yote notes - edition 11

COMING UP: vs. Oregon Tech (DH), Saturday, 1 p.m.; vs. Oregon Tech (DH), Sunday, 11 a.m.

LAST WEEK: at Concordia (W 11-1, L 7-1, L 10-0, W 8-4)

EASTER EGG HUNT: The C of I baseball team will host an Easter Egg Hunt prior to Sunday’s doubleheader with Oregon Tech.  The event will start on the Wolfe Field diamond at 10:35 a.m. for kids 10-and-under – with kids participating (and their parents) admitted to the games for free.

LIVE STATS: Live Statistics of all four games of the Oregon Tech series will be available, thanks to the Sprint Store in Meridian (2100 East Fairview Ave, 855-9910). Fans can access the stats by the NAIA’s Dakstats portal at http://www.dakstats.com/naia and click on the webcast link at the top of the page. 

25-WIN SEASON STREAK HITS 26 YEARS: With their Game 2 victory on Sunday at Concordia, the Coyotes won their 25th game of the season – the 26th-straight year that The C of I has logged 25-or-more wins, dating back to 1987.  During that stretch, the Yotes have won 30-or-more games 18 times, 40-or-more wins eight times, and have won 50-or-more games twice.

HARRIS NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: C of I third baseman Jeffrey Harris (Caldwell, Idaho / Wenatchee Valley CC) was named Red Lion-Cascade Conference Player of the Week, announced Monday by the league office in La Grande, Ore.  The senior recorded four multi-hit games last week, helping the Coyotes to a 3-2 record - including a season win over rival Northwest Nazarene.  Harris went 10-for-17 at the plate, including two doubles, seven runs scored, and four RBI.

GARSEZ TIES TRIPLES RECORD: Senior Izaac Garsez (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) tied a school record with two triples in the opening game of the four-game series with Concordia.  The outfielder joined Scott Skeen as the only Yote to have two three-baggers in a game – as Skeen achieved the feat three times, last in 2002 vs. Occidental.

YEGGY, ORR THROW WELL IN PORTLAND: The Coyotes received a pair of stellar starts at Concordia – as both Chad Yeggy (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) and Joshua Orr (Port Townsend, Wash. / Lane CC) each tossed gems.  Yeggy recorded the first nine inning complete game of the season, allowing just one earned run and striking out five, while Orr limited CU to just two hits over seven innings in a Game 4 victory.

BATS HANDCUFFED IN BIG YARD: Coming into the weekend as the top hitting team in the NAIA West, the Yotes struggled at Hilken Stadium – the new home of Concordia baseball.  With dimensions 350-feet down the line, 405 to the gaps, and at least 450-feet to center in the multi-purpose facility, the Yotes mustered a measly .206 batting average, striking out 31 times in the four games.

NAIA WEST RACE: It is a tight race for the No. 1 seed for the NAIA West Tournament, as Lewis-Clark State leads the loop with a 15-5 record (but will not participate in the tournament).  The Yotes would be the No. 1 seed (as they are in second–place), two-games clear of British Columbia, three games in front of both Corban and Concordia, and four games ahead of Menlo and Oregon Tech.  The top-five teams (not including L-C), will participate in the event at Hilken Stadium in Portland in early May.

NATIONAL POLL: With a 3-2 week, the Coyotes dropped out of the NAIA Top-25 Coaches Poll, sitting as the fourth team in the “others receiving votes category.  The C of I received 61 voter points in the poll, half the total they had last week when they were ranked No. 22.  LSU-Shreveport sits in the No. 1 spot, followed by Oklahoma City, Lee (Tenn.), Embry-Riddle (Fla.), and Azusa Pacific (Calif.), with Lewis-Clark State ranked No. 12.  The poll will be released each Tuesday for the remainder of the regular-season.

ABOUT OREGON TECH: The Coyotes return home this weekend for a four-game series against Oregon Tech.  The Owls (15-20, 8-8 NAIA West) have split their past four series, getting timely pitching and hitting.  OIT is led on the mound by top starters Zach Earle (4-2 3.46 ERA) and Brandon Allen (2-3 3.89 ERA), along with reliever Codey Barrett (1-1 2.33 ERA, 2 saves).  Offensively, Tech is paced by Dylan Rogers (.331 6 HR 41 RBI) and Kory Locken (.308 1 HR 20 RBI) – the only two regulars hitting above .300.  The two teams have met 78 previous times, with the Yotes holding a commanding 66-12 series edge.

NAIA WEST TEAM STATISTICS:: Batting Average – C of I .306, L-C State .302, Corban .287, Concordia .280, British Columbia .280, Simpson .278, Oregon Tech .269, Menlo .252, Patten .237; Earned Run Average – L-C State 3.06, C of I 3.87, UBC 3.99, CRB 4.54, Menlo 5.09, OIT 5.20, CU 5.21, Patten 5.37, Simpson 7.00; Fielding Percentage – Menlo .966, UBC .965, C of I .961, CRB .960, Simpson .959, LC-State .959, OIT .957, Patten .953, CU .951.

NAIA WEST LEADERS: Three different Coyotes rank among the top-three in NAIA West individual statistics.  Izaac Garsez leads the grouping in runs scored (44) and triples (8), ranking third in batting average (.389), hits (51), and stolen bases (16).  Jarel Lewis (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS), who had a 15-game hit streak snapped, is No. 1 in doubles (16) and No. 2 in batting average (.413), while Tanner Hodges (Sisters, Ore. / Mount Hood CC) is No. 2 in RBI (43).

RECORD BOOK: Four Coyotes have cracked the career record book so far during the 2012 season.  Izaac Garsez ranks among the Top-15 all-time in eight categories – No. 1 in triples (26), No. 5 in stolen bases (56), No. 8 in home runs (22) and runs scored (150), No. 9 in hits (195), No. 10 in at bats (557), No. 11 in RBI (127), and No. 14 in doubles (33).  Chad Yeggy is No. 3 all-time in saves (10), No. 4 in appearances (69), ranking No. 10 in innings pitched (188.2) and No. 11 in wins (16).  Jarel Lewis is No. 13 in hit-by-pitches (28) and No. 14 in doubles (33), while Todd Griffiths (Meridian, Idaho / Lower Columbia CC) is No. 11 in saves (5)

GAME RECAP: C OF I 11, CONCORDIA 1; CONCORDIA 7, C OF I 1: A pair of strong pitching performances helped The C of I and Concordia University split Saturday’s NAIA West Grouping doubleheader in Portland, Ore.  The Coyotes won Game 1, 11-1, while the host Cavaliers grabbed Game 2, 7-1.  Chad Yeggy tossed the second complete game by a C of I pitcher this season in the opener, allowing eight hits and one earned run to log his sixth victory of the season. The senior walked just one and struck out five.  The Yotes took a 3-0 lead in the fourth as Jeffrey Harris singled home a run, with Tyler Andazola (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) following with a two-out, two-run single. An inning later, Jarel Lewis doubled home a pair to extend his hit streak to 15, Tanner Hodges singled in a run, and Andazola hit a sacrifice fly, as The C of I built a 7-0 lead.  Lewis, Hodges, Harris, and Izaac Garsez each had two hits for the Yotes. The nightcap was the opposite, as Mitch Ludtke handcuffed the Coyotes, scattering just four hits and striking out 12 – helping the Cavaliers end a nine-game losing streak to the Coyotes.  CU took a 3-0 lead in the second – taking advantage of a Coyote throwing error to plate the runs. The C of I closed within 3-1 in the fifth on an Andazola RBI double, but the Cavs put the game away in the bottom of the inning, as Sean Myrom keyed a four-run rally with a two-run single.  Nathan Douglas went 4-for-4 in the win for CU, with Mike Cero adding a pair of hits. Harris had three of the four Coyote hits in the loss.

GAME RECAP: CONCORDIA 10, C OF I 0; C OF I 8, CONCORDIA 4: Joshua Orr allowed just two hits in seven innings of work, helping The C of I win Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader at Concordia University, salvaging a weekend split.  The host Cavaliers won the opener, 10-0, behind a two-hit shutout from Jason Snodgrass, before the Yotes won the late game, 8-4.  Game 1 was dominated by Snodgrass, as the junior limited the Coyotes to singles from Jarel Lewis and Jesse Dodd (Eagle, Idaho / Loyola Marymount U.) - as no C of I runner reached third base. CU took a 1-0 lead in the fourth as Sean Myrom tripled with one out and scored on a sacrfice fly, making it 3-0 in the fifth after a Blake Drake two-run homer. The Cavs would break the game open in the seventh, taking advantage of four of the Yotes 11 walks in the game - getting a Ryan Rodriguez grand slam homer to cap the six-run inning. Jared Young and Carl Beckert each had two hits for the hosts.  Game 2 saw the Yotes break a scoreless duel in the fourth, sending 11 men to the plate. Tanner Hodges got The C of I on the board with a two-run double to the right-center gab, with Dodd following with a two-run single. Tyler Andazola and Zach Fabricius (Fruitland, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC) knocked in runs with base hits, with the seventh run tallied on a double play ball.  It was more than enough for Joshua Orr, who limited the Cavs to just two hits through seven innings, allowing one earned run to pick up his sixth win. Jeffrey Harris and Izaac Garsez each had two hits for the Yotes, while no CU player had more than one hit.

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 390-251-1 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 CCC 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.