Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 2017)
Page 2B SPORTS East Oregonian Wednesday, June 21, 2017 College World Series TCU sends Texas A&M home, Florida tops Louisville TCU out- fielders Josh Wat- son (7), Aus- ten Wade, and Nolan Brown, right rear, celebrate following a College World Se- ries elimina- tion game against Texas A&M on Tuesday in Omaha, Neb. By ERIC OLSON Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. — Roommates Brian Howard and Ryan Merrill are going to have plenty to talk about around their apartment whenever they and the rest of the TCU Horned Frogs return to Fort Worth. Howard matched his career high with 12 strike- outs in seven-plus innings. Merrill, playing before friends and family in his hometown, homered to start a three-run third inning and the roomies helped keep the Frogs’ season going with a 4-1 win over Texas A&M in a College World Series elimination game Tuesday. “Big Game Howie,” as Howard is known around the program, flummoxed the Aggies with pinpoint location of his fastball and cutter. The Oakland Athletics’ eighth- round draft pick struck out six of the first seven batters he faced and held the Aggies scoreless until Braden Shew- make’s RBI groundout in the sixth inning. “I think today was probably the best stuff I had all season,” Howard said. “I’m pumped I didn’t walk anybody. I didn’t give up any free bases. I felt like I was attacking the strike zone from the beginning, and I was able to carry that through.” The Frogs (48-16) avoided going 0-2 for the first time in five all-time CWS appearances. The Aggies (41-23) have gone AP Photo/Nati Harnik two-games-and-out in their last three appearances and have lost eight in a row in Omaha. Texas A&M starter Stephen Kolek (4-5) was knocked out in 2 2/3 innings, matching his shortest start of the season. Kaylor Chafin held the Frogs to three singles the rest of the way. Howard (12-3) left after George Janca doubled leading off the eighth, having struck out 12 for the second time in four starts. Merrill graduated from Millard West High School in Omaha and passed on a chance to walk on at Nebraska, instead playing two years at nearby Iowa Western Community College. The St. Louis Cardi- nals drafted him in the 15th round in 2015, but instead of signing, he went to TCU for the chance to someday return to his hometown to play in the CWS. He made the all-tourna- ment team last year, and he made another memory in his first at-bat Tuesday, drilling Kolek’s 1-2 pitch off the back wall in the right-field bullpen for his sixth homer of the season and seventh of his TCU career. Evan Skoug doubled in a run and Elliott Barzilli had an RBI single to make it 4-0. “I don’t hit many home runs, so I was sprinting,” Merrill said. “As soon as I saw it leave, that’s when it just hit me how cool that experience is.” Since the Big 12 Tourna- ment, Howard is 4-0 with a 1.20 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 30 innings. Howard’s 12 strikeouts tied for most in a CWS game since the move to TD Ameritrade Park in 2011. AGGIES’ FOIL This is the third straight year TCU has eliminated the Aggies from the NCAA Tournament. It’s the eighth time one team has eliminated the same team in three consecutive seasons in any round of the tournament. UP NEXT The Horned Frogs will play Thursday against the loser of Tuesday night’s Louisville-Florida game. Texas A&M’s season ends after its 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. FLORIDA 5, LOUISVILLE 1 OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Brady Singer pitched seven strong innings and Austin Langworthy and Deacon Liput homered to lead Florida to a 5-1 win over Louisville in the College World Series on Tuesday night. The Gators (49-18) have won their first two CWS games for the first time in four appearances since opening 3-0 and reaching the finals in 2011. “We learned so much last year, going two and out, and now winning the first two games, we’ve learned a lot,” Singer said. “Obviously, slow the heart rate down and then just pitching to your strengths and hitting to your strengths and doing what you’ve always done.” Louisville (53-11) managed one run on six hits and struck out nine times against Singer (8-5). Florida pitchers finished with 10 strikeouts, making it their fifth straight game with double-digit Ks. The left-handed-swinging Langworthy sliced a ball just inside the left field foul pole in the third and Liput hit a three-run homer to right in the fourth. Both homers came against Louisville starter Kade McClure (8-4), who otherwise was impressive in striking out nine and walking one in six innings. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound McClure had kept the game close until there were two outs in the fourth. He walked Nelson Maldonado and Jonathan India singled before Liput drove a low 1-2 pitch into the bullpen for his second homer in four games and third of the season. He celebrated in the dugout by dumping a bucket of ice water over the head of a Gators staff member. Singer hummed along through six innings, striking out eight, walking none and limiting the Cardinals to three singles. Louisville broke through for a run in the seventh when Brendan McKay doubled and scored on Colin Lyman’s two-out single. A base hit and walk followed, but the Cardinals left the bases loaded when Logan Taylor grounded out. THAT HURT Florida’s Maldonado, already playing on a bad ankle, hurt his right shoulder diving back to third base on a pickoff attempt in the fourth. The athletic trainer and coach Kevin O’Sullivan tended to Maldonado, who stayed in the game after moving his arms to loosen up. WHAT’S THE COUNT? A discrepancy on the ball- strike count arose in the third inning when Louisville’s Taylor took first base on a full count rather than a ball four. Home-plate umpire Troy Fullwood went to the video review area and put the headset on even though it was not a reviewable situation. Fullwood ordered Taylor to return to the batter’s box, and McClure struck him out on the next pitch. UP NEXT Florida plays Friday in the Bracket 2 final against the winner of the Louis- ville-TCU elimination game on Thursday. College Football Travis Jonsen’s transfer leaves Oregon’s QB depth scant By RYAN THORBURN The Register-Guard EUGENE — Oregon is running out of quarterbacks. Travis Jonsen has decided to transfer to River- side (Calif.) City College, according to a CSNNW report. Despite reopening the competition during spring practice, first-year coach Willie Taggart has now lost both Jonsen and redshirt freshman Terry Wilson, who is transferring to Garden City (Kan.) Community College. “I’d like to say thank you to Coach Taggart, my team- mates, and the University of Oregon for supporting me during my stay at Oregon,” Jonsen said in a state- ment released on Twitter. “However, I have decided to transfer and reposition myself elsewhere. A huge thank you to the fans, who have always showed me love and loyalty. I will never forget the countless memo- ries, and the friendships I made that will last forever.” The Ducks will have three quarterbacks — sophomore starter Justin Herbert, true freshman Braxton Burmeister and senior Taylor Alie — on the roster entering summer workouts. Jonsen was a four-star recruit in the 2015 class who took some first- team reps during Jonsen the spring. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound redshirt sophomore struggled in the spring game opposite Herbert’s impressive perfor- mance (327 passing yards, three touchdowns). “I’m not going to hang on this game and let this represent how I did for the whole spring,” Jonsen said after completing 5 of 15 passes for 86 yards with an intercep- tion in the April 29 public showcase at Autzen Stadium. “I think I had a great spring ball and I feel like I turned some heads.” Wilson was a three-star recruit in the 2016 class who had committed to Nebraska before signing with the Ducks. Oregon’s 2014 quar- terback recruit, four-star prospect Morgan Mahalak, transferred to Towson University last year. Neither Jonsen, Wilson nor Mahalak threw a single pass in a game at Oregon, which turned the offense over to graduate transfers Vernon Adams Jr. (2015) and Dakota Prukop (2016) in the post-Marcus Mariota era. Herbert took over the offense midway through last season’s 4-8 finish, which cost coach Mark Helfrich and his staff their jobs. The former Sheldon High standout completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 1,936 yards with 19 touchdowns and four inter- ceptions as a true freshman. Burmeister, a member of Taggart’s 2017 recruiting class who was mentored by former Oregon quarterback Akili Smith, enrolled early and participated in spring practice. “Braxton is good,” Jonsen said. “He can defi- nitely use his feet when he needs to and he can defi- nitely throw the rock. He’s a baller.” NBA For some rookies, NBA draft isn’t the start of a professional career Associated Press MIAMI — Isaiah Harten- stein’s NBA odyssey will start at the draft. His pro career started years ago. Unlike Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum and most everyone else who will get their names called at Thursday’s NBA draft — the true start of their pro lives — Hartenstein already knows what playing for a living is like. His pro career started in Germany in 2015, and he helped Zalgiris grab the Lith- uanian Basketball League title earlier this month. And now the NBA awaits the 19-year-old. “First of all, me playing professional already helps a lot,” Hartenstein said. “My body is fit for the league right now. I still have to work on it a lot, but there are skills I couldn’t show this “He’s a year because of the 19-year-old kid system we played. with a unique I have a good shot, background,” said I’m very versatile on Wasserman agent defense and offense. B.J. Armstrong, I think I can help who represents teams out a lot.” Hartenstein. “His His story is not maturity level is typical. well beyond 19 Born in Eugene, Hartentein and I think he has Oregon, where his an opportunity to father played college ball, be a very good player here. Hartenstein and his family I commend him for choosing moved about a decade ago to what he thought was the best Germany. They went because way for him to develop, and his father, Flo, was playing he’s now willing to take the pro ball there. Colleges made next step.” their recruiting pitches as There won’t be as much Hartenstein got older and international flavor in this taller — he’s now 7-foot-1 draft as there was a year ago, and about 225 pounds — but when a record 27 players he opted to stay in Europe and from outside the U.S. were start practicing and playing selected. But there’s been at against pros when he was 15. least 10 international draft Skipping college was a picks in each of the last 17 risk. years, and that streak is likely It might now be paying to continue. off. French point guard Frank Ntilikina — 6-foot-5 with a massive wingspan and who doesn’t even turn 19 until July — has been playing pro ball in Europe, like Harten- stein. Ntilikina is projected as a lottery pick, and has had the NBA on his radar for years. “I work every day to be the best player I can be,” Ntilikina said. “And I hope that I’ve done enough to be a good player in the NBA.” Jonah Bolden is another foreign player with an intriguing back story. The Australian-born forward played one season at UCLA, then left and has since been playing in pro leagues in Australia and Serbia. And guard Terrance Ferguson, born in Oklahoma, decided against college ball and spent this past season playing in an Australian league. So Hartenstein’s isn’t the only non-traditional path to the draft. But he’s convinced the path he took was the right one. “The learning experience being overseas, learning from older people, playing with professionals every day, being in the professional lifestyle on and off the court, you learn you have to mature fast,” Hartenstein said. “You’re not just representing yourself, you’re representing the organization. So you learn from the good experi- ences and bad experiences others have had, and I think that really helps me out.” The NBA was part of Hartenstein’s daily routine while playing in Lithuania: practice in the morning, eat, watch NBA League Pass, practice again in the evening, eat again, watch more NBA League Pass. And when he wanted to talk about NBA life, a great resource was always nearby — his coach with Zalgiris was Sarunas Jasikevicius, who played for Indiana and Golden State. Being 7-foot-1 with German ties — Hartenstein holds dual German and American citizenship — and a jump shot, the compari- sons to Dirk Nowitzki are unavoidable. Even his father sees some parallels between their games. For now, Hartenstein shrugs off comparisons. He’s just ready to take on whatever challenge the NBA brings. “Everyone will have their own opinion on how they see me,” Hartenstein said. “I’m my own player. At the end of the day, no one can be like Dirk. He’s done a lot for the game and I definitely appreciate what he’s done for the game in Germany and for European basketball. So comparisons are nice, but at the end of the day I’m my own player and have to show what I can do.” BLAZERS: Portland worked out several centers and power forwards ahead of draft Continued from 1B would include players. If the Blazers could get up that high in the draft, it would change everything in terms of immediate help. Even if not, they don’t need three first-round picks. “Given the amount of money they have been doling out, (the Blazers) are prob- ably going to be trading those picks, or draft-and-stashing somebody to put overseas,” ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla said last week in a conference call. What Fraschilla means is the Blazers could select an international player and allow him to play there for another year or two without signing him and adding to their current payroll. Portland has had nearly 30 prospects in for predraft workouts in recent weeks — nearly half of them guards and wings. Among the players who worked out in Portland and are expected to go in the teens are 6-11 freshman Justin Patton from Creighton, 6-9 sophomore John Collins from Wake Forest, 6-10 freshman TJ Leaf from UCLA, 6-10 freshman Harry Giles from Duke and Terrance Ferguson. All are centers and power forwards except Ferguson, 19, a Dallas native who played professionally last season in Australia. A 6-7, 185-pound swing man who initially committed to play collegiately at Alabama and then Arizona, averaged 4.8 points and shot .313 from 3-point range in 30 games in Australia, making about $1 million. North Carolina’s Justin Jackson, a 6-8 small forward, and Oregon’s 6-9 Jordan Bell were slated to be on hand for Monday’s final workout. If Portland keeps its No. 26 pick, it could be in the draft range of two interna- tional big men — 7-foot, 250-pound Isaiah Harten- stein of Germany and 7-1, 220-pound Anzjes Pascniks of Latvia. Paschniks, who has been moving up some draft boards, made a predraft visit to Portland; Hartenstein did not. Hartenstein, the son of former University of Oregon power forward Flo Harten- stein, was born in Eugene and lived there with his mother — Theresa, a Sheldon High graduate — and sister until he was 10. At that point, they moved to Germany to join his father, who was playing professionally there. Last season, the junior Harten- stein, a left-hander, played for Zalgiris in Lithuania’s top division. The 19-year-old Harten- stein participated in the Nike Hoop Summit on April 7 at Moda Center. According to The Register-Guard’s Steve Mims, most of Hartenstein’s family lives in Portland, and he has visited often during summers. “Hartenstein is the exact type of kid you could take in the 20s (of the draft), with his size, age and athleticism, who could continue to develop across the water and then come back when he’s 21 or 22,” Fraschilla said. “You might see the Blazers take at least one draft-and-stash guy, if not more than one, because of their roster makeup right now. “On the other hand, what you do if you’re Neil, you get into this draft and just hope a guy you really like … falls to you when your turn comes up. If it’s No. 15, you hope a guy targeted as a top-10 pick slides to you.” This year’s draft is deep with point guards, who are projected to go with five of the first 10 picks. From Nos. 10 to 20, several big men are expected to be tabbed, including 7-foot Zach Collins from Gonzaga, 7-foot Lauri Markhanen from Arizona and Jarrett Allen from Texas. Only Olshey and his inner circle really know what will happen on the Portland end — and they don’t know for sure what might occur in the final days leading up to the draft.