Boys Of Autumn: Gu To Entertain College Baseball’s Heavy Hitters

Baseball in Spokane in October? It’s coming to a field near you - Gonzaga University’s August/A.R.T Stadium, to be exact.

Southern California, ranked No. 1 in the nation in college baseball much of last spring, and Pacific-10 North champion Washington will join host GU and Oregon State in the fall version of the Evans, Craven & Lackie College Baseball Invitational Oct. 4-6.

The first ECL invite was held in the spring of 1995 and GU won in a five-team field. Scheduling problems prevented a rerun last spring, hence the fall renewal.

“The weather is usually better in early October (in Spokane) than it is in the spring, anyway,” said tournament director Roger Felice. “We expect baseball fever to be high … as Major League Baseball heads into the playoffs.”

The teams will play a round-robin - games at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each of the three days. In conjunction, coaches and players from the participating teams will put on a clinic for youngsters ages 18 and under from 9-10:30 a.m. Oct. 5. Registration will be limited to 500.

Proceeds will go to the Spokane Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Center.

Info: (509) 328-4220, ext. 4203.

Baseball

Whitworth’s baseball team will hold a Labor Day adult tournament, Aug. 31-Sept. 2, as a fund-raiser for the school baseball team.

Pirates coach Rod Taylor said all players must be 25 or older. The field will be limited to eight teams, each of which will be guaranteed two games. Money will be awarded to the top three places.

Info: (509) 466-1000, ext. 4394.

Basketball

Jim Harrick, head basketball coach at UCLA, will headline an NBC Basketball Camps coaching clinic and family inspirational weekend Sept. 6-8 at the Red Lion Hotel City Center in Spokane.

For all members of the family, the event, celebrating NBC’s 25 years, will have sessions on parenting, family unity, financial planning and kids issues besides Harrick covering basketball topics. Child care will be available.

Info: Fred Crowell or Bonnie Tucker, (509) 466-4690.

Gymnastics

More than 15 of the world’s top present and past gymnasts, including 1996 Olympic standouts Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, John Roethlisberger and Jair Lynch, will be in the Arena Nov. 7 in the John Hancock 1996 Tour of World Gymnastics Champions.

Tickets, which sell for $32.50, $25 and $19.50, can be obtained, starting Monday, at G&B Select-A-Seat outlets, or by calling 1-800-325-SEAT. The 2-hour show will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Judo

Pacific Judo Academy of Spokane entries earned a first and second at the United States Judo Federation National Youth and Team Championships in Oakland earlier this summer.

Layne Brower, last year’s 8-year-old national winner, won the 9-year-old bantam female 70-pound division. Holly Meagley, 7, in her first championship, was second in the 8-year-old bantam female 45-pound division.

Other Pacific Judo entries who failed to place: Josh Heuett, 12; Nicole Heuett, 14; Kayla Heuett, 9; and Tyrel Clark, 14. Bob Harder, Bud Meagley and Gary Warren are the coaches.

Pistol shooting

Spokane shooters brought home three of the five first-place trophies at stake in the British Columbia Provincial pistol competition last weekend in Cranbrook.

Bill Sahlberg won the trophy in top revolver, son Adam Sahlberg, 13, was the top junior, and Pat Kelley was No. 1 in the stock class and finished ninth overall among 110 shooters.

Pool

An eight-member team representing Your Place Tavern led the showing of seven teams from the Spokane Bud Light Pool League at the American Poolplayers Association National Championships earlier this month in Las Vegas.

Kathy Potter is captain of the team that placed fifth in the 32-team women’s division after winning the Spokane City Cup. Other members are Roma Sinn, Kandice Aitkins, Bev Stutsman, Kathy Budro, Bert Johnson, Judi Croson and Shannon Campbell. The team had a 3-2 record, earning $2,000.

McQ’s McGoos placed ninth and 9-n-Out was 13th in the 9-ball competition. In the 8-ball open, four Spokane teams tied for 257th out of 448 teams - Dain Bramaged, Pocket Masters, Ptooooa-1 and In Da Hole.

Racquetball

Erin Brannigan of Sandpoint was one of 16 selected for the United States Junior Olympic racquetball team during trials July 26-Aug. 2 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Brannigan will play with the national team at the Junior World Championships in December.

Softball

Tryouts for a 16U girls fastpitch team that will tour Australia Dec. 26-Jan. 4 will be conducted Thursday at University High School.

Info: 928-3188 or 926-4482.

Track and field

Kristen Parrish of Spokane, a 1996 Ferris graduate and State AAA 1,600-meter champion, has selected the University of Arizona to continue her education. She will run cross country and track.

Parrish, whose recruiting visits included Washington State and Washington, had the state’s fasted 1,600-meter time last spring, 4 minutes, 52.6 seconds. As a sophomore in 1994, she won the State AAA 800 title and won three national-level junior events from 1990-92.

Patrice Woods, an All-American hurdler from the University of Washington, who graduated in June, has joined the Washington State coaching staff.

WSU coach Rick Sloan said Woods, who was fourth in the Pacific-10 Conference meet and 13th in the NCAA Championships as a senior, will work with the Cougars’ hurdlers and sprinters.

Triathlon

Spokane Troika is looking for new board members and other volunteers to help with the annual triathlon.

Anyone interested is asked to attend a 6:30 p.m. meeting Aug. 20 at the Great Harvest Bread Co., 816 W. Sprague. The just-completed triathlon is entering its 17th year and several board members are retiring.

Miscellany

For a second straight year, Group Health Northwest is offering free sports physicals to Spokane-area athletes in grades 6 through 12 who need the exam to participate in school sports.

Physicals are open to Group Health members and non-members by appointment through Sept. 5.

Noting medical insurance doesn’t always cover the cost of a sports physical, Dr. Henry Berman, CEO of Group Health Northwest, said “this is our gift to the community and an investment in the health of our children.”

Info: Keely Munform, 838-9100.

, DataTimes