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Page 2B SPORTS East Oregonian College World Series OREGON STATE: When it comes to Heimlich, OSU teammates not talking Continued from 1B three regional opponents 27-3 as the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Beavers then cruised to a two-game sweep of Vander- bilt in super regionals. Now comes the hard part — finishing the job on the college game’s grandest stage at TD Ameritrade Park. “It is absolutely a lot of pressure, and it’s a different kind of pressure than any other experience along the way,” said retired Hall of Fame coach Augie Garrido, who won three national championships at Fullerton and two at Texas. “They’re going to have to adapt to the environment, and that is a huge challenge for all teams.” Oregon State will take the next step toward its third national title since 2006 without its top pitcher, Luke Heimlich, and starting left fielder Christian Donahue. Heimlich did not pitch in super regionals after it was revealed last week that when he was a teenager he pleaded guilty to molesting a 6-year-old girl. He did not accompany the team to Omaha because he didn’t want to be a distraction. Coach Pat Casey announced Friday that Donahue was suspended for the entire CWS for an unspecified violation of team rules. The Beavers have a pitching staff that ranks No. 1 in the country with a 1.8 ERA. Jake Thompson is 14-0, Pac-12 player of the year Nick Madrigal is batting a team- leading .383, and KJ Harrison has hit three of his eight home runs in the last five games. “If they win it all, it’s going to be hard for them not to be considered No. 1 all-time,” Baseball America editor John Manuel said. “They had another national seed in their conference in Stanford. Arizona is in their league and was national runner-up last year. This wasn’t a vintage Pac-12 year, but it’s still a strong conference. They By ERIC OLSON Associated Press AP Photo/Nati Harnik Oregon State coach Pat Casey addresses his players in the dugout before team practice in Omaha, Neb., Fri- day, June 16, 2017. played good competition and blew everyone’s doors off.” Garrido said the Beavers compare favorably to the dominant Southern California teams of the early 1970s, the Texas teams of the mid-1970s and early ‘80s, and his ‘95 Fullerton squad that went 57-9, won the national title and was named the greatest team of the 20th century by Baseball America. As for that 1982 Texas team that came in 57-4, it didn’t win the national title. Harrison, the Oregon State catcher, said he had heard about the ‘82 Texas team, and how it went 2-2 in Omaha and failed to reach the champion- ship game. Based on that, he said, “greatest of all time” talk can wait for Oregon State. “We’re not done yet,” he said. “Our goal is to win that national championship.” Things to know as the 71st College World Series begins: STARTING PITCHERS Oregon State will start Thompson (14-0) against Fullerton’s Connor Seabold (11-5), and LSU’s Alex Lange (9-5) will go against Florida State’s Tyler Holton (10-2). On Sunday, Texas A&M will start Corbin Martin (7-3, 3.35 ERA) against Louisville’s Brendan McKay (10-3, 2.34) and Florida will send Alex Faedo (7-2, 2.55) out against TCU’s Jared Janczak (9-0, 1.97). FAMILIAR FACES Each of the eight teams has played in the CWS at least once since 2011, with Florida here for the sixth time in eight years and TCU for the fourth straight year. Four of the teams rank among the top 12 in all-time appearances. Florida State is fourth (22), Cal State Fullerton and LSU are tied for seventh (18), and Florida is 12th (11). “I think this is the most complete field I’ve seen,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sul- livan said. “There are no Cinderellas.” DAYCARE TO AGGIELAND Texas A&M freshman designated hitter Logan Foster ended up an Aggie even though he grew up in Lincoln, 50 miles from Omaha. Foster’s first contact with coach Rob Childress came in the late 1990s, when Childress was an assistant at Nebraska. “I’ve known him since he was 1 year old,” Childress said. “He went to daycare with my daughter. He kept coming to camps once we went to Texas A&M, and once he made the decision to be an Aggie I told him, ‘I’m not putting the pacifier back in your mouth anymore. You’re going to have to do it yourself.’” AWARDS: Highlights to air Tuesday Continued from 1B ment for her as well.” The event will begin at 7 p.m. and a live webcast will be available at OregonSport- sAwards.com. A highlight show will be televised by CSNNW on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Greb is up for Female Prep Golfer of the Year, and the two other finalists are Ellie Slama of South Salem and Victoria Gailey of Tigard. “I’ve played with both of the girls a lot and it’s a great accomplishment for all three of us,” she said, adding she’d of course be flattered to win. “It would be a great accom- plishment, over the whole four years of high school and growing up playing golf, and it would definitely be a good wrap for everything. It would definitely feel great.” Richards, who broke the Pendleton High School strikeout record with 229 as a junior, is up for Prep Softball Player of the Year. The other finalists are Lauren Burke of Marist Catholic and McKenna Armantrout of Henley. “I heard about it from our athletic director and I was pretty surprised, I didn’t really know much about it,” he said. “I’ve kind of researched it and it seems like a really good event, I’m excited for it. I’ll already be down there for softball, so we’re just going to head down there.” Former Buckaroo Alexis Morrison was a finalist in 2016, and Mac-Hi’s Collette Robert won the award in 2015. ——— Oregon Sports Awards Finalists Johnny Carpenter Prep Athlete of the Year Female (6A-5A) Evina Westbrook, South Salem Jamie Stone, Centennial Olivia Brooks, Summit (4A-1A) Baylee Touey, North Valley Hawley Harrer, Sister Kendra Murphy, North Lake Male (6A-5A) Andrew Monroe, Crater Layne Van Anrooy, Roseburg Tim Tawa, West Linn (4A-1A) Bishop Mitchell, Kennedy Blake Sentman, Cottage Grove Hunter Knox, Harrisburg Prep Football Player of the Year Elijah Molden, West Linn Tim Tawa, West Linn Marlon Tuipulotu, Central Staff photo by Kathy Aney In this file photo from May 26, 2017, Pendleton pitcher Lauren Richards catches a pop fly during a state playoff game against Hood River at Steve Cary Field. Pendle- ton won 4-2. Male Cameron Autencio, McMinnville Johnny Rodas-Hills, Lakeridge Paul Seydel, Lakeridge Male Andrew Monroe, Crater Braden Lenzy, Tigard Henry Mong, Franklin Prep Cross Country Runner of the Year Female Ember Stratton, Sunset Kelly Makin, Sunset Olivia Brooks, Summit Male Ahmed Muhumed, West Salem Andrew Monroe, Crater Joshua Schumacher, Jesuit Prep Softball Player of the Year Lauren Burke, Marist McKenna Armantrout, Henley Lauren Richards, Pendleton Prep Basketball Player of the Year Female Aleah Goodman, La Salle Bendu Yeaney, St. Mary’s Evina Westbrook, South Salem Male Elijah Gonzales, Clackamas Geno West, Jefferson Zach Reichle, Wilsonville Prep Lacrosse Player of the Year Female Lauren Gilbert, Lake Oswego Emily Steele, Jesuit Catherine Lawliss, Oregon Episcopal Male Tucker Dordevic, Jesuit Alex Slusher, Oregon Episcopal Sam Handley, Jesuit Prep Swimmer of the Year Female Caitlyn Wilson, Southridge Emily Cook, Jesuit Jamie Stone, Centennial Male Casey McEuen, Lebanon Tristan James, Springfield Van Mathias, Beaverton Slats Gill Sportsperson of the Year Dana Altman, UO Men’s Basketball Pat Casey, OSU Baseball Scott Rueck, OSU Women’s Basketball Prep Wrestler of the Year Brian Barnes, McMinnville Lane Stigall, North Marion Layne Van Anrooy, Roseburg Prep Golfer of the Year Female Ellie Slama, South Salem Haley Greb, Pendleton Victoria Gailey, Tigard Male Craig Ronne, Klamath Union Isaac Buerger, Ridgeview Samuel Pyon, Clackamas Prep Volleyball Player of the Year Hawley Harrer, Sister Kathryn Decker, Jesuit Maddie Batiste, Central Catholic Prep Tennis Player of the Year Female Anna Kern, Corvallis Elizabeth Stevens, Tigard Serim Jin, Sunset Male Andrew Finkelman, Grant Carter Quigley, Summit Peter Murphy, Jesuit Prep Soccer Player of the Year Female Camille Weaver, Summit Kaillen Fried, Sherwood Lindsay Howard, Sherwood Prep Track & Field Athlete of the Year Female Camille Weaver, Summit Deshae Wise, Grants Pass Olivia Brooks, Summit Saturday, June 17, 2017 Prep Baseball Player of the Year Caden Hennessy, Clackamas Brock Townsend, Churchill Tim Tawa, West Linn Ad Rutschman Small College Athlete of the Year Female Ayisat Afolabi, Lewis & Clark Basketball Tara Moates, OIT Softball Ella Riddle, Linfield Tennis Janelle Ferlan, OIT Golf Male Sam Riddle, Linfield Football Joel Yellow Owl, OIT Basketball Scott Hilpert, Linfield Baseball Bill Hayward Amateur Athlete of the Year Female Raevyn Rogers, UO Track & Field Sydney Wiese, OSU Basketball Kaytianna McMillan, OSU Gymnastics Male Nick Madrigal, OSU Baseball Edward Cheserek, UO Cross Country, Track & Field Dillon Brooks, UO Basketball Harry Glickman Professional Athlete of the Year Female Mariel Zagunis, USA Fencing Tobin Heath, Portland Thorns Brianne Theisen-Eaton, Oregon Track Club Elite Male Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers Ashton Eaton, USATF Ryan Crouser, USATF OMAHA, Neb. — Oregon State players were happy to answer any ques- tions about the baseball part of the College World Series. The topic of Luke Heimlich was a non-starter. Heimlich, the Pac-12 pitcher of the year, announced Thursday he would not accompany the Beavers to Omaha because he didn’t want to be a distraction. Last week it was revealed that when Heimlich was a teenager he pleaded guilty to molesting a 6-year-old girl. He did not pitch in the Beavers’ super regional against Vanderbilt. Coach Pat Casey said Heimlich made the decision to stay home on his own; if Heimlich had wanted to, he would have been allowed to travel to Omaha with the team. Oregon State, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tour- nament, opens the CWS on Saturday against Cal State Fullerton. Players gushed over the opportunity to play for a national championship and the success they’ve enjoyed this season. At 54-4, the Beavers have the fewest losses of any team entering a CWS since Texas came in 57-4 in 1982. Questions to a half-dozen players about Heimlich and his absence were deflected with no comment or responses about how the team is close-knit and how it approaches games “one game at a time, one pitch at a time.” KJ Harrison, without mentioning Heimlich, generally addressed the cloud over the program. “You just get stronger from it ... We’re looking to play this weekend and we’re looking at our next opponent and we keep a very good team aspect in here,” Harrison said. Ron Prettyman, NCAA managing director of cham- pionships and alliances, said in an interview with The Associated Press that the NCAA had no input on whether Heimlich should participate or be with the team in Omaha. Prettyman said he knew of no discussions at the NCAA level since Heimlich’s sex offender status came to light about instituting a policy that would bar an athlete who has a felony record from participating. Those decisions, he said, are left up to the school. Asked if it was best for the CWS that Heimlich stayed away, Prettyman said, “There are pros and cons. My heart goes out to the victim but also to the young man who is paying severe consequences for a bad action. I really don’t have a strong opinion about it — not that it made it easier or harder or anything else. We allowed the situation to run its course and we’re here to support Oregon State in the process.” Casey said his players have dealt with the situation as well as could be expected. “I really haven’t talked a whole lot about it,” he said. “Our guys are very tight- knit group of guys. They’ve handled it with class. You prepare for distractions. I tell guys at the beginning of the season every year that one of the toughest things you have to do if you win is block out distractions. They can come from anywhere.” Details about the moles- tation were revealed last week in a story published by The Oregonian/OregonLive. In an editorial accompa- nying the article, the news- paper said it learned about Heimlich’s 2012 conviction in Washington state after running a background check that it routinely does for in-depth profiles. Heimlich was the team’s top pitcher, with an 11-1 record and nation-best 0.76 ERA. He had been projected to be an early round pick in Major League Baseball’s draft, which ended Wednesday without him being selected. Prosecutors in Wash- ington state initially charged Heimlich with two counts of molestation for abuse that began when the girl was 4, The Oregonian said. He ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of molestation in 2011, a period during which he was 15. Prosecutors dismissed the other charge. MOORE: Program needs to grow Continued from 1B nothing but good things about Hermiston baseball and the opportunity to come in and enjoy the success that they’ve built and expand on that is exciting.” Moore’s baseball back- ground is pretty extensive, starting with a successful high school career with the Buckaroos that landed him a chance to play college baseball and eventually two seasons playing professional baseball in the Independent Frontier League before coming back to Pendleton. From there, Moore spent two summers coaching Pendleton Legion baseball from 2000-2001 for the then-Dave’s Chevron team with current Pendleton assistant Travis Zander before landing a teaching job in the Parma School District. His last two seasons in Idaho he spent assisting the Fruitland High team that won back-to-back state championships. Hermiston athletic director Larry Usher said on Friday that Moore’s base- ball coaching background, along with experience in coaching football and golf. was a perfect fit for what the school was looking for. “He comes from a great baseball pedigree and has had success everywhere he’s been,” said Usher. “One thing good coaches should do is learn the most they can from competitive programs and I’m humble enough to admit that Pendleton base- ball has been fantastic and that’s where he started, and then what he did in Parma spoke volumes to us.” Moore inherits a Bulldog program that finished 10-15 overall this past season and 4-8 in the Columbia River Conference, just missing out on a postseason spot. The Bulldogs do return some experienced pieces, though, as five positional starters and all three starting pitchers will return to the field. But Hermiston has just one more season to leave a lasting mark on the OSAA and the four-team CRC before it moves to the tougher Mid-Columbia Conference and the WIAA starting in 2018-19. Usher admitted that the move to the WIAA was a reason for the district going in a different direction and outside of the program to try and jump-start the stagnant program. “We don’t want to go up there and not have a good showing,” Usher said. “We think Kevin brings a bit of fire and will bring some charisma to the high school program.” Along with revamping the high school program, Moore will be tasked with helping the development of Hermiston’s Little League and middle school programs to help funnel more kids into the high school level and make things more competitive amongst the kids. Moore believes that he way to start is perhaps easier said than done. “My opinion is winning brings along a lot of interest from kids,” he said. “If you’re winning, kids want to be a part of the program and will come out. I’m a firm believer of teaching kids how to play hard and how to play right and get kids to believe in themselves. “If you treat kids with respect and get them in the right direction and get them believing that they’re going to be better then their oppo- nent, then we can start to build a highly competitive program.” RODEO: Top 12 advance to final round Continued from 1B the action would have a different feel depending on where they were in the standings. Espeland was the only one of the three that would be competing, and he needed at least 66 points in his final ride to get into the 12th and final spot in the short-go. But that was the score he needed at the start of the round, and based on the night’s action he likely needed to score much closer to the 72 he had in the first round to earn another ride in Casper. Results were not avail- able by the East Oregonian press deadline. While Espeland was riding with his season on the line, Hermiston graduate Preston Pederson would be closely monitoring the tie-down action after he entered the night in the ninth spot in the aggregate with 39.5 on three, and while Pederson was sweating it out, Williams would be able to rest easy with her third- place standing making her a lock for her second-straight CNFR short-go. Espeland wouldn’t be the only BMCC competitor in action on Friday, though, and Chaise Robbins and Cole White competed in team roping while Quincy Pendergrass went in barrel racing and breakaway roping. Robbins and White missed both of their first two steers, and were just be going for round points. Pendergrass was in the same boat in each of her events, and had 31.16 on two in barrel racing and 3.2 on one in breakaway. In Thursday night’s action, Williams and Quinton Nyman had a no score in team roping and finished their week with 27.4 on two. Williams also competed in goat tying where she had an 8.0 that moved her into 22nd overall with 22.7 on three. Calvin Shaffer had a no score in saddle bronc and finished with 68.5 points on one. Event leaders going into Friday’s action were: Logan Cook of Panola Junior College in saddle bronc, 210.5 on three; Lane McGehee of Sam Houston State in bareback, 234.5 on three; Riger Piva of Montana-Western, 157 on two; Reid Zapalac of Tarleton State in tie-down, 27.9 on three; Denver Berry of SE Oklahoma State in steer wrestling, 15.9 on three; Wesley Thorp/Cole Wheeler of Texas Tech in team roping, 24.4 on three; Leia Pluemer of UNLV in barrel racing, 43.45 on three; Loni Lester of Sam Houston State in breakaway roping, 8.2 on three; Makayla Boots of Idaho State in goat tying, 19.4 on three. In the men’s all-around, Marcus Theriot of East Mississippi Community College led Cole Frey of McNeese State by 25 points, and in the women’s all-around, KL Spratt of Sam Houston State led Samantha Jorgenson of Black Hills State by 30 points. Panhandle State led the men’s teams, 75 points ahead of Sam Houston State with BMCC in 47th. Sam Houston State held the women’s team lead by 100 points over Tarleton State with BMCC in 17th. The top 12 contestants/ teams in each event will advance to the champion- ship round on Saturday.
