2022 Baseball Notebook (Week 5)

COMING UP: at Corban (DH), Saturday, 11 a.m. (PT); at Corban (DH), Sunday, 11 a.m. (PT)

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
SCHEDULE CHANGE: Next weekend, the C of I-Eastern Oregon 4-game non-league series has been shifted from La Grande to Wolfe Field due to field conditions. First pitch on Saturday is set for 1 p.m., with Sunday's twinbill set for 11 a.m.
 
TICKET INFO / SPECTATOR PROTOCOL: The four-game C of I-Corban series will be played at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, Ore. Fans will be subjected to a $3.00 parking fee at the facility, along with a $6.00 admission charge. There are no mask mandates for fans attending the games.
 
LIVE LINKS: All four games of the Corban series will feature Live Video (PPV - $7.95 per game) and Live Stats through the Warriors Sports Network.
 
10-RUN GAMES: C of I scored 11 runs in the series finale against NNU, the eighth time this season the Coyotes have plated 10-or-more runs in a game. Last season, in 47 games, the Yotes had nine games with 10-or-more runs – their highest total of double-digit run games since 2016, when the squad scored 10-or-more runs 16 times.
 
MCFARLAND-SMITH CONTINUES TO RAKE: Leading the Yotes at the plate in the Northwest Nazarene series was Alex McFarland-Smith, who extended his hitting streak to seven games by going 6-for-15 with five RBI in the 4-game set. The transfer has been key to C of I's early season success, hitting .390 – ranking No. 3 in the CCC in hits (23) and RBI (19).
 
HULTBERG EXTENDS STREAK: Second-baseman Jonah Hultberg reached base in all four games of the NNU series and has reached base in each of his last 18 games played (dating back to 2021). The third-year Coyote had a pair of multi-hit games in the series and leads the CCC with 10 multi-hit games this season – including four games with 3-or-more hits. Hultberg leads the circuit in slugging percentage (.864), runs scored (27), triples (3), home runs (5) and total bases (57), ranking No. 2 in hits (28), RBI (20) and doubles (8).
 
KIRKPATRICK HAS BIG TWINBILL: Freshman first-baseman Kris Kirkpatrick continued his strong start to the 2022 season, going a combined 4-for-6 in Saturday's doubleheader at NNU. Kirkpatrick hit his first home run of the season and drove in three runs in Game 2 – reaching base safely in five of his six plate appearances. For the season, Kirkpatrick is hitting .333 and is tied for the team lead with a .524 on-base percentage, thanks to six walks and six hit by pitches.
 
A MAGNET: Outfielder Tristen Garland has found his way on the base paths the hard way this season – as he leads the Yotes with nine hit-by-pitches – tops the Cascade Conference. Garland continued his stellar defensive play, recording 13 defensive chances without an error.
 
VAUGHN PROVIDING RELIEF: Left-hander Andrew Vaughn has been working his way back into action after missing all of 2021. The senior has made four relief appearances over the past two weeks, combining for eight innings of work, surrendering just three runs on seven hits, while striking out four – posting a 3.37 ERA during the stretch.
 
STARTERS GOING DEEP: C of I starting pitchers have been able to eat up innings this season – as Coyote arms have logged 6-or-more innings in six of the last eight starts. Connor Root has been the workhorse, working seven innings twice and completing six innings last Friday vs. NNU, while Dimick Wood threw eight innings vs. Whitman and 6.2 innings on Thursday vs. NNU. Kirby Robertson tossed a season-high six innings in a win over Whitman, while Ben Gaff threw a season-high 7.1 innings on Saturday in Nampa. The quartet has combined for 62 strikeouts against 21 walks in 87 innings.
 
TOUGH WEEKEND VS. RIVALS: The Yotes knew they had a challenge last weekend, facing a Northwest Nazarene team ranked No. 1 in the Division II West Region and ranked No. 9 in the preseason Top-25. The Nighthawks answered the call, sweeping the 4-game series with C of I, as NNU averaged nine runs per game, while holding the Coyotes to just 26 total hits in the series.
 
A DIFFERENCE A WEEK MAKES: The numbers between a sweep and being swept were evident – as in the Whitman series from Feb. 12-13, C of I hit .303 as a team, averaged 10.5 runs per game, with the pitching staff allowing 10 walks and striking out 28 batters. Last week against NNU, C of I hit .197, averaged 4.2 runs per game, with the hurlers walking 16 batters and striking out 14.
 
NON-CONFERENCE GAMES VS. CONFERENCE FOES: The Yotes are scheduled to play their next 12 games against Cascade Conference opponents – with the games not counting in the standings. Over the last 20 years, C of I has played 41 preseason games against CCC opponents, posting a 24-17 record – including a 10-1 mark against Eastern Oregon, a 7-3 mark against Oregon Tech and a 1-2 mark against Corban.
 
NEW CONFERENCE SLATE: Conference teams will play 4-game series each of the next three weeks – with the games not counting in the CCC ledger. Starting the weekend of March 18-20, the seven teams will begin a 24-game conference schedule (one 4-game series against each opponent) – with the top-four teams in the final standings advancing to the CCC Championships.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – CORBAN: Longtime rival Corban will welcome C of I this weekend for a 4-game series – as the Warriors (6-5-1) open their home schedule after 12 road games. Corban split a series at Menlo and dropped 3-of-4 at Ottawa, before returning to the Willamette Valley to defeat Oregon Tech and take 2-of-3 from Bushnell. Pitching is the key, as the Warriors lead the CCC with a 2.48 team ERA, recording 96 strikeouts against just 25 walks. Top-end arms lead the team – as All-America righty Zack Simon (2-1 0.00 ERA, 25 K in 19 IP) anchors the staff, along with Nate Martin (0-1 2.25 ERA, 13 K in 12 IP) and Mason Shaw (2-0 3.45 ERA, 14 K in 15.2 IP). Offensively, Corban is hitting .247 as a team and averaging four runs per game – led by designated hitter Maxwell Jeffrey (.440 0 HR 2 RBI), second baseman Cale Thompson (.395 0 HR 8 RBI) and shortstop Estenio Sede (.370 0 HR 5 RBI). The two teams have met 173 times since 1990, with C of I holding a 125-48 series edge, including a 53-25 mark on the road.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE: LC State continues to dominate their foes in 2022, sweeping a 4-game home series with Central Washington, improving to 15-1 on the season. British Columbia dropped a pair of games at Antelope Valley, with Eastern Oregon splitting two games at Western Oregon. Corban, Oregon Tech and Bushnell played a round-robin set of games – with OIT splitting two games, while Corban won 3-of-4. BU picked up their first win – topping Corban, 6-0. This weekend, EOU heads to LCSC, OIT returns to Bushnell, with UBC traveling to William Jessup.
 
AT WOLFE FIELD: The 2022 season is the 14th year C of I has played at Wolfe Field, with the Yotes recording a combined 195-142 record at the facility, including a 6-4 record this season. Since baseball returned to the College in 1987, the Coyotes are a combined 557-256 at home (including games at Simplot Stadium).
 
RECORD BOOK: Five Coyotes are currently ranked in C of I's Top-30 career record book, as Connor Root ranks No. 6 in pitching games started (30), No. 17 in innings pitched (177.1), No. 25 in wins (13) and No. 23 in strikeouts (116), with Weston Miller No. 13 in hit-by-pitches (29), Erik Wisenor No. 16 in saves (5) and Dimick Wood No. 30 in strikeouts (112). Jonah Hultberg ranks No. 11 all-time in triples (6) and is just outside the Top-30 in hits (129) and doubles (26).
 
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 1,609-1,296-7 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.