Coaches Selected To Lead Premier Legion Baseball Teams

Two Gonzaga University assistants and two men with ties to the Spokane American Legion baseball program are among those named to coach the five premier teams in the city’s revamped summer league for high school players this summer.

Scott Rogers will coach the combined Mead-Rogers team and Greg Gores will coach the Gonzaga Prep-Lewis and Clark-Cheney team. Both are GU assistants.

Keith Ward, who coached M&L Construction, the Mead entry, into the state playoffs last year, will coach the Ferris-University-Freeman team. Jerry Buckenberger, who has been coaching the Central Valley Legion team, will coach the combined North Central-Shadle Park entry. Robin Lund, a Spokane Falls assistant, will coach the CV-East Valley-West Valley entry.

“I think we’ve got some pretty good people,” said Legion past president and treasurer Tom Halvorson of the selections by an outside committee.

Halvorson noted each of the premier teams would play 25 league games and another 25 games in tournaments at such places as Yakima, Kennewick, Coeur d’Alene, Missoula, Seattle and Lethbridge, Alberta.

He also noted sponsors are needed for all three leagues of the Legion program. Each area high school will also have its own senior- and junior-level teams.

Info: Halvorson, 326-6967; the Legion office, 468-8284.

Baseball

Whitworth coach Rod Taylor and former Pirates coach Randy Russell, now the head coach at Colville High School, are among the clinicians for the Northeast Washington Baseball Clinic March 2 at Colville High.

Longtime Kettle Falls coach Mike Fredrickson; Terry Boxleitner, active in the Colville program for three years; and physical therapist Randy Lindsay of Colville will be the other clinicians.

Cost is $15 ($35 for a staff of three) before Tuesday or $20 ($50 for a staff of three) at the door.

Mail registrations to Russell at Colville High School, 154 Highway 20 East, Colville, WA 99114.

College scene

Brian Guastella of Spokane (Gonzaga Prep), a sophomore right winger, scored Hamilton’s lone goal in a 2-1 loss to Salem State in a key hockey loss for the Continentals. Hamilton is battling for the eighth and final spot into the playoffs. Salem State is seventh.

Hockey

The Spokane Flyers, Squirt B rep team of the Spokane Americans, won the Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association state championship last weekend in Wenatchee, going 4-0-1 and outscoring opponents 15-4.

Tim Ryan, Dean Gorman and Mike Sherman coach the team of 9-10-year-olds. Spokane beat Tri-Cities 4-1 in the championship game after the teams tied 1-1 during round-robin play.

The Spokane Americans’ Pee Wee (11-12-year-olds) B team placed third in its division.

Orienteering

Fred Veler, a Seattle school teacher and five-time national champion, has been appointed national coach in the sport of orienteering.

Anyone interested in trying out for a spot on the team - competitors navigate through unknown terrain with a map and compass - can contact Veler at (206) 545-7220 or John Beck in Spokane at (509) 838-7078. Veler presently trains four Northwest national team members.

Pistol shooting

Eric Schaffer of Spokane won two individual titles and was a member of the winning team at a NRA Sectional Pistol Match last weekend at the Spokane Rifle Club.

Schaffer won the expert class with a score of 836 and air pistol with a 509. Washington Air National Guard, with Schaffer joined by Dennis Schmauch, Glen Dindinger and Jon Van Hersett, won the team match with a 1,096.

Class results: .22 Gallery Pistol-1, Bill Campbell, Colville, 868. 2, Schmauch, Spokane, 857. 3, Steve Phillabaum, Deer Park, 855. Expert-1, Schaffer. 2, Dindinger, Richland, 796. 3, A.J. Harper, Airway Heights, 780. Marksman-1, Bill Gabica, Coeur d’Alene, 821. 2, Doug Albertson, CdA, 812. 3, Van Hersett, Spokane, 766. Standard pistol-1, Phillabaum, 549.

Soccer

The Spokane Shadow, members of the Western Premier Division of the USISL, will hold open tryouts March 2 at 1 p.m. at Spokane Community College, Mission and Greene.

It’s open to players of all ages, but those under 18 need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. The session will last until 4.

Players selected will by invited back to join returning Shadow players March 3 at 1 p.m. at SCC. After that workout, the Shadow roster will be announced.

Info: (509) 535-8000.

Track and field

Team Spokane will hold registration and a parent information night Tuesday, 7 p.m., at Stevens Elementary School, 1717 E. Sinto.

Youngsters ages 6-14 are invited. Team Spokane, a member of USA Track and Field, competes in local, regional and national Junior Olympic meets. Linda Lanker, a former national JO champion, is head coach. There’s be a special registration fee of $39 for the first 50 athletes who register.

Info: Ken Bailey, president, 535-8342; Lanker, 455-9274; or 534-7339.

Miscellany

The Community Colleges of Spokane will honor winter sports athletes from its two campuses, Spokane Falls and Spokane Community, at a banquet March 5.

For reservations or tickets, call Sunni Strand, SCC, 533-7230, or Nancy Zacher, SFCC, 533-3630 no later than March 1.

, DataTimes