PAGE A10, KEIZERTIMES, JULY 15, 2016
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Riggs growing
into bullpen role
OREGON STATE ATHLETICS/Karl Maasdam
Oregon State forward Deven Hunter, who graduated from McNary in 2012, drives to the goal against UCONN center Natalie Butler
in the semifi nals of the 2016 Women’s NCAA Tournament.
Dream Believer
McNary grad looks
back on OSU career
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Deven Hunter believed
from Day One, even when
there was reason not to.
When the McNary senior
signed with Oregon State on
a Wednesday morning be-
fore school in November of
2011, the Lady Beavers had
only won nine games the sea-
son before and hadn’t made
the NCAA tournament since
1996.
“I wasn’t looking at the
record as much,” said Hunter,
who chose OSU over offers
from Arizona and Kansas State
because of her familiarity with
the Corvallis campus and the
vision of new head coach
Steve Rueck. “I defi nitely saw
past that and the potential.”
Hunter also looked at who
else was joining her and a re-
cruiting class that featured
three of the top 100 players in
the country in Jamie Weisner,
Ruth Hamblin and Samantha
Siegner.
“Our freshmen class com-
ing in, we wanted to make
it to the Final Four and we
wanted to change the pro-
gram around,” Hunter said.
“Defi nitely that was our goal
that we set out coming in as
freshmen. We knew we were
a special group of people. We
knew we had something spe-
cial.”
Hunter’s fi rst season didn’t
go as planned as OSU went
10-21 overall and 4-14 in the
Pac-12 Conference, playing in
front of home crowds that av-
eraged less than 1,200 people.
But with another strong
recruiting class, the Lady
Beavers began to make their
turnaround during Hunter’s
sophomore campaign.
On Dec. 29, 2013, she
pulled down a team-high 10
rebounds as OSU nearly upset
No. 2 ranked Notre Dame in
front of more than 4,000 fans
at Gill Coliseum.
The Lady Beavers fi nished
the season 24-11 and earned
a berth in the NCAA tourna-
ment.
As a No. 9 seed, OSU de-
feated Middle Tennessee 55-
By TIM HAYS
Of the Keizertimes
More than 2,200 miles
away from Spring, Texas, No-
lan Riggs defi nitely had to
duck getting off the plane. At
6’8”, Riggs has developed into
one of the most consistent re-
lievers for the Volcanoes.
In eight games, which is
second most on the team,
Riggs leads all relievers by
pitching in 15 2/3 innings.
Riggs had seen some seri-
ous heartbreak in his fi rst 23
years.
Riggs entered high school
at 5 foot 11 inches, and was
set to continue growing. It
seemed as if his body would
never stop.
“I was pretty short entering
high school,” he said.” I grew
two inches every year, and it
seemed like I would just keep
going.”
His body was growing at
a rapid rate; almost too fast.
After two successful years of
varsity baseball, Riggs had
news that he wasn’t expecting;
Tommy John surgery.
On August 26th, his fi rst
day of his senior year of high
school, Riggs underwent
Nolan Riggs
Tommy John surgery. Interest-
ingly enough, the tendon to
replace his right UCL (ulnar
collateral ligament) came from
the inner part of his right
hamstring.
In the spring, Riggs got to
throw one inning of varsity
baseball.
“I was really looking for-
ward to senior year,” Riggs
said. “Getting hurt was a big
setback. I was getting looks
from a lot big schools, and
fortunately I ended up get-
ting the opportunity to attend
junior college. So far it looks
like it turned out great.”
Please see RIGGS, Page 11
Volcanoes split
doubleheader
OREGON STATE ATHLETICS/Karl Maasdam
Deven Hunter kisses the trophy after the Lady Beavers beat
Baylor 60-57 on March 28 to advance to the Final Four.
36 in the fi rst round before
falling to top seeded South
Carolina 78-69 in the second
round. The following season,
the Lady Beavers topped Cali-
fornia 73-55 to capture their
fi rst Pac-12 regular season title
in program history. They went
16-2 in conference play and
earned a 3-seed in the NCAA
tournament but were upset by
Gonzaga in the second round.
Hunter had one more sea-
son to make her dream come
true.
Please see HUNTER, Page 11
By HERB SWETT
For the Keizertimes
The Volcanoes followed a
rainout with a July 8 split of a
home doubleheader with Van-
couver, winning the fi rst game
8-6 and losing the second 9-3.
A crowd of 3,807 watched
Salem-Keizer hit twice as
many home runs (four) in the
two games as in all the previ-
ous games this season. In the
fi rst game, the Volcanoes over-
came a 5-0 lead the Canadians
had after 1-1/2 innings. Each
game went seven innings.
Game 1: Volcanoes 8,
Vancouver 6
With one out in the top
of the second inning, Mat-
tingly Romanin walked and
Bryan Lizardo hit a home run
over the left fi eld fence. After
starting pitcher Mac Marshall
retired the next batter, Javier
Hernandez also homered to
left. Rodrigo Orozco doubled
down the left fi eld foul line.
Kendry Melo relieved
Marshall and walked Cavan
Biggio, son of Hall of Famer
Craig Biggio. He hit Lance
Jones to load the bases and hit
the next batter, JB Woodman,
to force Orozco home. Then
he walked Christian Williams
to force in Biggio. He settled
down after that, striking out
Romanin to retire the side and
pitching shutout ball for three
more innings. He became the
winning pitcher at 2-1.
In the Volcano second,
Bryan Reynolds led off with
a double to right center fi eld
and went to third base on a
wild pitch from Vancouver
starter Luis Sanchez. Heath
Quinn doubled to left, scoring
Reynolds, and went to third as
Ryan Kirby grounded out.
Salem-Keizer added a run
in the third as Gio Brusa’s
sacrifi ce fl y to right drove in
Kevin Rivera, who had dou-
bled and reached third on a
single by Manuel Geraldo.
Please see SPLIT, Page 11
Holiday Swim Club
defeats Northview
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Kameron Splonski broke
two swim club records to lead
Holiday’s boys to a 141-108
victory over Northview Ter-
race Thursday, July 7.
Swimming
in
the
9-10-year-old division, Splon-
ski fi nished the butterfl y in
13.38 and the freestyle in
25.15. He also won the back-
stroke and swam on the win-
ning 13-14 free and medley
relays with teammates Ryan
Bethers, Tony Gonzales and
Kian Gonzales.
Kian won three individual
events as well—individual
medley, backstroke and free.
Cole Steele dominated the
boys 7-8 division, winning the
IM, butterfl y and breaststroke.
Steele also joined Xavier
Grantham, Vinny Arnold and
Brody Hollis to place fi rst in
the 9-10 free relay.
Brody Hollis, Lincoln Hol-
lis, Noah Williams and Ozzy
Arnold won the 7-8 medley
relay.
Lincoln Hollis, Williams
and Ozzy Arnold joined Jared
Toland to also win the free re-
lay.
James Toland won the 11-
12 breaststroke and free and
swam on the winning medley
relay team with Nathan Wil-
liams, Carter Hollis and Noah
Schaffner. Carter also had the
top time in the IM.
Noah Williams touched the
wall fi rst in the Under-6 but-
terfl y.
Swimming for North-
view, Eli Staley had the fast-
est time in the 9-10 IM and
breaststroke. He was also on
the winning 11-12 free relay
with Dom Snyder, Camden
Whetten and Nicholas Ma-
heu. Cole Garland, Gavin
Gasperini Jeremy Becker and
Tayson Whetten won both the
15-18 free and medley relays.
Garland also won the 13-14
breast while Tayson and Beck-
er tied in the 11-12 fl y.
Michael Noble won the
8-and-under free.
Holiday’s girls also squeaked
by Northview, 157-148.
Individually, Bella Beard
won three events—the 13-14
IM, butterfl y and breaststroke.
She also helped Alex Beard,
Antonia Gonzales and Kylie
McCarty set a new club re-
cord in the 15-18 free relay in
1:31.84.
Please see SWIM, Page 11
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
Maya Privratsky, Alex Willcoxen and Ashlynn Hughes helped the Holday Swim Club defeat
Northview Thursday, July 7.