orts
ougars wind up winning season
I
I by Randy Frank
Sports Writer
■ a good season that could have
Hr," said Clackamas Community
■eball coach Gene Peterson as he
■konhis 1977 season.
K good season as the Cougars lived
■ pre-season expectations of being
■ the powerhouses of the Oregon
■ity College Athletic Association.
Jlerson said before the season began,
■- should be able to score a few
■ score is what they did as they
■ague in hitting with a .280 average
■ring almost twice as many runs as
■pponents (246-143).
■ the Cougars' attack were all-stars
■Ison,designated hitter, Rich Jones,
Base, and first baseman Tim Wach.
If; Wilson was voted to the OCCAA
■■star team after having one of the
ms in Clackamas baseball history in
Eoming off a one year layoff, Wilson,
■ore who attended Tigard H.S., led
me in hitting with a .429 batting
■which was also good for 14th in
Hon and it also tied a school record
Best average with Elmer Groener
■tin 1969.
In the process, Wilson tied Mike Back-
man for the Cougar record with 48 hits and
he also set a new school record for the most
RBI's in a season with 38.
Jones, a sophomore from McMinnville,
had a fine campaign for the Cougars as he
was named to the OCCAA first team as he
compiled a .380 batting average which placed
him among the league leaders. He also was
second on the team with 38 hits and third
in stolen bases with 11.
Wach, a sophomore who attended Cleve­
land H.S. was one of the most respected
hitters in the league as he tied the school
record for the most home runs in a season
with five, while driving in 26 runs and he
played almost flawless baseball committing
only three errors all season.
Playing a major role in the successes of
the 1977 Cougars was the exceptional pit­
ching coach Peterson received from his
freshman staff made up of Bob Tollefson,
Bob Simril, Jim Coffman and Gary Fior­
ante.
Tollefson, a freshman from Hillsboro
H.S., was named to the OCCAA second
team and was the Cougars' leader in com­
plete games with nine and in strikeouts with
62 in only 71 innings pitched.
etfers tie for second in state
■ y top singles player Mike Maynard,
II® Community College men's tennis
■¡shed in a tie for second with Cen-
■gon Community College in the Ore-
ICommunity College Athletic Associ­
ate championship tournament at
■las,May 12 through 17.
■art), a product of Canby H.S., won
Ifet flight singles competition. He dis-
Bof Tim Kramer, of Concordia, 6-3,
Bien Kelly, of Southwestern Oregon,
Band Art Cavanaugh, of Blue Moun-
■6-1.
nd flight singles, Dave Lemons
placed second, losing the de-
■to Marty Graham, of Blue Mountain,
Bp.
Birth flight singles player Buddy Pat-
» Clackamas finished second also,
Bio Central Oregon's Mike Quick in
lais, 6-1,6-4.
Hie doubles play, Maynard and Dan
■ placed third in the first flight and
M and Lemons did the same in the
Might.
Me regional meet, which was run with
■ate meet at Clackamas, the Cougars
■fourth behind Treasure Valley, North
■andCentral Oregon.
jynard placed fourth in the singles
■theregional, while no Cougars placed
Roubles competition.
Body has yet found a way to stop
Bmas Community College's Kim Flem-
|a the tennis courts.
■Cougar freshman won the Northwest
re Womens Sports Association South-
Ba community college tennis title at
Bod Community College, May 13 and
png, a graduate of Rex Putnam, re-
I unbeaten as she dispatched Mari
Donaldson of Clark College, 6-0, 6-0, and
Teresa Alexander of Mt. Hood, 6-1,6-1, to
win the first singles title.
Mary Budnick, of Clackamas, took the
consolation title in the second singles brac­
ket as she defeated Julie Donaldson, of
Clark, 6-1,6-1.
In doubles competition, Fleming and
Budnick combined to win the first doubles
trophy, topping Alexander and Tootie Rice,
of Mt. Hood, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1, and Gerì Mader
and Cheryl Shrum, of Lane 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Simril, out of Grant H.S., was one of the
Cougars' most effective spot starters with a
3-1 mark, which included a no-hitter against
Blue Mountain and a one-hitter against Jud­
son Baptist and a 2.07 ERA.
Coffman, a frosh from Rainier H.S. was
named as an honorable mention to the
OCCAA all-star team as he was one of the
winningest pitchers in the league with a 6-1
mark, good for a .857 percentage and a
2.64 ERA. Coffman was also second on the
team in innings pitched and strikeouts (41).
Fiorante, Tigard H.S., joined Coffman on
the honorable mention listing and in pit­
ching the Cougars' first no-hitter of the sea­
son, a 7-0 shut-out of Blue Mountain.
Fiorante also had a fine season of his own
as he compiled a 4-3 record and a 3.3 ERA.
Pitching and hitting won't win games if
you don't have strong defense and the Cou­
gars had one of the best in the league as
they finished second, committing only 43
errors.
Still, the 1977 season turned out some­
what of a disappointment for the Cougars as
they could only manage fourth place with a
19-9 (25-14-1) overall season, three games
behind league leading Umpqua, who later
went on to take the National Junior College
Championship.
Cougar Coach Gene Peterson said he feels
he knows what happened, "It would have
been a much better season if the Umps
wouldn't have burned us in those two games
with Umpqua, because right now we'd be
in the playoffs."
"I say this because I know that Umpqua
is not any better than we are and if those
two calls had gone the other way it would
be an entirely different bailgame."
As for next year, Peterson said, "We
should be competitive because all our star­
ters will be back, but it will be tough to fill
the shoes of Mickey Wilson, Rich Jones
and Tim Wach."
Spikers compete in nationals
Four athletes represented Clackamas Com­
munity College at the National Junior Col­
lege Athletic Association Championships held
in Houston, Texas on May 19, 20 and 21.
Mark Nugen, a contender in the decath­
lon, Frank Gibson in the high jump, Kelley
Sullivan in the steeplechase, and Dave Reed
who competed in the triple jump were the
total Cougar contingent.
Nugen completed both days of competi­
tion in the grueling decathlon event. He
wound up 21st out of a field of 34. Cougar
track coach Buck Monroe commented on
Nugen's performance as being a "good job,
especially against such tough competition,
in an event where you only get one shot and
then it's all over." Nugen finished with
5605 points.
Kelley Sullivan had his work cut out for
him in the steeple chase when he was pitted
against a former Olympic competitor from
the winning junior college, Essex of New
Jersey.
High jumper Frank Gibson cleared the
opening height of 6'4" in the first rounds
of that event. Gibson went on to clear at
6'6", but failed at his 6'8" attempt.
Dave Reed competed for the Cougars in
the triple jump, but didn't really perform
up to par in his specialty. Coach Monroe
said that Reed "did the best he could, but
was also up against some top competition."
Sixth place in the triple jump went to a
48'7" leap, three feet over Reed's best. The
event was won at 52 feet. "It really was an
awesome field," commented Monroe.
Essex, of New Jersey gathered a total of
92 points en route to their victory. The
strong team included two former Olympians
amid many outstanding athletes from other
countries. Second place overall went to
Mesa CC of Arizona. Placing highest from
the Oregon colleges was state-winner Lane
who took sixth place.
Next year's competition will be held in
Champaign, Illinois and both men and wo­
men's team championships will be together.
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