Warrior Baseball
2007 Outlook

With 14 national championships and more than 1,500 wins under his belt, it would seem it would take quite a bit to excite Lewis-Clark State College baseball coach Ed Cheff about his 31^st season with the Warriors. 

However, when discussing the season outlook for the 2007 squad, it is easy to see why the NAIA Hall of Fame coach perks up. 

“This is the best balance of speed and power we’ve had in a long time,” Cheff says. “I’m optimistic this will be one of our better offensive teams.” 

That statement alone should send shivers through the rest of the NAIA. Although the Warriors have had some great offensive teams in the past, LCSC consistently has had one of the top pitching staffs in the NAIA, which has helped the Warriors claim at least 10 more Series titles than any other program in the history of the NAIA. Only two other schools have won more than two Series titles. 

With a strong nucleus returning, along with some key transfers, the Warriors, under Cheff, will be aiming for their 15^th title in the last 24 seasons. The path, however, to get to the Avista NAIA World Series, which will be held at Lewiston’s Harris Field on May 25-June 1, will be a bit different this year. 

For the first time in more than a decade, the Warriors will play a Region I league schedule and will also take part in the postseason regional tournaments, even though they still have an automatic berth into the Series. Rule changes in the NAIA force both the league play and postseason play upon the Warriors. 

That means LCSC will play 30 league contests this season against the five remaining Region I teams. LCSC will meet each squad in three-game home and away series. The league schedule composes a majority of LCSC’s 53-game schedule, but there are also usual contests against the likes of Gonzaga and Washington State, both NCAA Division I schools. 

Another change for the Warriors this season is with the coaching staff. Former pitching coach Gary Picone is now the college’s athletic director, and long-time assistant Gus Knickrehm, who has been associated with the college for 16 years, takes over as the top assistant and pitching coach. Tyler Best will be the other assistant, and Mike Madrid and Aaron Mills will serve as graduate assistants. Like Knickrehm, the other three assistants all played for Cheff at LCSC. 

Here’s a preview breakdown by position for the 2007 Warriors: 

INFIELD 

Middle infielders Matt Vogel and Justin Fuller were the foundation for the Warriors’ strong defense the past two seasons, but are now gone along with third-baseman Allen Balmer. But not to worry. As the cliché goes, great teams don’t rebuild, they reload. 

NCAA Division I transfers Beau Mills and Donnie Ecker will fill key roles and last year’s starting center fielder Mark Thompson is being moved to the infield, which should give the Warriors another solid infield. 

Mills will likely handle third base duties. He played at Fresno State a year ago and started all but one game. He finished with a .355 batting average, 20 home runs and 58 RBI in just 52 games. Cheff says Mills may be the most complete player to put on a Warrior uniform and some professional baseball scouts speculate he could go as high as the second round in this year’s Major League draft in June. 

Ecker, a second baseman who could also see time at short or third, played at Long Beach State as a freshman, and then at Santa Clara last season. Along with Mills, the two give the Warriors some power from the left side of the plate. 

Thompson had a stellar year last year when he hit .361 and earned All-Region I honors in center field. He has good range and hands for a shortstop, and can play a variety of positions both in the infield and outfield. 

That versatility is a mark throughout the infield. Zach Evangelho and Kyle Melton can play second, short or third as can Jovanny Bramasco, the MVP of Long Beach City College team last year that won the California State Championship. Utility players Issac Simmons and Brian Bollwitt also will be in the mix. 

At first base, former Lewiston High product Kyle Greene, who spent the last two seasons at Walla Walla Community College, had a strong fall and will be challenged for the starting job by returnee Ikaika Lester. 

“We’re always looking for offensive power but guys have to play defense,” Cheff says about what he looks for with infielders. “When we were recruiting this team, we recruited more physical kids.” 

OUTFIELD 

Thompson’s move from center field created an opening for Brent Wyatt, a transfer from Wenatchee Valley Community College. Like Thompson, Wyatt can also play shortstop and could wind up at one of the other outfield positions as well. 

Returnees Paul Martin (.330 average last year) and Jesse Roehl (.244) return. Martin had a strong year as a true freshman a year ago, while Roehl went 5-for-17 (.294) during the World Series. 

“Both (Martin and Roehl) are physically stronger,” Cheff says. “They improved their skills and they are bigger and stronger.” 

Nic Benton, a part-time starter his first three years, and transfer Eric Epperson give the Warriors good depth. Several others are expected to see playing time as well. 

CATCHER 

All Region I selection Jessie Mier, a senior, leads a strong group behind the plate. Mier hit .349 last season and was batting cleanup at the end of the year. He was second on the team in RBI (42) and tied for second in home runs (six). 

“Jessie is one of the better catchers around,” Cheff says. “He has the combination of being able to hit, catch and throw, which is everything you want in a catcher.”

The Warriors have a slew of backups who will be battling for playing time this year. Of the group, Dick Knutz and Travis Georgius, a freshman, both had strong fall seasons. Georgius, who played at Coeur d’Alene High last year, could end up being a special recruit, Cheff says. Lucas Shaw and Tyler Carlson, a freshman from Lewiston, also will be in the mix. 

PITCHING

LCSC had eight pitchers appear in 10 or more games last season, but only one returns healthy, meaning some newcomers and other returnees will have to step up and fill some key roles. 

The returnee is junior right-hander Chris Kissock, who has gone 15-3 during his first two seasons with a 2.20 ERA. He threw 169 pitches in a game last year that put LCSC in the World Series championship contest. 

Three others were expected to make major contributions this season, but all have been sidelined with injuries. Mike Miller (3-1, 2.05 ERA) has been battling injury issues since he arrived at LCSC but could see action at some point this spring after having surgery in the fall. The other two are out for the season. Max Hibbs (5-2 last year) underwent Tommy John surgery in the fall, while Dustin Willis (4-0 and a team-leading 1.55 ERA), had shoulder surgery.

The Warriors, however, brought in some recruits with some impressive credentials and also are expecting big things from returnees Jared Joaquin and Jon McCaslin, who last pitched for the team in 2005. Joaquin has enjoyed a strong offseason, while McCaslin also is a member of the LCSC golf team and will participate in both sports this spring, marking the first athlete at LCSC to compete in those two sports during the spring. 

Cheff says McCaslin is sort of the wild card. He says McCaslin is a great closer, but the team will likely try him out as a starter to begin the season to see how he handles the role. 

The Warriors have that luxury after signing two of the top-rated closers in the state of California last year in Brian Bird and Shane Minor. Bird posted 11 saves last year. 

Of the newcomers, Brad Schwarzenbach and Chris Schwinden bring impressive credentials from their respective junior colleges, while Matt Duryea gives LCSC a quality left-handed starter the team hasn’t had, Cheff says. 

“This pitching staff has a chance to be one of the better staffs we have had in the last five years,” Knickrehm says.