Baseball Cougars
play host to Oregon for Mom's Weekend Series
Based on
info from WSU Sports Information
OREGON at
WASHINGTON STATE
Pullman on
WSU campus at Bailey-Brayton Field (3,500)
Friday,
5:05 p.m. Saturday, 2:05 p.m. Sunday, 12:05 p.m.
COUGARS WILL
BE HOST. OREGON THE OPPONENT. MOM'S WEEKEND 2019 SERIES
Washington
State (7-23, 0-9 Pac-12) welcomes Oregon (19-12, 5-4 Pac-12) to Bailey-Brayton
Field for a three-game Pac-12 series beginning Friday at 5:05 p.m. and
continues Saturday at 2:05 p.m. before wrapping up Sunday at 12:05 p.m.
PROBABLE
STARTERS
Rover
Ahlstrom | Jr. | LHP | 4-4, 3.79 ERA, 38 K, 40.1 IP vs. Brandon White | Fr. |
RHP | 2-4, 4.64 ERA, 33 K, 33.0
Cullen
Kafka | Jr. | RHP | 3-2, 4.57 ERA, 41 K, 45.1 IP vs. A.J. Block | Jr. | LHP |
0-4, 5.50 ERA, 32 K, 36.0 IP
TBA vs.
TBA
ON DECK
The Cougars
will head to Los Angeles next weekend for a three-game series with USC running
Thursday through Saturday.
FOLLOW
ALONG
Cougar
baseball fans can follow all the season's action on the Washington State
baseball official twitter page @CougBaseball, instagram page @Coug_Baseball and
wsucougars.com. Links to live stats and radio streams will be available at the
baseball schedule page on wsucougars.com. Every Cougar home game will be
webstreamed through Pac-12.org.
ABOUT
WASHINGTON STATE
Washington
State enters the week with a 7-23 overall mark, owning series wins over at
Nevada and against CSUN, and an 0-9 record in Pac-12 Conference play after
dropping all three games at California last weekend. Shortstop Andres Alvarez
leads the way with a .286 batting average and both Alvarez and outfielder
Collin Montez share the team lead with eight doubles. Junior reliever Davis
Baillie owns a win and two saves in his 16 appearances, tied for eighth in the
Pac-12 Conference.
::::::::::::::::::
Pullman Schools
to be dismissed eight minutes later
From Moscow
Pullman Daily News 4/11/2019
Pullman School
District reminded parents and community leaders Tuesday that starting today,
schools will end eight minutes later to make up instructional time missed due
to snow days.
This
change will go through the last day of school, planned for June 14.
The revised
schedule for today through June 14 is as follows:
Franklin
Elementary: 8:30 a.m.-3:08 p.m.
Jefferson
Elementary: 8:30 a.m.-3:08 p.m.
Sunnyside
Elementary: 8:30 a.m.-3:08 p.m.
Lincoln
Middle School: 8:25 a.m.-2:58 p.m.
Pullman
High School: 8:20 a.m.-2:58 p.m.
Preschool
and Headstart will operate on their regular schedules
Morning
transportation schedules will not change. Afternoon transportation services
will operate the same, only eight minutes later.
:::::::::::::::::::::::
WSU Tennis
faces two ranked opponents at home
WSU looks
to break two-match losing streak, get back on track in Pullman
By TY
EKLUND, Evergreen April 11, 2019
After two
consecutive road losses, the No. 42 Cougar tennis team returns home to
Hollingbery Fieldhouse to face UCLA in their next contest.
With three
matches to go before the Pac-12 Championships, WSU is going to need to pick up
every win it can get.
The
Cougars’ struggles have mostly come from tough conference losses against
currently ranked teams. WSU was swept by No. 3 Stanford before losing 4-3 to
No. 17 California last weekend.
The
Cougars recent losses will have to soon be forgotten as the next pair of
California universities are coming to Palouse.
WSU will
start with a tough contest as No. 10 UCLA is looking to keep dominating the
Pac-12 conference play. The Bruins swept their past two conference opponents
and their only loss came from a close 4-3 match against the then-ranked No. 7
Stanford.
WSU Head
Coach Lisa Hart knows that UCLA has highly ranked players that will force her
team to play their best in each set.
“We’ve
worked a lot on our doubles,” Hart said. “I’m hoping we get that point and that
it will give us momentum going into singles.”
Following
UCLA, the Cougars will face No. 13 USC in the second match of the weekend. The
Trojans are coming off a tough 4-1 loss to No. 8 Pepperdine, however, they beat
UCLA 4-1 during non-conference play.
Hart said
her players will have to play their best tennis to have a shot at beating both
the ranked conference teams.
“They’re
good, we’re going to have to play well to have a chance,” Hart said. “Our
players are prepared, ready and excited.”
Although
WSU is facing ranked opponents, having the home-field advantage will be helpful
as the Cougars’ currently hold a 7-1 record at Hollingbery Fieldhouse.
Senior
tennis player Tiffany Mylonas said she thinks her team is ready for the
competition and anything is possible in these upcoming matches.
“I think
losing made us understand that it’s time, it’s time to go now,” Mylonas said.
“We don’t have any more choices … it’s not going to be easy but everything’s
possible so we’re going to make it work.”
The Cougars
will first play against the Bruins at 1:30 p.m. this Friday and will play USC
at 11 a.m. on Sunday at Hollingbery Fieldhouse.
::::::::::::::::::::
QB Gage Gubrud
heats up WSU Cougars quarterback competition with performance Thursday
Grad
transfer has made his mark despite missing most of spring
By JOHN
SPELLMAN, Evergreen April 11, 2019
One common
theme for WSU football over the past few years is there has been a battle in
the spring to decide who the starting quarterback will be.
The
quarterback battle was on full display Thursday afternoon at Martin Stadium as
the Cougars took the field for another spring practice.
The
Cougars have two redshirt senior quarterbacks fighting it out for the starting
position in Trey Tinsley and Anthony Gordon. However, graduate-transfer
quarterback Gage Gubrud has started to participate in more drills each practice
as he looks to compete for the starting spot.
The
interesting thing is that all three players vying for the job have only one
season of eligibility left, likely leading to another quarterback battle next
offseason.
For the
first time since transferring from Eastern Washington, Gubrud took reps with
the first team offense since injuring his foot during midnight maneuvers. Even
he though did not make a lot of throws, Gubrud seemed to bring a fire to the
field at Martin Stadium.
Gubrud
showed his accuracy and well-noted ability to scramble around the pocket to
evade pressure.
“We just
got to see what [Gubrud] can do,” Head Coach Mike Leach said. “The biggest
thing is just to see where he is at and what he can do.”
However,
Gordon and Tinsley both have been impressive in spring practice and Thursday
was no different as they made some big throws to carve up the defense.
Gordon
seemed to have one of his best practices of the spring as he made some nice
throws to showcase why he should be the one under center for the Cougars next
season.
“He looked
really sharp today in both drills we did,” Leach said.
Gordon
opened up his set of reps with the first team throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass
to redshirt senior wide receiver Brandon Arconado. He would connect with
Arconado one more time in the end zone for a 7-yard score.
Redshirt
freshman wide receiver Kassidy Woods closed out Gordon’s day by catching a
5-yard touchdown to cap an impressive performance by the quarterback.
Woods is
going through a transition of his own as he moves to inside receiver from his
previous spot as an outside receiver.
“It’s
going pretty good so far,” Woods said. “I’m enjoying it, but I’m still trying
to get used to the blocking and being inside … I just try to get to better each
practice and stay in the moment each day.”
Though
they did not come away with any turnovers, the defense was able to do a good
job of limiting the offense’s ability to move the ball as Tinsley and redshirt
sophomore quarterback John Bledsoe were stymied under center.
However,
Tinsley was able to throw a 5-yard touchdown on a screen pass to sophomore
running back Max Borghi.
The team
returns to the field on Saturday morning for their next scrimmage with the
spring game looming.
……………………
WSU
FOOTBALL
The name
isn’t as important as the title for Ron Stone Jr. in quest to be starting
“Rush” LB at Wasington State
Thu.,
April 11, 2019, 9:51 p.m. by Theo Lawson S-R of Spokane
PULLMAN –
Everything considered, it’s a pretty trivial matter. But since Washington
State’s redshirt freshman “Rush” linebacker could see some real playing time in
the near future, we might as well settle the debate now, if only to make it
easier on the broadcasters who’ll be calling his name and the journalists
who’ll be printing it.
R.J. Stone
or Ron Stone Jr.?
It’s a
fair question for the second-year Cougar because the evidence is conflicting:
WSU lists “Ron Stone Jr.” on its official roster, but the player’s Twitter
handle, “@Rj__Stone” indicates his fanbase – a group that could grow
substantially this season – should call him the opposite.
So, the
official verdict?
“I mean
either/or works,” Stone Jr. said, a grin stretching across his face as he’s
asked to clear the confusion. “I’ve gone by R.J. my whole life, but kind of
like my senior year and once I first got to college is when I’ve taken that
step as Ron.”
That
prompts the next most obvious question: how did R.J. become Ron?
Once football
began to take a more prominent role in Stone’s life he decided to make the
switch, reverting to the birth name he adopted from his father – an ode to his
very first coach and mentor in the sport.
“I was
named after my dad and that’s kind of one of the main reasons I started playing
football,” Stone said. “Kind of a tribute to him a little bit and just showing
I can do it, too.”
Ron Stone
Sr. was a 13-year NFL veteran who had stops in Dallas, New York (Giants),
Oakland and San Francisco. An offensive lineman who battled a spate of injuries
throughout his career, Stone Sr. made three Pro Bowl appearances, two All-Pro
teams and won a pair of Super Bowls – XXVII and XXX – with the Cowboys in the
mid-1990’s.
The
memories are faint, but Stone Jr. still recalls sitting in club-level seats at
the Oakland Coliseum and watching the tail end of his father’s pro career.
Stone Sr. retired in 2006 after two seasons with the Raiders and kept his
family close by in the Bay Area.
“Growing
up, I used to go to a couple of his games when he was at the Raiders,” Stone
Jr. said. “And a couple of the other teams, I don’t remember as well.”
It was a
stop-and-go lifestyle for the Stones hopping from one city to the next, but the
time Ron Jr. spent around the game was invaluable. When Ron Sr’s NFL career
died down, he coached his son at the Pop Warner level all the way through to
high school. Ron Sr. is still the offensive line coach at Valley Christian,
where Ron Jr. was an All-Metro First Team selection as a senior and the West
Catholic League’s Most Valuable Defensive Lineman.
“It’s kind
of developed me as a football player knowing I get my dad as a coach,” said
Stone Jr., whose sisters, aptly named Ronna and Ronika, are both
student-athletes at Oregon. “He’s went all the way to that top level, so
there’s no better coaching you can get from that.”
He may be
indifferent to what you call him, but Stone Jr. eventually wants to be known as
WSU’s starting “Rush” linebacker. He’s currently in the thick of a competition
with two returning players, Willie Taylor III and Dominick Silvels, who were
essentially 1A and 1B at that position last year. So winning a job is no simple
task.
Here’s
what Stone Jr. thinks it’ll take: “Just effort in the individual drills and
one-on-ones. Just winning all your drills. All the things you can do best,
doing the best you can do. Just kind of set yourself apart individually.”
Even with
vastly more experience than their younger position mate, Silvels and Taylor III
know Stone Jr. is making a push – and a strong one – this spring. He had a
touch sack in Saturday’s scrimmage and has worked occasionally with the No. 1
defense during Thursday’s 10th spring practice in Pullman.
“He’s
competing, it’s all three of us competing right now,” Taylor III said. “We can
all play. He’s good, needs to learn more. For me playing last year, I’ve been
able to help him out a little bit. It’s been pretty good.”
It’s
simple: Stone Jr. wants to make a name for himself at WSU. As long as “Stone
Jr.” is the last name on the depth chart, the first name preceding it is
unimportant.
“Everyone
wants to play, everyone wants to win so it’s going to give us all that extra
drive because there’s so few of us,” he said. “Two, three, we can all play, but
that starting spot’s what everyone’s going for, so it’s really competitive and
we’re all looking forward to it.”
::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WSU
BASKETBALL
Washington
State point guard signee Ryan Murphy requests release from letter of intent
UPDATED:
Thu., April 11, 2019, 8:44 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson of Spokane’s Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN –
A Washington State signee who’d previously voiced his commitment to Kyle Smith
and the new regime of Cougar basketball has requested a release from his letter
of intent.
Point
guard Ryan Murphy signed with WSU and Ernie Kent last November, but the junior
college transfer didn’t immediately reopen his recruitment when Kent was fired
at the end of the 2018-19 season. He voiced on Twitter that he’d be honoring
his commitment to the program and was excited to play under Smith, who was
officially announced as WSU’s new coach on April 1.
But
something apparently changed for the New Mexico Junior College combo guard and
Verbal Commits reported Thursday afternoon that Murphy had requested his
release.
Murphy
didn’t immediately respond to a message from The Spokesman-Review seeking
comment, but the player has deleted his previous tweets affirming his
commitment to the WSU program.
The New
Mexico JC transfer and former University of North Carolina at Charlotte point
guard appeared to be someone who could help the Cougars immediately in the wake
of Viont’e Daniels’ graduation and Carter Skaggs’ departure from the program.
The
6-foot-2, 192-pound Murphy led New Mexico JC with 18.5 points per game as a
redshirt sophomore, starting in all 13 of the games in which he played. He
averaged 3.5 rebounds per game and nearly two assists.
A native
of Calabasas, California, Murphy made five starts in 19 games at Charlotte the
season prior, averaging 6.7 points and 1.2 rebounds for the 49ers.
The
Cougars are losing three players to graduation – Daniels, Robert Franks and
Davante Cooper – and Smith could have at least six scholarships to fill between
incoming players who’ve requested a release from their letter of intent and
current players who’ve decided to explore options elsewhere.
Skaggs
officially left the program before Smith was announced as the Cougars’ next
coach. Two more players from last year’s roster, guard Ahmed Ali and forward
Isaiah Wade, have reportedly entered their name in the NCAA transfer portal.
Incoming
JC forward Nigel John has requested his release, although the Texan has said
WSU remains his No. 1 option. Daron Henson, a JC forward who played one year at
Utah State, hasn’t indicated if he’ll honor his commitment to the program.
CJ Elleby,
the Cougars’ second-leading scorer in 2018-19, is testing the NBA draft waters
but didn’t hire an agent, making him eligible to return to Pullman for his
sophomore season.
::::::::::::::::
WSU
COUGARS MEN BASKETBALL
The life
of an assistant: Ed Haskins left in limbo following coaching change at WSU
After two
years, he wants to stay. But will new coach Kyle Smith keep him around?
By Jeff
Nusser Coug Center
April 10th,
2019, 8:00pm PDT
PULLMAN —
Returning home from attending the Final Four, Washington State Cougars
assistant basketball coach Ed Haskins — at least, that’s still his title for
now — stood in the rain in the parking lot of Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport,
discussing his uncertain future.
Nearly two
weeks have passed since Kyle Smith was hired as WSU’s new men’s basketball
coach, and Haskins is still waiting for the call, hoping the new guy in charge
will give him a shot to be a part of his staff. He’s stuck in the assistant coach
limbo that’s inherent to the turmoil that comes in the wake of a coaching
change.
“I haven’t
done this before,” Haskins said, “so I don’t know if this is normal.”
Haskins
joined Ernie Kent’s coaching staff exactly two years ago to the day, leaving behind
Seattle high school powerhouse Garfield to give college coaching a shot. It
seemed the idea was that he’d give Kent, who had struggled to recruit the
fertile Seattle area, a foot in the door with kids on the west side of the
state. And it did pay dividends: Behind Haskins’ efforts, the Cougs landed CJ
Elleby, who turned out to be one of the top freshmen in the Pac-12.
Haskins’
ties to WSU are deep, and well documented: His late brother, Aaron, played for
George Raveling in the early 1980s and was the first and only player at WSU to
go to a pair of NCAA tournaments until Tony Bennett’s teams made back-to-back
appearances, leading Haskins to call this a “dream job” when he was hired —
“like, literally, a dream job,” he says — which he made sure to note to the
staff of Garfield High School when he left for Pullman.
He said he
took that note out recently a re-read it, and said he feels the same way today
that he did then, and emphasizes that WSU was not his first opportunity to move
into the college ranks. The Cougs just had a unique appeal.
“Being an
8-/9-/10-year-old guy coming over here and watching the greatness of what Coach
Raveling did back then, and seeing my brother be a part of that, seeing my
brother play against guys like Ralph Sampson in Virginia in that first round
(of the NCAA tournament). It was incredible to see those things,” recalled
Haskins.
“Seeing
him play his saxophone on his senior night for the national anthem, and that
same night they beat the No. 2 team, UCLA ... my brother was a part of all
that. I was there to see that, I was there to see it all, I saw exactly what it
was — the crowds, it was a really big deal. And so that’s why it was a dream,
for me.”
CJ Elleby
was the most impactful high school recruit landed during Ernie Kent’s tenure,
and Ed Haskins had a huge hand in that.
That
particular dream is on the verge of ending. Haskins’ trip to Minneapolis,
Minnesota, wasn’t for fun or just to take in a few good games; the Final Four
is where coaches from all over the country go to network and maybe try to
figure out the next landing spot in a profession that’s notoriously unstable.
Haskins doesn’t want to leave, though — he absolutely wants to stick around WSU
and help Smith build a winner. And he believes he has a lot to offer.
“I just
feel like Pullman is a good home for me and my family, and more than that, I
think Washington State basketball is not far away from being a winner,” Haskins
said. “We have the pieces, and now having an incredible coach who is a proven
winner in Coach Smith, I feel like there are some things that I can bring to
his staff that are pretty unique.”
He touted
his familiarity with the west coast, particularly the traditionally basketball-fertile
Seattle area, and notes that Smith featured two players from Seattle on his
roster at San Francisco. He believes WSU’s current players are talented and
would benefit from the fresh start of a new head coach.
After two
years of hard work to build something here in Pullman, Haskins wants to see the
turnaround through under a coach he believes is the right fit for the job. He’s
even seen it up close: Two years ago, Smith’s team made the trip north for a
preseason closed-door scrimmage, and Haskins said the Dons “came in and beat us
pretty good.”
There was
always was a risk for Haskins in coming to WSU, which he was well aware of. And
he’s certainly only one of many people affected; Haskins hasn’t talked to
anyone else on the staff, but it seems they’re all in the same boat:
Bennie
Seltzer, who joined the staff at the same time as Haskins, will be moving on
from the school at which he starred as a player; if he keeps coaching, he’ll be
joining his sixth program in the last 13 years.
Tim
Marrion, meanwhile, is another WSU alumnus who started out as a student
assistant has worked his way up through the ranks — mostly at WSU — before
finally getting promoted before last season to become a full-time assistant at
a high major program for the first time.
Recruiting
coordinator Elwyn McRoy and director of operations Kenny Tripp are also
presumably now looking around.
While
Ernie Kent walks away with $4.2 million, real people of far less means are left
to scramble. But Haskins is hopeful.
“Coaching
has been incredible. It’s taken me places I never dreamed I would go and done
things I never dreamed I would do,” Haskins said. “But it’s what I do, it’s not
who I am, so it doesn’t define me. But it is my passion and I do feel like it’s
a part of what I’m supposed to be doing on this planet. Just being able to help
young men out in the way that we do, I just feel like it’s part of it. If God
blesses me with the opportunity to continue to do it, great, then we’ll
continue to do it — at whatever level. And if not, we’ll move forward.”
And if it
doesn’t work out with Smith? There won’t be any bitter feelings toward WSU.
“Regardless
of what happens, I’ll always be a Coug, I’ll always root for the Cougs, and I’m
in 100% support of the Cougs and Coug basketball,” Haskins said.
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