PENDLETON
East Oregonian/Hermiston Herald
Page 4
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Buckaroos look to continue title trend
P ENDLETON
S OFTBALL
2016 SCHEDULE
Mar. 15
vs. Hanford
4 p.m.
Mar. 18
vs. Kamiakin (DH)
3 p.m.
Mar. 21
vs. Century (at Putnam)
Noon
Mar. 21 vs. Oregon City (at Putnam) 4 p.m.
Mar. 22 vs. Central Cath. (at Putnam) Noon
Mar. 22
at Rex Putnam
2 p.m.
Mar. 23
at Sandy
TBD
Mar. 29
vs. La Grande
4:30 p.m.
Apr. 4
vs. Walla Walla (DH)
3 p.m.
Apr. 7
at La Grande
4:30 p.m.
Apr. 12
vs. Mac-Hi
4:30 p.m.
Apr. 16
at Hood River* (DH)
Noon
Apr. 19
vs. Hood River*
4:30 p.m.
Apr. 23
at The Dalles* (DH)
Noon
Apr. 26
vs. The Dalles*
4:30 p.m.
Apr. 29
vs. Hermiston* (DH)
3 p.m.
May 3
at Hermiston*
4:30 p.m.
May 6
vs. Hood River*
4:30 p.m.
May 10
vs. The Dalles*
4:30 p.m.
May 13
at Hermiston*
4:30 p.m.
May 16
vs. Baker
4:30 p.m.
COACH: Tim Cary, 12th year
2015 season: 22-8, 12-0 CRC
(1st)
POSTSEASON STORY: The
No. 2 seed Bucks ¿nished as the 5A
runners-up after losing to Putnam
3-2 in the state title game.
LOSSES: INF Darian Lindsey,
OF Tiah Grass, C Mykal Weissen-
Àuh, OF Shelby Harris, INF Shelby
Spriet
KEY RETURNERS: OF
Alexis Morrison, sr.; INF Ellie
Richards, sr.; P Kiersten Murphy,
sr.; OF Peyton Hergert, jr.; INF
Lauren Richards, soph.
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
T
he Pendleton Buckaroos have
been one of the best teams
in 5A over the last several
seasons, appearing in the state title
game four times in the last ¿ve years
and winning titles in 2013 and 2014.
But this year’s team has a long
road to travel if it wants to reach
that level again. The Bucks must
replace ¿ve seniors, including three
big ones in Tiah Grass (11 home
runs, 3 5B,, Mykal WeissenÀuh
(.329 avg., 15 RBI), and Darian
Lindsey — who was the 5A Player
of the Year in 2015 after hitting
.606 with 13 home runs.
Bucks coach Tim Cary said the
team is shaping slowly but surely
with several spots on the ¿eld
*league game
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Ellie Richards eyes a pitch last season in the irduring a game at at Steve Cary Field.
up for grabs. Sophomores Kalan
McGlothan and Rylee Gentner
are getting long looks to replace
Lindsey at third base (“I don’t
know if you truly can replace
someone like Darian,” Cary said),
and freshman Kila Solomon is
e[pected to ¿ll the catcher spot
vacated by WeissenÀuh.
In those state ¿nalist teams, the
Buckaroos calling card was their
tremendous power on offense and the
ability to hit home runs with ease. In
Dylan
Clemons
long jumps
Wednes-
day at the
Columbia
River Con-
ference dis-
trict track
and ield
meet in The
Dalles.
2015, the Buckaroos averaged more
than nine runs per game and won
games by an average of almost six
runs apiece. While Cary expects the
power to still be a strength in 2015,
he believes it won’t be as prevalent
as in those past teams.
“Hitting will be our strength, no
doubt, but it will probably be more
doubles and extra base hits rather
than home runs,” he said.
Pendleton returns two Division
I signees and all-state players in
senior shortstop Ellie Richards and
senior out¿elder Alexis Morrison
who will likely carry the offensive
load in 2016. Richards hit .487 with
13 doubles, 35 RBI and 52 runs
scored, while out¿elder Morrison
hit .453 with nine home runs.
Another strength for Pendleton
will be on the pitching rubber, as
senior Kiersten Murphy returns
after a 2015 season that landed her
on the third team all-state and ¿rst
team all-CRC rosters. She led the
P ENDLETON T RACK & F IELD
COACH: Larry Brizendine and
Dustin Breshears, 1st year
POSTSEASON STORY: The
Buckaroos ¿nished the season in the
middle of the pack at the state meet,
with the boys ¿nishing 15th and the
girls 16th.
RETURNERS: (BOYS) Nolan
Bylenga, sr.; Andrew Porter, sr.;
Johnny Stuvland jr.; Dylan Clemons,
sr.; (GIRLS) Delaney Clem, sr.; Keegan Utter,
sr.; Kiara Glover, jr.; Taryn Sokoloski, jr.; Jackie
Talbot, jr.
Staff photo by
Kathy Aney
the pack.
Stuvland is not expected to join
competiton until close to districts,
as he is still recovering from a knee
injury suffered in early February
during basketball.
The coaches are also excited for
the ¿rst meet, when they host the
Buck Track Classic on Mar. 17.
“I’m excited to see how they do in
competition,” Brizendine said. “It’ll be fun to see
who steps up and see who’s hard work paid off the
most.”
T
he Pendleton Buckaroos have a big group of
runners, throwers and jumpers for the 2016
season with 113 athletes participating so far.
Those numbers excite co-coaches Dustin
Breshears and Larry Brizendine on the potential of
this years’ team.
“We’re hoping with as many as we have out this
year we can have a strong shot at a district crown,”
Brizendine said. “We have 34 seniors, too, so we’re
hoping that experience helps lead the way.”
The Buckaroos return several participants from
state competition from one year ago, with Nolan
Bylenga (2nd place, 800M), Johnny Stuvland (2nd
place, high jump), Taryn Sokoloski (9th place,
800M), and Kiara Glover (4th, high jump) leading
P ENDLETON G OLF
BOYS COACH: Nels Nelson,
33rd year
POSTSEASON
STORY:
Pendleton ¿nished fourth in
the new 5A Special District 2
tournament to qualify for the state
tournament, where they ¿nished
seventh out of 10 teams.
RETURNERS:
Reilly
Hegarty, sr.; Brayden Pulver, jr.;
Nathan Som, jr; Jared Geier, soph.
W
ith one year under their belts in the
OSAA’s new district format, the
Pendleton Buckaroos believe they
can make some noise in year two.
“It’s such a different format,” said coach
Nels Nelson. “Having so many teams in your
district now, it really forces you to turn it on
at the end.”
Pendleton returns four state quali¿ers from
the varsity roster last season, led by senior
Reilly Hegarty and junior Brayden Pulver.
Hegarty ¿nished tied for 13th at the state
tournament last season, while Pulver ¿nished
tied for 30th. Both Nathan Som and Jared
Geier ¿nished tied for 38th.
The Buckaroos kick off the season at the
nine-hole The Dalles Country Club course,
which coach Nels Nelson said can be a tough
course to start the season off on.
“It can be a real dif¿cult if the conditions
are right,” he said. “I’d like to see the guys
play well there and at Eagle Ridge before we
come home where we can hopefully display
our talents well at Wildhorse.”
2016 SCHEDULE
Mar. 18
Apr. 1
Apr. 4
Apr. 6
Apr. 11
Apr. 14
Apr. 18
Apr. 21
Apr. 25
Apr. 27
May 6
May 7
May 16
May 17
team with a 14-4 record, 2.17 ERA
and struck out 67 batters.
Cary said he is trying to keep
the team’s focus off of continuing
the trend of state title appearances
and instead focus on improving
every day of the season.
“I think the key will be, as
cliche as it is, to take it one day at
a time and keep our focus clear,”
he said. “They will realize it takes
hard work to get to that point, it’s
not just handed out.”
at The Dalles CC
10 a.m.
at Eagle Ridge GC
8 a.m.
at Wildhorse Resort
Noon
at Indian Creek GC
10 a.m.
at Bend CC
10:40 a.m.
at Pendleton CC
Noon
at Tetherow GC
10 a.m.
at Big River GC
9 a.m.
at Meadowlakes GC 11 a.m.
at Trysting Tree GC
TBA
at Eagle Ridge GC
11 a.m.
at Eagle Ridge GC
10 a.m.
at Trysting Tree GC
TBA
at Trysting Tree GC
TBA
GIRLS COACH: Teri Prouse,
21st year
POSTSEASON
STORY:
The Buckaroos ¿nished in fourth
place at the 5A Special District
2 tournament to qualify for the
state tournament, where they also
turned in a fourth place ¿nish.
RETURNERS: Haley Greb,
jr.; Shelby Greb, sr.; McKenna
Pratt, sr.
J
ust like their boys counterparts, the
Buckaroos girls golf team returns three
out of ¿ve varsity starters from the state
qualifying team from 2015.
The team is headed by sisters Haley and
Shelby Greb, who each turned in top-10
¿nishes at the state tournament a year ago.
Haley, a junior, ¿nished third in the 5A
state tournamnet last season after shooting a
two-round total of 147 to sit just three shots
above par and seven shots out of ¿rst place,
which has led to some high expectations from
Prouse for the coming season.
Pendleton also returns senior McKenna
Pratt who ¿nished 38th at the state tourna-
ment.
The team will have to replace starters
Whitney and Britney Bahrns, and Prouse has
several players competing for their spots with
two seniors, two juniors, one sophomore and
three freshmen competing against each other.
Prouse also stated that she’s intrigued to
see how the team performs at Indian Creek
Golf Course on Apr. 6, which is the same
course where the district tournaments will be
held on May 9-10.
2016 SCHEDULE
Mar. 15
Apr. 1
Apr. 4
Apr. 6
Apr. 12
Apr. 18
Apr. 26
Apr. 28
May 9
May 10
May 16
May 17
at The Dalles CC
10 a.m.
at Eagle Ridge GC 1:30 p.m.
at Wildhorse Resort
Noon
at Indian Creek GC 10 a.m.
at Awbrey Glen GC
TBA
at Bend CC
TBA
at Pendleton CC
Noon
at Quail Valley GC
TBA
Districts (at Indian Creek) TBA
Districts (at Indian Creek) TBA
State (at Quail Valley GC) TBA
State (at Quail Valley GC) TBA
2016 SCHEDULE
Mar. 17
Apr. 1
Apr. 8
Apr. 9
Apr. 15
Apr. 16
Apr. 23
Apr. 30
May 6
May 11
May 12
Buck Track Classic
Mac-Hi Carnival of Speed
at River’s Edge (Umatilla)
at Oregon City
Green and Gold Invite
at Pasco Invite
at Hermiston Invite
at Ontario Invite
at Hood River
Districts (at Hermiston)
Districts (at Hermiston)
Noon
Noon
TBD
10 a.m.
3 p.m.
9:30 a.m.
TBD
11 a.m.
4 p.m.
TBD
TBD
P ENDLETON
T ENNIS mode
Buckaroos
is rebuild
BOYS COACH: Chris Holdman, 6th
year
POSTSEASON STORY: The Buck-
aroos did not advance past the district
tournament.
RETURNERS: Henry Holdman, sr.,
Lincoln Johnson, jr.
B
uckaroos coach Chris Holdman
said that 2016 could be a ‘learning
season’ for his team as he tries
to replace four seniors with years of
experience under their belts with a several
inexperienced underclassmen.
Pendleton’s returning players are senior
Henry Holdman and junior Lincoln Johnson
who should be the Buckaroos’ top two
singles players. On the doubles side, Peter
Wallace and Silas Johnson are expected to
be the top pair for the team as well.
GIRLS COACH: Rocky Dillenburg, 12th
year
POSTSEASON STORY: The Bucka-
roos lone representative at the state tourna-
ment was Matilde Cittadini, who lost both
of her matches.
RETURNERS: Anna James, sr.; Julia
Livingston, sr.; Jenna Senter, jr.
T
he Pendleton Buckaroos lineup is
wide open heading into the 2016
season as the team tries to ¿ll the
holes left by ¿ve top players from 2015.
Seniors Anna James and Julia Livingston
move up into the teams’ top doubles pair
this season, and junior Jenna Senter moves
up from the No. 3 doubles team into the No.
1 singles player to start the season. Hannah
Flanagan was expected to move into the No.
1 singles spot, but she is expected to miss
the entire the season with a knee injury.
2016 SCHEDULE
Mar. 29
vs. Baker
Apr. 1
at Mac-Hi
Apr. 4
vs. La Grande
Apr. 6
vs. Hood River
Apr. 8
at Baker
Apr. 12
vs. Hermiston
Apr. 14
at The Dalles
Apr. 18
vs. Mac-Hi
Apr. 20
at Hood River
Apr. 22
at La Grande
May 3
vs. The Dalles
May 5
at Hermiston
May 10
vs. Umatilla
May 13Districts (at Hermiston)
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
TBD
Mar. 29
Apr. 1
Apr. 4
Apr. 6
Apr. 8
Apr. 12
Apr. 14
Apr. 18
Apr. 20
Apr. 22
May 3
May 5
May 10
May 13
2016 SCHEDULE
vs. Baker
vs. Mac-Hi
vs. La Grande
at Hood River
at Baker
at Hermiston
vs. The Dalles
at Mac-Hi
vs. Hood River
at La Grande
at The Dalles
vs. Hermiston
vs. Umatilla
Districts (at Bend)
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
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