yote notes - edition 12

COMING UP: at Patten (DH), 1 p.m. (PT); at Patten (DH), 11 a.m. (PT)

LAST WEEK: vs. Oregon Tech (W 7-3, W 18-10, W 6-0, W 17-3)

CALIFORNIA TRIP INFORMATION: The Coyotes will be traveling on Friday morning to Oakland, Calif., for the four-game series at Patten University.  Games will be played at Laney College in downtown Oakland – an artificial surface facility.  No Live Stats will be available, however, updates will be provided via the Yotes twitter feed at @CoyoteAthletics.

YOTES NAMED “TEAM OF THE WEEK”: A four-game home sweep of Oregon Tech helped the Coyotes earn this week’s Verizon-Cascade Conference Team of the Week award.  The C of I outscored OIT 48-16 in the series, improving their home record this season to 20-5.

GARSEZ NABS THIRD CCC AWARD: For the third time this season, Izaac Garsez (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) was named Red Lion-CCC Player of the Week, announced on Monday.  The senior went 8-for-16 at the plate, including a double and two triples, scored nine runs, and logged six RBI.  Garsez broke the single-season triples record on Saturday, with his 11 three-baggers this season leading not only the NAIA, but all collegiate baseball classifications.

CHASING 400 WINS: With four wins last weekend, head coach Shawn Humberger improved his coaching record to 394-251-1 in his 12 seasons with the Coyotes.  Humberger needs just six wins to become just the third coach in C of I history with 400-or-more wins, joining his predecessor Tim Mooney and longtime basketball coach Marty Holly in the elite club.

BIG BATS OVER THE WEEKEND: After a struggle with the sticks at Concordia, the Coyote bats woke up in a big way against Oregon Tech – hitting .416 as a team during the series.  Jeffrey Harris (Caldwell, Idaho / Wenatchee Valley CC) continued to hit well, going 8-for-13 with six RBI, with Jarel Lewis (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS) going 9-for-17 with a double, triple, homer, and eight RBI.  Nick Muncy (Caldwell, Idaho / Whitworth U) hit 4-for-8 with four runs scored, Brett Ward (Nampa, Idaho / Nampa HS) went 6-for-13 with four runs scored, with Todd Griffiths (Meridian, Idaho / Lower Columbia CC) breaking out of a slump by going 6-for-15 with five RBI.

20-HIT GAMES: The Yotes recorded a pair of 20-hit games in the OIT series, logging 22 hits in Saturday’s Game 2, followed by 23 hits in Sunday’s late contest.  It was the third time this season The C of I recorded 20-or-more hits in a game this season (24 vs. Whitman) – the fifth time since 1987 that a Coyote team has had at least three 20-plus hit games in a season.  The 2001 team had six such games, with the 1996 recording five (the 1998 team recorded four 20-plus hit games, with the 1999 team notching three).

ARMS SOLID: A trio of arms had solid outings against OIT – including the top two relievers.  Michael Garza (Othello, Wash. / Columbia Basin CC) made three appearances, allowing just four hits and fanning three in five-plus innings of work – picking up a win in Game 4.  Todd Griffiths allowed just one hit in three innings of work in Game 4 to pick up his team-high fourth save of the year, while Taylor Nicholson (Emmett, Idaho / Columbia Basin CC)  tossed six shutout innings to help the Yotes recorded their third shutout of the season in Game 3.

25-WIN SEASON STREAK HITS 26 YEARS: With their Game 2 victory at Concordia on April 1, 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.

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 18-5 record (but will not participate in the tournament).  The Yotes would be the No. 1 seed (as they are in second–place), three-games clear of British Columbia, four games in front of both Menlo and Corban, and five games ahead of Concordia.  The top-five teams (not including L-C), will participate in the event at Hilken Stadium in Portland in early May.

NATIONAL POLL: Despite a perfect 4-0 weekend, the Coyotes lost ground in the NAIA Top-25 Coaches Poll, sitting as the fourth team in the “others receiving votes category.  The C of I received 47 voter points in the poll, 14 fewer points than last week. LSU-Shreveport sits in the No. 1 spot, followed by Lee (Tenn.), Oklahoma City, Faulkner (Ala.), and Azusa Pacific (Calif.), with Lewis-Clark State ranked No. 9.  The poll will be released each Tuesday for the remainder of the regular-season.

ABOUT PATTEN: The Yotes will make the long trip to the Bay Area for an NAIA West clash against Patten, a squad coming off a four-game sweep of Simpson. The Lions (11-19, 7-12) have a quality pitching staff, sitting in the middle of the NAIA West in team ERA, thanks to starters Isaac Duran (3-4 2.15 ERA), who has 51 strikeouts this season, and Jason Keller (1-6 5.85 ERA).  Offense has been the issue for Patten, as the team has a .241 team batting average – with just one regular hitting above .300.  Jesse Madrid (.328 0 HR 9 RBI) is the top stick, with David Whiteside (.291 2 HR 16 RBI) and Denis O’Conner (.222 0 HR 13 RBI) the top run producers.  The two teams have met six previous times, with the Yotes holding a 5-1 series edge.

NAIA WEST TEAM STATISTICS:: Batting Average – C of I .319, L-C State .311, Corban .284, Simpson .280, British Columbia .280, Concordia .276, Oregon Tech .269, Menlo .257, Patten .241; Earned Run Average – L-C State 3.10, C of I 3.78, UBC 3.99, CRB .4.26, Menlo 4.64, Patten 5.21, CU 5.61, OIT 5.97, Simpson 6.94; Fielding Percentage – UBC .965, C of I .964, Menlo .963, OIT .960, L-C State .959, CRB .956, Patten .956, Simpson .954, CU .950.

NAIA WEST LEADERS: Five different Coyotes rank among the Top-5 in NAIA West stat categories.  Izaac Garsez leads the league in hits (59) and triples (11), ranking no. 3 in stolen bases (18) and No. 4 in batting average (.401), while Tanner Hodges (Sisters, Ore. / Mount Hood CC) leads the NAIA West in RBI (49).  Jarel Lewis leads the league in batting average (.429), ranking No. 2 in doubles (17) and No. 4 in RBI (42), Jeffrey Harris is No. 3 in batting average (.407), hits (57), and stolen bases (18), with Taylor Nicholson No. 4 in the league in ERA (2.41).

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 (29), No. 5 in stolen bases (58), No. 8 in home runs (22), RBI (133), and runs scored (159), No. 9 in hits (203), No. 10 in at bats (573), and No. 13 in doubles (34).  Chad Yeggy (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) is No. 3 all-time in saves (10), No. 4 in appearances (70), No. 7 in innings pitched (195.2), No. 8 in wins (17), and No. 11 in strikeouts (122), with Jarel Lewis No. 13 in hit-by-pitches (28) and in doubles (34), while Todd Griffiths No. 7 in saves (6).

GAME RECAP: C OF I 7, OREGON TECH 3; C OF I 18, OREGON TECH 10: Jarel Lewis went 6-for-9 with seven RBI, as The C of I swept an NAIA West doubleheader from Oregon Tech, winning 7-3 and 18-10, at Wolfe Field.  The Coyotes pounded out 32 hits in the two wins - with Izaac Garsez setting a new school record with his tenth triple of the season in Game 2. The C of I used their speed in the wins, combining for 10 stolen bases.  In the opener, the Owls took an early 1-0 lead in the third, as Ryan Hayden scored on a ground ball by Zach Earle, but the lead was short-lived. Tanner Hodges doubled in a run in the bottom of the frame to tie the score, with Jeffrey Harris following with a two-run single to give the Yotes the lead. In the fifth, Garsez led off with a triple and scored on a Lewis single to push the lead to 4-1, with Garsez doubling home a run in the sixth, then scoring on a wild pitch, to extend the lead to 6-1.  Chad Yeggy retired 12 men in a row in the middle innings, working seven-plus innings of six-hit ball, striking out six, to pick up his seventh win. He allowed a two-run homer by Hayden in the eighth, as Tech cut the lead to 7-3, but Michael Garza got the final six outs to end the game. Garsez went 3-for-4 - a homer shy of the cycle, with Lewis going 3-for-5. Hayden went 3-for-4 in the loss for OIT.  The late game was dominated by the Coyote bats - scoring at least one run in each of the first six innings, building a commanding 18-1 lead. Hodges got The C of I a 1-0 lead in the first with his second RBI double of the day, In the second, the Yotes plated four, including a two-run single from Todd Griffiths. Jesse Dodd (Eagle, Idaho / Loyola Marymount U.) doubled home a run in a two-run third to extend the lead to 7-0. After a Dustin Norman RBI single got OIT on the board in the fourth, RBI singles from Lewis and Harris pushed the Coyote lead to 9-1. The C of I blew the game open in the sixth with a seven-run inning, closed by a long three-run homer by Lewis.  Zach Fabricius (Fruitland, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC) gutted through seven innings to pick up the win, allowing a run on eight hits. OIT made it interesting in the ninth, scoring eight runs - including a solo homer from Norman and a grand slam home run by Kyle Suetter.  Dodd went 4-for-5 with three runs scored, with Brett Ward delivering three hits. Lewis went 3-for-5 with six RBI for the Yotes - as all nine starters had at least one hit. Norman had three hits for Tech, as the Owls had 15 hits in the loss.

GAME RECAP: C OF I 6, OREGON TECH 0; C OF I 17, OREGON TECH 3: Three pitchers combined on a shutout in the opener, with The C of I pounding out 23 hits in Game 2, as the Coyotes completed a four-game sweep of Oregon Tech with 6-0 and 17-3 victories at Wolfe Field.  Game 1 was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth, as with two outs, Zach Fabricius lined a two-run single into left-center for a 2-0 lead. An inning later, the Yotes got some two-out magic from Tanner Hodges, as he doubled home two runs to make it 4-0. In the sixth, it was Todd Griffiths turn, as he plated two through a drawn in infield with a single, pushing the margin to 6-0.  Taylor Nicholson threw six shutout innings, allowing six hits with five strikeouts to earn the win. Michael Garza tossed a scoreless seventh, with Izaac Garsez closing the game with four strikeouts in his two innings of work. Griffiths, Fabricius, and Nick Muncy all had two hits in the win. Game 2 saw the Yotes take a 4-0 lead after two innings - as Hodges doubled in a run in the first, with Garsez scoring two with his NAIA leading 11th triple of the season in the second, followed by an RBI triple from Jarel Lewis. OIT got a pair back in the fourth on a Ryan Grant RBI groundout and a Hayden Wolfe RBI single, before Garza came in from the pen to get the final outs to thwart the rally.  The Coyotes responded with a four-run fourth, as Garsez and Hodges had run-scoring singles, with Jeffrey Harris blooping a two-run single to make it 8-2. The C of I broke the game open in the sixth, batting around for seven runs on nine hits - as Harris and Fabricius had RBI singles, Riley Humberger (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) laced a pinch-hit two-run double, and Griffiths, Garsez, and Cameron Packham (Kuna, Idaho / Kuna HS) followed with RBI singles.  Garza got the win, allowing just two hits in two-plus innings of relief, with Griffiths picking up his fourth save of the season with three innings of one-hit relief, striking out three. Garsez went 4-for-5 with four RBI in the win, with Lewis and Harris each recording three hits. Dustin Norman went 3-for-3 in the loss for OIT.

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 394-251-1 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.