Area roundup: Rangers select Spokane’s Donovan

Spokane baseball product Patrick Donovan may continue to pitch in his hometown.

Donovan (Gonzaga University/North Central High) was drafted in the 50th round Wednesday by the Texas Rangers, the parent club of the short-season Class A Spokane Indians.

The Indians will begin their Northwest League season June 19 at Avista Stadium, where Donovan ended his GU career.

Donovan, a left-hander, finished 8-4 with a 3.22 earned run average for the Bulldogs during his senior season.

Among the Rangers’ other second-day draft picks were pitchers Shannon Wirth (32nd round) and Austin Weilep (34th round) of NAIA World Series champion Lewis-Clark State College. Weilep, 6-0 this season, played at Northport High.

West Valley graduate Tyler Hauschild, a catcher at Edmonds Community College, went to Cincinnati in the 28th round.

University of Washington pitchers Richie Lenz (Boston, 19th round) and Kyle Parker of Yakima (Seattle, 24th round) were second-day picks. Baltimore chose UW quarterback Isaiah Stanback (45th round).

EWU search narrows

Eastern Washington University, without an athletic director for almost a year, is getting closer to filling the position.

“The search committee has been working very hard,” chairman Ron Dalla said. “We’ve screened the candidates, now we’re in the process of reference checks. Our intention is to have a list of finalists for the president next week.”

Dalla, provost and vice president of academic affairs, said there were almost three dozen applicants to replace Scott Barnes, who went to the University of Washington last summer.

Basketball

Leilani Mitchell, who set numerous records at Idaho before deciding to leave after her junior year, will finish her basketball career at Utah.

“It’s a really good program,” she said of the Utes, who made the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in March and had two first-round picks in the WNBA draft. “The coaches are great and they have a great tradition.”

Utah ended the season 27-7 after losing in overtime to eventual national champion Maryland. It was the Utes’ 14th NCAA appearance and 17th 20-win season in coach Elaine Elliott’s career.

Mitchell was a Kodak and Associated Press honorable mention All-American last season when she tied for the Western Athletic Conference scoring title (17.6 ppg) and was second in the nation in steals (4.0 per game) and ninth in assists (5.6). She was a second-team all-conference pick and made the all-tournament team for the postseason tournament.

Mitchell was also the Big West Conference freshman of the year and a two-time, first-team selection and twice made the conference all-tournament team.

Hockey

Spokane Chiefs defenseman Sean Zimmerman has signed a contract with the National Hockey League’s New Jersey Devils. Zimmerman will attend his second training camp with the Devils in September.

The 19-year-old was selected in the sixth round of last year’s NHL entry draft.

Zimmerman is a three-year veteran of the Chiefs and was named the John “Hitman” Hern defenseman of the year last season for Spokane.

After last season, Zimmerman signed an amateur tryout contract with the Devils’ farm club, the Albany River Rats, and appeared in four games in the American Hockey League.