SPORTS
A6 — THE OBSERVER
ON THE SLATE
SaTuRday, JanuaRy 29, 2022
Bowen set to continue softball career at OSU
Saturday, Jan. 29
COLLEGE MEN’S
BASKETBALL
Corban at Eastern Oregon, 5 p.m.
COLLEGE WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL
Corban at Eastern Oregon, 3 p.m.
COLLEGE MEN’S WRESTLING
Eastern Oregon at Clackamas
Open, Oregon City, 9 a.m.
COLLEGE WOMEN’S
WRESTLING
Big Bend Community College at
Eastern Oregon, noon
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Eastern Oregon vs. Oklahoma
Panhandle State, Glendale, arizona,
9 a.m.
Eastern Oregon vs. Benedictine
Mesa, Glendale, arizona, 1 p.m.
PREP BOYS BASKETBALL
nixyaawii at Powder Valley,
3:30 p.m.
Cove at Joseph, 4:45 p.m.
Enterprise at union, 5:30 p.m.
Imbler at Griswold, 5:30 p.m.
Wallowa at Pine Eagle, 5:30 p.m.
PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL
nixyaawii at Powder Valley, 2 p.m.
Cove at Joseph, 3:15 p.m.
Enterprise at union, 4 p.m.
Imbler at Griswold, 4 p.m.
Wallowa at Pine Eagle, 4 p.m.
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — A La Grande
softball player is taking her talents
to Corvallis. Kinzy Bowen, an
outfielder for the Tigers, officially
signed with Oregon State Univer-
sity to join the Beavers next year.
After picking up softball at age 7
and dedicating years to the sport,
Bowen is set to continue her career
at the NCAA Division I level.
“It’s a dream, really,” Bowen
said. “I’m excited and nervous. It’s
definitely going to be hard work,
but I feel like I’m prepared for it
and ready.”
Bowen will be joining a Bea-
vers team that competes in the
Pac-12, one of the NCAA’s most
competitive divisions. Oregon
State is coming off a 20-26 season
in 2021, but went 17-9 in 2020 and
26-19 in 2019.
For Bowen, the leap from high
school athletics to Division I has
been a goal since her childhood.
“To play at the next level, I’ve
pushed myself over and over
every day,” she said. “I just knew
I needed to make it a goal early on
to play D1 softball.”
Oregon State is coached by
Laura Berg, one of the most suc-
PREP BOYS WRESTLING
La Grande at Reser’s Tournament of
Champions, Hillsboro, 10 a.m.
Elgin at Monroe Invitational, TBa
PREP GIRLS WRESTLING
La Grande at HRVHS Tourney, Hood
River, 10 a.m.
Sunday, Jan. 30
COLLEGE MEN’S WRESTLING
Eastern Oregon at Clackamas
Open, 9 a.m.
COLLEGE WOMEN’S
WRESTLING
Eastern Oregon at Washington
State, 3 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 1
PREP BOYS BASKETBALL
Powder Valley at Wallowa, 6:30 p.m.
PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL
Powder Valley at Wallowa, 5 p.m.
Enterprise at Stanfield, 5:30 p.m.
cessful softball players in the his-
tory of the NCAA and Team USA.
Berg won three gold medals and
is the most decorated softball ath-
lete in Team USA softball his-
tory. Beyond the accomplish-
ments, Bowen found an instant
connection with Berg’s program at
Oregon State.
“Really it took one camp,”
Bowen said. “I didn’t have my
eyes on Oregon State at all until
I went down there. I met the
coaches and they were amazing.
I just clicked with the whole team
and the campus right away.”
Bowen noted that she started
sending out emails to Oregon State
and that once she heard back, the
connection continued to bloom.
She also competed alongside cur-
rent Oregon State freshman short-
stop Kiani Nakamura with her
travel ball team.
SPORTS BRIEFS
PREP SWIMMING
La Grande, Cove at Madras, TBa
alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
Kinzy Bowen, center, sits with her family and coaches at La Grande High School on
Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, after signing a letter of intent with Oregon State University
to play for the university’s softball team.
Like many high school ath-
letes, Bowen’s recruiting process
was affected by the COVID-19
pandemic. In addition, incoming
OSU freshmen will have to com-
pete for playing time against a
handful of five-year seniors who
are coming back next year due
to COVID-19 extended eligi-
bility. Bowen aims to continue
improving as she workd her way
up the roster.
“My freshman year, just being
able to play with those girls is a
great opportunity to learn more
from them and the coaches,” she
said. “Playing against other teams
that are amazing will be an experi-
ence. I’m excited.”
Bowen was a cornerstone on
the Tigers’ roster the last three
years, helping the team go 10-0
in the regular season last spring.
La Grande was eliminated in the
second round of the 4A playoffs.
The outfielder averaged a .536
batting average over 39 plate
appearances, tallying 14 RBIs,
16 runs, 10 walks and four home
runs. Bowen is eyeing a strong
finish this year with La Grande
before competing in summer ball
— after the summer-league season
ends, Bowen will head to Cor-
vallis and begin training.
Eastern Oregon men’s
wrestling falls two spots
in latest NAIA poll
LA GRANDE — In the latest
national poll, the Eastern Oregon
University men’s wrestling pro-
gram continued to earn a spot
among the top 20 teams in the
NAIA.
The Mountaineers came in
at No. 19 in the latest NAIA
Coaches’ Top-20 poll, which was
released on Thursday, Jan. 27.
The ranking is two spots behind
where the team found itself in last
week’s poll.
Eastern received 44 votes,
earning a tie with Embry-Riddle
at No. 19. The Mountaineers saw
three wrestlers earn individual
national rankings.
Senior Noel Orozco came in at
No. 4 in the 285-pound division,
and sophomore Kyle Knudtson
was also ranked No. 4 at the 184-
pound level. Senior Keegan Mul-
hill earned a No. 11 ranking in the
174-pound weight class.
Orozco is coming off a strong
showing at the Missouri Valley
Invitational last weekend, placing
second overall in his division. The
senior went 4-1 on the weekend
and scored 20 points for a limited
Eastern squad.
Eastern is one of four Cas-
cade Collegiate Conference teams
ranked in the top 20, with Mon-
tana State-Northern and Menlo
College both earning rankings
in the top 10. Embry-Riddle and
Eastern rounded out the rankings
for conference schools.
The Mountaineers are back in
action on Jan. 29, competing at the
Clackamas Open in Oregon City.
Wrestling is set to begin at 9 a.m.
Eastern has a road dual against
Southern Oregon on Feb. 5 before
traveling to Havre, Montana, for
the Cascade Collegiate Confer-
ence Championships on Feb. 18.
EOU women’s wrestling
ranked No. 17 in latest
NAIA poll
LA GRANDE — The NAIA
released its latest weekly Coaches’
Top-20 poll on Thursday, Jan. 27,
ranking the Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity women’s wrestling pro-
gram at No. 17 in the nation.
The Mountaineers dropped one
spot from their No. 16 ranking last
week.
Five individual wrestlers on the
team ranked in the top 20 in the
NAIA. Sophomore Olivia Rob-
inson led the way with a No. 5
ranking at the 170-pound level,
while senior Dempsi Talkington
came in at No. 6 at the 155-pound
level. Junior Morgan Shines (130)
and sophomore Stephanie Blan-
kenship (109) were both ranked
No. 13 in their respective weight
classes. Senior Macy Higa earned
a No. 16 ranking at the 123-pound
division.
Eastern received 52 votes as a
team, the fourth highest ranking
for a Cascade Collegiate Confer-
ence program. Southern Oregon
is slated at No. 3, Menlo College
is ranked No. 6 and Providence
came in at No. 12. Corban is just
a few spots behind Eastern at
No. 20.
The Mountaineers have not
wrestled since the Oregon Wres-
tling Classic on Jan. 15 but are
gearing up for one of the team’s
biggest duals of the season.
Eastern will travel to face No. 3
Southern Oregon in Ashland on
Feb. 5. Wrestling is slated to begin
at 6 p.m.
— The Observer
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