Sports
Back
on the
gridiron
A9
Thursday, May 5, 2022
On the brink of
HISTORY
Position battles
highlight Blue and
Gold Weekend
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — After
the COVID-19 pandemic
interrupted the typical
sports calendar over the
past two years, Blue and
Gold Weekend is set to
return to Eastern Oregon
University and the Moun-
taineer football team is
champing at the bit to host
the event.
Head football coach
Tim Camp began the event
before the pandemic, and it
has grown into a universi-
ty-wide gathering beyond
just football. From auctions
and community engage-
ment to a sneak peak at
the 2022 Eastern foot-
ball roster, Blue and Gold
Weekend is the premier
event for the school’s ath-
letic department this spring.
“It’s really turned into
something,” Camp said.
The two-day event is
centered around show-
casing the athletic depart-
ment to the La Grande
community, with a full
slate of activities and fund-
raisers for athletes, alumni
and residents. On Friday,
May 13, Eastern will host
a student-athlete challenge
that is open to the public —
a DJ will be at the event, as
well as spike ball tourna-
ments, a barbecue and other
activities.
Alumni involvement is
one of the goals of Blue
and Gold Weekend. The
Eastern athletic depart-
ment is encouraging alumni
to fill out the alumni con-
tact information update on
the department’s website,
in order for the university
to keep up with former stu-
dent athletes.
On May 14, events
will start off with a wom-
en’s soccer alumni game
at 1 p.m. The men’s soccer
alumni game will follow
at 3 p.m., setting the stage
The Observer, File
Amanda Smith (14) delivers a pitch during the Mountaineers’ matchup with Providence University on Friday, March 25, 2022, at the Peggy Anderson Softball
Field, La Grande. Eastern’s starting pitcher is second in the conference in wins (17-5), earned run average (1.73) and opposing batting average (.191).
Eastern approaches historic success, will
face off with Corban in CCC opening round
By DAVIS CARBAUGH • The Observer
L
A GRANDE — It has been a near historic
season for the Eastern Oregon University
softball program.
The Mountaineers con-
cluded the regular season with
a 39-13 record, just two wins
away from tying the all-time
program record for wins in
a season — Eastern set the
record in 1999 under now-ath-
letic director Anji Weissen-
fluh. Coming off three straight
losing seasons, the Mountain-
eers enter the postseason as a
contender in the Cascade Col-
legiate Conference. The path
to NAIA Softball World Series
begins in Klamath Falls, where
Eastern will face Corban in
the opening round on Friday,
May 6.
Eastern hit the ground
running to start the season,
jumping out to a winning
record and never looking back.
The Mountaineers finished
with a 24-6 conference record,
just one game back of first-
place Oregon Tech. Eastern
tied for second with Southern
Oregon, but lost out on the two-
seed because of a tiebreaker.
For Eastern, starting pitcher
Amanda Smith has been the
team’s ace all season. Smith
is 17-5 on the year, a win total
good for second in the con-
ference. She is also second in
the conference in earned run
average (1.73) and opposing
batting average (.191). Smith
ranks third in both strikeouts
(120) and saves (three).
The team has relied on a
strong cumulative effort at the
plate, with six players in the
lineup hitting over .300 in the
regular season.
Caitlin Crist and Kayla Berg
lead the team with 30 RBIs
each, while Crist is the team’s
runs leader with 41.
The Mountaineers picked
up speed as the season pro-
gressed, which was evident in
a series against No. 3 Oregon
Tech on the weekend of Friday,
See, Softball/Page A10
See, Football/Page A10
SPORTS SHORT
Basketball shot clocks tabled by OSAA executive board
Schools eyeing 2023-24
for implementation rollout
By NIK STRENG
The Oregonian
PORTLAND — The addi-
tion of a shot clock — one of the
most hotly discussed topics in high
school basketball — was tabled
Monday, May 2, without a vote
during an Oregon School Activi-
ties Association executive board
meeting.
The board heard a presentation
on the topic from the OSAA and
took no action, even though it was
made clear by the presenting group
that the implementation of a shot
clock in Oregon high school basket-
ball is an inevitability.
At one point, it was noted that
Washington, California, Idaho and
Montana either have a shot clock
in high school basketball or have a
plan in place to implement one in
the coming years.
“We’re kind of the last island on
the West Coast that does not have
a shot clock,” said Kyle Stanfield,
OSAA assistant executive director.
Kris Welch, OSAA assistant
executive director, added that the
Oregon Basketball Coaches Asso-
ciation conducted a survey, with
the majority of coaches supporting
having a shot clock in Oregon.
Welch said the state athletic direc-
tors also said they support the
change, with the biggest pushback
coming from Class 2A athletic
directors.
Welch said the current request
from the schools is to implement
shot clocks in the 2023-24 school
year, and executive board members
said they agreed with the timeline.
The National Federation of State
High School Associations (NFHS)
has changed its rules to allow for
a 35-second shot clock at the high
school level, which will go into
effect at the start of the 2022-23
school year.
The next meeting of the execu-
tive board is scheduled for July 18.
East Oregonian, File
Pendleton’s Brielle Youncs (14) and La Grande’s Makenna Shorts
(1) grapple for control of a jump ball on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022,
at Pendleton High School. The Tigers defeated Pendleton, 45-42.
Find up-to-date scores and additional game coverage
for your local high school, available 24/7 at
www.lagrandeobserver.com.