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.