Shadle’s Ryan Shines In Midwest League

Rob Ryan, former Shadle Park High School and Washington State University outfielder, has been named most valuable player, not once, but twice, for South Bend of the Midwest League.

Ryan, a 26th-round draft choice of the Arizona Diamondbacks in his second professional baseball season, set franchise records for batting average (.314), on-base percentage (.429) and walks (89). He also finished with a 15-game hitting streak while batting cleanup for the Silver Hawks.

Ryan received a 3-foot high MVP trophy from the South Bend Tribune. He also finished first in MVP voting by the fans.

“Going through the end of May, I was hitting about .240,” he said. “Everything I hit seemed like a line drive right at somebody. Then, things just sort of fell into place.”

A right-handed hitter, who earned a marketing degree from WSU last December, Ryan credits an off-season weight-training program for his increased power.

“Coming out of spring training, I was hitting for power a little more and I think the coaches saw that,” said Ryan, 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds. “Last year, I probably weighed 177 when I was hitting leadoff or in the two-hole.”

Ryan, who hit .303 at Lethbridge in 1996, finished this season with eight homers and 73 runs batted in for a team that was 54-83, the poorest record in the franchise’s 10-year history.

Basketball

The Yakima Sun Kings of the Continental Basketball Association will hold tryouts Sept. 27 and 28.

Info: (509) 248-1222.

East Wenatchee will be the site of the third annual Eastmont Veterans Weekend AAU Tournament for boys and girls in grades 5-8 Nov. 7-9. Cost is $125.

Info: Ron Stone, (509) 884-2070.

College scene

Todd Kinley of Spokane (Lewis and Clark), a two-sport star at Wheaton College, is back for his senior season with the Crusaders football team.

Kinley, a 6-foot, 235-pound linebacker, who is also the center fielder for the NCAA Division III Wheaton, Ill., school’s baseball team, was fifth on the football team last year with 55 tackles. He had 1.5 sacks.

The Western Baptist College men’s soccer team in Salem, Ore., has taken on an Inland Empire look.

Jason Iverson of Spokane (Northwest Christian), a forward, is back for his junior season; defender Ryan Farwell is a freshman from Sagle, Idaho (Sandpoint High); with sophomores Jason Koreski, a midfielder, and Chad Barkes, a forward, transfers from Gonzaga University.

Iverson had eight goals and four assists in 1996.

Jenni Wright of Spokane (Northwest Christian), a 5-foot-11 middle blocker/outside hitter, is back for her sophomore season with the Western Baptist volleyball team.

This year she’s joined at the Salem, Ore., school by former NWC teammate Jana Huston, a 6-foot freshman middle blocker/ outside hitter, and Jen Herndon, a 6-1 outside hitter, who transferred from Washington State.

Golf

Entries are still being accepted for the 13th annual Bulldog Club Golf Tournament Sept. 22 at Manito Golf and Country Club, proceeds helping to defray the cost of athletic scholarships at Gonzaga University.

The tournament is a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start, best-ball format with teams of five grouped by the tournament committee. Entry fee is $160 per golfer. There is $4,000 in team prizes, a hole-in-one contest and a prime rib and salmon buffet dinner following the tournament.

For more information contact John Preston at 328-4220, ext. 4211.

Soccer

The Deaconess Sports Orthopedic Aquatic Rehab will hold a clinic for soccer coaches and parents of soccer players Monday from 6-9 p.m. at the Deaconess Health and Education Center, 900 W. 5th.

Topics will include basic ankle wrapping; dealing with injuries; the relationship of shoes and injuries; and hydration.

Cost is $20 and includes an information packet and ankle wrap.

Info: (509) 458-7080.

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