Locally: Washington State pitcher Chase Grillo named to 2024 NCBWA DI Stopper of the Year Preseason watch list
From staff reports
Washington State redshirt senior pitcher Chase Grillo was named to the 2024 NCBWA DI Stopper of the Year preseason watch list, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association announced Feb. 14.
Seventy-three players were named to the initial list for the award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball.
Grillo was named to the same watch list prior to last season and was later named to the midseason watch list after recording a team-high six saves, good for 12th in the Pac-12 Conference. The right-hander from Kennewick recorded 31 strikeouts in 18⅔ innings over 24 appearances and tallied notable saves at UC San Diego, both wins at No. 15 Oregon State and closed out the series-clinching win over Arizona.
In the classroom, Grillo earned academic all-district honors after posting a 3.74 GPA while graduating with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences.
• College of Southern Maryland freshman Tucker Duke (East Valley High) got his first start of the season against defending NJCAA DIII national champion Rowan College. He pitched three innings, allowing two runs on two hits with three strikeouts and one walk. Rowan College won 8-1 in seven innings.
Indoor track and field
Two athletes from area high schools were named Cascade College Conference Athlete of the Week for their performances at the Whitworth Invitational on Feb. 10.
Lewis-Clark State College’s Carter Gordon was Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week.
Gordon, a junior from Lake City High, recorded two “A” standards. With a time of 1 minute, 52.72 seconds in the 800 meters, he came in third against 44 athletes to rank seventh in the NAIA this season. He then helped LCSC finish first in the 4x800m relay in 7:47.11.
LCSC jumper Jennah Carpenter, a junior from Lewiston High, continued to improve her marks and was named Women’s Field Athlete of the Week. She finished second in the high jump with a height of 5 feet, 7 inches to record an “A” standard and rank fifth in the NAIA this season. She also finished second in the long jump with a personal record of 17-9½.
Shooting
Tanner Krebs of Spokane Junior Rifle Club won the state championship and qualified for the upcoming National Junior Olympic Championships when he won the Washington State USAS Junior Olympic Rifle Championships.
Krebs won with a score of 570 out of a possible 600 points. Sean Kegley, 19, took the silver with a score of 554. Spencer Fitzpatrick, 17, placed 10th with 515 points.
In the women’s competition, Ensley Breeden, 14, placed second with 549 points, Morgan Christian, 16, fifth at 509, Ella Kipp, 16, sixth at 497 and Kaylee Geller, 14, seventh at 474.
The SJRC Gold team won the state championship with a score of 2182 (2,400 possible). Members were Krebs, Kegley, Breeden and Christian.
The Silver team of Fitzpatrick, Kipp, Cole Frizzell and Geller placed fourth with 1,830 points.
The course of fire for this three position smallbore (0.22) match was 20 shots in prone, kneeling and standing positions fired at a distance of 50 feet.
Volleyball
Eastern Washington announced the addition of Anna Bolich, a transfer from Feather River College in California.
She is a setter who played for the indoor and beach volleyball teams at Feather River. She earned first-team All-Golden Valley Conference and all-tournament team honors for the CCCAA Tournament.