yote notes - edition 3

COMING UP: vs. Whitman (DH), Saturday, Noon; vs. Whitman (DH), Sunday, 11 a.m.

LAST WEEK: at NAIA Desert Classic, Anthem, Ariz. – vs. Wayland Baptist (W 7-2), vs. Point Loma Nazarene (L 9-2), vs. No. 17 Fresno Pacific (W 11-3), vs. No. 11 Lewis-Clark State (L 8-4).

LIVE STATS: Live Statistics of all Coyote home baseball games will be provided in 2012, thanks to the Sprint Store in Meridian (2100 East Fairview Ave, 855-9910). Fans can access the stats by visiting The C of I baseball Dakstats page at http://tinyurl.com/6nlavwh and click on the blue “W” next to the corresponding game.

YOTES PLAY WELL IN ARIZONA: Making their first preseason trip to Arizona in program history, the Coyotes opened the 2012 with four quality performances against four quality teams at the NAIA Desert Classic.  The C of I picked up wins against perennial powers Wayland Baptist and Fresno Pacific, while losing a pair of close games against recent NAIA World Series contenders Point Loma Nazarene and Lewis-Clark State.  The squad posted a .290 team batting average and a quality .416 on base percentage during the trip.

C OF I SWEEPS RED LION WEEKLY AWARDS: Coyote players swept the first Red Lion-Cascade Conference weekly awards of the 2012 season, as Jarel Lewis (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS) earned Player of the Week honors and Taylor Nicholson (Emmett, Idaho / Columbia Basin CC) won Pitcher of the Week honors.  Lewis hit safely in all four games in Arizona, going 7-for-16 with a homer, three doubles, three RBI, and five runs scored, while Nicholson picked up a save in his debut, tossing three and one-third innings of shutout relief, striking out seven men. 

STELLAR DEFENSE: A key to the success of the Yotes was their play defensively – as the team committed just two errors in 153 chances in Arizona.  C of I infielders did not commit a throwing error in the four games, with no miscues at the corner infield positions nor in the outfield.  The Coyotes team fielding percentage of .987 ranks No. 5 in the NAIA.

WHO WAS HOT: The top of the Coyote order had a great weekend in Arizona – as along with Jarel Lewis, Todd Griffiths (Meridian, Idaho / Lower Columbia CC), Tanner Hodges (Sisters, Ore. / Mount Hood CC), and Izaac Garsez (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) all hit .333 or better against the quality pitching.  Griffiths went 4-for-11 with five runs scored, Hodges went 5-for-15 with three runs scored, with Garsez going 5-for-15 with a homer, three RBI, and four stolen bases.  On the mound, Chad Yeggy (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) had an impressive season debut, allowing just two runs on six hits in five-plus innings against Wayland Baptist.

WHO WAS NOT: Both Tyler Andazola (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) and Jeffrey Harris (Caldwell, Idaho / Wenatchee Valley CC) did not swing the bat great on the trip – but both had key hits.  Andazola had four hits in 18 at bats, but three of the hits were for extra bases and he drove in four runs, while Harris went 3-for-17, but drove in a trio of runs.  On the mound, freshman Dylan Kowitz (Idaho Falls, Idaho / Bonneville HS) was thrown into a pressure cooker twice – allowing the winning run in the loss against Point Loma Nazarene, then allowing a trio of runs in a seventh inning rally by Lewis-Clark State.

GET USED TO SEEING THE YOTES: The Coyotes will set up shop in the Treasure Valley for over a month, as their next 19 games will be played in Canyon County, including 17 at Wolfe Field.  Weekend four-game series with Whitman, Willamette, Dickinson State, and Simpson are complimented by three weekend meetings with Northwest Nazarene.  In all, the Yotes will play 30 home games in 2012.

ABOUT WHITMAN: The long home stretch opens this weekend with a series against Whitman, an NCAA Division III member of the Northwest Conference.   The Missionaries (5-30 in 2011) are a very youthful club, as 23 of the 27 players are either freshmen or sophomores – coming off an eighth-place finish in the NWC.  The Whits are led offensively by shortstop Cameron Young (.284 2 HR 22 RBI) and outfielder Aaron Cohen (.307 2 HR 20 RBI), while returners Justin Weeks (3-7 5.89 ERA) and Jake Nelson (2-8 5.92) are the top starting pitchers. 

OLDEST RIVAL: The all-time series between the Yotes and Whitman dates back to 1934 – with the two teams meeting 236 previous times on the diamond, the most of any C of I opponent.  The Coyotes have won 12-straight in the series, including a four-games series last year in Walla Walla, Wash., but Whitman holds the all-time series lead, 134-102.

NAIA WEST / NATIONAL POLL: The NAIA conducted its conference and preseason national polls during November, with the Coyotes picked to finish second in the NAIA West.  British Columbia earned top billing, followed by the Coyotes and Menlo, while Lewis-Clark State (which competes in the NAIA West schedule, but does not factor in the postseason), earned the top spot in their unaffiliated poll.  In the Top-25 poll, Oklahoma City earned the top spot – though five different teams earned first-place votes.  Defending champ, Concordia (Calif.) was second, followed by Lee (Tenn.), Lubbock Christian (Texas), and Embry-Riddle (Fla.).  Lewis-Clark State was No. 11 and British Columbia was No. 20, while the Yotes received one voter point.  Two other Coyote opponents’ were in the tabulation – No. 17 Fresno Pacific (Calif.) and Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.), which received votes.

RECORD BOOK: A pair of Coyotes have already cracked the career record book just one week into the 2012 season.  Izaac Garsez currently is tied for the career record for triples (18), while ranking No. 10 in home runs (20) and stolen bases (44).  He is closing in on the Top-10 in at bats (441), runs scored (110), hits (151), doubles (26), and RBI (101).  Chad Yeggy is also among the career leaders, sitting in the No. 3 spot in saves (10) and No. 7 in appearances (59), while closing in on the Top-10 in wins (12) and innings pitched (136.0).

DAY 1 – C OF I 7, WAYLAND BAPTIST 2: Izaac Garsez went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and two stolen bases, leading The C of I to a 7-2 victory over Wayland Baptist.  The Coyotes got a two-out rally in the third inning, as back-to-back doubles from Tyler Andazola and Jeffrey Harris got The C of I on the board, with Garsez following with a long home run to make it 3-0. Jarel Lewis roped a double, scoring on a Brett Ward (Nampa, Idaho / Nampa HS) infield single.  The Pioneers plated a pair of runs in the fourth - but the Yotes put the game away late, as Lewis doubled home a run in the seventh, with the team adding two insurance runs in the eighth.  Chad Yeggy tossed five and two-thirds innings to pick up the win, allowing just six hits, while Nicholson was dominant in his C of I debut, striking out seven to pick up his first save of the year. Lewis had three doubles in the victory for the Coyotes, with Andazola scoring a pair of runs.  WBU starter Ryan Downs went the first six and a third innings, allowing five runs on 10 hits. Colton Palmer had the lone multi-hit game for the Pioneers, going 2-for-4.

DAY 2 – POINT LOMA NAZARENE 9, C OF I 8; C OF I 11, FRESNO PACIFIC 3: The College of Idaho split a pair of games on Day 2 of the NAIA Desert Classic, losing a tough 9-8 decision to Point Loma Nazarene, but rebounding for a big 11-3 win over No. 17 Fresno Pacific.  Tanner Hodges had four hits in the twinbill for the Yotes (2-1), with Jarel Lewis and Todd Griffiths each recording a trio of safeties.  The opener saw the Yotes use a Lewis two-run homer in the first to take the lead, using a pair of errors in the middle innings to score four runs, extending the lead to 7-2. However, the Sea Lions, the 2010 NAIA World Series runners-up, got a three-run double from Clinton Harwick to tie the game at 7-7 in the seventh. The C of I would retake the lead in the eighth on an errant pick-off move to first base, allowing Nick Muncy (Caldwell, Idaho / Whitworth U.) to score, but PLNU tied the game in the eighth, with Trey Hunt singling home the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth.  Josh Dexheimer got the win for PLNU, tossing three hitless innings, with Harwick going 3-for-4 with four RBI. Lewis had the lone multi-hit game for the Yotes, going 2-for-5. C of I starter Zachary Fabricius (Fruitland, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC) lasted four and two-thirds, allowing four runs on seven hits. Game 2 saw the Yotes use a six-run fourth inning to blow open a close game, as The C of I upended the nationally-ranked Sunbirds. Hodges, Fabricius, and Jesse Dodd (Eagle, Idaho / Loyola Marymount U.) all had RBI singles in the big inning, with Tyler Andazola providing the big blow, a three-run homer to left field.  It was enough for Joshua Orr (Port Townsend, Wash. / Lane CC), who gutted through command issues to pick up with win. Orr tossed five innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, walking seven, but striking out seven. Michael Garza (Othello, Wash. / Columbia Basin CC) tossed three shutout innings of relief for the Yotes, with Griffiths going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and Hodges 3-for-4 with two runs scored for The C of I.  FPU stranded 15 runners in the loss, with Karlan Andrews, Steven Lozier, Alec Mehrten, and Michael Vaughn all recording two hits.

DAY 3 – LEWIS-CLARK STATE 8, C OF I 4: Connor Moore lined a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning, as No. 11 ranked Lewis-Clark State held off The C of I, 8-4, in the final game of the NAIA Desert Classic.  The Coyotes tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning on a Todd Griffiths RBI single and an Anthony Pawelek(Elko, Nev. / Elko HS) sacrifice fly, but could not hold the lead. Jordan Payne led off the seventh with a single, moving to third when reliever Dylan Kowitz tossed an errant pickoff throw down the first base line. Moore followed with the single to make it 5-4, with a Braxton Miller RBI single and a run scored on a passed ball made it 7-4. Miller would cap the scoring with a lead-off homer in the ninth, as reliever Michael Noteware limited The C of I to two runs over six-plus innings for the win.  The Warriors jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a two-run Alfonso Casillias single in the first, but the Yotes took advantage of three walks and an error in the third to tie the game. L-C regained the lead at 4-2 in the sixth on a Bobby Tannyhill RBI single and Billy Silvestri sacrifice fly - but the Yotes responded to set up the late inning heroics.  Griffiths got a no-decision for The C of I, allowing four earned runs on five hits. Six different Coyotes had one hit in the loss. Moore and Miller each had two hits for the Warriors.

ABOUT THE COACH: The 2012 season marks the 25th year in The C of I baseball program for head coach Shawn Humberger, his 12th year as Coyote skipper. Last season, he led the squad to a 33-21 mark and advanced to the title game of the NAIA West Qualifying Tournament. During his tenure, Humberger has compiled a 367-242-1 record, including a third-place finish at the 2002 NAIA World Series and a trip to the 2010 NAIA National Tournament. He has been named Cascade Conference Coach of the Year on six different occasions (2002, 2005, 2006. 2007, 2008, and 2009), 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, Idaho, 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 C of I 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.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on The C of I baseball program, head to the official homepage of the Coyotes, http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/baseball.