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May 15, 2006
Baseball Looks to Defend Crown at This Week's D-I Independent Invitational May 15, 2006
D-I Independent Invitational Notes in PDF Format
University of Northern Colorado Bears (17-30) vs. North Dakota State Bison (10-39) vs. IPFW Mastodons (24-25) vs. TBA vs. TBA Other Teams: South Dakota State (21-25), NYIT (28-19) and Utah Valley State (17-34) The Series: Northern Colorado leads North Dakota State 5-3 and South Dakota State 15-11. They are even all-time with Utah Valley State (5-5) and NYIT (1-1) and have never played IPFW. The Coaches: Kevin Smallcomb is 102-108 (.486) in his fourth year at Northern Colorado and 352-255 (.580) in his 15th year as a collegiate head coach. Dr. Mitch McLeod is 329-289-4 (.532) in his 14th year at NDSU. Billy Gernon is 137-199 (.408) in his 7th season at IPFW. Reggie Christiansen is 38-63 (.376) in his second year at SDSU and 49-92 (.348) in his third year as a head coach. Bob Hirschfield is 557-543-12 (.506) in his 25th year at NYIT. Steve Gardner is 427-362 (.541) in his 16th season at UVSC and 603-465 (.565) in his 24th year as a coach. Radio: The games can be heard on 1310 KFKA and free online at UNCBears.com. KFKA's Clark Johnson and SID Kyle Schwartz will have the call. Thursday and Friday's games are delayed on the radio (7 p.m.) but live on the internet. Livestats: none
GAME INFORMATION Northern Colorado, the defending champions of the event, play North Dakota State (Thursday, 3 p.m. MT) and IPFW (Friday, 11:30 a.m. MT) in pool play before playing in championship play on Saturday and Sunday.
DIVISION I INDEPEDNENT INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE THURSDAY, MAY 18 FRIDAY, MAY 19 SATURDAY, MAY 20 SUNDAY, MAY 21 THE BEAR FACTS KU, which had been 18-4 at home entering the contests, did not lead a single inning during the weekend, as the Bears built big early leads and held on late to top the Jayhawks. The 2006 D-I Independent Invitational marks the third year the event has been held, and first time it has not been held in Greeley. NYIT claimed the 2004 title and the Bears swept South Dakota State, Utah Valley State and NYIT to claim the 2005 crown. OPPONENT INFORMATION North Dakota State: The Bison have lost six in a row entering this week's tournament and have struggled to a 10-39 mark overall. NDSU has taken on all comers this season playing the likes of Wichita State, Kentucky, Creighton and Kansas among others. They have also played only nine total home games out of their 39 total contests. North Dakota State dropped a four-game series at Western Illinois this past weekend. They are led in hitting by Jared Sullivan, who hits .340 and leads the team in home runs (6) and RBI 33). IPFW: The Mastodons will host Butler on Wednesday afternoon before playing in the tournament this weekend. They had a four-game set against South Dakota State rained out this past weekend and are 4-4 in their last eight games. This season IPFW is 4-16 in away games and 5-5 in neutral site contests. The Mastodons hit .296 as a team and have stolen 68 bases this season. Pitcher Cole Uebelhor leads the team in ERA (3.34), innings pitched (62) and strikeouts (31). South Dakota State: The Jacks, who were rained out against IPFW this past weekend, have a busy week, as they host Kansas State at Sioux Falls Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday before beginning play at the tournament. They last played against rival North Dakota State, dropping three of four in Fargo. They took three of four from NDSU when the two teams met in Brookings earlier in April. SDSU is 10-9 overall since playing a three-game set in Greeley against Northern Colorado in early April; the Bears won two of those three games. Tyson Fisher is the team's leading hitter (.376, 9 home runs, 45 RBI). Utah Valley State: The Wolverines play at BYU on Tuesday before heading to Sioux Falls. The team has not played since last Tuesday when they topped in-state rival Utah 11-9. Prior to that they were at Washington State, taking a 6-5 decision in the opener before dropping the final two against a good Cougars team. UVSC is 4-7 in their last 11 games entering the tournament and 5-8 since hosting Northern Colorado in April. Nick Connor leads the team with a .444 average while Dan Bulow has added 10 home runs. NYIT: The Bears, who won the 2004 D-I Independent Invitational, host St. Francis on Tuesday before heading to South Dakota. NYIT is fresh off winning two of three at Marshall and have won four of five entering this week's event. They swept fellow D-I Independent Texas A&M-Corpus Christi earlier this season in Old Westbury. Kraig Binick leads the team with a .386 average and 23 bases. NYIT has stolen 88 total bases on the season, second among independents (behind only Savannah State). The Bears can pitch, as Joe Esposito (5-3, 3.09 ERA, 65 K's) and Chris Perez (8-2, 3.44 ERA, 72 K's) have been very effective this season. Series History: The only team the Bears have not played at the event is IPFW. Northern Colorado has long-time rivalries with North Dakota State and South Dakota State (all use to be members of the Division II North Central Conference) and have started rivalries with NYIT and Utah Valley State in recent years. The Bears and NDSU have not played since the 2003 NCC Tournament in Greeley, when the Bison won 12-3. Overall the Bears lead the series 5-3. UNC played South Dakota State earlier this season, winning two of three in Greeley. The teams have played 16 times dating back to the 1963 season. SDSU has won six of seven games played in the state of South Dakota. Northern Colorado played NYIT in each of the last two seasons, both coming at the D-I Independent Invitational. NYIT took the 2004 meeting by a 16-7 margin before falling to UNC 8-3 a year ago in the championship game of the event. Utah Valley State and the Bears have played 10 times before and the series is deadlocked at 5-5. UVSC won two of three in Orem earlier this year. Northern Colorado topped the Wolverines 5-3 in the meeting in last year's D-I Independent Invitational. THE BEAR NECCESSITIES NORTHERN COLORADO NOTES Bears to Defend Title at Division I Independent Invitational: Northern Colorado will look to defend its title at the 2006 Division I Independent Invitational being held May 18-21 at Sioux Falls Stadium in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Bears have hosted the previous two events before South Dakota State agreed to host it this season. NYIT claimed the 2004 Championship (in a field that included Pace University, Hawaii-Hilo and the Bears) while Northern Colorado won a year ago (in a field that included NYIT, South Dakota State and Utah Valley State). This year's event is the first time the field has been expanded to six teams. Bears Sweep A Big 12 Conference Opponent For First Time: Northern Colorado topped Kansas 8-7 and 7-4 on May 13-14 at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, marking their first-ever series sweep over a current Big 12 Conference team (the Bears had swept Colorado before when the Buffs, who no longer sponsor baseball, were a member of the Big 8). The Bears had started their five-game road trip 0-3 but responded by jumping on the Jayhawks early, as Northern Colorado never trailed in any of the 18 innings the teams played. Evan Linn got the win in game one while Tyler Pearson came on to save the contest, as the Bears built a 6-1 lead and held on 8-7. Kansas native Zach Harris was 3-for-4 with three RBI in that game. In the finale, the Bears led 5-0 before eventually winning 7-4. Roy Allen, Chris Johns, Jon Leines, Brennan Garr and Pearson all pitched, with Johns recording the win and Pearson netting his second save in as many days. Harris was 3-for-4 while Kevin Sandberg was 2-for-5 with a two-RBI double. The wins were extra impressive considering that KU had been 18-4 at home entering the series and had 17 of their previous 19 losses prior to the defeats were to the hands of nationally-ranked teams. The Bears now lead the all-time series with Kansas 3-2 (KU won two of three last year in Lawrence). Pearson Sets Single Season Appearances Record, Ranks 2nd in Career Appearances: With his 22nd appearance of the season (May 14 at Kansas), junior Tyler Pearson set the Northern Colorado single-season record previously held by Tad Ritter (21 in 1998). He has now appeared in 59 career games, which is the second highest total in school history, only five behind Lonnie Dent's record of 64 (set from 1991-93). On the season Pearson is 2-3 with a 5.03 ERA, three saves and a team-high 59 strikeouts. He closed both games at Kansas (May 13-14), helping the Bears sweep a Big 12 Conference opponent for the first time in school history. He ranks third among D-I Independent players in strikeouts per 9 innings (9.89). He made 20 appearances in 2005 and 17 in 2004 for the Bears. He has been both a starter and reliever for the Bears and had a stretch as a sophomore where he did not issue a walk in 111 batters (26.2 innings). Other Pitchers Climb Single Season Appearances List: Although Tyler Pearson is at the top of the program's single-season appearances list, several other Bears are now on the list as well. Jon Leines (19 appearances) in fifth, Chris Johns (17 appearances) is ninth and Evan Linn needs one more to reach 9th (he currently has 16 appearances). Linn's 45 career appearances currently ranks him 9th in school history as well. Bears in D-I Independent Statistics: As of May 15, Northern Colorado ranks first among the 13 D-I Independent teams in fielding percentage with a .963 percentage. Bears pitcher Tyler Pearson is third in strikeouts per 9 innings (9.89), Zach Harris is fourth in home runs (.24/game) and third in RBI (.98/game) while Brennan Garr is third in hits (1.50/game), ninth in doubles (.29/game), ninth in RBI (.86/game) and fifth in total bases (2.19/game). Redshirt freshman Kevin Sandberg is 10th in walks (.54/game) and on-base percentage (.437). The Bears are sixth in team hitting (.286) but only 10th in team pitching (6.44 ERA). Bears Against D-I Independents: Northern Colorado now has a record of 3-4 this season against fellow Division I Independents. The Bears lost earlier this season to Texas-Pan American in their first D-I Independent matchup and evened its record at 2-2 on the season by taking two of three games from South Dakota State (April 8-9). That record slipped below .500 when they lost two of three games at Utah Valley State (April 14-15). The Bears still have four games left this season with independents, all of which will come at the D-I Independent Invitational in Sioux Falls May 18-21. Horn Of Plenty: Sophomore Jeff Horn hit his first college home run on May 14 at Kansas. The infielder, who had only two extra base hits in his career before the blast, smoked a ball in the third inning to give the Bears a 1-0 lead and help them to a 7-4 win over the Jayhawks. Earlier in the year he made the most of his first career start, Feb. 8 against Air Force. Horn entered the game 0-for-12 in 19 prior career games at the plate but doubled in his first at-bat of the day on his way to a 3-for-5 performance and also drove in a pair of runs in the game. Horn was not in the original starting lineup but was a late addition due to sickness by usual starter Chad Clark. Warner Named to ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 7 Squad: Senior Devin Warner was one of 11 baseball student-athletes selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 7 first-team squad on May 11. The outfielder carries a 3.90 GPA in finance and for appearing on the first-team squad, will now have his name appear on the national ballot for consideration for Academic All-American. The awards are voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). District VII includes schools in the states of Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Selections are open to student-athletes who have reached sophomore academic standing and carry at least a 3.20 G.P.A. Against Nationally-Ranked Teams: Northern Colorado finished the season with a 2-4 record against nationally-ranked teams. The Bears split a two-game set with No. 2 Nebraska and No. 12 Arkansas before dropping a two-game set at No. 29 Wichita State. In the Bears four losses to the ranked teams, three of them were by a lone run, and two were walk-off losses. Smallcomb Wins 100th Game as Northern Colorado Head Coach: Bears head coach Kevin Smallcomb won his 100th game at Northern Colorado (and his 350th game as a college head coach) on May 2 when the Bears topped Air Force 20-4 at Jackson Field. He is only the fourth coach in the long and storied history of Northern Colorado baseball to have more than 100 wins. He coached in his 200th career game at Northern Colorado on April 21 when the Bears hosted Washington State (WSU won 22-7) and his 600th career game on April 25 when the Bears hosted BYU. Allen Shows Control: Senior hurler Roy Allen knows how to throw strikes. In 46.1 innings this season Allen has struck out 44 and walked only eight. In his last four outings, he has 28 strikeouts and only four walks. That includes a pair of seven strikeout outings, against No. 12 Arkansas and against Air Force on Senior Day (May 2). 1-0 Games: When Northern Colorado fell to No. 29 Wichita State on May 9 by a 1-0 margin, it marked the first time since April 8, 1998 (a game vs. Regis) that the Bears had been involved in a 1-0 game. In fact, over the past 51 years (dating back to 1955) the Bears had only been involved in six other 1-0 meetings, all of which had been wins. 1-Run Games: Northern Colorado has struggled in 1-run games this season, compiling a 2-7 mark in those games (wins over Nebraska-Kearney and Kansas), including a pair of losses (1-0 and 5-4 in 14 innings) to No. 29 Wichita State on May 9-10. Last season the Bears were 7-1 in 1-run games and 10-4 in games decided by two runs or less. This season they are only 4-11 in games decided by two runs or less. The back-to-back 1-run losses marked the second time this season that has happened to the Bears; Northern Colorado dropped a 4-3 and then 3-2 decision to BYU in Provo in March. Garr and Ray Tie Single Game At-Bats Record: In the Bears 5-4, 14-inning loss to No. 29 Wichita State on May 10, juniors Brennan Garr and John Ray each had seven official at-bats, tying the school record that has been set on numerous occasions. The last time it had happened before the May 10 game was on May 17, 2004 when Shane Roberts batted seven times against Hawaii-Hilo (in a 27-16 Bears win). Bears Equal/Break Records in Marathon Against Wichita State: In the Bears 14-inning game at No. 29 Wichita State on May 10, the Bears broke the school mark for combined runners left on base (30 by both team - 16 by the Bears) and tied the mark for strikeouts by both teams (26 - 10 by the Bears). The 16 runners left on base by the Bears was not a school record however. That record is 18 set against Southern Colorado in 1997. Garr Sets School Career Saves Mark: With a save against South Dakota State on April 8, junior Brennan Garr set a new Northern Colorado career saves mark, recording the ninth save of his career. He entered the game with one out in the ninth and struck out two batters in preserving the Bears 9-7 victory. He passed the record of eight previously held by Greg Cook (1972-74). He now has 11 career saves following a 4-2 win at No. 12 Arkansas on April 19. Garr had tied the record with a save at New Mexico State on Feb. 24. Garr tied the single-season saves record last season when he had seven saves (and also led the team with a .365 batting average), when he was the runner-up for the D-I Independent Player of the Year award. On the mound this season, Garr is 1-2 with four saves this season in 12.2 innings of work; he has struck out 23 on the season. Garr Leads the Offense: The Bears top returning player, INF/RHP Brennan Garr saw his career-high 17-game hitting streak come to an end at BYU on March 24 with a 0-for-5 performance. He finished just three hits shy of tying the school record for longest hitting streak. After hitting safely in 46 of 50 games dating back to last season, he went three games (two at Nebraska and at home against Air Force) without getting a hit, matching the longest stretch of his career without a hit, before finally coming through against South Dakota State (April 8). Against SDSU, he also hit his first home run of the season, after hitting eight home runs a year ago. He has now hit safely in 63 of his last 73 games dating back to last season and has five home runs after not hitting one for the first 29 games of the year. Garr has been hot as the season comes to a close, hitting .444 (20-for-45) in his last 10 games. He is in the top 10 of four different statistical categories (hits, doubles, RBI and total bases) in the Division I Independent rankings. 14-Inning Marathon, Longest Game in School History: In the Bears 14-inning marathon against No. 29 Wichita State on May 10 (a 5-4 loss), the Bears broke a school record for the longest game in program history. The game was also long in time, lasting four hours and 13 minutes, the longest of the season in minutes. The longest previous game had been a 13-inning contest against New Mexico to start the 1964 season (that game ended in a 4-4 tie due to darkness). The game was the third extra inning game of the season (the Bears topped Nebraska-Kearney 10-9 in 11 innings on March 13 and lost 3-2 to BYU on March 24 in 10 innings) for Northern Colorado. Last season the Bears were 3-1 in extra inning games and are 11-6 in four seasons under head coach Kevin Smallcomb in extra innings contests. Home Sweet Home: Although Jackson Field is usually a friendly place for the Bears, Northern Colorado finished the year just 5-7 at home this season, its first losing season at home since 2001. The Bears had won 17 of 24 games at one point, before losing their last five home contests (to Washington State and BYU). The Bears were 13-8 at home last season after compiling a 15-6 at home in 2004. Overall they have won 33 of 53 and 52 of its last 73 games at Jackson Field dating back to 2003. The Bears held a 23-6 overall record at home and a 12-0 regular season mark against NCC teams in 2003, Coach Smallcomb's first at Northern Colorado (the Bears also posted a 14-game winning streak at Jackson Field and a 17-game winning streak against NCC schools). SEASON NOTES Bears Top No. 2 Ranked Nebraska: In what can be described as the biggest win in recent program history, Northern Colorado topped No. 2 ranked Nebraska on March 28 in Lincoln by a 5-2 margin. The win was the highest ranked opponent the Bears had defeated since besting No. 1 Arizona in 1974, a back-to-back sweep of the Wildcats in the NCAA District 7 playoffs, as Northern Colorado advanced to its 10th College World Series. In the game at NU, Chris Johns limited the Huskers to two runs in 6.2 innings and Tyler Pearson allowed only two hits the rest of the way. UNC scored four times in the sixth inning thanks to a pair of two-RBI hits by Adam Symons and John Ray. The win was the first over Nebraska in six tries (and first since 1991) and ended the Huskers 33-game non-conference home winning streak. Nebraska's head coach Mike Anderson played baseball at Northern Colorado and was also an assistant coach with the program. Bears Top Second Nationally-Ranked Foe of the Year in No. 12 Arkansas: With a 4-2 win over No. 12 Arkansas on April 19, the Bears proved their win over No. 2 Nebraska earlier this season was no fluke. The Bears scored first on a solo home run by Zach Harris, but fell behind 2-1 after the bottom of the sixth. But with two outs in the seventh inning, the Bears had four consecutive hits and plated three runs in taking a 4-2 lead. Brennan Garr came on in the 9th to record his fourth save of the season and give the Bears the big win. Northern Colorado nearly swept the series with the 'Backs, as Arkansas had to score a run in the bottom of the ninth in the opener, on their way to a 2-1 win. The Bears are now 2-2 this season against Top-25 opponents, and will match up with one more ranked team this season, Wichita State. Arkansas Win Big Personally For Smallcomb: The 4-2 win over No. 12 Arkansas on April 19 was big for head coach Kevin Smallcomb, who was a graduate assistant for legendary head coach Norm DeBriyn in 1989-90. DeBriyn was in attendance for both games and briefly met with the team before lunch one day on the trip. A Strong Tradition: With the move back to Division I, the Northern Colorado baseball program is no stranger to success at that level. The Bears have appeared in 10 Division I College World Series, including nine from 1952-1962. From 1957-62 the Bears made six consecutive appearances, the second longest streak in CWS history (trailing only seven straight from 1981-87 by Oklahoma State). The Bears were last in the CWS in the 1974 season. UNC has appeared at the CWS in 1952, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1974. Bears Sign Two During Early Signing Period: Northern Colorado signed two players during November's early signing period, Seth Loman (Colo. Springs, Colo./Lamar CC) and Sean Peery (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Hutchinson CC). Loman (6'4, 220 lbs.) is a switch-hitting first baseman who is in his second year at Lamar Community College. Last season he played with current Northern Colorado pitcher Seth Gilleland. Loman helped lead the Running Lopes to a 51-11 record and an Empire Conference Championship while leading the team with 12 home runs and 62 RBIs; overall, he hit.372 in 61 games. After his stellar season at Lamar, where he was a first-team all-region selection, Loman was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 47th round (pick No. 1414) of last June's First-Year Player Draft. He attended Doherty High School and spent his freshman season at the University of Arkansas, where he redshirted. His father, Doug, played for two years (1984-85) with the Milwaukee Brewers. Peery (6'3, 215 lbs.) is a right-handed pitcher who has spent the last two years at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, where he a teammate of current Bear pitcher Jason Banks. Last season, Peery helped lead his team to the Junior College World Series as he tossed 23 innings for the Dragons, compiling a 2-0 record and 3.96 E.R.A. During the year, Peery fired one complete game shutout and struck out 17 batters while walking just eight. Hutchinson finished the year 37-20 overall, won the regional championship and advanced to their first-ever NJCAA World Series. Peery pitched the final 7 1/3 innings of the regional championship game, allowing five hits and two runs in picking up the victory. He attended Highlands Ranch High School. Garr on 2006 Wallace Award Watch List: Junior INF/RHP Brennan Garr was one of 120 Division I baseball players on the 2006 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List to start the season (although he did not appear on the revised list released May 7). The award, given by the College Baseball Foundation, is given annually to the nation's best collegiate baseball player (Nebraska's Alex Gordon won the award last season). As a sophomore in 2005, Garr led the Northern Colorado team in hitting (.365) while adding 66 hits, 11 doubles, eight home runs and 36 RBI in 51 games. He was also the Bears closer, matching the school record for saves in a single-season (7) while compiling a 3.78 ERA and 3-1 overall record. The Wallace Watch will be trimmed to 12 semi-finalists by late May. Then the selection committee will narrow the list to three finalists following the NCAA Super Regionals at a press conference in Omaha. The finalists, their head coaches, and their parents will be invited to Lubbock, Texas, for a schedule of special events tied to the award banquet, which will again be nationally televised by Fox Sports Network. The award is dedicated to the memory of former Texas Tech shortstop and assistant coach Brooks Wallace, who was a slick-fielding shortstop at Texas Tech from 1977 to 1980. In the summer of 1984 he was diagnosed with cancer and fought the disease courageously until his death on March 24, 1985, at age 27. The selection committee for the Wallace Award is comprised of a national panel of preeminent coaches, sports information directors, former winners and beat media who most closely follow the sport. Screening Committee members will evaluate the candidates and will continue their review throughout the entire baseball season. The list will expand and contract during the regular season and additional Wallace Watch candidates may be added as the season progresses. Voting for the three finalists and the Wallace Award winner will be conducted by confidential balloting, with totals tabulated by the J.W.Anderson & Associates accounting firm in Lubbock, Texas. Smallcomb Tops Alma Mater and Mentor: Northern Colorado head coach Kevin Smallcomb reached a personal milestone on March 10 at Sacramento State when the Bears topped the Hornets 12-3. The victory for Smallcomb, a native of Santa Rosa, Calif., marked his first over his alma mater (he attended Sacramento State in 1980 and 1981) and his former coach, John Smith. The two teams squared off in 2004, with the Hornets winning all three, although two of the three came by only one run. Smallcomb was a standout infielder for the Hornets and still ranks in the school's top-10 for stolen bases in a season (40 - 4th) and career (52 - 6th). Three Named to D-I Independent All-Academic Team: Three Bears, Jeff Horn, Evan Linn and Devin Warner, were named to the 2006 Division I Independent All-Academic Team. Horn carries a 3.76 GPA in accounting, Linn (who appears on the team for the third consecutive season) has a 3.25 in accounting/finance, and Warner has a 3.90 in finance. In total, 39 student-athletes were selected to the team from the 13 member schools. Student-athletes had to have a 3.2 cumulative GPA, be at least a sophomore academically and key a key starter or reserve on their team. Tuesday's Gone: Northern Colorado likes playing on Tuesday's. In the four years under head coach Kevin Smallcomb the Bears have compiled a 21-14 record on Tuesday's. Northern Colorado has won 13 of its last 22 games played on a Tuesday, although they fell 1-0 to No. 29 Wichita State in their last Tuesday outing (which was also their final Tuesday game of the season). The Bears are 14-5 (losses to BYU, Southern Colorado and Air Force - three times) on Tuesday's at Jackson Field under Smallcomb, and have won 9 of their last 12 on a Tuesday at home. Senior Day: Eight seniors played their final home game at Jackson Field on May 2. Roy Allen, Chad Clark, Zach Harris, Chris Johns, Jon Leines, Evan Linn, Seth Tartler and Devin Warner were honored in a ceremony prior to the Air Force contest, an affair the Bears won 20-4. Northern Colorado has won or at least earned a split of a doubleheader, in each of their last 13 Senior Day games, dating back to the 1992 season. All eight seniors made it into the game, as the four position players all had a hit, and the four pitchers combined to record 14 strikeouts on the day. Bears Take Four of Five From Air Force in 2006: Northern Colorado finished the 2006 season by compiling a 4-1 mark against Air Force, the only other Division I team in the state of Colorado. Northern Colorado and Air Force met for the first of five times this season on Feb. 8 in Pueblo at Runyon Field. The Bears came out of top 13-5 thanks in-part to a six-run fourth inning that got the offense started. The second meeting of the year came on March 7 at The Academy as the Bears came back from an early 2-0 deficit to win 7-3. The third meeting was on April 4 in Greeley, as the Falcons limited the Bears to just two hits in a 3-1 victory. The four combined runs in the game was the fewest combined runs in the series since a 1984 meeting (a 2-1 AFA win), a stretch dating back 48 games. The Air Force win snapped the Bears five-game winning streak in the series. The Bears also took game four of the series, at 15-5 win at Air Force on April 11; the Bears scored in each of the final four innings, including six in the ninth, to get that win. In the finale, the Bears scored in all but the second inning on its way to a 20-4 win over its rival. The Bears have won 17 of the last 20 in the series over the Falcons. Tartler Named Newcomer of the Week: Seth Tartler was named the D-I Independent Newcomer of the Week on April 25. Tartler, the transfer from the University of Utah, hit .409 (9-for-22) in two games at No. 12 Arkansas and three games against Pac-10 foe Washington State. Tartler added one run, a double and three RBI with a .455 slugging percentage and .435 on-base percentage. Tartler was 4-for-4 with a key double in the Bears 4-2 victory at No. 12 Arkansas on Wednesday night. His two-out double plated the Bears fourth run and gave UNC a 2-run advantage late in the contest. Tartler went 4-for-6 with a RBI in the Bears 10-7 loss to Washington State on Saturday. Garr Wins Pair of Awards at Student-Athlete Awards Celebration: Brennan Garr won a pair of awards at Northern Colorado's 2006 Student-Athlete Awards Celebration, held April 26. Garr was tabbed as the Male Break Through Award Winner. Garr, who started his career as a walk-on, has ended up as the program's all-time leader in saves. He was also one of four males named to the All-Bear Team (honoring the top student-athletes in the department). Washington State First Pac-10 Team to Play in Greeley Since 1974: When Washington State came to Greeley for a three-game set April 21-23, it marked the first time a Pac-10 Conference team had played at Jackson Field since 1974. Before that, the last Pac-10 team to play there was No. 1 Arizona, a team the Bears swept in a two-game set in the District 7 Playoffs. Washington State did not play the role of guests very well, sweeping the Bears by scores of 22-7, 10-7 and 5-2, becoming the first team to sweep the Bears at home since Creighton to start the 2005 season. Symons Named D-I Independent Newcomer of the Week: Redshirt sophomore transfer Adam Symons was named the Division I Independent Newcomer of the Week on April 18. Symons, a transfer from Western Nebraska Community College, hit .571 (8-for-14) with five runs, two doubles, his first college home run and four RBI in the week. He had a .929 slugging percentage and a .647 on-base percentage, stole a base and did not commit an error in a team-high 17 chances in the field. Garr Makes Second-First Trip to Arkansas: Last season Bears slugger Brennan Garr made the team's trip to Arkansas but he does not remember much of it. Garr was hit in the head by a ball at third base, causing him to exit the game early and eventually miss several games. Garr did bat once at Arkansas, going 0-for-1 on a very hard hit ball, but saw his 9-game hitting streak end when he had to leave the game. Had he hit safely in that game, he would have most likely tied the school-record for hitting streak, as he sandwiched a 9-game and 10-game streak around the injury. Garr made the most of his return trip to Fayetteville; despite going 1-for-8 at the plate, he came on in the final game to record his fourth save of the season, in the Bears 4-2 win over the No. 12 Razorbacks. Super-Brockman: Junior Zach Brockman was definitely in the zone recently. The junior was so "dialed-in" he was hitting 12-for-16 (.750) with seven runs scored, four home runs and 11 RBI in his a three-game stretch against South Dakota State and Air Force. That included having two home runs games in back-to-back games (vs. South Dakota State and Air Force). Entering the final game of the South Dakota State series (April 9), Brockman did not have a home run this season. He made up for that in quick order, hitting not one, but two home runs in the second inning against SDSU in that game. Brockman hit a two-run blast in his first at-bat and followed that up with a three-run blast later in the same inning. The following inning he had a chance for a grand slam (which would have given him a school record 9 RBI on the game), but he reached on an error instead. In a four-game stretch, he raised his batting average from .240 to .364. Ray Named D-I Independent Player of the Week: Junior John Ray was named the Division I Independent Player of the Week on April 11 after hitting .438 (7-for-16) with four runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, eight RBI, a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .550 on-base percentage the previous week. After going hitless against Air Force, Ray was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in the first game against SDSU. After going homer-less in 94 at-bats during the season Ray, who ranks seventh in school history in home runs, hit his first home run of the season in that contest. He drove in two runs in the second game of the SDSU series and was 3-for-5 with a double, home runs, two runs and four RBI in the finale. After waiting so long for his first home run of the season, Ray needed only seven at-bats to hit his second long ball of the year and move into seventh place in school history (25). He raised his batting average by 40 points and more than doubled his doubles and home run total for the season on the week. It marked the third time in his career he has won the honor, as he also garnered the award on March 29 and May 10 of last season. Johns Earns D-I Independent Pitcher of the Week & College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll Honors: After topping No. 2 Nebraska, senior pitcher Chris Johns picked up both D-I Independent Pitcher of the Week honors (the second time this season he has won that award) as well as being named to the College Baseball Foundation's (CBF) National Honor Roll. Johns pitched 6.2 innings, allowing eight hits and two runs while striking out five (one off his season-high) and walking only one. He gave up a hit to start the game, but then retired the next eight batters he faced and 15 of the first 19 batters of the game before giving way to the Bears bullpen. The two runs equaled the fewest amount of runs Nebraska had scored all season (they were averaged 6.7 runs per game and hitting .320 entering the series). Johns Named Northern Colorado Male Student-Athlete of the Month for March: Senior pitcher Chris Johns was named Northern Colorado's Male Student-Athlete of the Month for March. In March, Johns won two games on the mound with the biggest victory coming at No. 2-ranked Nebraska. After a bad start at New Mexico to begin the month, Johns compiled a 3.14 earned run average in 28.2 innings in his final four starts of the month. He allowed 10 runs and struck out 13 total batters against a schedule that featured Sacramento State, Creighton, BYU and Nebraska. He pitched eight innings and allowed two runs in a 12-3 win at Sacramento State, a game that earned him Division I Independent Pitcher of the Week honors. He tossed a complete game at Creighton, allowing two runs, but got no offensive help in a 2-0 loss. After six innings at BYU (where the Bears lost a one run game), he came back with a gem against the Cornhuskers. After allowing a hit to begin the game, he retired the next eight batters he faced and 15 of the first 19 in the game before giving way to the bullpen; he pitched 6.2 innings, allowing two runs and striking out five in the game. The victory over NU snapped the Huskers' 33-game non-conference home winning streak and marked the fewest runs Nebraska had scored all season long. The win over the No. 2 team was the highest over a ranked opponent for the Bears since 1974 (when they topped No. 1 Arizona). Harris Named D-I Independent Newcomer of the Week Again: Senior Zach Harris earned D-I Independent Newcomer of the Week honors for the second time this season on March 28. Harris, a transfer from Missouri State, hit .417 (5-for-12) with five hits, four runs, a home run, six RBI and a .667 slugging percentage in a three-game set at BYU last week. In the opener, Harris hit a first inning home run (his fifth of the season) to put the Bears up 2-0 (they would eventually lose 4-3); he finished that game 2-for-4. After going hitless in the middle game of the series (a 3-2 extra inning loss), Harris rebounded in the finale, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored and four RBI in the Bears 11-7 victory. Bears and Cougars Play First of Two Series This Season: Northern Colorado completed a three-game series at BYU (March 23-25), winning one of the three games. The Bears led in each of the first two games, before eventually losing by one run in each (including an extra inning affair in the middle game). Northern Colorado did come back and win the final game 11-7. The Bears and Cougars will play one more time this season, April 25-26 in Greeley. Complete But Not Victorious: When Chris Johns tossed a complete game on March 17 at Creighton, it marked the second time a Bears pitcher had a complete game this season (Seth Gilleland did it earlier this year against Texas A&M). Unfortunately for Northern Colorado, both efforts were wasted by quiet bats, as the Bears lost both of those games by identical 2-0 scores. Johns Named D-I Independent Pitcher of the Week: Senior pitcher Chris Johns was named Division I Independent Pitcher of the Week on March 14. In a start at Western Athletic Conference (WAC) school Sacramento State last week, Johns pitched eight innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs while striking out three and walking zero in the Bears 12-3 victory. Johns had a perfect game through five innings before allowing a hit to the leadoff batter in the sixth inning. After allowing two hits in each the sixth and seventh innings, he retired 7 of the final 8 batters he faced before giving way to the Bears bullpen in the ninth inning. He is the first UNC pitcher to earn Pitcher of the Week honors since Craig Ayers did on April 13, 2004. Home Openers: The Bears finally got to open the 2006 season at home on March 14-15, as they swept a two-game series from Nebraska-Kearney (10-9 in 11 innings and 22-6). The home games came after 17 straight on the road to open the season, the longest stretch in school history without a home game. The Bears lost their 2005 home-opening series to Creighton by a 0-3 margin, as the Bluejays swept by the Bears. It marked the first-time the team had been beaten in a true home-opening series since 2001, when Mesa State won 2-of-3 from the Bears (although UNC won its home-opener versus Regis to start that season, but it was only a single-game). Northern Colorado is now 6-5 in home openers over the past 11 years. Snow Cancels Home Opener: The beauty of Greeley, Colo. in the winter is that January and February could bring 65 degree days or snow. Unfortunately for the Bears snow came a week prior to their scheduled home opener on Feb. 21 versus Air Force, forcing the cancellation of the game. A make-up date has not been set but the teams will most likely play a doubleheader at some point of the season. The Bears will now not play a home game until this week when they host Nebraska-Kearney. The Bears also lost their 2004 home opener, a two-game series with Nebraska-Kearney (Feb. 7-8), due to snow. Last season the Bears were to open the season at Air Force (Feb. 8), but snow also forced that series to be cancelled. Gilleland Tosses Complete Game; Returns to Home State: Junior Seth Gilleland continues to impress in the early season, as he tossed a complete game at Texas A&M on Feb. 19. Unfortunately for Gilleland, the Bears came out on the losing end of the decision, losing 2-0. He allowed six hits and two runs in eight innings, while striking out two and walking only one Aggie batter. A native of Moriarty, N.M. (40 miles east of Albuquerque), got to return to his home state for the for two straight weekend, when the Bears played at New Mexico State and New Mexico in back-to-back weekends. Playing in front of a large crowd of family and friends at New Mexico, he was roughed up for nine runs (7 earned) in four innings of work. Harris Named D-I Independent Newcomer of the Week: Senior transfer Zach Harris was named the Division I Independent Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 28. Harris, a transfer from Missouri State, hit .500 (7-of-14) with three runs scored, a home run, seven RBI, a .714 slugging percentage and a .533 on-base percentage in a weekend series at New Mexico State. Harris was 2-for-5 in the opener, with a pair of RBI and his third home run of the early season. He was a perfect 4-for-4 in the middle game of the series, driving in three runs. He concluded the weekend by going 1-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Garr Named Student-Athlete of the Month for February: Junior INF/RHP Brennan Garr was named the Northern Colorado Male Student-Athlete of the Month for February. During the month of February, Garr hit .346 (9-for-26) with four runs, a double, triple and five RBI in six games and appeared in two games on the mound, recording a save and striking out four in 1.2 innings of work. At New Mexico State, Garr entered the game with one out in the ninth inning to record his first save of the season and eighth of his career. That eighth save pushed him into a tie with Greg Cook (1972-74) for the school's all-time record. In his other appearance on the mound - vs. Air Force - Garr struck out the side in his first appearance of the year. At the plate, he had a hit in all six games he played, including multiple hits in two of the three games against New Mexico State. In the game he recorded the save, he also had a two-run single which proved to be the game-winner. It Doesn't Happen Often: It had not happened in 944 games but when Texas A&M shutout the Bears 5-0 and 2-0 in back-to-back games it marked the first time since March 25, 1986 (a doubleheader sweep by Eastern Washington) that a team had shutout the Bears in back-to-back games. Northern Colorado had been shutout only four times all of the 2005 season and only eight times over a stretch of 264 games. Pitching Reinforcements: The Bears have struggled pitching wise in recent years, especially in the starter's role. Under head coach Kevin Smallcomb, the Bears have had a team ERA that is above 7.00. But in the off-season, the team made a conscious effort to improve its pitching. Joining returner Tyler Pearson in the starting rotation this season is Chris Johns (a transfer from Louisiana-Lafayette), Seth Gilleland (a transfer from Lamar Community College), Eric Maydew (a transfer from Seward Community College) and Jason Banks (a transfer from Hutchinson Community College, who will most likely redshirt this season). The pitchers made an immediate impact in the season's opening weekend, as Johns allowed only one run in seven innings and Gilleland allowed two runs in 6.1 innings of work. Johns Named to UTPA All-Tournament Team: Bears senior pitcher Chris Johns was named to the All-Tournament team at the Texas-Pan American Classic. Against host Texas-Pan American on Feb. 3, Johns pitched seven innings, allowing six hits and only one earned run while striking out five and walking only one of the 26 batters he faced. Johns left the game with the contest tied 1-1, although the Bears would allow the winning run to cross the plate in the bottom of the ninth. The Bears finished the event by beating Lamar and falling to Gonzaga. A New Spot for Ray: Catcher John Ray experienced a first in his collegiate career on Feb. 4 vs. Lamar at the Texas-Pan American Classic. Due to an injury to Brennan Garr, Ray moved to third base for the afternoon (he finished the game at first base), marking the first time in his career at Northern Colorado that he did not catch or play designated hitter. Ray started 47 games at catcher as a sophomore and seven contests at designated hitter. Bears and Gonzaga Meet For First Time Since 1978: When the Bears met Gonzaga (Feb. 5) at the UTPA Classic, it was the first meeting between the teams since playing in the 1978 season. It was only the second meeting between the teams since the 1974 District 7 Playoffs, which were held in Greeley. The Bears won that meeting and advanced to play No. 1 Arizona for the right to play in the College World Series (which they also won and advanced to their 10th CWS). Gonzaga got the best of the Bears in 2006, however, winning 12-5 after scoring seven unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 5-5 tie. A Lamar Connection: Northern Colorado has made the most of its connections with Lamar Community College, one of the top JUCO baseball programs in the state and region. Currently five players on the UNC roster have played at Lamar, including Roy Allen, Brad Beaman, Seth Gilleland, Chris Johns and Seth Tartler. Bears Played 18 Games Against NCAA Tournament Teams Last Season: The Bears won 22 games last season and played against a very tough schedule, as they played 18 games against six teams that made the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Those teams were: Arizona, Arkansas, Creighton, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Wichita State. The Bears were only 1-17 in those games (an 8-5 victory over Wichita State being the lone win). Bears Return Three Players From 2005 D-I All-Independent Team: Northern Colorado returns three (of its five total) players who were named to the 2005 Division I All-Independent team. Those players include first-team selections Brennan Garr (INF/RHP) and John Ray (C) and second-team pick Tyler Pearson (RHP). The Bears did lose a pair of their All-Independent picks from last year, as 1B Phil Delich (1st team) and DH Jarrod Chacon (honorable mention) graduated. Bears Win 2005 D-I Independent Invitational: With wins over South Dakota State (5-3), Utah Valley State (11-4) and NYIT (8-3) to end last season, Northern Colorado claimed the championship at the 2005 Division I Independent Invitational, after finishing third in 2004. The Bears hosted the event for the second season in a row (NYIT won in 2004). This season the event switches venues, this time to Sioux Falls Stadium in Sioux Falls, S.D. where South Dakota State will host the event. Draftable: Two current Bears players have been drafted in Major League Baseball's Amateur Draft, but each chose to attend college instead. Senior Brad Beaman was selected in the 42nd round (pick No. 1254) of the 2002 draft by the Anaheim Angels and John Ray was selected in the 41st round (No. 1236) of the 2003 draft by the Atlanta Braves. Forbes Going Strong: One of the most inspirational stories with the Bears program is hitting coach Chris Forbes. Besides being an outstanding coach (he helped the Bears hitters rank third in Division I in batting in 2004), as a cancer survivor he has been an inspiration off the diamond. Forbes was diagnosed with cancer in 1999 and is now in remission. He is active with both the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the American Cancer Society and in summer 2004 he was part of the Climb 4 Hope team that trekked up Mt. McKinley to raise funding and awareness for Leukemia research. Forbes was nominated for the 2004 Lance Armstrong Foundation's Spirit of Survivorship Award. The award recognizes a cancer survivor who demonstrates a resilient attitude toward his or her illness and inspires others to live life to the fullest. Although he did not win, he did attend the LiveSTRONG Gala in New York City in October. Division I Independents: This season (for the third straight year), 13 NCAA Division I Independent baseball teams have joined forces to award Player of the Week awards and compile individual and team statistics. The teams are Cal Davis, Dallas Baptist, Hawaii-Hilo, IPFW, Longwood, New York Tech, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Savannah State, South Dakota State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas-Pan American and Utah Valley State. Awards and statistics will be released on each Tuesday of the season beginning February 28. An index of award winners and other information on D-I Independent baseball can be found at: http://uncbears.collegesports.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/012606aab.html. Bears Radio Network: This season you can hear a majority of the Northern Colorado baseball schedule on the Bears' Radio Network. Newstalk 1310 KFKA in Greeley is the flagship station and KFKA's Troy Coverdale, Chris Ott or Clark Johnson will have the call all season long with a pre-game show starting 15 minutes before the first-pitch. If you are outside the Greeley area you can access all the games online through UNCBears.com (see the Events section at the bottom of the main page) or directly log into http://www.1310kfka.com. A full list of games that will be broadcast is available at UNCBears.com. The Move to Division I: The 2005-06 sports season marks year No. 3 in the "reclassification" process to Division I for the Bears. On May 10, 2002 the UNC Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve a move for the Northern Colorado intercollegiate athletics program to NCAA Division I. The 2002-03 sports year marked the last season for the Bears in the North Central Conference and the NCAA Division II level and was an "exploratory" year in the move. 2003-04 was the first season of the four-year reclassification period and last season (2004-05) marked year No. 2. The program officially becomes a Division I school (and eligible for NCAA Championships) in 2007-08. The rest of the department will become an official member of the Big Sky Conference in 2006-07, but the Big Sky does not sponsor baseball. The baseball program will continue to search for conference affiliation. |
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