7A
Friday, January 31, 2020
The Observer
Excitement and
history collide in
Super Bowl LIV
By Barry Wilner
The Associated Press
Staff photo by Ronald Bond
Eastern Oregon University’s Jordan Shaw throws to fi rst base Tuesday during a practice on the turf at Community
Stadium.
A new beginning
By Ronald Bond
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The 2020
season will be one of new
beginnings for the Eastern
Oregon University softball
team.
Not only is the program
under new management
with Nicole Christian — one
of the program’s all-time
great players and a highly
successful head coach at
McLoughlin — now at the
helm, but more than half the
roster is new, with 13 of the
25 players either incoming
freshmen or junior college
transfers.
“For the most part, they’re
all willing to buy in and want
to change the program, and
we’ve got a coaching staff
that is excited to be here,”
Christian said. “We’re about
changing and making a
difference in the community
and at the school, and think
we’ve got a great group to do
that.”
There’s nowhere to go but
up for the Mountaineers
after they struggled through
a 13-32 season in 2019 —
posting the fewest wins in
a season since going 12-22
in 2012 — and Christian
has the winning know-how
to help turn the program
around. She played for EOU
under Anji Weissenfl uh dur-
ing the best run in program
history — including the team
that fi nished fourth in the
nation in 1999 — and guided
Mac-Hi through an 11-year
stretch that saw the program
win 205 games, reach the
playoffs all 11 years and
claim two 4A state titles.
“She has a winning men-
tality, for sure,” said Ashton
Kazmierski, one of six re-
turning seniors on the squad,
adding the team is looking
for a fresh start. “She’s really
big on competition, making
sure we’re always competing
against ourselves and every-
one else, and she doesn’t like
to lose, so that’s really good to
bring into the program.”
Christian said the fact
EOU lost just one returner
during the coaching change
from Erin Dickhausen to
herself shows “these girls
want to be a part of some-
thing, and they have faith
the program’s going to go in
the right direction.”
Part of righting the ship
involves shifting the culture
and building the team’s
unity.
“Just playing together as
a unit and everybody being
on the same page and being
here for the same reasons,”
senior infi elder Payton
Pocklington said of what’s
improved from a year ago.
“I think this year we have
really good team unity, and
everyone on the fi eld is here
for the same reasons. We
come here ready to work
hard for the girl next to us
every single day.”
In the pitcher’s circle, EOU
has six arms it can turn to
this spring, and Christian
will employ a different ap-
proach with her pitchers
than the Mountaineers have
done in the past.
“We’re at the level now you
don’t see a lot of pitchers go
seven innings. We’ve got to
fi nd groups that work well
together,” she said. “‘I want
three innings from you.’ ‘I
want four innings from you.’
‘I want two innings from
Staff photo by Ronald Bond
you.’ And we have to work as
a cohesive (unit) on the pitch- Eastern Oregon University’s Amanda Smith delivers a
ing staff to shut those hitters pitch Tuesday.
down.”
She’ll also have some
pitchers who play in the fi eld
— at fi rst base — and bat.
“They’ve just had pitch-
ers pitch,” Christian said,
referring to what EOU has
done in recent years. “We’ve
got athletes, and I’m going to
utilize those girls that can do
multiple things.”
Kazmierski, one of the
pitchers, said she’s excited
about the mix within the
pitching staff.
“We all complement each
other really well, and we’re
each other’s biggest hype-
men. It’s fun to be a part of
a staff that appreciates each
other so much,” she said.
Kazmierski and Amanda
Smith are EOU’s top two
returning pitchers, between
them logging 140 innings,
though they had a combined
record of 5-18. They had nine
complete games between
them in 26 starts.
Sophomore Haley Ebner is
the top returning batter for
the Mountaineers, coming
off a season that saw her hit
.309 with four home runs
Staff photo by Ronald Bond
and a team-leading 26 RBIs.
Eastern Oregon University’s Julie Hernandez settles
Though most of EOU’s
See Eastern / Page 8A
under a fl y ball Tuesday.
MIAMI — Few Super
Bowls in recent memory
have appeared as competi-
tive as the San Francisco
49ers against the Kansas
City Chiefs.
No wonder there’s a little
more buzz about this one.
History and excitement
are a nice combination for
any championship game.
The history stems from
the Chiefs seeking their
fi rst title since 1970, when
they won the fourth Super
Bowl in the fi nal matchup
of AFL-NFL. The full
merger took place the next
season — and Kansas
City hasn’t been back to
the Super Bowl for which
its founder, Lamar Hunt,
provided the name.
“I think he would be
amazed,” said his son, Clark
Hunt, who now oversees
the Chiefs. “He and my
mother actually talked
about that at one of the last
Super Bowls they attended
together about 15 years ago.
He said, ‘I always knew it
was going to be big, but I
didn’t know it was going to
be this big.”
Then there’s Andy Reid,
whose NFL head coaching
resume goes back to 1999
in Philadelphia. He has a
Super Bowl ring from work
as an assistant coach in
Green Bay, but Reid is 0-1
in the big game.
“Just getting him here
isn’t the goal,” star tight end
Travis Kelce said. “Winning
this thing for him is.”
San Francisco is seeking
its sixth Vince Lombardi
Trophy, which would equal
the record held by Pitts-
burgh and New England.
The 49ers also are looking
to be only the second team
to go from 4-12 the previous
season to the top of the heap.
“It’s been quite a jour-
ney,” said halfback Raheem
Mostert, who himself has
had quite the sojourn in the
NFL. He was cut by seven
teams and was a special-
teamer for the 49ers before
getting a chance — and
taking off running with
it. Mostert rushed for 220
yards and four touchdowns
See Super Bowl / Page 8A
Joseph boys rout
Wallowa, win
second straight
Photo by Ellen Morris Bishop/EO Media Group
Joseph’s Chase Murray drives to the hoop Wednesday.
Observer staff
ENTERPRISE — Chase
Murray and Hadley Miller
scored 18 points apiece
Wednesday, and the Joseph
Eagles used a huge fi rst
half to pull away from Wal-
lowa for a 67-37 Old Oregon
League win.
Murray had 16 of his
points during a 43-point
fi rst half for the Eagles as
they raced out to a 43-17
halftime lead. The Eagles
built a double-digit lead in
the fi rst quarter and never
looked back.
Carson Littlepage added
10 for Joseph, which won its
second in a row.
Tristin Bales had 11 points
to lead Wallowa, while Zeb
Hermens and Kolby Mandal
had seven points apiece.
Joseph (12-5 overall,
3-2 OOL) faces Griswold
Friday, while Wallowa (6-11,
2-5) hosts Elgin Friday.
Girls
Joseph 39, Wallowa
38: The Eagles built a
sizable fourth-quarter lead
Wednesday in Enterprise,
then had to hold on down
the stretch to fend off Wal-
lowa and stay undefeated
in Old Oregon League
action.
The game was tight
throughout, and Wallowa
held a 28-27 lead after
three. Sabrina Albee scored
eight points in the fourth
quarter to help Joseph pull
ahead, but Wallowa nearly
got back into the game from
the free-throw line. The
Cougars were 8-of-12 from
the stripe in the fourth, but
fell just short.
Jamie Johnston led all
scorers with 27 points for
Wallowa, 17 of which came
in the second half.
Madelyn Nelson scored
16 points — and 10 in the
fi rst half — to lead Joseph.
Albee added 11 points.
The Eagles (12-5 overall,
5-0 OOL) visit Griswold
Friday, while Wallowa (10-8,
5-2) hosts Elgin Friday.