Northwest Notes, July 30, 2014
EWU football practices start Thursday; UI, WSU soon to follow
The summer gets shorter all the time.
With the earliest game in school history comes the earliest practice start, as the Eastern Washington football team begins practices on Thursday on the Sports and Recreation Center practice fields in Cheney
Players report today, then the team will practice together on Thursday at 9 a.m., and will practice in pads for the first time on Sunday at 9 a.m., followed by its first of six days of two-a-day practices on Aug. 4.
The Eagles are expected to exclusively use the fields through Aug. 8, after which Roos Field will be utilized leading up to the team's opener on ESPN on Aug. 23 against Sam Houston State.
Eastern's first scrimmage of preseason camp will take place on Saturday, Aug. 9 at 9:50 a.m., and a second scrimmage will be a week later on Aug. 16. Both scrimmages are free and open to the public, and will take place at Roos Field.
Idaho is scheduled to begin fall practice on Monday.
WSU is slated to get started Saturday in Lewiston.
Eastern returning to Lubbock to play Texas Tech in 2017
Eastern Washington football coach Beau Baldwin will forever remember his first trip to Lubbock, Texas, and now his Eagles will make a second trip to play at Texas Tech on Sept. 2, 2017 in an announcement made jointly by the schools.
Eastern played Texas Tech on Aug. 30, 2009, in Baldwin's debut at Eastern and lost 49-24 to the Red Raiders, then coached by current Washington State coach Mike Leach.
The Eagles went on to finish 6-5 that season, while Texas Tech finished 11-2 and shared the Big 12 Conference title with Oklahoma and Texas.
A year ago, the Eagles finished 12-3 overall and were a perfect 8-0 in the Big Sky Conference for the first time in school history, opening the season by upsetting No. 25 Oregon State 49-46 n just the fourth-ever victory by a NCAA Football Championship Subdivision school against a ranked member of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision.
Eastern now has games against FBS foes scheduled for every year through 2019.
The Eagles will play at Washington on Sept. 6, then return to Seattle on Aug. 31, 2019. Next season, Eastern will play Oregon on Sept. 5, 2015, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene in the first-ever meeting between the schools and have scheduled games against Washington State for Sept. 3, 2016, and Sept. 15, 2018.
Boise State softball coach takes job at UC Davis
BOISE - Boise State softball coach Erin Thorpe has resigned to become the coach at UC Davis, athletic director Mark Coyle announced.
In six seasons, Thorpe guided the Broncos to an overall record of 173-150-1 and three 30-win seasons.
An interim coach has not been named and a national search has started to find a replacement for Thorpe.
Chiefs' Gow will not return for 2014-15 WHL season
SPOKANE - Spokane Cheifs defenseman Reid Gow has decided he will not return for the 2014-15 season, citing personal reasons for his decision. Gow's decision leaves the Chiefs with the maximum three eligible overage players leading into the regular season.
"I have spoken to Reid numerous times over the summer and he has informed me that he does not want to play in the WHL for his overage year," Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz said. "Reid said he has lost his desire to compete and does not have the drive to play in this league. He has decided to stay home and be close to family and friends."
Gow scored six goals and 56 assists for 62 points last season, finishing fifth in the WHL in scoring for a defenseman. He was third on the Chiefs in scoring behind overage forwards Mitch Holmberg and Mike Aviani. In 229 career games - all with Spokane - Gow tallied 17 goals and 129 assists for 146 points and stands 39th in franchise history in games played.
With Gow's departure, returning 1994-born players Liam Stewart, Connor Chartier and Marcus Messier remain as Spokane's eligible overage players.
* The Spokane Chiefs announced the signing of forward Hayden Ostir, their second round (36th overall) selection in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft. He joins first-round pick Jaret Anderson-Dolan as prospects from the 2014 draft already signed.
Ostir (5-foot-9, 164 pounds), from Winnipeg, Manitoba, scored 35 goals and 40 assists in 47 games with the Pursuit of Excellence Bantam AAA-1 program in Kelowna, British Columbia, during the 2013-14 season.