This Week In Warrior Athletics

April 2, 2007

EVENTS: 

Baseball: vs. California-Baptist University, Monday-Wednesday, April 2-4, 6 p.m., Harris Field; vs. Dixie State, Thursday, April 5, 6 p.m.; Friday (2), April 6, 3 p.m.; Saturday, April 7, 11 a.m., Harris Field.

Women’s tennis – vs. Community Colleges of Spokane, Tuesday, April 3, 3 p.m., LCSC Tennis Center.
 

Baseball: 

The Warriors will step away from Region I action to play seven games in six days at Harris Field this week.

LCSC, ranked No. 1 in the NAIA with a 26-2 record, will entertain California Baptist University in a three-game series Monday through Wednesday. All nine-inning contests will begin at 6 p.m.

On Thursday, Dixie State of St. George, Utah will be in town for a four-game series. LCSC and Dixie State meet at 6 p.m. on Thursday, and then play a doubleheader on Friday, starting at 3 p.m., before wrapping up play Saturday in a single game at 11 a.m.

California Baptist, located in Riverside, Calif., is a member of the NAIA’s Golden State Athletic Conference. The Lancers bring a four-game win streak to Lewiston and are 24-13 overall and 14-12 in the GSAC, which puts it in a tie for fifth place in the 10-team league. Two wins last week came against No. 22-ranked Biola in GSAC play.

The Warriors bring a seven-game win streak into the contest and are 22-1 at home and 15-1 against NAIA foes.

Third baseman Beau Mills, a junior from Visalia, Calif., has been on an absolute tear of late. In his last seven games, Mill is 20-for-31 at the plate (.608 average) with 20 RBI and 15 runs scored. Of the 20 hits, six have been doubles and three have been home runs.

Mills leads the team in hitting with a .464 average. He also tops the team in hits (52), runs (46), home runs (11), RBI (51), slugging percentage (.875), and is tied for the lead in sacrifice flies (4). He’s second on the team to catcher Jessie Mier in doubles with 13. Mier has 17.

Shortstop Mark Thompson is hitting .415 and is 18-for-20 in stolen bases, while Ikaika Lester, who splits time at first base and as the designated hitter, is hitting .396. Mier is at .385 and is second on the team in RBI with 34.

As a team, the Warriors are hitting .340 and are averaging just more than 10 runs a game. LCSC has outscored the opposition this year 283-67.

The Warrior pitching staff also is putting up solid numbers. The staff has held opponents to a .211 batting average and has a 1.94 earned run average.

Joe Guntz (six appearances, 7 2/3 innings pitched), Jacob Burns (three appearances, six innings), and Dixon Allen (four appearances, five innings) have yet to allow a run this season.

Closer Will Morgan has made a team-high 11 appearances this year and has pitched 34.1 innings. He’s 2-1 on the season with four saves, along with an ERA of 0.79.

Chris Kissock is 6-0 with a 0.98 ERA. He has won every game he’s started, but one when he left with a lead against Gonzaga, but wound up with a no decision with the Bulldogs rallied to tie the game, which LCSC eventually won in 13 innings. Kissock has pitched a season-high 46 innings and has 33 strikeouts, compared to 13 walks.

Dixie State, an NCAA Division II member of the Pac West Conference, is 18-11 and has won eight straight. The Rebels play exhibition games on Monday and Tuesday against a Chinese National team before leaving for Lewiston. Dixie State is hitting .340 as a team and is averaging better than eight runs a game. 

Women’s tennis: 

The Warriors attempt to get back in the win column on Tuesday in a home match with Community Colleges of Spokane, which just opened its season last week.

LCSC has dropped four straight, three against ranked opponents during a road trip to California and then a 7-0 setback to the University of Montana last week.

The Warriors should have an experience advantage as four CCS players are sophomores and the other four are freshmen.

The men’s team, which went 1-3 against NCAA Division I teams in the Boise State Invitational, including a 5-2 win over Idaho State, is off this week.

Both LCSC teams are the top-rated teams in Region I. The women were ranked No. 16 in the last NAIA poll, while the men were ranked No. 18. A new poll comes out on Tuesday.