This Week In Warrior Athletics

March 19, 2007

EVENTS: 

Baseball: at British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Tuesday-Thursday, March 20-22, all single nine-inning games, Tuesday and Wednesday, 1 p.m., Thursday, noon; vs. Corban College, Lewiston’s Harris Field, Friday-Saturday. Friday, 6 p.m. single game. Saturday, noon doubleheader.

Men’s and women’s golf – Second round of LCSC Invitational, Tuesday, March 20, Clarkston Golf & Country Club, 8 a.m.

Men’s tennis – at Westmont, Tuesday, March 20, noon; at Azusa Pacific, Wednesday, March 21, 2:30 p.m.; Thursday, March 22, at California Baptist, 2 p.m.; Friday, March 23, at Point Loma Nazarene, 2 p.m.

Women’s tennis – at Westmont, Tuesday, March 20, 2 p.m.; at Azusa Pacific, Wednesday, March 21, 2:30 p.m.; Thursday, March 22, at California Baptist, 2 p.m.; Friday, March 23, at Point Loma Nazarene, 4 p.m. 

Baseball: 

Rolling along with a 19-1 record, the NAIA’s No. 1-ranked team faces a busy week as the Warriors will play six games in five days, including a three-game road swing against the University of British Columbia.

The Warriors are undefeated against NAIA competition this year at 11-0, and all but one of their 19 victories have been by at least five runs.

The Warriors left Monday to start a three-game series with UBC to finish the team’s longest road swing of the season. LCSC just finished a three-game sweep of No. 12-ranked Albertson in Caldwell over the weekend.

After qualifying for the NAIA World Series last year, the Thunderbirds have found things to be a bit tougher this season. After defeating Occidental to start the campaign, the T-birds lost six straight, but rebounded to win four of their last six. The team is 5-8 overall, but every game has been on the road. UBC is 4-2 in Region I play after winning two of three at both Corban and Concordia.

After Thursday’s contest, the Warriors will return to Lewiston and will face Corban College on Friday night in a single game and then in a doubleheader on Saturday. Corban is 8-12-1 overall and 4-5 in Region I play. Corban will play a nonleague contest on Tuesday against Simpson College before heading to Lewiston.

Shortstop Mark Thompson and third baseman Beau Mills continue to lead the Warriors at the plate. Thompson is hitting .438 on the season with nine doubles, five triples, three home runs and 16 RBI. He leads the team in runs (32), triples, hit by pitches (10), and stolen bases (15), and is tied for the lead in hits with Mills at 32. Mills is hitting .421 with seven doubles and team highs of eight home runs and 31 RBI.

Of the Warrior regulars, first baseman/designated hitter Ikaika Lester is hitting .400, first baseman/designated hitter Kyle Greene is at .377, and catcher Jessie Mier is at .333.

Will Morgan and Chris Kissock are putting up impressive numbers for the Warrior pitching staff. Morgan is 1-0 and has made eight relief appearances this year. He’s pitched 26 innings and has yet to allow a run. He’s given up 10 hits and three walks, but has struck out 27. He’s also recorded four saves.

Kissock has made five starts this season and is 5-0 with a 0.50 earned run average. He’s pitched 36 innings and allowed 26 hits, two earned runs and six walks, with 26 strikeouts.

The Warriors have put up some impressive team numbers this season. LCSC has a team batting average of .334, while holding opponents to a .195 average. LCSC also has outscored the opposition 195-43. The pitching staff has a 1.75 ERA, compared to 8.84 for opponents.

In 179 innings this year, the Warrior pitching staff has allowed 124 hits, 43 runs (35 earned), and walked 53 to go along with 169 strikeouts. 

Golf: 

The final 18 holes of the Lewis-Clark State College Invitational will be played Tuesday at the Clarkston Golf & Country Club with an 8 a.m. start.

The 36-hole event started on Monday with the opening 18 holes and involved 12 men’s teams and five women’s squads.

Participating teams include Northwest Nazarene, Walla Walla Community College, Spokane Community College, Lethbridge Community College, Whitworth, Corban, and Tacoma Community College on just the men’s side, and Concordia, University of Victoria, Rocky Mountain, Montana Tech, and LCSC on both the men’s and women’s sides.

The tournament is one of two home matches for the Warriors this spring and their only scheduled action for the month of March.

The Warriors next scheduled outing is a home match involving all the Frontier Conference teams at the Lewiston Country Club on April 16-17. 

Men’s tennis: 

The Warrior men will learn a lot about themselves this week when they take part in a four-match trip to California to face some of the top NAIA schools.

LCSC is on spring break this week, and the tennis team is California to play four matches in four days, starting with Westmont on Tuesday. LCSC will then play No. 2-ranked Azusa Pacific on Wednesday; No. 25 California Baptist on Thursday, and No. 11 Point Loma Nazarene on Friday.

LCSC is ranked No. 17 in the NAIA.

The Warriors stand 7-4 on the season, but all four losses have come at the hands of NCAA Division I schools. The Warriors are undefeated against NAIA opponents, but this week will be a tough test for the team. 

Women’s tennis:

The Warrior women look to continue to remain unbeaten against non-NCAA Division I opponents this week when they head to California for four matches during LCSC’s spring break.

The Warriors are 7-3 overall after rolling past both Linfield 8-1 and Whitman 9-0 last Saturday. LCSC’s lone losses this season have all come against regional NCAA Division I schools.

The California road trip will serve as a major mid-season test for the Warriors as three opponents are ranked in the NAIA Top 26. LCSC, ranked No. 17, opens with Westmont on Tuesday and will follow with No. 3-ranked Azusa Pacific on Wednesday, No. 22 California Baptist on Thursday, and No. 13 Point Loma Nazarene on Friday.