Sunday Locally column: Ron Jackson in Legion Hall of Fame
Ron Jackson, who proudly called Spokane Valley home for more than half a century, and two others with area ties were among 10 inducted as the third class into the Washington American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday in Suquamish, Washington.
Joining Jackson were former Washington State University coach Don Marbut, who did his Legion playing in Aberdeen, and longtime former Columbia Basin College coach and administrator Len Pyne, who played Legion ball in Spokane in the 1940s.
Jackson, who died at age 83 in 2011 after a 14-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, was a second baseman who played for the Spokane Indians in 1956 and coached Valley American Legion teams from 1960 to 1984. His 1975, ’76 and ‘77 teams made state tournament appearances.
Popular as a professional, Jackson played eight minor league seasons, compiling a career batting average of .304 before calling it a day following the 1957 season with Wenatchee in the Northwest League. With the Indians in ‘56, he batted .332 with 37 doubles and was an NWL All-Star. Twice that year he hit four doubles in a game, a league record.
Also in the 2015 class: Mike Blowers, Spanaway, who played in the major leagues, including a stint with the Seattle Mariners; Colin Curtis, Issaquah, who also played in the big leagues; Randy Jorgensen, Meadowdale, who played professionally; Larry Libby, Mount Vernon, a Legion umpire and umpire assigner; Jake Locker, Ferndale, a former University of Washington baseball/football standout who played in the NFL; Bill McCutchin, Mount Vernon, a coach; and Grady Sizemore, Everett, whose MLB career included three All-Star Games.
Baseball
David Yearout, the Spokane Indians’ 24-year-old home-grown head groundskeeper, has been named Sports Turf Manager of the Year by Minor League Baseball for Short Season Class A or Rookie leagues for a second straight season.
“Each year, we highlight members in MiLB … for producing high-quality, safe and playable fields,” said Kim Heck, CEO of the Sports Turf Managers Association. “In an industry where Mother Nature is unpredictable, these individuals find innovative and persistent ways to maintain excellent field conditions.”
Yearout, a graduate Lewis and Clark School (2010) and Washington State University (2014), just completed his second season as the Indians’ head groundskeeper. Avista Stadium has been Field of the Year in the Northwest League for 11 straight seasons and 17 times in 19 seasons.
Bowling
Clint Norlen stayed hot and protected his No. 1 seeding to win the Junior Bowlers Tour stop at Lilac Lanes last Sunday, defeating Mathew Shears 242-192 in the championship match.
John Hilden, who survived a roll-off with Garrett Boyce to advance out of the second round of the playoffs, finished third with Boyce fourth and Toby Mertens fifth.
Boyce had charged from 10th to fifth during the second round of qualifying. Mertens had the day’s high game, a 257. Grace Martin led the girls with a 246.
The next JBT is at North Bowl on Nov 29.
College scene
Cody Lang, Seattle Pacific’s junior goalkeeper from Lewis and Clark, is the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in men’s soccer and a back-to-back All-GNAC first-team selection.
Lang registered nine shutouts for the 14-1-3 Falcons, who are the No. 2 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Division II tournament, and ranks No. 4 nationally with a 0.47 goals-against average. His 27 career shutouts are fourth in school history.
Adam Talley, a Western Washington junior from East Valley and North Idaho College, is a second-team All-GNAC selection. He tied for third in the conference with eight goals and tied for fifth with 18 points.
• Ashlee Pedersen, a Montana sophomore defender from Mead, and five Idaho Vandals were named to the Big Sky Conference All-Tournament team after the league soccer tournament last weekend in Moscow, Idaho.
The regular-season champion Vandals, who lost to Northern Colorado in a shootout for the tournament championship and berth in the NCAA tournament, landed junior midfielder Elexis Schlossarek, sophomore forward Olivia Baggerly, freshman goalkeeper Amanda Poertner, junior forward Kavita Battan and freshman forward Kayla Watanabe on the 13-woman team.
Montana lost in the semifinals, 3-2 to Idaho, after beating Weber State 2-0 in the first round.
Pedersen, who had an injury-plagued regular season, had a role in three of Montana’s four goals, scoring both against Weber and assisting on one against Idaho.
“I’m happy that Ashlee had such a successful weekend; she had two great games,” said coach Mark Plakorus, adding “she competes like crazy and makes a lot of good things happen.
“She was really able to impact games toward the end of the season, which she has the ability to do. She just wasn’t healthy enough to do it early on.”
Pedersen tied for second on the team in scoring with eight points (three goals, two assists).
• Tracy Melville, a Western Washington freshman from Lind-Ritzville/Sprague, was the team’s No. 2 finisher, 26th overall, to help the Vikings finish second in the NCAA Division II West Regional Cross Country Championships last weekend in Monmouth, Oregon, and earn a berth in the D-II national championships next weekend in Joplin, Missouri.
Melville ran the 6,000-meter course in 21 minutes, 58.44 seconds.
Letters of intent
• Gonzaga baseball - Taylor Borchers, Appleton, Wisconsin, pitcher/infielder; Haydan Hastings, Vista, California, catcher; Troy Johnston, Puyallup, Washington, outfielder; Keaton Knueppel, Verona, Wisconsin, pitcher; Mac Lardner, Templeton, California, pitcher; Casey Legumina, Chandler, Arizona, pitcher; Parker Price, Boise, infielder; Gunnar Schubert, Auburn, Washington, infielder.
• Washington State women’s swimming - Ryan Falk, Jesuit of Portland, freestyle, first-team all-state.
Softball
Carl Durr, an umpire for 21 years who has served on and off the field, received the Campbell-Stewart Award, the Spokane Softball Umpires Association’s top honor, at its annual banquet last weekend.
Durr, who got his start as a coach and umpire in the Spokane Valley Girls Softball Association, has umpired in three Amateur Softball Association national championship tournaments and one Washington state high school tournament. He continues to help coordinate and train umpires in the Valley program while umpiring for SSUA and helping behind the scenes.
Marty Boles, assistant assigner for SSUA, was presented the Presidential Pride Award by president Ron Snyder.
Other award winners: Brian Hall, umpire of the year-adult; Bob Baugh, umpire of the year-youth; Daryl Williams, most improved-adult; Travis Thiede, most improved-youth; Kimberlie Allen, rookie of the year-adult; and Sydney Bruce, rookie of the year-youth. Gerry Davis of Eagle Athletics received a Home Run Award that goes to a non-member for their support of SSUA
.