2022 Baseball Notebook (Week 3)

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

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
TICKET INFO / LIVE LINKS: Ticket prices for home games at Wolfe Field are $6.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors (60-and-older) and juniors (12-to-17), with kids 12-and-under admitted free. For fans unable to make it to the stadium, Live Video and Live Stats will be available via the Yotes Digital Network ($9.00 per doubleheader, $40.00 season pass).
 
OFFENSE EXPLODES IN HOME OPENING SERIES: Opening the home schedule against Division II Central Washington, the Yotes had their most prolific offensive series in six season, splitting the 4-game set against the Wildcats. C of I hit a combined .361 in the four games, posting a .440 on-base percentage and hit .389 with runners in scoring position. The Coyotes pounded out 10-or-more hits in all four games – the first time they logged double-digit hits in all four games of a series since 2019 (vs. Oregon Tech). C of I also posted 10-or-more runs in each of the final three games of the series – the first time since 2016 vs. Minot State, that the Yotes have strung together 3-or-more 10-run games.
 
A LONG TIME SINCE: C of I hit three home runs in Game 2 of the series – the first time since 2016 that the squad hit 3-or-more long balls in a game (hit four in a game vs. LC State and Simpson). The Yotes also posted nine stolen bases in Game 3 of the series – their highest single-game total since 10 steals in a 2012 win over Patten.
 
SCORING FIRST: The Coyotes have scored first in four games this season, recording a perfect 4-0 mark in those contests. C of I picked up their first come-from-behind win of the season in Game 4 of the series, rallying from an early 3-0 deficit for the 10-8 win.
 
HULTBERG IN A ZONE: Pitchers have struggled getting Coyote second baseman Jonah Hultberg out, as the junior recorded his second-straight big weekend at the plate. The All-Cascade Conference pick ran his hitting streak to 10-games (dating back to 2021), going a combined 8-for-17 with eight runs scored. Hultberg smashed three home runs and added seven RBIs, becoming the first player since 2016 (Hunter Hanson) to hit two home runs in a game – while surpassing his 2021 season home run total in the first eight games of 2022. He is hitting .457 on the season and is one of 11 NAIA players with 4-or-more homers on the year and one of 15 players with 14-or-more RBIs.
 
HUGE WEEKEND FROM MCFARLAND-SMITH: Transfer Alex McFarland-Smith continued his outstanding start to the 2022 season, hitting safely in all four games – extending his hit-streak to eight. The outfielder was 7-for-17 with two doubles a home run and nine RBIs. McFarland-Smith recorded his first-career 4-hit game in Saturday's win, going 4-for-4 with six RBIs – the first Coyote since 2019 (Dylan Mansanarez) to post knock in 6-or-more runs in a game. He heads into this weekend hitting .400 with 12 RBIs.
 
YOUNGSTERS KEY TO YOTES SUCCESS: Three underclassmen had big offensive weekends for the Coyotes, as sophomore catcher Dillon Danner, freshman first-baseman Kris Kirkpatrick and freshman third-baseman Ryan Blokker all were key to the C of I split. Danner got the start in three games, combining to go 5-for-11 with a double and three RBIs – improving his batting average to .389. Kirkpatrick started two games at first, going 3-for-7 with a double, while Blokker started a pair, combining for a 3-for-9 with a double and four RBIs.
 
GARLAND SHOWS OFF HIS SPEED: Transfer Tristen Garland used his speed to his advantage over the weekend, becoming the first Coyote since 2020 to record three stolen bases in a game. He finished the series 5-for-15 at the plate with five runs scored, while defensively, recorded a pair of outfield assists from his centerfield position.
 
ROOT TOSSES GEM: The best pitching performance of the weekend came from senior Connor Root, who recorded a career-high nine strikeouts in his Game 2 victory. The righty needed just 82 pitches to finish seven innings, limiting Central to just five hits and one run, walking just one batter. It marked the 12th win of Root's career, while upping his career strikeout total to 113.
 
2-WAY STANDOUT: It was a great weekend for Ben Gaff, as the freshman was a key contributor for the Coyotes with the bat, glove and arm. Gaff hit a combined 5-for-10 in the series, adding a double, triple and four RBI, while at shortstop, recorded 17 defensive chances without an error. On the mound, Gaff picked up his first collegiate win in the series finale, tossing the final five innings of relief, limiting Central to two unearned runs on four hits, striking out four.
 
OUT OF THE PEN: The Coyotes got solid innings out of the bullpen against Central Washington from left-hander Luke Brewer and righty Tanner Keener. Brewer tossed the final three innings in the series opener, working around three hits and striking out one to lower his ERA from 9.00 to 3.60. Keener pitched a pair of scoreless frames in the series – working around a hit in the Game 2 win and a hit-by-pitch in the Game 3 loss, combining to strike out two.
 
AT WOLFE FIELD: The 2022 season is the 14th year C of I has played at Wolfe Field, with the Yotes recording a combined 191-140 record at the facility. Since baseball returned to the College in 1987, the Coyotes are a combined 553-254 at home (including games at Simplot Stadium).
 
OLDEST RIVAL RETURNS TO THE TREASURE VALLEY: C of I rekindles its oldest rival on the diamond, as Whitman makes the trip over the Blue Mountains for a 4-game series. The two schools once were the lone teams in the Northwest Conference East Division for baseball, playing an annual 12-game series to determine who would play in a best-of-three series against western teams for the league crown. C of I and Whitman met every season from 1934-78 (minus World War II seasons), with the Whits holding a 137-111 series edge. Whitman is one of four teams to play the Coyotes more than 200 times – joining Lewis-Clark State (256), Northwest Nazarene (228) and Eastern Oregon (226).
 
AGAINST DIVISION III TEAMS: The weekend series will mark the first time C of I has played against an NCAA Division III team since 2019 – with the Coyotes 71-20 all-time against D-III teams. Once a charter member of the Northwest Conference, C of I left the league in 1978 when it dropped nearly all its sports – with the NWC moving from the NAIA to the D-III in 1999. Since then, the Coyotes have played games against every NWC school except one – playing games against George Fox, Lewis & Clark, Linfield, Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound, Whitman, Whitworth and Willamette, while not meeting Pacific since 1995.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – WHITMAN: Whitman is coming off a 20-20 season in 2021, where the Blues (0-2) played all 40 games against Northwest Conference opponents. The Walla Walla school opened up the season on Sunday, dropping a pair of games at Lewis-Clark State by a combined score of 24-4. The Blues return a pair of quality outfielders in Ben Parker (.408 7 HR 27 RBI) and Teague Condor (.282 0 HR 12 RBI), with the duo going a combined 7-for-14 against LC. On the mound, Whitman is led by a pair of right-handers – Dexter Aichele (3-3 3.97 ERA) and Julian Hernandez (4-3 4.83 ERA) – as Parker, Aichele and Hernandez were honored as All-NWC picks in 2021.
 
AROUND THE CASCADE CONFERENCE: All seven teams in the league were in action last weekend, with Oregon Tech taking 3-of-4 at William Jessup, Corban going 2-1-1 at Menlo and Lewis-Clark State sweeping a doubleheader with Whitman to headline the action. This weekend, OIT, British Columbia and Corban are in Arizona taking on various teams, Eastern Oregon travels to Pacific, Bushnell heads to William Jessup, with LCSC hosting Whitworth.
 
RECORD BOOK: Three Coyotes are currently ranked in C of I's Top-30 career record book, as Connor Root ranks No. 9 in pitching games started (28), No. 21 in innings pitched (164.1), No. 26 in strikeouts (113) and No. 27 in wins (12), with Weston Miller No. 16 in hit-by-pitches (28) and Erik Wisenor No. 16 in saves (5).
 
HISTORY: C of I has had a rich history of baseball, dating back to the era when C of I was an academy. In recorded history (since 1934), the Yotes have posted a 1,605-1,292-7 all-time record, including 35 trips to the postseason (including playoff appearances in 30 of the last 35 seasons. C of I won the 1948 and 1949 Northwest Conference titles, with the 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2010, 2012, 2016 and 2017 teams advancing out of conference/regional/grouping tournaments – making five trips to the NAIA World Series – winning the 1998 national title and placing second in 1999. The Yotes have had multiple players drafted and play in professional baseball – with Jason Simontacchi ('96) and Riley O'Brien ('17) both reaching the Major Leagues - Simontacchi with the Cardinals and Nationals, with O'Brien debuting last season with the Reds.
 
NEXT WEEK: C of I rekindles their rivalry with Northwest Nazarene, hosting the Nighthawks on Thursday and Friday afternoon, before traveling to Nampa for a Saturday doubleheader.