Northwest Notes: Wednesday, July 16
Kyle Johnson to play in Double-A All-Star game
ALTOONA, Pa. - Kyle Johnson, an outfielder from Lake City High and Washington State, will represent the Binghamton Mets in tonight's Double-A Eastern League All-Star game.
The game is scheduled for 4 p.m. PDT and available via webcast at milb.tv.
Johnson, who was a fan selection to the game, is batting .281 (74 for 263) with 52 runs scored and 36 RBIs. He has a .362 on base percentage with 19 doubles and four home runs.
Eagles picked to repeat as Big Sky champions
PARK CITY, Utah - A year after going an unblemished 8-0 in the Big Sky Conference for the first time in school history, the Eastern Washington football team has been selected by both the media and coaches to win a third-straight title, announced at the Summer Kickoff.
"I don't shy away from the fact that we appreciate being picked so high," said Eastern coach Beau Baldwin, who enters his seventh season at the helm. "That means you've done good things in the past and it's nice to see that recognized."
The defending champions earned 34 of the 36 first-place votes in the media poll, and 11 of 12 in the coaches poll. Montana received a first-place vote in both polls, and Montana was picked first by one media pollster. Eastern's 464 total votes in the media poll easily outdistanced No. 2 Montana (416) and No. 3 Montana State (364), and the same was true in the coaches poll with voting totals of 144, 130 and 11 respectively.
Eastern hosts Montana on Nov. 8 and plays at Montana State on Sept. 20. The game versus the Bobcats is a non-conference game, but could be considered in tiebreakers to determine the Big Sky's automatic berth in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.
Eastern will be trying for a third straight Big Sky title, which is unprecedented in school history. The Eagles won back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005, and again in 2012 and 2013.
Eastern will begin practices on July 31 in preparation for the team's season-opener Aug. 23 against Sam Houston State at Roos Field in Cheney.
2014 BIG SKY CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLLS
First-place votes in parentheses
Media poll
1, Eastern Washington (34) 464 points. 2, Montana (1) 41. 3, Montana State (1) 364. 4, Cal Poly 329. 5, Northern Arizona 328. 6, Southern Utah 299. 7, UC Davis 228. 8, Portland State 27. 9, Sacramento State 222. 10, Idaho State 124. 11, North Dakota 121. 12, Weber State 103. 13, Northern Colorado.
Coaches poll
1, Eastern Washington (12) 144. 2, Montana (1) 130. 3, Montana 111. 4, Cal Poly 108. 5, Northern Arizona 100. 6, Southern Utah 89. 7, Sacramento State 79. 8, Portland State 71. 9, UC Davis 66. 10, North Dakota 34. 11, Weber State 30. 12, Idaho State 28. 13, Northern Colorado.
Eagles land six on preseason All-Big Sky Conference team
PARK CITY, Utah - Eastern Washington junior quarterback Vernon Adams was selected along with five other Eagles to the 2014 preseason All-Big Sky Conference team, announced at the Big Sky Conference Summer Football Kickoff.
Eastern garnered six of the 30 selections, which were picked by a panel of media representatives and sports information directors. Adams was selected to repeat as the league's offensive MVP.
Other Eagles honored include sophomore wide receiver Cooper Kupp, junior offensive tackle Clay DeBord, senior linebacker Ronnie Hamlin, senior safety Tevin McDonald and senior defensive tackle Dylan Zylstra. Adams, Kupp, Hamlin and DeBord have earned preseason All-America honors already, with Adams, Kupp and Hamlin named to watch lists for national awards.
Times set for four more EWU football games
Four more games have officially announced for the upcoming Eastern Washington football schedule with the release of times and dates of Big Sky Conference telecasts on ROOT Sports.
Eastern's non-conference game at Montana State on Sept. 20 and home game on Nov. 8 against Montana will kick off at 12:05 p.m. Eastern's game at Northern Arizona on Oct. 25 will start at 12:35 p.m. The Eagles end the regular season on Friday, Nov. 21 at Portland State in a game that begins at 7:05 p.m.
Previously, games times for EWU's Aug. 23 home game versus Sam Houston State (12:35 p.m.) on ESPN and Eastern's road game at Washington on Sept. 6 (12:05 p.m.) were announced. Games at UC Davis (6:05 p.m.) and Southern Utah (12:05 p.m.) have been set by the host schools.
Kickoff times for the remaining four Eastern games will be released with the upcoming announcement of games to be televised by SWX in Spokane.
Ruffin, Carter earn AFL honors for Shock
CHICAGO - Spokane Shock defensive end James Ruffin was named the Defensive Player of the Week for Week 18 of the Arena Football League season.
Also, Shock wide receiver Rashaad Carter was awarded AFL Highlight of the Week.
Ruffin (6-foot-4, 265 pounds), from Northern Iowa, recorded 3.5 tackles, two sacks and one pass breakup, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in Spokane's 73-66 victory over the Arizona Rattlers last week. He has recorded a sack in five consecutive games played and is now 1.5 sacks shy of Joe Sykes' single-season AFL record of 16, originally set in 2012. He leads the league with 14.5 sacks on the season.
Carter (6-2, 210) hauled in a 27-yard game-winning touchdown reception with 10 seconds left for Spokane. Carter finished the night with five catches for 54 yards and three touchdowns. He has caught a touchdown pass in each of the last seven games.
Bayley comes up short at U.S. Amateur Publinx
NEWTON, Kan. - Former Lakeland High standout Derek Bayley shot 87-81-168 and failed to reach the final field of 64 for match play at the 89th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Sand Creek Station Golf Course.
Four players shot 8-under 134 over 36 holes of medal play to share medalist honors. The cut for match play was at 147.
Yamamoto named to USA Hockey U-17 team
SPOKANE - Spokane Chiefs forward Kailer Yamamoto was announced as a member of USA Hockey's under-17 Select team that will compete in the U-17 Five Nations tournament Aug. 13-17 in Crimmitschau, Germany.
Yamamoto signed with the Chiefs earlier this summer after being selected in the fifth round (105th overall) of the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft.
Yamamoto, a native of Spokane, spent last week at the USA Hockey Boys' Select 16 Player Development Camp in Williamsville, N.Y., and had two goals and four assists in five games during the game.
As one of 12 forwards selected to the 20-man roster, Yamamoto will compete against opponents from the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland in the tournament. Nine states are represented on the team, with Yamamoto the only player from Washington.