Sports
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Thursday, August 12, 2021
Th e Observer
Legends title
run comes to
abrupt end
COVID-19 case on team stops play at
American Legion state tournament
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
Alan Reed/Eastern Oregon University, File
Eastern Oregon University’s Madison Pilon (4) and Cambree Scott (12) battle at the net against a University of Jamestown defender Thursday,
April 29, 2021, in Sioux City, Iowa, during the quarterfi nals of the NAIA volleyball championship. The Mountaineers enter the 2021 season as
the preseason favorites to win the Cascade Collegiate Conference.
A new season
Eastern Oregon
volleyball faces
high expectations
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — A
perennial powerhouse at
Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity is looking for another
strong season in 2021.
Eastern volleyball enters
the season ranked atop the
Cascade Collegiate Confer-
ence Preseason Coaches’
poll and will look to defend
last season’s regular season
conference title. The Moun-
taineers are also ranked No.
6 in the NAIA heading into
the 2021 campaign. Despite
losing several cornerstone
players, the Mountaineers
return three all-conference
players heading into the
2021 season.
“While we are honored
to be picked fi rst in the pre-
season poll, we know that
the work has just begun,”
head coach Kaki McLean
Morehead said.
The Mountaineers are
coming off a shortened
season where they went
undefeated during the reg-
ular season for the fi rst
time in program history.
Eastern compiled a 15-0
regular season record, but
lost in the conference tour-
nament to Corban Univer-
sity. The team made a run
to the NAIA quarterfi nals,
losing to No. 1 overall seed
Jamestown in three sets.
The Mountaineers ended
the 2020 campaign ranked
No. 7 in the fi nal NAIA
coaches’ poll.
From that group, two
crucial starters and former
fi rst-team CCC nominees
have departed the program.
Setter Madison Pilon grad-
uated from Eastern, while
three-time CCC libero of
the year Kiley McMurtrey
transferred to NCAA Divi-
sion I University of Utah
to compete as a graduate
transfer.
“We have high expec-
tations even with the key
personnel we lost and we
know that it’s going to take
some time to make those
adjustments that are normal
with new key pieces,”
McLean Morehead said.
The Mountaineers
return a majority of last
year’s team, including three
fi rst-team All CCC players
in middle blocker Cambree
Scott, outside hitter Bre-
anna Shaff er and middle
blocker Jet Taylor. All three
players are entering their
fourth seasons in the pro-
gram, but due to extended
eligibility rules they are
still listed as juniors this
year.
“With every single
one of our returning hit-
ters being sophomores and
juniors this year, we have
high hopes that they will
have an exceptional year,”
McLean Morehead said.
Eastern also added two
freshman newcomers,
Hailey Arritola and Katie
Black. Black is a 6-foot
outside hitter from Boise,
and Arritola is a defensive
specialist and libero from
Mount Angel.
Despite losing two key
starters, Eastern’s returning
group has caught the eyes
of conference opponents
heading into next season.
The Mountaineers received
eight out of 12 votes for
fi rst place in the CCC Pre-
season Coaches’ Poll as
the expected favorite to
win the conference. The
Mountaineers placed just
above Corban and Southern
Oregon, who both received
two points.
Eastern opens its season
at the Big Sky Challenge
in Butte, Montana, against
Bellevue on Friday, Aug.
20. Conference play opens
for the Mountaineers on
Sept. 3, at home against
Bushnell.
Just a day later, the
Mountaineers will square
off at home against Corban,
the team’s top competition
in the conference this year.
The Mountaineers face a
30-game slate of regular
season games following
last season’s shortened
schedule.
As the preseason favor-
ites, the Mountaineers will
have a big target on their
backs as the top team in the
conference and one of the
elite programs in the NAIA.
Eastern will have its eyes
set on another CCC title and
a deep run in the national
tournament.
AURORA — Poised
for a title run, the La
Grande Legacy Ford Leg-
ends American Legion
baseball team saw its
season end in heartbreak.
After winning the
fi rst three games of
the Oregon American
Legion A state tourna-
ment at North Marion
High School, the tour-
nament was canceled on
Saturday, Aug. 7, due to
a positive COVID-19 test
result from a member
of the La Grande base-
ball program, according
to a report from Pamplin
Media Group.
“I really felt like we
were playing at a level
that would have been dif-
fi cult to beat and would
have loved to have been
able to fi nish the tour-
nament and see the kids
have the opportunity
to come out on top,” La
Grande head coach Parker
McKinley said.
The Legends cruised
past Mountainside 13-3
in the fi rst round before
one-run victories in the
next two rounds. La
Grande had an automatic
bid into the championship
game regardless of the
outcome of the semifi nal
matchup. The Legends
were set to play Moun-
tainside in the semifi nal
matchup before the tour-
nament was canceled.
Eight teams traveled to
Aurora to participate in
the state tournament.
Including the three
playoff wins, La Grande
compiled a 22-4 record on
the year and was riding a
14-game win streak.
“There were some very
tough opponents, and my
hats off to them and their
programs, but I really did
feel like we were the team
to beat and we were going
to be very hard to beat,”
McKinley said.
Led by a strong
pitching rotation, the Leg-
ends dominated opposing
teams this year and held
opponents to under four
runs per game on average.
Riley Miller led the way
with a 4-0 record, while
Devin Bell and Logan
Williams both went 3-0
on the year. Jace Schow,
Nick Bornstedt and Sam
Tsiatsos stepped up to
solidify the rotation and
all recorded two wins on
the season.
Bell excelled at the
plate during the 2021
season, leading the team
with 40 hits and 35 RBIs.
The senior hit .556, drew
16 walks and scored
36 runs. Leadoff hitter
Payton Cooper scored the
most runs with 43 and hit
for an average of .388.
Cooper, Miller and Bro-
drick Hood are the lone
graduating seniors of the
group.
La Grande carried
those numbers into post-
season play and rolled
through the fi rst three
rounds of the dou-
ble-elimination tourna-
ment. Following a 10-run
victory over Mountain-
side in the fi rst round,
the Legends defeated
the Eugene Ole Ath-
letics 4-3 and held off a
late rally in a 7-6 win
over the Marion Ber-
ries in the quarterfi nals.
Cole Jorgensen recorded
four hits, four RBIs and
a .364 batting average
during the state tourna-
ment. Cesar Rodriguez
went 3-for-4 at the plate
with four walks and four
runs scored.
The Legends last won
a state championship in
2011, and before that in
2001. The stars seemed
to align this season for a
championship every 10
years, as this year’s squad
combined quality pitching
with timely hitting and a
deep roster.
“It’s heartbreaking
from the baseball stand-
point, but also just hope
the young man who came
down ill heals quickly
and without any issues,”
McKinley said.
SPORTS SHORT
Oregon promotes Jodie Berry to associate head coach
By JAMES CREPEA
The Oregonian
EUGENE — Oregon for-
mally announced the promotion
Tuesday, Aug. 10, of assistant
women’s basketball coach Jodie
Berry to associate head coach.
“I’m thrilled to be able to
elevate Jodie to associate head
coach,” Oregon coach Kelly
Graves said in a statement.
“The relationships she builds
with our student-athletes and
the example that she sets for
them on and off the court has
been instrumental to the pro-
gram’s success. Jodie and I have
worked together for a long time
and I consider her a great friend
and trust her with everything.
There is no one more deserving
of this opportunity than her.”
The lone returning assistant
on Graves’ staff , Berry worked
with him for 16 seasons and
currently works with the post
players and assists in scouting
and recruiting.
Earlier this summer she
signed a one-year extension
through June 30, 2022 for
$200,000, up from the $179,152
she earned in 2019-20 and
$161,237 she earned last season
due to a 10% reduction amid the
pandemic.
“I am both humbled and
honored to continue my
coaching journey here at the
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University of Oregon,” Berry
said in a statement. “I am proud
to be a part of the Duck Family
and cherish the many relation-
ships within the athletic com-
munity here at Oregon. I will
forever be grateful for the
mentorship and guidance that
Coach Graves has provided
over the past 20 years and am
excited for the future of Oregon
women’s basketball with Jackie,
Mike, Brielle, Oti and our
team. Go Ducks.”
Among the players Berry
has coached at Oregon were
All-Americans Ruthy Hebard
and Jillian Alleyne. While at
Gonzaga, she coached fi ve
All-Americans.
University of Oregon/Contributed Photo
Longtime Oregon assistant head coach Jodie Berry was promoted to women’s
basketball associate head coach on Tuesday, Aug. 10.