WSU
BASEBALL Cougs’ skid reaches its end
WSU
hardballers snap 12-game losing streak with 12-10 win over Gonzaga
By
Stephan Wiebe, Moscow Pullman Daily News Apr 3, 2019
On
the first pitch of the game, Washington State freshman Kodie Kolden laid down a
perfect bunt down the third-base line for a single.
On
the last pitch, he scooped up a grounder from his third base post and fired to
first for the final out.
It
was a fitting, full-circle ending for the Cougs’ player of the game in WSU’s
12-10 win over Gonzaga on Tuesday at Bailey-Brayton Field.
Kolden,
a Lake City grad, went 3-for-5 with three runs and five RBI, including a
three-run blast in the third inning that put the Cougs up 5-0.
“I
just wanted to do something good for the team,” Kolden said. “I saw a changeup
up and just swung. I wasn’t trying to hit a home run, just trying to get a good
barrel (on it).”
WSU’s
hot-hitting freshman wasn’t the only Cougar clicking Tuesday. Senior Andres
Alvarez hammered a two-run home run in the first, and finished with three hits,
two runs and three RBI. Fellow senior Robbie Teel drove in three.
On
the mound, freshman Tyson Guerrero earned the win in his second start. He
allowed one run and struck out two in 32/3 innings.
“I
really thought Tyson Guerrero came out and set the tone once again,” WSU coach
Marty Lees said. “He continues to get better and better every time he pitches.”
The
Cougars stretched their lead to 8-1 in the fourth behind an Alvarez RBI-single
and a Teel two-RBI double.
But
a blowout game was not to be. The Zags had other ideas.
Gonzaga
scored six runs in the seventh inning on five hits, before Davis Baillie bailed
out the Cougars. With the bases loaded and Baillie on the mound, the Zags hit
into a pair of fielder’s choices — that scored two runs — and a ground out to
Jack Smith at first base for the final out. WSU led 9-7.
“He’s
been a rock for us all year,” Lees said of Baillie. “He never gets too high or
too low, he just comes in and doesn’t try to do too much. It was really big for
him to come in and stop that.”
Washington
State responded with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. A Kolden single
scored Smith and Garrett Gouldsmith, and a Danny Sinatro fly out drove in Jared
Thurber for a 12-7 WSU lead.
“That
was the biggest part of the game right there I think,” Kolden said of WSU’s
bounce-back inning.
Gonzaga
scored two more runs in the eighth inning and one in the ninth, but couldn’t
replicate its monster seventh inning. Both teams finished with 11 hits.
Right
fielder Troy Johnston (three runs, one RBI) and first baseman Nick Nyquist (two
runs, one RBI) paced Gonzaga (12-13).
The
win snapped a 12-game losing streak for Washington State (7-20). The Cougars
have racked up plenty of hits, but often struggle to turn them into runs.
“It
got a little away from us in the (late innings), but what I’m really proud of
these guys for is we’ve had a lot of games where we’ve had 10 hits, 11 hits, 12
hits and had one or two runs to show for it. Today we scored a lot of runs and
we needed to. These kids found a way to win.”
The
Cougars return to Pac-12 play this week for a three-game series against Cal
(14-11 overall, 2-4 Pac-12) at Berkeley, Calif. Washington State is still looking
for its first conference win (0-6).
“If
this is the game that gets us going in the right direction, we’ll take it,”
Lees said.
Gonzaga
000 100 621—10 11 1
Washington
St. 230 301 30x—12 11 2
Henckel,
Dimlow (4), Trogrlic (5), Davis (9) and Pinorini. Guerrero, Mills (4), Bush
(5), Barnum (7), Baillie (7), Newstrom (9) and Teel.
W
— Guerrero (1-1). L — Henckel (0-1).
Gonzaga
hits — Johnston 2 (2-2B), Nyquist 2 (HR), Fredrickson 2, Yake, Morrison,
Pinorini, Sullivan, Barreran (2B).
Washington
St. hits — Kolden 3 (HR), Alvarez 3 (HR), Sinatro, Teel (2B), Manzardo (2B),
Gouldsmith, Thurber.
::::::::::::::::::::::::
WSU
FOOTBALL Defense impresses in sixth spring practice
Coach
Mike Leach frustrated with inconsistent play, Gage Gubrud seen at practice
without boot
By
JOHN SPELLMAN, Evergreen April 2, 2019
Explosive
and inconsistent. Those were the two words that stood out in regards to
Tuesday’s spring practice for WSU football.
“Both
sides would do something that I thought would be dynamic, but then they would
be up and down,” WSU Head Coach Mike Leach said. “But neither side would be
down for too long.”
The
team had its fair share of highlights as both the offense and defense made some
dynamic plays on the field at Martin Stadium.
On
the defensive side, the Cougars ability to stop the run seemed to be much
improved as they were able to limit a WSU ground game that has been pretty
successful throughout spring camp.
The
pass defense also has seen marked improvement this spring with several
interceptions. Redshirt junior linebacker Dillon Sherman, fighting for the
starting inside linebacker spot, came up with a big interception of redshirt
senior quarterback Trey Tinsley.
Sophomore
cornerback Derrick Langford followed that up by picking off Tinsley again on
the very next play, much to the chagrin of the WSU offense.
Redshirt
junior defensive back Daniel Isom continued his impressive spring when he
intercepted redshirt senior quarterback Anthony Gordon, showing that the WSU
secondary may be a dangerous force in the Pac-12 next season.
Despite
the interceptions from Tinsley and Gordon, the pair have made impressive throws
throughout the spring as they vie for the starting spot next season.
Senior
wide receiver Dezmon Patmon was on the receiving end of a strike from Gordon
that went for a 40-yard touchdown. Tinsley also threw a 5-yard touchdown pass
to redshirt freshman wide receiver Kassidy Woods.
Tinsley
seems to have improved his pocket mobility, showing the ability to scramble and
make plays when things break down during the past few spring practices.
“He’s
continued to work at it, I think that he’s quicker now than he has been.” Leach
said.
The
team is waiting on graduate transfer quarterback Gage Gubrud, who is known for
his ability to get outside the pocket, to fully heal from his ankle injury.
This has limited him to just throwing the ball at practice, which is a welcomed
sign now that his boot is off.
The
other quarterback to get reps with the first team offense on Tuesday was
redshirt freshman quarterback Cammon Cooper.
Cooper
threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Renard Bell,
before tossing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Woods.
When
he was asked about what his thoughts were on Cooper’s performance, Leach
responded with the theme of the practice.
“Explosive
and inconsistent.” Leach said.
The
team looks to keep improving as they return to the field for their next
practice on Thursd
:::::::::::::::::::::
Highly
touted freshman Gunner Cruz sees first team reps
Cougars
fifth practice also features Gage Gubrud walking around without a boot on his
injured left foot
By
JOHN SPELLMAN, Evergreen March 31, 2019
Cougar
football took the field Saturday for the fifth time this spring as freshman
quarterback Gunner Cruz took snaps with the first time offense.
Head
Coach Mike Leach said his team competed well in practice but needs to maintain
focus throughout.
“I
thought we were a little up and down, and I thought we bounced around pretty
good,” Leach said. “I think we can be more consistent because too often we will
have a bad play that lingers longer than it should or a good play that lingers
longer than it should.”
The
team began practice at Rogers Field by working on position drills where the
quarterbacks threw to the wide receivers, the offensive and defensive lines
paired up and the secondary worked on footwork.
Junior
defensive end Will Rodgers III said the battle between the offensive and
defensive line can get intense at times but its necessary for them to improve.
“Oh
it’s competition,” Rodgers said. “We are at each other’s head all practice, but
at the end of the day we get mad and they get mad, so we got to go harder. Us
at our best and them at their best makes us all better, and we are all one at
the end of the day.”
The
team then moved over to the field at Martin Stadium where they worked on
kickoffs and covering them.
They
then transitioned to team drills where the offense went head-to-head against
the defense in an energy filled practice.
Of
course the battle between the offense and defense featured redshirt senior
quarterbacks Trey Tinsley and Anthony Gordon who are fighting to start under
center next season.
For
the first time this spring, graduate transfer quarterback Gage Gubrud was
without the boot he had been wearing to protect his injured left foot. He was
able to throw the ball in certain drills as he looks to compete for the
starting job next season as well.
Both
Tinsley and Gordon continued to impress on Saturday. Gordon carved up the
defensive secondary throwing a 50-yard strike to redshirt freshman wide
receiver Mitchell Quinn for a touchdown, followed up by what would’ve been a
40-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman wide receiver Kassidy Woods before
finishing the day by finding junior wide receiver Tay Martin in the end zone.
Tinsley
also made some good throws but he got picked off by redshirt junior defensive
back Daniel Isom on a highly contested play with senior wide receiver Dezmon
Patmon where defensive pass interference probably would have been called if
there was a referee.
Perhaps
the biggest surprise at Saturday’s practice came when Cruz, a highly touted
recruit, took reps with the No. 1 offense for the first time since he has been
in Pullman. He had quite a debut as he made some high-quality throws, including
an impressive touchdown pass to Quinn.
“I
thought it was pretty good for a debut.” Leach said. “It’s always going to be
tough and it’s always never going to be perfect, but for the first time out I
thought he did pretty good.”
The
team returns to the field for practice Tuesday afternoon.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::
VINCE
GRIPPI OF SPOKANE S-R SAYS 4/3/2019
–
The Cougars ran around and hit each other a bit yesterday. Mainly, though, they
worked on skills. But the real positive news? Gage Gubrud is not longer in a
boot and he was throwing passes. The Eastern Washington transfer should be the
frontrunner to start the first game against New Mexico State the last day of
August – if he’s healthy. Yesterday’s appearance at spring practice, unexpected
as it was, is a good first step.
…..
VINCE
GRIPPI OF SPOKANE S-R SAYS 4/2/2019
•
New Washington State basketball coach Kyle Smith has spent his coaching career
in two main places: the Bay Area and New York City.
It’s
little wonder he called Pullman “the friendliest place on Earth.” Compared to
those two locales, it is.
We
kid, of course. Pullman is a friendly place for basketball coaches. At least
their first year. To keep that “we’re-so-happy-to-have-you” vibe going,
however, some things will have to happen.
At
the top of the list: win games. Actually, that may be the whole list.
Unless
you take the Dick Bennett approach and use hand signals to let the Washington
crowd know how you feel about it. That’s another way to become a legend on the
Palouse, but it only works, more than likely, for a veteran coach with a Final
Four on his resume. And before video became ever-present.
The
venerated Washington State basketball coaches of the past include George
Raveling, Kelvin Sampson and Tony Bennett. Add in Jack Friel and Fred Bohler
and you have the only five coaches in the past 100 years who actually didn’t
have a losing record at WSU.
Winning
will win over the Cougar fans. Right now, all they really want to know is
whether Smith can add his name to the list.
He
certainly emphasized the right things yesterday. Coaches who have been
successful on the Palouse in the last half-century have emphasized the
defensive end. (Remember the “intensity” practice shorts Sampson’s teams used
to wear and the floor-slapping, in-you-face defense that came from modeling
that behavior?)
Offense?
Whatever the Cougars run will be good with the fans as long as the team wins.
In his previous stops, Smith has relied on offensive principles that go back to
Pete Carril and Princeton, back when the Tigers were putting the scare of a
lifetime into higher-seeded teams in the NCAA Tournament.
You
like hard cuts, screens and deception? You value toughness and rebounding?
You’ll love the way Smith’s teams play.
It
worked at Columbia, in the heart of New York City. It worked at USF, in the
heart of San Francisco. And now he’ll try to make it work in Pullman, in the
heart of the Palouse, the most down-to-earth place on the planet.
•
Does it happen over night?
If
it does, make room in Terrell Mall for a new statue, because Smith wasn’t
handed a program at the top of the Pac-12 pecking order.
When
Raveling took over in the early 1970s, it took him four years to put together a
winning team. The same for Sampson in the late 1980s. Bennett won in his first
year, but only after his dad had endured three awful seasons rebuilding the
mess left by Paul Graham.
One
could posit the program is in as bad a spot as it was in 2003, when Jim Sterk
hired the elder Bennett – but one would be wrong. That was the nadir of WSU
basketball in more ways than one.
But
Smith faces different challenges, as the entire landscape of college basketball
has changed in the past 15 years. And Washington State, with its
less-than-sparkling facilities and deep budget woes, has struggled to keep
pace. Hence, the six-year commitment the school has made to Smith, who is
making a similar promise just by leaving a school in which he’s won 20 games a
year every season.
The
Cougars may not win next year. Or the year after. But most in the college
basketball community I trust believe Smith will win in Pullman in the
not-too-distant future. He has a plan, he has a philosophy and he has the
humble nature to accept the challenges – and overcome them.
That’s
a great combination. And one that has proven to work at WSU before.
•••
WSU:
The media event in Pullman yesterday introducing Smith to the Inland Northwest
and Cougar alums not only displayed the new basketball coach, but prominently
featured the successful football coach. Yep, Mike Leach was in the house,
posing for pictures and making funny comments. Theo Lawson was also there and
he has two stories on Smith’s introductory party, including an overview and 19
takeaways. Why 19?
…
((News
for CougGroup says here’s why: He is the 19th person serving as WSC/WSU
men’s head men’s basketball coach,))
#
