NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
A9
Pros start season 1-2
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Justin Davis/Blue Mountain Eagle
Bigger and better
Larger turnout,
new season bring
optimism to Prairie
City track
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
F
ollowing
a
COVID- restricted
2021 season that
saw just six ath-
letes turn out and a
single state meet berth, Prairie
City head coach Kieley Wil-
liams is optimistic the 2022
season will a better one for the
Panther track team.
The reason for that opti-
mism is an increase in ath-
letes — up to 16 now — and a
more complete team than the
program has had in years past.
“We have a great group of
kids, and I’m optimistic. We
have a lot of different skills
this year instead of having just
jumpers or throwers or run-
ners. This group has more of
a diverse skillset,” Williams
said.
Along with a more com-
plete team, the squad is also
larger. Williams attributes the
team adding new athletes to
the recruiting efforts of assis-
tant coach Jason Murray.
“He deserves all the credit.
He has been a huge advocate
and was just telling kids to
come out and try it.”
Williams also believes that
the ending of many COVID
restrictions pertaining to
sports helped bring more kids
out this year.
The more diverse skill-
sets and larger numbers make
being more competitive in
some events and fielding relay
teams a possibility this sea-
son, something that wasn’t
always possible in years past.
“I have a lot of kids that
want to do it all. We’ve got
more pole vaulters than we
ever have this year and some
really good high jumpers and
a handful of hurdlers,” Wil-
liams said.
For the first time in a few
seasons, Williams hopes both
the boys and girls will field
complete 4x100 relay teams.
“We’re hoping for a good
4x100 this year for both the
boys and girls teams. We’ve
been so small that we haven’t
been able to fill a relay team in
years. We haven’t had a 4x100
or any relay in at least the past
three years,” she said.
Williams has a pair of
seniors and three returnees
on this year’s squad and is
counting on them to push the
younger athletes.
“I’m looking to both my
veterans and seniors for lead-
ership. We have two seniors
in their first year, and I don’t
want to do anything to take
away from the fact that they’re
seniors, but I’ll also be look-
ing to the athletes that have
been here for years to pro-
vide leadership as well,” said
Williams.
Williams hopes to see her
team come together and root
for one another during meets
and just simply compete.
“We just want them to have
fun and do the best that they
can. That is all you can hope
for. You can push them as hard
as you want, but they have to
have the desire to do it.”
Now in her second season
as head coach, Williams aims
to properly prepare her kids to
compete.
“As a coach, I just hope
to give them all the building
blocks. I want them to have
fun and be competitive. It’s
just a great group of kids, and
that is all you can ask for,” said
Williams.
When asked if there was
anything she wanted people to
know about her team, Williams
again pointed to the growth of
the track team and increased
number of participants.
“I’m excited that we have
so many kids coming out; even
if this isn’t their sport, they are
coming out and getting the
experience,” she said.
“It’s just great to see the
improvement of the track team
because we haven’t had these
types of numbers in years.”
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JOHN DAY — The Grant Union base-
ball team tallied a 1-2 record during the
first half of their six-game homestand to
open the season.
The Prospectors won convincingly in
their first contest and fell just short in their
last two outings.
The first game of the 2022 took sea-
son took place on Thursday, March 17,
and saw the Pros flex their muscles as they
defeated the Umatilla Vikings 15-1 in five
innings.
Parker Neault pitched all five innings,
recording 12 strikeouts while only surren-
dering two hits. Neault was also efficient at
the plate, going 3-4 with a whopping five
RBIs.
Riddick Hutchinson went 2-3 with four
RBIs while Mason Morris finished 2-3
with an RBI and three runs scored.
“It was nice to start the season off with
a win,” head coach RC Huerta said. “It
kind of gave us some good mojo headed
into the next couple games, I think.”
Huerta also highlighted his team’s abil-
ity to have a short memory and move on to
the next play and communicate with one
another. “Those are some of the positive
things I saw.”
The Prospectors came up just short in
their second game on Friday, March 18,
falling to the 5A Crook County Cowboys
4-3.
Mason Morris threw 6⅓ innings and
Kobe Fell pitched ⅓ of an inning in relief.
Fell was 1-3 at the plate with an RBI.
Neault finished the game 1-4 with two
RBIs, and Mason Morris finished 1-4 with
a run scored.
Huerta praised his team’s grit and fight
going up against a much larger school.
“Facing a 5A school, we’re a little
smaller than them, so for us to come out
and compete was a really positive sign to
me. They didn’t give up — they have a lot
of fight,” Huerta said.
“We were in that game. We had a tough
call that could’ve gone either way. We had
a runner on second and we had a hard-
hit ball that just couldn’t find a hole. If it
would’ve gotten through, maybe we score
Justin Davis/Blue Mountain Eagle
Prospector second baseman Luke Blood fields the ball during Grant Union’s game
against South Umpqua on Saturday, March 19. The Pros fell to the Lancers 6-3.
there. We’ve got a resilient team,” Huerta
said.
The third game of the six-game home-
stand took place on Saturday, March 19,
against the South Umpqua Lancers and
resulted in a 6-3 final in favor of the Lanc-
ers. The result was not without contro-
versy, however, as the contest was called
due to inclement weather following a
three-run fifth inning by the Prospectors.
The Lancers built a 6-0 lead headed
into the bottom of the fifth behind a great
outing by their starting pitcher.
“Their starting pitcher was quality,”
Huerta said. “He’s probably going to be
one of the best pitchers we face all season.”
Huerta mentioned a couple of plays
early in the first inning that set the tone
early in the game: “There were a couple
of big outs in the first inning. There were
some potentially deep shots that were just
missed, so our guys knew we were right
there.”
In the bottom of the fifth inning, that
changed. A switch on the mound by South
Umpqua led to the Prospectors loading the
bases and slowly cutting into the lead the
Lancers had built over the last 4½ innings.
The Prospectors would cut that six-run
lead in half before the game was called
due to weather. The game ending prema-
turely had the Prospectors thinking things
could’ve gone differently had they finished
the contest.
“That three-run fifth was a huge
momentum swing, for sure. We just kind
of started rolling there,” Huerta said. “No
disrespect to South Umpqua, but I think
we would’ve had an excellent chance to
win this game had we been allowed to see
this through until the end.”
Kobe Fell pitched the entire game for
the Prospectors. Parker Neault had another
strong showing at the plate, finishing 2-3
with an RBI. Fell also had a good outing at
bat, finishing 1-3 with an RBI.
When asked what his takeaways from
the first three games were, Huerta men-
tioned a need to fix defensive lapses. “We
just need to clean things up defensively.
We’ve had a few more errors than we
would like, and I feel like we’re better than
that,” he said.
“You can live with two or three errors
in a baseball game. After that, you have
young men who are pitching their butts
off and getting you fly balls and ground
balls,” Huerta said. “We have to make
those plays.”
Huerta also took time to thank every-
one in the community who came out to
support his team and get the field ready for
each of the games.
“We had a heck of a turnout. The sup-
port the community gives to these sports
programs is tremendous. So I want to say
thank you to everybody that came out or
helped with the games. I’m really excited
about this year, and go Pros!”
The Prospectors will be in action again
on Wednesday, March 23, at home against
the Nyssa Bulldogs.
SPORTS SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23
1 p.m.: Grant Union softball vs.
Scio
Noon: Grant Union baseball vs.
Valley Catholic
FRIDAY, MARCH 25
Noon: Grant Union baseball vs.
Nyssa
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SATURDAY, MARCH 26
Noon: Grant Union baseball vs.
Ontario
Home games in bold
Page 6 of 6
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Members of the Prairie City track team take the blocks during
practice on March 14, 2020.
Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710