Sports
Spring
weather
plays a
big role
A7
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
MOUNTING UP
DAVIS
CARBAUGH
CARBAUGH’S CORNER
J
ust when it looked like
it was the perfect time
for fans to sit in the
outfi eld and enjoy spring
sports in good weather,
mother nature had other
plans.
Coming from Virginia,
I’ve not had to worry about
shoveling snow before
games or canceling for
winter storms in April, but
Eastern Oregon’s spring
weather is surely unpre-
dictable. Last week, sev-
eral softball, baseball and
tennis events were can-
celed as temperatures
plummeted, snow fell reg-
ularly and highways were
closed.
In my fi rst spring as
an Eastern Oregon resi-
dent, I am soaking up the
intriguing role that the
weather plays on spring
sports. Many are telling
me this is not normal
weather, but either way,
it is a unique sports envi-
ronment. In my previous
experience in Virginia,
athletes typically had to
worry more about packing
sunscreen by this time of
year rather than bringing
an extra sweatshirt to their
competitions.
Snow and cold weather
can have a big impact
on baseball and soft-
ball, especially when it
comes to maintaining the
fi elds. With the new turf
down at Pioneer Park, the
La Grande and Eastern
Oregon University base-
ball teams have the added
advantage of a more
weather-proof playing
fi eld.
Spring weather, regard-
less of the recent snow,
is often unpredictable
even on a more typical,
Former Division I
player set to join
Eastern Oregon
men’s baseball team,
sets goals high for
upcoming season
By DAVIS CARBAUGH • The Observer
LA GRANDE — Oftentimes it is said
that connections you make in sports can last
a lifetime.
For Emmit Taylor III, the Eastern Oregon
University men’s basketball program is pro-
viding the opportunity to rekindle past con-
nections and team up with former team-
mates — the transfer guard previously
played with two of Eastern’s top returning
players, Phillip Malatare and Ismael Valdez.
The accomplished shooting guard is leaving
the Division I ranks to bring his perimeter
shooting prowess to La Grande next season.
“Chris (Kemp) has the team going in the
right direction. He just needed a little more
pieces,” Taylor said. “I think I can really
come into Eastern Oregon and have an
impact right away.”
The graduate transfer, who has one year
of eligibility remaining, comes to Eastern
after playing last season at Division I Idaho
State. Taylor averaged fi ve points per game,
scoring in double fi gures off the bench in fi ve
games.
Prior to making the leap to the Division
I ranks, Taylor was a standout at Northern
Idaho College — he averaged 13.9 points per
game in the 2018 season off 42.9% shooting
from 3-point range. Taylor scored a career-
high 46 points in a game that season, hit-
ting 12 3-pointers. In his sophomore year, he
averaged 11 points per game and shot 36.6%
from long range.
North Idaho College, where Eastern head
coach Chris Kemp was an assistant for the
2016-17 season, has several ties to Eastern
that played a role in Taylor’s decision to
transfer. The guard played two seasons with
Malatare and Valdez, two key players in last
year’s rotation at Eastern — Malatare aver-
aged 19.2 points per game and was named to
Emmit Taylor III shoots
from the top of the
key for Idaho State
University during the
2021-22 season. The
graduate transfer is set
to transfer to Eastern
Oregon University
next fall, joining
former North Idaho
College teammates
Phillip Malatare and
Ismael Valdez with the
Mountaineers.
Idaho State Athletics/
Contributed Photo
“I think my town will take a lot
of the credit for getting to where
I am, since it was a big part of
growing up.”
— Emmit Taylor III, from Lapwai, Idaho
See, Taylor/Page A8
See, Carbaugh/Page A8
SPORTS SHORT
Shoni Schimmel faces federal assault charges
East Oregonian
PORTLAND — Former WNBA
player Shoni Schimmel, 29, of
Pendleton, is facing federal assault
charges that could put her in prison
for 15 years.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in
Oregon in a press release reported a
federal court unsealed an indictment
Friday, April 15, charging Schimmel
with assault by strangulation of an
intimate dating partner and assault
resulting in substantial bodily injury
on the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
According to the indictment, the
alleged assault happned on June 13,
2021.
Federal authorities on April 15
arrested Schimmel, who also made
her initial appearance in federal
court, where during an arraignment
she pleaded not guilty. The court
released her and scheduled a two-day
jury trial scheduled for June 14.
If convicted, according to the
press release, Schimmel faces a
maximum sentence of 15 years in
federal prison, three years’ super-
vised release and a fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Scott Erik
Asphaug of the District of Oregon
made the announcement.
The FBI and the Umatilla Tribal
Police Department investigated the
case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley
R. Cadotte is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is only an accusa-
tion of a crime, and a defendant is
presumed innocent unless and until
proven guilty.
Domestic violence is a serious
crime that includes both phys-
ical and emotional abuse. It is fre-
quently hidden from public view.
Many survivors suffer in silence,
afraid to seek help or not knowing
where to turn. The traumatic
effects of domestic violence also
extend beyond the abused person,
impacting family members and
communities.
If you or someone you know are
in immediate danger, call 911.
If you need assistance or know
someone who needs help, contact
the National Domestic Violence
Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
Many communities throughout the
country have developed support net-
works to assist survivors in the pro-
cess of recovery.
The StrongHearts Native Helpline
off ers culturally specifi c support and
advocacy for American Indian and
Alaska Native survivors of domestic
violence. Call 1-844-762-8483 or
visit www.strongheartshelpline.org
for more information.
Atlanta
Dream’s
Shoni
Schimmel
dribbles the
ball during
the fi rst half
of a WNBA
basketball
game
against the
Connecticut
Sun Aug.
17, 2014, in
Uncasville,
Connecticut.
Schimmel,
29, is facing
federal
assault
charges that
could put
her in prison
for 15 years.
Jessica Hill/The Associated Press, File
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