS), Kristen Bailey (Fountain Green, Utah)
Women’s Basketball: Danielle Cotterell (Nampa HS), Annie Roeser
(Homedale HS), Sara Wilkin (Southwestern Oregon CC), Kim Strunk (Twin Falls)
Baseball: Brad Burrow (College of Southern Idaho), Jake
McGrady (Borah HS), Corey Stalling (Borah HS)
Softball: Katie Theisen (Centennial HS)
Women’s
Tennis: Kathy Webster (Capital HS)
LAST WEEK: vs. Northwest Nazarene (W 6-0, W
16-4), vs. Oregon Tech (W 4-0, W 14-2, W 6-1, W 11-4)
THIS WEEK: at Lewis-Clark State – Friday,
6:30 p.m. (PDT); Saturday, 1 p.m. (PDT); vs. Lewis-Clark State – Sunday, 3 p.m. (Hawks Stadium, Boise);
Monday, 1 p.m. (Simplot Stadium, Caldwell)
SURGING
COYOTES KEEP PACE: With
injuries that have decimated the Coyotes from the get-go, a long winning streak
has not been one of the things the team had achieved this year – until
now. Albertson swept aside a
doubleheader from Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday, and a four-game series from
Oregon Tech over the weekend, running its winning streak to seven games, and 12
of their last 13 games. The Coyotes now
sit three games back of British Columbia in the Region I standings, with just
eight games remaining. UBC took 3-of-4
games from Concordia this weekend, vaulting Albertson back into second-place.
REGIONAL
STANDINGS: British
Columbia (28-12, 14-2), Albertson (28-13-1, 15-5), Concordia (19-26, 10-4),
Northwest Nazarene (17-26, 8-12), Western Baptist (18-19, 5-9), Oregon Tech
(3-13, 7-23), Eastern Oregon (3-13, 5-26), Lewis-Clark State (no regional
record, 29-11)
ONE
HITTERS: Against
Oregon Tech, Coyote pitchers threw a pair of one-hitters against the first-year
Owls. On Saturday, Taylor Blair (Sacramento,
Calif. / American River CC) held the Techsters without a hit until the
sixth inning, recording his third shutout of the season. On Sunday Chris Eggleston (Chewelah,
Wash. / Grays Harbor CC) followed suit, only allowing a first inning single
in his complete game win. The last
one-hitter thrown by the Coyotes was back in 2000, when Jon Smeed shut down
Central Washington, 1-0.
MORE
ON THE DUO: Eggleston
also threw his third shutout of the season on Tuesday against Northwest
Nazarene, giving up eight safeties along the way. He and Blair share third-place on the single-season shutout list,
one behind Levi Lacey and Jason Simontacchi.
SPEAKING
OF SIMONTACCHI: The
former Coyote is off to an outstanding start with the Memphis Redbirds, the
Class AAA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. Simontacchi is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA in three starts. He has struck out 16 batters, walking three,
in 21 innings of work.
URANGA
CONTINUES TORRID STREAK: Playing in front of the home fans has ignited the bat of Darren
Uranga (Homedale, Idaho / Homedale HS) over the past two weeks. The junior earned his second consecutive
Cascade Conference Hitter-of-the-Week honor after going 12-for-21 at the dish,
with a homer and nine RBI. In the eight
games played at Simplot Stadium, Uranga is hitting .643, with three homers and
14 RBI.
HE’S
NOT THE ONLY HOT HITTER: Three other players had great weeks for the Coyotes, all hitting over
.400. Cory Acklus (Everett,
Wash. / Alabama-Birmingham) found his stroke, going 10-for-18 with three
home runs and ten RBI. He had a
two-homer performance against NNU, and added a long ball into the win on
Saturday against Oregon Tech. Rob
Reid (Boise, Idaho / Cochise CC) joined Uranga and Acklus in the hit
parade, going 6-for-11 at the plate.
More importantly for Reid, however, was the timing of his hits – a
two-run double on Saturday against OIT, along with a two run single and a
three-run triple on Sunday. Scott
Skeen (Bend, Ore. / Oregon State) was at it again, going 9-for-19
with two homers and five RBI. The
senior had his school record 18th triple of his career, along with running his
consecutive stolen base streak to 24-in-a-row.
GONZALEZ
RETURNS WITH A BANG: The Oregon Tech series
saw the return of shortstop Patrick
Gonzalez (Ontario, Calif. / Riverside CC)
from a hairline fracture in his left
hand. The senior had not started in 17
games, seeing action only as a pinch-runner.
Gonzalez picked up where he left off, going 6-for-16 with two doubles
and five RBI, along with a plethora of great defensive plays in the field.
WHAT
PROBLEM WITH THE STICK?: A month ago, a slumping
Albertson team was batting .244, 38 points lower than the worst season ever
posted by ‘Yote squad. Lately, the bats
have not been a problem, as the unit has scored ten or more runs in 7-of-11
games, and seen their team batting average rise to .276. In eight home games, the Coyotes are hitting
.382.
STARTING
PITCHING ROLLING ON: Even more impressive were the Coyote starting
pitchers last week. Between Chris
Eggleston, Taylor Blair, Ben Frank (Paul,
Idaho / North Idaho College), and Chris
Rennaker (Darby, Mont. / Lewis-Clark State), Albertson starters gave
up four earned runs in 41 innings, an ERA of 0.88. For the season, the rotation carries a 2.88 ERA.
RENNAKER
FINDS HIS STUFF: Along with Blair and Eggleston, Chris Rennaker has
become a go-to pitcher in the Coyote rotation.
The senior has won his last four starts – all since late March. Rennaker is 4-0 with a 2.26 ERA in his six
starts, including a pair of victories last week.
HAWKS
STADIUM INFORMATION: This Sunday, fans in Boise get the rare
opportunity to witness a high caliber of college baseball, as Albertson College
and Lewis-Clark State College meet at Hawks Stadium. Both programs have a storied history, with LC-State holding 11
NAIA championships, along with a current No. 8 national rating, while Albertson
won the crown in 1998, and should crack the NAIA Top-25 with its current win
streak. Ticket prices for the 3 p.m.
game are three dollars for adults, and one dollar for students, with special
packages available for groups. All high
school, Babe Ruth, and Little League players will be admitted free to the
stadium by wearing their team hat. Also
a free rooter bus will leave the Albertson campus at 2 p.m. to transport fans
to Hawks Stadium for the game, and will return immediately following.
MORE ON
LEWIS-CLARK STATE: Whereas Albertson pitching has been the story for
much of the 2002 season, the opposite can be said for Lewis-Clark State, as the in-state rival hook up for a
home-and-home four-game series this week.
The Warriors (29-11) have hit 78 home runs on the year, including a pair
of sluggers with ten or more (Tory Haven – 14, Zeph Zinsman – 11). The downside for the 11-time NAIA champs is
on the mound, where only Arizona State transfer Andy Torres (6-0, 2.96 ERA, 2
Saves) has been dominant. The two teams
have battled four times already this season, with LCSC winning 3-of-4. Of the three, two wins came in extra
innings, and one in the Warriors final at bat.
The first two games of the series will be played in Lewiston at Harris
Field, the site of the NAIA College World Series, and after the Hawks Stadium
game on Sunday, the final meeting will be at Simplot Stadium.
WEB
BROADCASTS: Apologies are sent out to the fans who tried to listen to
Sunday’s game with Oregon Tech, as a technical glich left fans in the dark (the
right button was not pushed…). This
week, however, no live Albertson broadcasts will be conducted, however, KOZE
radio from Lewiston will broadcast all four games of the LCSC series live (www.koze.com - click on the LC-State sports link). Broadcasters Brian Danner and Mike Tatko
will have the call.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: For updated information and
statistics, visit the official website of the Coyote baseball team at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/baseball.htm.
SOFTBALL: 9-29, 1-11 in Cascade
Conference
LAST
WEEK: vs. Southern Oregon (L 14-3, L 7-0), at Eastern Oregon (L
6-5, L 10-2), at Northwest Christian (W 6-1, L 5-4), at Concordia (L 3-1, W
8-0)
THIS
WEEK: vs. Simon Fraser, Tuesday, 2 p.m.; at Oregon Tech,
Saturday, 11 a.m. (PDT); at Southern Oregon, Sunday, Noon (PDT)
WEEKEND MAGIC FOR THE COYOTES: The
downward spiral that was the Albertson softball team took an turn for the good
this weekend, as the young squad snapped a 12-game losing streak with a 6-1 win
at Northwest Christian, then upset 2001 NAIA Tournament participant Concordia
University, 8-0. With the wins, the
Coyotes improved to 9-29 on the season.
FIRSTS A PLENTY: The win over Concordia, the
first-ever Cascade Conference win, was more impressive for the fact that it was
a run-rule shutout. Nicole Glenn (Nyssa,
Ore. / BYU-Idaho) gave up just four hits in the first-ever whitewashing by
the Lady ‘Yotes. Glenn also did the
Cavaliers in at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, including the
first-ever home run in school history, a three-run shot to left field.
MORE ON GLENN: Not only did the junior record
both victories for Albertson, but she terrorized opposing pitchers in the eight
games last week. Glenn hit .438 with
two doubles, the home run, and five RBI, upping her batting average this season
to .333.
SPEED, SPEED, AND MORE SPEED: Outfielder
Victoria DeLaRosa (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) continued to
separate herself from the Cascade Conference pack in the stolen base
department. The freshman stole 7-of-8
bases this week, including five in the Concordia series, giving her 25 on the
year. DeLaRosa went 10-for-22 at the
plate (.455 clip), and scored six runs.
THE OTHER GAMES: Yes, Albertson won two games
this week – however, the team also lost six games. Southern Oregon pounded out 30 hits, which included four home
runs in sweeping a doubleheader at Symms Field last Monday. Lindzi Wasko (Lakenheath, England
/ Lakenheath American HS) had an RBI triple in game one for the
Coyotes. Friday, the team dropped two
more games at Eastern Oregon, although they made it interesting in the seventh
inning of game one. Trailing 6-1, a
pair of two-out singles and a walk loaded the bases for Nicole Glenn. Glenn singled home a run, and Heather
Keepers (Apache Junction, Ariz. / Apache Junction HS) followed with
a bases-clearing double to make it 6-5.
However, the ‘Yotes could not produce another clutch two-out hit. On Saturday at Northwest Christian, Andrea
Nicolosi (Mountain Home, Idaho / Mountain Home HS) went 4-for-8 in
the split. Albertson scored six
unanswered runs in the first game for the victory, with Keepers knocking in
three runs. The nightcap saw a
controversial interference call in the seventh thwart a rally.
CONFERENCE NOTES: A dramatic swing in the power
within the Cascade Conference occurred Sunday, as upstart Southern Oregon swept
a doubleheader at No. 17 Oregon Tech, taking over the league lead. The Raiders have now won ten consecutive
games, and 17 straight games on the road.
The top two teams in the CCC advance to the NAIA Region I Tournament
during the second week of May.
FIRST
RECRUIT FOR 2003 SIGNED: Head coach Kelly Gibbons announced last Thursday the signing of
Centennial High senior Katie Theisen as the first member of the 2003
recruiting class. Theisen was an
All-State selection last year as an outfielder, and earned All-Southern Idaho
Conference honors during her sophomore and junior seasons. She was a teammate of current Coyote players Kira
Leaton and Heather McClure at CHS last year.
GOLIATH
COMING TO TOWN: For
fans wanting to see one of the top fastpitch softball programs in the NAIA,
Tuesday’s doubleheader with Simon Fraser will give Treasure Valley fans
a great opportunity. The Clan (17-3)
are currently ranked No. 2 in the NAIA national poll, having lost one-run games
to Seattle University and Western Washington, and a 13-0 decision to NCAA
Division I Washington. Head coach Mike
Renney has taken his team to the NAIA College World Series each of the past
four years, bringing home the crown in 1999.
Six different players have batting averages over .375, with the team
holding a .355 average. SFU defeated
Albertson, 14-0, en route to the championship at this year’s Central Washington
Invitational.
FINAL
ROAD GAMES OF THE YEAR: Saturday and Sunday, the Coyotes head back to the Klamath Basin, for
the final two Cascade Conference doubleheaders on the road. Second-place Oregon Tech, which has
swamped Albertson in the previous three meetings this season, is the opponent
on Saturday. Leah Azevedo leads the
NAIA Region I with a .500 batting average, with four homers and 42 RBI. As mentioned earlier, Sunday’s opponent, Southern
Oregon, is one of the hottest teams in the entire NAIA. Both pitcher Brandi Brown and third-baseman
Angie Chaplin earned their second consecutive Cascade Conference Player and
Pitcher-of-the-Week honors on Monday.
AT
HOME FOR THE FINAL FOUR: The Coyotes will round out the season with games at home May 4 against
Eastern Oregon and May 6 against Concordia.
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 when Simon Fraser calls on Albertson on Tuesday
afternoon. Listen to the games online
at http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mbasketball/profiles/0102/AthleticsLive.asx,
with the first pitch slated for 2 p.m.
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
GOLF:
LAST
WEEK: Snowed out
at Von Elm Invitational, hosted by Idaho State
THIS
WEEK: at
Westminster College Tournament
LET IT
SNOW, LET IT SNOW: The
Coyotes had an easy time getting to Pocatello last week for the Von Elm and
Bengal Invitationals, hosted by Idaho State University. However, just after the Coyotes took the
course on Monday, snow began to fall…and fall…and fall. In all, over four inches of snow blanketed
the course, which left the 18 teams without an opportunity to compete – and
stranded for a day in southeastern Idaho.
LET’S
TRY AGAIN: This
time, it is off to Salt Lake City for the Westminster College Tournament, which
will include Albertson, Northwest Nazarene, and the Frontier Conference
schools. This is the final tournament
prior to the NAIA Region I Championships, to take place in Couer d’Alene next
week.
NATIONAL
RANKINGS: Lewis-Clark
State is the highest ranked men’s team in the region, currently at No. 7. Simon Fraser, Montana-Western, and Montana
Tech can be found within the “others receiving votes” category. On the women’s side, Rocky Mountain and
British Columbia are ranked Nos. 1 and 2, with Montana-Western ranked No. 24.
OFFICIAL
WEBSITE: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/golf.htm
WOMEN’S TENNIS: 6-4
(2-4 in NAIA)
LAST
WEEK: Exhibition
vs. Treasure Valley CC (W 8-1), Exhibition vs. Green River CC (W 7-2)
THIS
WEEK: at NAIA
Region I Championships, Friday-Sunday, Lewiston, Idaho – vs. Seattle, 10 a.m.,
Friday; (win vs. LC-State, lose, vs. Southern Oregon-Alberta loser)
TWO
EXHIBITION WINS SET STAGE FOR REGIONALS: Last week, the women’s tennis team made it 4-0
against the community college ranks, easily dispatching Treasure Valley and
Green River CC’s. Against TVCC, the
Coyotes rested their top two players, and still managed an 8-1 victory. The typical ladder took on GRCC, with
Albertson losing the No. 3 doubles and No. 3 singles matches in tiebreakers.
OFF TO
REGIONALS: Back
to Lewiston, Idaho goes the tennis team, hoping to improve on a 1-3 performance
from the LC-State Spring Challenge in March.
The winner of the five-team event will earn an automatic berth to the
NAIA National Championships in May.
Albertson will meet Seattle University in an opening round match, with
nationally ranked Lewis-Clark State looming in the next round. Southern Oregon and the University of
Alberta round out the teams.
LAST
SEASON: The
Coyotes dispatched of Evergreen and Alberta on their way to the championship
round against Lewis-Clark State in an event shortened due to poor weather. Albertson dropped the finale 5-0, although a
pair of Coyote players were winning their matches when the winning point for
the Warriors was won.
OFFICIAL
WEBSITE: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wtennis.htm