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Tuesday, May 18, 2021
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COLLEGE SOCCER
SAVED BY SOCCER
BMCC’s Kylie
Baker turns to
soccer after
softball canceled
for a second time
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
P
eNdLeTON — Kylie Baker
showed up in Pendleton in
2019 ready to play softball at
Blue Mountain Community
College.
The graduate of North Medford High
school played on the Black Tornado’s
2017 6a state title team, and was an
all-southwest Conference honorable
mention selection as an outfielder her
senior year. she was ready to lend her
skills to the Timberwolves.
When the COVId-19 pandemic hit
the following spring, the Timberwolves’
season was canceled.
undeterred, Baker waited until the
spring of 2021 to get her college career
on track. Once again, the season was shut
down, but this time it was due to a lack
of players.
at this point, Baker was unsure of her
future. she’d lost two years of competitive
softball, but not all was lost.
BMCC women’s soccer coach Jordan
Hillmick knew Baker had a soccer back-
ground, and asked her if she’d like to try
out for the team.
“Coach reached out to me a few days
before the second (softball) season was
canceled,” Baker said. “He was unsure
if I would want to play, but I was game.”
At her first practice, Baker told Hill-
mick she’d be rusty. she sold herself short.
“she was playing with our ball
launcher, so I could see how she moved,”
Hillmick said. “Our girls’ jaws just
dropped. she’s an incredible athlete.”
Once the first practice was over, Baker
wasn’t sure how well she had done until
the other players started talking to her.
“I wasn’t even sure if I had had done
anything comparable to the girls who
were already there,” she said. “Once they
figured out I could play, they were happy
I was there.”
a forward, Baker has started five
games and has one goal — the game
winner against North Idaho on april 17.
The following week, BMCC goal-
keeper aeryn elder went down with a
concussion with 30 minutes left in a game
against spokane. The Timberwolves had
a contingency plan, which had Baker
playing in goal.
“she had said she played goalie
before,” Hillmick said. “Had Kylie not
come to the team, we had another girl, but
Kylie is the better option.”
Baker stopped all eight shots that came
her way in the 3-0 loss to spokane.
she also was in goal for BMCC’s 5-3
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian, File
Blue Mountain Community College’s Kylie Baker kicks the ball during a home game
on April 14, 2021, against Yakima Valley.
win over Treasure Valley on april 24, and
again against the Chukars on May 12,
finishing with 19 saves in a 6-4 victory.
“At 5-foot-9, she has presence,” Hill-
mick said. “This was Kylie’s time to
shine. Our defense stepped up, but Kylie
did everything naturally well. We had
never practiced with her in goal. she
stepped in and played well for us. she was
a blessing in disguise.”
Baker played soccer in high school
through her junior year, but hadn’t played
goalie since her youth soccer days.
“I happened to be the only other player
who had any experience,” Baker said.
“everyone jokes about me in goal to be
funny. I’m glad I was able to do that for
them.”
The Timberwolves have two games
remaining — hosting Walla Walla on
Wednesday, May 19, and a Tuesday, May
25, home game against Columbia Basin
College.
BMCC (4-3-0) sits fourth in the east
division of the Northwest athletic
Conference.
“We can finish at best second, or no
worse than fourth,” Hillmick said. “A
great turnaround from finishing eighth
the past few years.”
elder might be ready to return to the
net for the last two games, which would
return Baker to forward.
Changing course
While softball was her sport of choice,
Baker doesn’t regret returning to the
soccer field.
“I’d played softball since I was 4 years
old,” she said. “I was really upset I had
taken the step to play college softball, but
was never given the opportunity to play.
Playing soccer has allowed me to accept
that, and has given me something to work
toward athletically.”
Baker already has committed to
returning to BMCC for soccer in the fall,
which was music to Hillmick’s ears.
“It’s super awesome to have a player
like her,” he said. “she’s going to get some
attention from other schools.”
Baker had planned on spending two
years at BMCC, and then move to Oregon
Tech to finish her mechanical engineer-
ing degree. Just like her softball career
turned to soccer, Baker is tinkering with
her educational options.
“I want to evaluate other options career
wise and not be too far behind if I switch,”
she said. “I’m studying mechanical engi-
neering, but I’m not 100% decided if that
is what I want to do.”
ON THE SLATE
TUESDAY, MAY 18
Maher helps
C of I to share of
conference title
EOU’s Hunter Nichols places
second in 800 and 1,500
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
Prep baseball
2A/1A playoffs: Culver at Heppner, 3 p.m.
2A/1A playoffs: Pilot Rock at Lakeview,
2 p.m.
Prep boys basketball
Southridge at Hermiston, 7 p.m.
Irrigon at McLoughlin, 7:30 p.m.
Nixyaawii at Umatilla, 7:30 p.m.
Riverside at Stanfield, 7:30 p.m.
Condon/Wheeler at Echo, 7:30 p.m.
Sherman at Ione/Arlington, 7:30 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
Hermiston at Southridge, 7 p.m.
A10
Irrigon at McLoughlin, 6 p.m.
Nixyaawii at Umatilla, 6 p.m.
Condon/Wheeler at Echo, 6 p.m.
Sherman at Ione/Arlington, 6 p.m.
Prep bowling
Hermiston at Southridge, 2 p.m.
College men’s basketball
Big Bend at Blue Mountain, 7:30 p.m.
College women’s basketball
Big Bend at Blue Mountain, 5:30 p.m.
College volleyball
Blue Mountain at Big Bend (2), 5 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 19
THURSDAY, MAY 20
Prep boys basketball
Griswold at Umatilla JV, 6 p.m.
Baker at Nixyaawii, 7:30 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
Baker at Nixyaawii, 6 p.m.
Prep baseball
IMC playoffs: TBA at Pendleton, 4:30 p.m.
(loser out)
Prep softball
IMC playoffs: The Dalles-Crook County
winner at Pendleton, TBD
College women’s soccer
Walla Walla at Blue Mountain, 2 p.m.
Prep boys basketball
McLoughlin at Riverside, 7:30 p.m.
Umatilla at Irrigon, 7:30 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
McLoughlin at Riverside, 6 p.m.
Umatilla at Irrigon, 6 p.m.
Prep wrestling
Walla Walla at Hermiston, 5 p.m.
Prep bowling
Hermiston at Kamiakin, 2 p.m.
College baseball
Walla Walla at Blue Mountain (2), 1 p.m.
La GRaNde — It didn’t take long for Lane
Maher to make a difference for the men’s track
and field program at College of Idaho.
Maher, of Pendleton, won the 400 hurdles in a
personal best time of 53.72 seconds, and punched
his ticket to nationals with an automatic qualify-
ing time on saturday, May 15, at
the Cascade Collegiate Confer-
ence Championships.
Maher also anchored the
4x400 relay team to a come-
from-behind, third-place finish
to help the Coyotes win their first
track championship since 1926.
Maher
“This was a huge step for our
men’s program,” Coyotes coach
austin Basterrechea said in a
news release. “Following the
meet, I told the team that they
faced more adversity this year
than any other team or any other
generation has dealt with. For our
team to come together as a group
and win a title — I can’t put it into
Porter
words — I am so proud of every
one of the athletes.”
The team title came down to the 4x400 relay,
where Maher anchored the Coyotes to a time of
3:23.16.
Maher ran the final leg against EOU’s Hunter
Nichols of Heppner.
“I was five steps or so behind him when I got
the baton,” Maher said. “I was chasing him for
300 meters. When we hit the straightaway, he
stumbled a bit. I went on the outside of him and
outran him. I didn’t know the point totals going
in, but I knew in my head I had to beat him. every
point mattered, for sure. It feels pretty good, but
it was a team effort.”
College of Idaho trailed eOu 198-197 heading
into the relay. The Coyotes earned six points to
the Mountaineers’ five to tie with 203 points each.
On Friday, May 14, Maher finished second
in the 110 hurdles to southern Oregon’s Bryce
Goggin. Goggin clocked in at 14.46 seconds,
while Maher came in at 14.48, besting his own
school record of 14.68.
Maher and Goggin also surpassed the 27-year-
old CCC record (14.49) set by alper Kasapoglu of
Western Oregon in 1994.
“That was nice, but it will be his name
(Goggin) on the board,” Maher said.
Maher also was a member of the 4x100 team
that placed fourth in a time of 43.22.
Maher hit the automatic qualifying times
for the 110 hurdles and 400 hurdles for the 70th
annual NaIa National Championships on May
26-28 at Mickey Miller Blackwell stadium in
Gulf shores, alabama.
Nichols had an outstanding meet of his own,
placing second in the 800 meters in a time of
1:55.15. He also was second in the 1,500 with a
time of 3:57.89.
Doc Porter
Porter, of Pendleton, will leave a lasting
impression at Central Washington university
after clocking a time of 48.53 seconds in the 400
meters at the Great Northwest athletic Confer-
ence Championships on May 14-15 in Portland.
A graduate student, Porter finished second in
the 400, and his time ranks 10th all time for the
Wildcats. Before saturday, May 15, Porter’s best
time in the 400 meters at CWu was 49.02.
Porter also ran a leg on the 4x100 team that
placed second with a time of 42.59. also on the
team were Harrison Horwath, Zachary Davis and
Bryan sidor.
The Wildcats’ 4x400 relay team of Braydon
Maier, spencer solvberg, Gunner Vallatini and
Porter was fifth at 3:23.45.
SPORTS SHORT
No home regional for Oregon State
By JOE FREEMAN
The Oregonian
CORVaLLIs — The journey to
the College World series will take
place on the road for the Oregon
state baseball team.
The NCaa division I Base-
ball Committee on Friday, May
14, unveiled potential hosts sites
for next month’s NCaa regional
matchups, and Corvallis was not
included.
Oregon state, which remains
in contention for a Pac-12 Confer-
ence regular season championship
with three weeks left in the season,
submitted a bid to host earlier this
spring and had hoped the program’s
blend of tradition and talent would
be enough to land one of the 20
potential sites.
“When all that stuff comes out,
we’ll deal with it accordingly,”
coach Mitch Canham said last
week. The NCaa’s task for select-
ing hosts sites was as difficult as
ever, because judging and ranking
teams was as hard as ever.
“Certainly, this has been a
unique season, but the commit-
tee is very appreciative of all of
the schools that submitted bids
to host,” Jeff Altier, chair of the
committee and director of athlet-
ics at stetson, said in a release.
Normally, host sites are selected
the day before Memorial day,
when the field for the 64-team
tournament is announced. But the
committee elected to announce
predetermined sites three weeks
early this season because of travel
and safety concerns related to
COVId-19. Of the 20 potential sites
announced on May 14, the commit-
tee will choose 16 to host regional
games. eight of those 16 regional
sites will then host super regionals.
Oregon, stanford and arizona —
three of the 20 sites announced on
May 14 and all teams that are just
ahead of Oregon state in the stand-
ings — could be host sites.
Leon Neuschwander/For The Oregonian, File
Mitch Canham’s Oregon State baseball team bid to host an NCAA re-
gional, but was not included on the list of sites revealed by the NCAA
on Friday, May 14, 2021. The Beavers are still in contention for the Pac-
12 title with three weeks remaining in the season.