SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2017
1B
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Beavers team to
beat in Omaha?
The Ore-
gon State
baseball
team cele-
brates after
defeating
Vanderbilt
9-2 in an
NCAA tour-
nament su-
per region-
al game
Saturday,
June 10,
2017, in
Corvallis,
Ore., to
advance to
the Col-
lege World
Series.
College World Series
‘No ego on this team’
says coach Pat Casey
By KERRY EGGER
Portland Tribune
CORVALLIS — Oregon State is
Omaha-bound, headed for its fi fth
College World Series appearance in the
past 13 years.
The Beavers fi nished off the 2006 and
‘07 seasons with national championships,
and this year’s team hasn’t accomplished
that yet.
But no matter how this year’s Beavers
fi nish the season, consider some perspec-
tive on what has already been achieved.
Oregon State fi nished the regular
season 49-4, the best such record among
the nation’s Division I teams in 35 years.
The 1982 Texas Longhorns opened
See BEAVERS/2B
Andy Cripe/
The Corvallis
Gazette-Times
via AP
Prep Softball/Baseball
Rodeo
Locals earn all-state honors
Williams in race
for CNFR title
Blue Mountain barrel racer
fifth after two rounds
RIGHT: Pendleton’s Pay-
ton Hergert hauls down
a foul ball on the third
base line during a playoff
game against Hood River
this season at Steve Cary
Field. Pendleton won 4-2.
Hergert was one of two
fi rst-team All-State selec-
tions for the Buckaroos
this season.
East Oregonian
CASPER, Wyo. — With two rounds in the books,
Blue Mountain Community College barrel racer
Danyelle Williams is in the lead pack in the College
National Finals Rodeo title race.
Williams is fi fth in the aggregate after placing in
the top 10 in each of the fi rst two rounds, with one
more round before the short-go.
Williams, who placed second in the nation last year,
was fi fth in the fi rst round on Monday with a time of
14.71 seconds, and seventh in Tuesday’s second round
with 14.60 to give her 29.31 on two.
Kailee Webb of Wyoming is fi rst with 29.14 on
two. Blue Mountain’s Jessica Lewis, who was fourth
in 2016, is 34th (30.54 on two) and Quincy Pender-
grass is 40th (31.16).
Williams was slated to compete in Tuesday’s
performance, but results were not available by the
East Oregonian press deadline.
The Timberwolves didn’t have any other contes-
tants ranked in the top 10 as the third round began with
Tuesday night’s performance.
Williams and header Quinton Nyman were close,
though, and were 15th in team roping (27.4 on two).
Williams was 35th in goat tying (14.7 on two)
and Lauren Leyva was tied for 33rd (14.6 on two);
Pendergrass was 28th in breakaway (3.2 on one).
Johnny Espeland held the 16th slot in saddle bronc
riding (72 points on one) and Calvin Shaffer was 19th
(68.5 on one), Preston Pederson was 17th in tie-down
roping (29.5 on two).
See RODEO/2B
INSET: Pendleton pitcher
Lauren Richards winds
up during a playoff game
against Hood River at
Steve Cary Field. Rich-
ards was one of two of
Pendleton’s fi rst-team
All-State selections this
season.
Staff photos by Kathy Aney
Prep Softball
Five Bucks, three TigerScots, three Rockets and a Pirate chosen
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The
Pendleton Buckaroos softball
team once again fi nished
as one of the top teams in
Oregon’s Class 5A in 2017
after making its sixth state
semifi nal in seven seasons.
And once again several
Bucks were honored with
All-State selections after
coaches turned in their ballots
at the end of the season.
This year fi ve players
were chosen to stand among
the state’s best, with junior
pitcher Lauren Richards
and senior shortstop Payton
Hergert selected to the fi rst
team.
Junior third baseman
Kalan McGlothan was chosen
for the second team, and
sophomore Aspen Garton was
selected to the third team as a
utility/designated player.
Completing the Bucks’
selections was junior fi rst
baseman Alexi Brehaut as an
honorable mention.
Player of the Year was
Marist Catholic senior infi elder
Lauren Burke, and Pitcher of
the Year was Dallas sopho-
more Kaelynn Simmons.
Marist Catholic beat Dallas
12-7 in the championship, and
also was awarded Coaching
Staff of the Year.
———
5A Softball 2017 All-State Teams
Player of the Year — Lauren Burke, sr., Marist
Pitcher of the Year — Kaelynn Simmons,
so., Dallas
Coaching Staff of the Year — Marist Catholic
First Team
Pitchers
Sarah Abramson, sr., Rex Putnam
Megan Ayres, sr., Eagle Point
Kaelynn Simmons, so., Dallas
Lauren Richards, jr., Pendleton
Catchers
Lauren Wallace, jr., Dallas
Abby Doerr, fr., Marist
Infi eld
Lauren Burke, sr., Marist
Ariel Carlson, so., Marist
Lauren Christie, jr., Lebanon
Brook Herrington, sr., Ridgeview
Payton Hergert, sr., Pendleton
Outfi eld
Renel Koker, sr., Lebanon
Hannah Sisul, jr., La Salle
Alex Spencer, sr., Ridgeview
Noel Balderston, sr., Marist
Utility/Designated Player
Makenna Slavenski, sr., Lebanon
Miyah Smith, jr., Eagle Point
Second Team
Pitchers
Baylee Eaton, sr., Marist
Hannah McNerney, jr., Hood River Valley
See ALL-STATE/2B
TigerScots pair
plays in Senior
All-Star Series
Hillmick, Peal represent
Weston-McEwen on North team
East Oregonian
CORVALLIS — Two members of the Weston-
McEwen softball team were able to participate in the
3A Senior All-Star Series held June 4 at Oregon State
University.
Senior pitcher Bailey Hillmick and senior catcher
Sydney Peal represented the TigerScots in a pair of
games played on the same fi eld as the state champi-
onships.
They played for the North Team, which won the
second game 6-3 after dropping the fi rst 12-11 on a
walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning.
See SENIOR SERIES/2B
Sports shorts
Mariners, Safeco Insurance
end stadium naming rights deal
EOU 12th in Director’s Cup race
CLEVELAND — After the program’s
most-successful sports season in history, EOU
has also achieved its highest fi nish in the
Learfi eld Directors’ Cup standings.
Out of 199 programs in the fi nal standings,
the Mountaineers scored No.
12, the highest fi nish in school
history. The Blue and Gold
led all Cascade Collegiate
Conference teams, with in-state
rival Southern Oregon fi nishing
one spot behind (No. 13).
EOU tallied 530 points over the 2016-17
season. The Mountaineers notched points in the
spring from men’s track & fi eld (45 points) and
women’s track and fi eld (6 points).
Other conference fi nishers include College
of Idaho (No. 26), Oregon Tech (No. 49),
Corban (No. 63), Northwest Christian (no. 68),
Northwest (No. 93), Warner Pacifi c (No. 157),
and Evergreen State (No. 191).
“When you offer
someone, I take it
serious. I do understand
he’s 11 years old, but
we take it serious.“
— Frank Lacaden
Father of Titan Lacaden, a fi fth
grade quarterback from Kapolei,
Hawaii, who received a verbal
offer of a scholarship by Univer-
sity of Hawaii head coach Nick
Rolovich on Saturday.
SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners
and Safeco Insurance announced Tuesday
that they will end their stadium naming rights
partnership after the 2018 season.
Safeco Insurance has held the
naming rights for the stadium since
1998, a year before Safeco Field
opened.
Safeco Insurance President
Tyler Asher says the company is changing
its marketing approach but intends to remain
“active partners” with the Mariners. The
Mariners say they have started preliminary
talks with others about potential naming rights
opportunities.
Regarded as one of the top parks in baseball,
Safeco Field hosted the 2001 All-Star Game
but has not been home to postseason baseball
since that season. The Mariners have the
longest playoff drought in the majors.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1994 — The New York
Rangers hold off the Vancouver
Canucks 3-2 in Game 7 for
their fi rst Stanley Cup in 54
years.
1998 — Michael Jordan
scores 45 points, steals the
ball and hitting a jumper
with 5.2 seconds left to give
Chicago an 87-86 win and a
4-2 series victory over Utah
for a sixth NBA title.
2005 — Michelle Wie
becomes the fi rst female
player to qualify for an
adult male USGA champi-
onship, tying for fi rst place
in a 36-hole U.S. Amateur
sectional qualifying tourna-
ment at Belle Vernon, Pa.
Contact us at 541-966-0838 or
sports@eastoregonian.com