Definition of Softball and Baseball Abbreviations

I got a note from someone asking to explain the abbreviations that we see in newspapers and online regarding softball (and baseball) statistics.  Here are a few of them:


IF:  Infield (usually refers to "Name of Player" plays in the infield (1B, 2B, Shortstop or 3B)
OF:  Outfield (usually refers to "Name of Player" plays outfield (left field, center field, or right field)
AB:  At Bats (An "at bat" is an official plate appearance resulting in either a hit or an out after the ball is put into play.  For example, one does not have an official at-bat if a teammate is thrown out on the basepaths before the hitter has a chance to bat.  Note:  a player who receives a walk or is hit by a pitch does not receive an official at-bat.)
R:  Runs, in this case it means runs scored by that player or team.
H:  Hits, or the number of times that a player (or team) has successfully put the ball into play and reached safely through no fault of the other team.  When an error is made that allows the hitter to reach base, it is not an official at-bat.
E:  Error--Statistics are kept on the number of errors that an individual player makes, the number of team errors in an inning, the number of errors in a game, and the number of errors for a season.  There are four main ways a fielder can make an error--first, by misplaying a ground ball and letting the ball get past them, second by dropping a fly ball that should be caught, third by fielding the ball but then making an errant throw that either allows the batter to be safe or allows a baserunner an extra base that they shouldn't have had and fourth, by dropping the ball on a throw from another fielder that allows the batter or baserunner to be safe.  For there to be an error, it must be on a play that the scorer believes should be made for an out, either by throwing out the batter or by making a play to get a baserunner out.  Note:  When a catcher allows a pitch to get by them, it is not an error but is ruled a "passed ball".   
RBI:  Runs batted in--A player is given credit for an RBI when they successfully get a teammate to home plate through no fault of the other team.  As is the case above, an error by the other team that results in a run scoring does not count for an RBI by the hitter.  An RBI can be credited for a walk or being hit by a pitch if the bases are loaded.  In those cases, the runner on third base is forced in by the walk or hit batter and the batter gets an RBI.
BB:  This stands for bases on balls or more commonly a walk.  It has several uses.  An individual hitter can receive a walk (four balls called by the umpire before either three strikes or called or before the ball is put into play).  Sometimes you will see this statistic for an entire team, which is the total of all the walks received in a game or in the season.  It is also used to reflect pitcher's statistics, i.e. how many walks the pitcher or pitching staff allowed during a game or during the season.
SO:  Strikeout.  As above, this is used for offensive and pitcher statistics for both individuals and teams.  A strikeout occurs when a player gets three strikes called on them.  If there are two strikes and the hitter hits a foul ball, in most levels this is not counted against them (some do count this as the final strike.)  In most levels of baseball and softball, however, a foul with two strikes simply means the hitter goes back to the plate and continues to bat.  Note:  If a third strike is called by the umpire but dropped by the catcher, the runner has the opportunity to run to first base.  If they beat out the throw, the play is scored a strikeout and a passed ball by the catcher.  If the catcher is able to field the ball and throw out the hitter, the play is simply recorded as a strikeout.  You will sometimes hear a strikeout referred to as a "K".  If a hitter has 3 SO's, it means he or she has struck out three times in that game or the season.  Similarly, if a pitcher has 3 SO's, it means the pitcher has struck out three batters in the game.

PO:  Putout.  This occurs when a batter or base runner is called out by a tag out, a force out or has been caught stealing.  An unassisted putout occurs when only one fielder makes the play, for example when a player catches a fly ball or when an infielder or catcher fields the ball and steps on the bag to force an out.  If the ball is fielded by a player and thrown to another for a force at that base, the putout is made by the player catching the ball with an assist from the player who threw it.
A:  Assist.  The assist is given to the player who throws the ball to a teammate who actually makes the out.
LOB:  Left on Base.  This comes into play only when the third out of the inning is made.  At that point, the number of base runners who did not score is added up and that total is the number of runners left on base in each inning.  You will often see game totals for left on base, which is merely the total number of runners left on base in the inning.  Note:  Occasionally, a run will score and then an out is made when the ball is thrown to another base to get that runner out.  If the runner crosses home plate before his or her teammate is thrown out, the run counts.  This only comes into play on a ball hit safely; it does not come into play if the ball is hit in the air and the runner crosses home plate before the ball is caught.

Analysis of the WAC Commissioner's Cup Race Heading Into Spring

The last of the winter sports have been decided, leaving only the spring sports in this school year.  After the teams in those sports have had a chance to show what they can do, I like projecting the Commissioner's Cup race in the Western Athletic Conference.

The Commissioner's Cup is given annually to the WAC school that has the best overall sports department for that school year.  The standings are determined by a point system that gives inverted points to the schools based on their performance in 20 sports that the conference sponsors and how many WAC schools participate in each sport.  For example, there are nine teams in football, thus the champion gets nine points, the runner-up eight points, the third-place team gets seven points, etc.  If there is a tie, the two tied teams split the points for two positions, i.e. a tie for first would split the points awarded for #1 and #2 (9 + 8 = 17 divided by 2 = 8.5 each).  


There are four WAC schools that are able to field men's indoor track, so the winner gets four points, #2 gets 3 points and so on.  Some sports, such as gymnastics, have auxiliary members (schools that are not officially in the WAC but participate in the conference in that sport).  In those cases, the auxiliary teams do not get points for the Commissioner's Cup but their places count in the point configuration.  If there are five schools that compete in a sport and Sacramento State, for example, is third, the league champion still gets five points, second gets four points, and the next WAC school, the fourth-place team, gets two points.  Men's and women's tennis, baseball and softball all split awarded points with half going to the regular season and half to the postseason championships.


Currently, Boise State has a slim lead (64.50 to 59.75) over Utah State.  New Mexico State is third with 42.25, followed by Fresno State (41.00), Idaho (40.50), Nevada (38.75), Hawai'i (36.75), Louisiana Tech (33.00) and San Jose State (29.50).  


In coming up with the projections, I use the best available data in each sport.  For softball and baseball, the league standings are used.  For golf, I use Golfweek's weekly ratings and for tennis I use College Tennis Online's weekly rankings.  As the teams play more, the standings and weekly rankings will be more reliable.  For track, I will initially use the WAC Indoor Track Championship data but will switch to projected point totals for the Outdoor Championship based on top times once there is enough data available.  


Here are the projections for each sport:


Women's Golf:  (April 15-17)
1.  San Jose State (7 points)
2.  New Mexico State (6)
3.  Idaho (5)
4.  Nevada (4)
5.  Fresno State (3)
6.  Boise State (2)
7.  Hawai'i (1)


Men's Tennis:  (April 27-May 1)
1.  Fresno State (7)
2.  Boise State (6)
3.  Idaho (5)
4.  Hawai'i (4)
5.  New Mexico State (3)
6.  Nevada (2)
7.  Utah State (1)


Women's Tennis:  (April 27-May 1)
1.  Boise State (9 points)
2.  Fresno State (8)
3.  Nevada (7)
4.  Hawai'i (6)
5.  Idaho (5)
6.  New Mexico State (4)
7.  Utah State (3)
8.  Louisiana Tech (2)
9.  San Jose State (1)

Coach Roghaar has his team playing well


Men's Golf:  (May 2-4)
1.  New Mexico State (8 points)
2.  Idaho (7)
3.  Fresno State (6)
4.  San Jose State (5)
5.  Nevada (4)
6.  Louisiana Tech (3)
7.  Hawai'i (2)
8.  Boise State (1)



Coach Kevin Burton's team hopes to improve in time for WAC Championships


Softball:  (May 11-14)
1.  Fresno State (8 points)
2.  New Mexico State (7)
3.  Hawai'i (6)
4.  Boise State (5)
5.  Louisiana Tech (4)
6.  San Jose State (3)
7.  Nevada (2)
8.  Utah State (1)


Men's Track (May 10-13)
1.  Utah State (5 points)
2.  Fresno State (4)
3.  Boise State (3)
4.  Louisiana Tech (2)
5.  Idaho (1)


Women's Track (May 10-13)
1.  Louisiana Tech (8 points)
2.  Utah State (7)
3.  Nevada (6)
4.  New Mexico State (5)
5.  Boise State (4)
6.  Fresno State (3)
7.  Hawai'i (2)
8.  Idaho (1)


Baseball:  (May 25-29)
1.  Fresno State (7 points)
2.  New Mexico State (6 points)
3.  San Jose State (5)
4.  Louisiana Tech (4)
5.  Hawai'i (3)
6.  San Jose State (2)
7.  Nevada (1)


I will continue to do these projections on a semi-weekly basis.  As the teams get close to the championships in their respective sports, the data will get more accurate as being able to project the championship results.  As of right now, here are the projections for the final Commissioner's Cup point totals:


1.  Boise State 94.50  
     Boise State is expected to pick up most of its points in men's and women's tennis and in men's track.  The Broncos are projected to score 30 points this spring--they will need to do well to hold off Fresno State.  If those teams do not come through, we will have a tight race for the Cup.  On the other hand, if the men's and women's golf teams do better than expected, Boise State's chances are dramatically improved.


2.  Fresno State 87.00
     The Bulldogs traditionally are the strongest team in the spring sports and this year should be no exception. Fresno State is expected to score 46 points in the spring alone.  Fresno is projected to win men's tennis, softball and baseball and women's tennis and they are also expected to do extremely well in men's track and men's golf.  If one or more of those teams do not come through, Fresno could relinquish the challenger's role to New Mexico State.  All those teams have to do well and Fresno State has to hope that the key Boise State sports falter for the Bulldogs to take the Cup.

Fresno State will once again provide the closest challenge to Boise State


3.  New Mexico State 81.25
     The Aggies outdual Boise State for having the second best spring sports program to Fresno State, scoring 39 points.  The Aggies' best hope is to finish strong in their strengths and hope that their men's and women's tennis teams and women's track team can finish high while Boise State slips up somewhere.


4.  Utah State 76.75
     USU does fairly well in the spring but they aren't able to field a team in baseball, men's golf or women's golf.  Until they are able to fund those programs, Utah State will never have a serious chance of winning an overall competition.  Utah State is projected to score just 17 points this spring.  They could possibly finish third if everything goes right.


5.  Nevada 64.75
     Nevada has been a challenger nearly every year in the Commissioner's Cup.  However, poor fall programs hurt their chances severely.  They finished near the bottom in women's cross country, soccer and volleyball.  The only reason they are this high is because of their football, basketball and swimming programs.  Nevada is projected to score 26 points in the spring.


6. Hawai'i 60.75
    Hawai'i is expected to do the best in men's and women's tennis and softball.  UH should score in the neighborhood of 24 points this spring.  That's a good total, but they are too far down to climb all the way to the top.


7.  Idaho 59.00
     The Vandals have been in the middle of the pack for the last several years.  Idaho will get most of their points in men's and women's golf and men's tennis.  Idaho should get about 18.5 points this spring.  They will fight for positions 5-8.


8.  Louisiana Tech 56.00
     Louisiana Tech has climbed out of the cellar in the Cup race and will score around 23 points this spring.  They probably won't get higher than #7, but they have a shot at that.

9.  San Jose State 50.50
     The Spartans are the favorite in women's golf and they should also do well in baseball.  San Jose State is projected to score 21 points this spring.

WAC Women's Golf Teams Ranked By Golfweek

#65  San Jose State
#66  New Mexico State
#104  Idaho
#109  Nevada
#124  Fresno State
#149  Boise State
#154  Hawai'i

WAC Men's Golf Teams Ranked by Golfweek

#59 New Mexico State

#65   Idaho

#71  Fresno State

#78 San Jose State

#90 Louisiana Tech

#92 Nevada

#172 Hawai'i

#191 Boise State

Bronco Softball Team Third in the WAC

Boise State was able to win two of three on the road at San Jose State this weekend, keeping the Broncos third in the conference standings.  Fresno State and New Mexico State own perfect 6-0 records while nationally-ranked Hawai'i is now 3-3 in the WAC.

Team	WAC	Pct.(%)	Overall	Pct.(%)
Fresno State	6-0	1.000	22-8	.733
New Mexico State	6-0	1.000	27-10	.730
Boise State	5-1	.833	21-13	.618
Hawai'i	3-3	.500	25-12	.676
Louisiana Tech	2-4	.333	11-25	.306
San Jose State	1-5	.167	14-23	.378
Nevada	1-5	.167	10-22	.312
Utah State	0-6	.000	5-30	.143

Boise State Dominates All-Idaho Cup

Boise State's track team did what it had to do yesterday--dominate the All-Idaho Cup.  The Broncos won 12 events in Bronco Stadium, adding to the six they had won Friday.  Unfortunately, the marks posted by Boise State fell far shy of what the rest of the teams in the Western Athletic Conference are posting.

Rolando Trammel ran a career-best 14.34 in the 110-meter hurdles, adding to his win in the 400-hurdles Friday.  Speed is beginning to permeate the Bronco roster, as Eric Capelle led a 1-2-3-4 sweep of the 100.  Capelle crossed the tape in 11.06 with Karrie Butler second at 11:09, followed by Edidiong Essien (11.10) and Justin Maines (11.11).


Coach J.W. Hardy has high hopes for his team's prospects in the 400 this year, and Jeff Daw (49.57), Manoah Wesson (49.65) and Dusty Klein (49.91) finished 1-2-3 yesterday.  Austin Edwards won the 800 (1:57.44) with teammate Quinten Hennekam second in 1:47.58.  Trevor Kraychir has his eyes on reaching the NCAA National Championships in the hammer, and he began that quest with a throw of 198-5.  Boise State's Alex Nelson was second (188-5).


Sawyer Bosch and his mates weren't able to top Utah State at the WAC Indoor Championships, but he was able to easily beat the top runners in Idaho in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.  Bosch completed the distance in 9:27.6.  Boise State also won both relays with a time of 43.10 in the 4 x 100 and a mark of 3:25.87 in the 4 x 400.


The Bronco women also dominated the 100 by earning the top six places.  Destiny Gammage captured first in 12.09.  Heidi Dorling won the pole vault, clearing 11-5.75, Alexi Morton took the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.34 and the Bronco 4 x 100 relay team broke the tape in 47.57.



Gammage takes first place


Of the Bronco marks, only those posted by Eetu Viitala in the long jump (25 feet, giving him the top mark in the WAC), Wesson's 200 time of 21.69 Friday, Trammel's time. of 14.34 and 52.47 in the two hurdles, Daniel Thompson (15-5) in the pole vault and the Bronco men's 1600-meter relay team rank in the top three in the WAC.


The competition level goes up considerably next weekend when Boise State goes to the Sun Angel Classic at Arizona State in Tempe.  Some Bronco team members will compete at the Mesa Classic at Mesa Community College instead.

Interesting Finish at the Regional Gymnastics Tonight

Everyone knew Boise State would fight Arkansas for second tonight.  The two teams were tied after two rotations with #1 Florida quite a bit ahead.  Arkansas got tremendous scores to actually pass the #1 team in the country, making it tougher for Boise State of course to get to second.  That meant they had to beat Florida for a trip to Nationals, and the young Bronco ladies fell 25/thousand's of a point shy.

Boise State Gymnasts Fall 25/1000th's of a Point Shy of Reaching Nationals

You knew this was the place for the most up-to-date Boise State results.  I'll keep tabs for you as the Boise State gymnastics team tries to get to Nationals.  I have purchased the video rights.

Boise State needed a score of 49.05 on beam to tie #1 Florida for 2nd tonight.  So far, it appears they got 49.025, just 25/1000th's of a point shy.  BTW, that is 35/100th's of a point (or 350/1000th's of a point for comparison) better than the Broncos average on the beam.  Another .025 would have done it.  I was afraid they would need close to a 197 and I was right.  The competition is just too fierce at this level.  

Team Standings:

Arkansas 196.550
Florida 196.425
Boise State 196.400
Denver 195.625
Arizona 195.400
BYU 194.650


Brittany Potvin-Green had the 5th highest vault score with a 9.850.  Hannah Redmon had the third-best bars score with a 9.900 and Lindsay Kazandjian was sixth with a 9.850.  Bekah Gher really came through when it mattered, scoring the 9.900 on beam to tie for #1 at the Regional. I believe Gher gets an automatic berth to Nationals for finishing first.  Redmon was second on the floor with a 9.900.  Amy Glass was fourth all-around with 39.275 and Amy gets to go to Nationals.

Gher's 9.9 routine earns a trip to Nationals

Here is the way it unfolded.

Performance Thus Far:
Florida averaged 49.261 on floor this year so they are 2/10 behind their average with a 49.050.  Florida with a 49.300 on vault, slightly below average.  Florida gets 49.475 on bars, 2/10 above average.  After three rotations, Florida is just about on par with their average, which means they are way ahead.

BYU averaged 48.783 on vault so they are way over their heads right now, 2/10 above average with a 48.950.  BYU with a 48.700 on bars, which is about average.  The Cougars got 48.150 on beam, 3/10 below average.  BYU slightly below average right now so they are just about out of the competition.

Denver averaged 48.773 on bars, they are slightly below that with 48.725.  Denver scored 7/10 ahead of average on beam.  Denver got 49.100 on beam, almost a full point above average.  No home cooking there...  Denver now 1.7 points ahead of schedule and will definitely be a factor.

Arkansas averaged 48.748 on beam so they are 2/10 ahead of average.  Arkansas had a 49.300 on floor, a full quarter of a point above average and .125 ahead of Boise State on the floor.  Arkansas got a 49.175 on vault, better than Boise State, which puts them in second with one rotation left for the Razorbacks.  Arkansas now a full point ahead of average, which was already ahead of Boise State going in.

Boise State slightly less than 2/10 above average on floor.  Boise State didn't get what they hoped for on vault but still about their average.  Broncos get 49.125 on bars, about 2/10 better than average.  So Boise State is 4/10 ahead going into their worst event, where they usually get 48.652.

Arizona 2/10 above average on vault with a 48.850.  The Wildcats get 48.850 on bars, 3/10 above average. Arizona gets 48.350 on beam, about 2/10 below average.  So Arizona is slightly ahead of average, and they will not finish in the top two.


First Rotation:
A 9.725 for BYU on vault.  Another 9.725 for the Cougars. And now a 9.775 and a 9.8 and a 9.850.   Already a very good 48.875 so far for BYU with another competitor set to go to improve that.  She did with a 9.8 giving BYU a first-round score of 48.950

Florida opens on floor and also gets a 9.725 and a nice 9.850.  Another 9.850 and a 9.900 gives Florida 49.050.

It's the score of the moment, another 9.725 for Arkansas on beam.  And a 9.70 and a 9.825.  Another 9.725 and a nice 9.850 48.825 so far for Arkansas.  A 9.775 increases their score to 48.900 for the first round.

Host Denver finally puts a competitor up and gets 9.750.  And a 9.650...and a 9.725 and another 9.650 and another 9.750.   Denver has 48.525.  The Pioneers get a 9.850 to increase to 48.725.

Boise State is about to go on floor.  Florida got a 49.050 so that is the score Boise State needs to beat.  BYU and Arkansas will have byes.  The warmups for second round are nearly over.


Second Routine:
9.775 for Kelsey Lang, very nice routine.  Super job on the second routine--Sarah Smith scores a 9.825.  She finished with an interesting country song that she had some fun with.  Boise State 19.6 after two gymnasts.  Phenomenal routine so far for Hailey Gaspar (9.825).  Boise State with 29.425 after three gymnasts.  Kelsey Black, very rhythmic performance.  Very stylistic, not a great degree of difficulty but very classy--the Bronco fans in the audience are going crazy.  And she gets a 9.800.  Boise State with 39.225, very good start so far.  Glass with a 9.825 on an incredible routie.  And Redmon just went--incredible routine!  Redmon rings up a 9.900 and I thought it was better than that.  Florida, the nation's #1 team, got a 49.050 on floor and Boise State just got a 49.175...  WOO HOO!  2/10 ahead of average.


Denver on beam--9.725 and 9.825.  9.9 for Jorie Hall, and another 9.725 giving Denver 39.175.  Denver got 48.950 on beam, that is an incredible 7/10 above average.

Arizona on bars, a 9.6 and a 9.675 and a 9.750--they have 29.025 after three.  Add 9.775 and 9.850 and Arizona has a nice 48.850 with one gymnast to try and better that.  They are already 2/10 above average.

Florida on vault and they pick up two 9.9's, an 9.850, a 9.8 and a 9.775.  They already have a 49.300 and going for more.  They didn't better that, so finish with 49.300, slightly below average.


Third Routine:
Boise State on vault for the second rotation.  Florida got a 49.300 on vault, that is what Boise State needs to shoot for.  Broncos are ready to go.  They have an average of 49.089 but will need more to get to the next level.  Amanda Otuafi didn't quite stick the landing but kept from falling back.  9.750 for Amanda.  Kelsey Black gets a 9.750.  The gals really need to step it up here, that's not the scores they need.  That's the way to stick it!  Brittany Potvin-Green gets a 9.850.  Glass with a 9.825, she's better than that.  Boise State with 39.175 and they need a 49.300 to match Florida.  Redmon with a 9.825, again not enough.  Still two rotations for Boise State but you don't want to fall behind by this much early.  Boise State with an even 49.000.  Gaspar also gets a 9.825 so the judges weren't kind to the Broncos in this rotation.  Not one 9.9 given.  Boise State gets a 49.075 when they needed 49.300.

Gaspar gets one of three 9.825's for the Broncos on vault

Arkansas on Floor, where they average a great 49.054.  They have two 9.8's so far.  Another 9.8 and a 9.85, putting the pressure on the Broncos.  That's 39.250 after four.  And then they add a 9.9 and a 9.950, the judges liking Arkansas' floor routines much more than Boise State's.

Arizona with an unfortunate fall on beam. 9.125 for her.  They do better with a 9.750 but then get a 9.225.  Arizona with a 28.1 so far.  Then a 9.600, 9.675 and 9.775. Arizona gets 48.850 on bars.

BYU on bars with 9.750.  A fall on the landing for the next gal, that gives her 9.075.  Then, scores of 9.625, 9.800 and 9.775 giving BYU 48.025--they'll try to improve that with the last gymnast.  And they do, getting a 48.7000.


Fourth Rotation:
Arkansas on Vault, Denver on Floor

Denver gets a 9.8 and a 9.75 on floor.  Add a 9.850 and a 9.675--they have 39.075 so far. and a 9.850 giving them 48.925 with one gymnast to go.  Denver finishes with 49.100 on floor.

Florida with a 9.850 on Bars.followed by a 9.900.  #1 is looking good.  A 9.475, the first crack in the armor.  But a 9.950 makes up for that, and a 9.925 so even with that slip, the Gators still have 49.475 with one gymnast to go.

Arkansas nice start on first vault.  9.750.  2nd one didn't quite stick the landing but tried to act like she did.  Boise State with 49.075 on vault, the score Arkansas needs.  The second gal also got a 9.750.  And a 9.85, wow the judges love them.  That gives them 29.350 after three gymnasts.  Arkansas averages 49.058 on beam.  A 9.9 and a 9.875, better scores than what Boise State got.  They have 49.125, already better than Boise State with one gymnast left to go.  Boise State has fallen to third..  Arkansas finishes with 49.175, a full 1/10 better than Boise State.

BYU with a 9.475 on beam.  BYU averages 48.410 on beam.  9.475 and 9.575 are the next two scores for the Cougars, and a 9.626 gives them 38.425 after four.  48.150 is their final score on beam.

Boise State and Arizona with byes.


Fifth Rotation:
Florida will finish on beam, I believe Boise State is on bars.  A slip backward on the first landing.  9.750 for Katie Tuller.  Not a great second landing either.  9.775 for Kelsey Black.  C'mon ladies--need 9.9's and above.  Super landing there--I think the best of the three thus far.  Lindsay Kazandjian gets a 9.850.  Better but still not where the team needs to be.  29.375 so far after 3.  Sensational routine for Redmon.  If that isn't a 9.5 there's something wrong.  And they gave her a 9.90.  Amy Glass follows with a 9.80.  Boise State with 49.075, still short of what they needed.  Potvin-Green with a 9.8, giving Boise State 49.125.

Kazandjian's brilliant routine earns her a 9.850

Florida with a 9.925 on beam. Add a 9.8 and 9.775 and they have a 28.8 after 3.  Bad fall and a 8.475, opens the door for someone to win the Regional other than #1.

9.750 and 9.725 so far for Denver on Vault.  48.700 for Denver with one to go.

Arizona on Floor, getting a 9.8 and a 9.725.

Sixth Rotation:

Boise State  Lacee Lang with a 9.700.  Nice jump and turn on the thin beam and a fantastic landing for the second gal.  9.9 for  Bekah Gher that's what we're talking about.  9.825 for Gaspar.  Good start but they might need more since Arkansas did so well on bars.  9.775 for Kazandjian.  Unless the Broncos finish with a flurry--9.9's, I'm afraid it's not enough.  Arkansas is #1 right now.  Florida is the team Boise State is shooting for.  Kelsey Lang with an even 9.0 after a slip.  Amy Glass was the last competitor, needing a 9.85.  She got a 9.825.  Still a nice 49.025 in the beam, which I think is close to their top score of the year.

Arkansas on Bars.  Scores of 9.825, 9.850. 9.725 and 9.750 already.  And a 9.850.  They wanted to finish fast.  49 even so far for Arkansas, half a point better than average.  They are on fire with a 49.175.  That is 6/10th's better than they usually do in this event.

Boise State Clobbers San Jose State 12-1

Kelly Sweeney's two-run homer helped Boise State to a 2-0 lead with the Spartans and they had to put the six-inning rule in effect as the Broncos batted San Jose 12-1.


Aubray Zell (7-1)  pitched a complete game, allowing just four hits, to get the win.  She got support from throughout the lineup as Megan Harvey and Holly Bourke each had three hits.  Bourke and Mackenzie Whyte each doubled in the third and Allie Crump followed with a single.  Whyte scored on a Spartan error and Crump touched home thanks to a groundout by Christina Capobianco.  Boise State held a 6-0 lead going into the sixth and tacked on another run after consecutive singles by Harvey, Tazz Weatherly and Caplan.  Two walks and run-producing singles by Caplan and Bourke finished off the Spartans and the six-inning rule had to be put into effect.


The two teams are playing the nightcap right now as Boise State has gone out in front 3-0.

20 Years Ago

Boise State's track team finished third in the Big Sky Conference.  Two Broncos qualified for the NCAA Championships, Pat Gallagher and Eugene Green.  Gallagher finished 11th in the high jump while Greene won the national championship in the triple jump.

30 Years Ago Today...

Jackie Carringer took over as head coach of the Boise State gymnastics team.  Mary Howard recorded the first nine-point scores in school history with a 9.05 in the balance beam and uneven bars. 

Boise State won their third straight Northwest championships and trip to the AIAW Division II National Gymnastics Championships, where the Broncos finished 9th.

A Long Mountain to Climb

The Boise State track team has its work cut out for them.


Competing in the All-Idaho Cup in which their top competition, Idaho of the Western Athletic Conference, was not even there, the Broncos could only manage six wins in Bronco Stadium in the first day of competition.  No offense to Idaho State, College of Idaho or Northwest Nazarene but Boise State will be facing much tougher competition not only from the WAC this year, but they will soon be entering an even tougher Mountain West Conference next year.  


One event in which Coach J.W. Hardy's team showed good depth was the men's 200-meter dash, where the Broncos took first, third, fourth and fifth.  Manoah Wesson has showed the kind of improvement that the entire team will need to achieve if they are to compete in the Mountain West.  Wesson was timed in 21.69, ahead of teammates Karrie Butler (21.98), Dusty Klein (22.24) and Paul Robertson (22.32).  


The surging Bronco hurdles program continued to make strides as Rolando Trammel (52.47) and Anthony Belcher (53.81) went 1-2 in the 400-meter hurdles.  Belcher set a personal best in pushing his teammate to the finish line.  Eetu Viitala also broke a personal best with a 25-foot long jump to win that title.



Up until this year, the Bronco women have been unable to compete with Louisiana Tech in the sprints--that could change.  Boise State owned the top five spots in the 200 yesterday, led by Mackenzie Flannagan (24.95).  Cyntrail Pierce (24.96), Taryn Campos (25.01), Destiny Gammage (25.05) and Yvonne Bennett (25.61) led a sea of blue and orange on the podium.  That said, those five won't be able to waltz to a similar finish at the WAC Championships, which is why Boise State needed similar finishes yesterday in all 14 events.


Emily Funkhouser took the 400-meter hurdles title with a 1:02.81 time and Racquel Jones (18'9"), Shannon Jacobs (18-8.5) and Alexi Morton (17-11.75) took the top three places in the long jump.


Boise State did not place a runner in the top five in either 5,000-meter run, did not finish in the top three of the men's 1,500-meter or the top nine of the women's 1,500 meters.


Field events get underway this morning at 10 with the final track events beginning at 1 this afternoon in Bronco Stadium.

Two Evenly-Matched Teams Go For Nationals Tomorrow

The long-stated goal of the Boise State gymnastics program is to get to the NCAA National Gymnastics Championships, territory that only a precious few (12 teams) get to tread.  To accomplish that dream, a team must finish in the top two in one of the six Regionals.


If you look at the six Regionals that are spread across the country, you couldn’t ask for a better scenario if you are Boise State.  Not only do you have a Regional in Denver with #12 Arkansas and #13 Boise State (the closest two teams can be heading in), but those two teams fought back and forth for position in the rankings all season long.  It is appropriate that they both compete at the same location for the right to advance.


Arkansas, like Boise State, has been consistent all season long.  They opened with a loss to Denver (who is also at the Regionals), when the Razorback women scored 195.6.  They returned to Fayetteville the following weekend and significantly improved their score to 196.525 in a win over West Virginia.  Arkansas stayed roughly at that level the next two weeks, scoring 196.50 in a win over Illinois and then posting the upset of the season in knocking off Southeastern Conference mate and #1-ranked Florida at home with a score of 196.70.


After that emotional win, there was a letdown in a loss to #25 BYU (who will also be in Denver), when Arkansas scored just 195.025.  From there, Arkansas scored 195.325 in a won at LSU, an impressive 195.775 in a win over Georgia, 195.325 in a win over Auburn, 194.975 in a win at Kentucky, a disappointing 194.750 in a loss at home to eventual SEC champion Alabama and 195.075 in a loss at Oklahoma.


Arkansas, therefore, is probably most familiar with the Denver field as they have faced three of them (Denver, Florida and BYU) this season. 


Boise State and Arkansas could not be closer in the national rankings.  The Razorbacks have the edge in season average by a razor-thin margin (195.623 to 195.600) and earned their #12 national ranking by the slimmest of margins (196.060 to 195.995).  Boise State, however, has the higher score this season (197.050 to 196.700).


The Razorbacks recorded their best finish ever at the SEC Championship a few weeks back, placing fourth with a score of 195.800.  Florida had to settle for second with a score of 196.975 as #2 Alabama sizzled on that night with a 197.225. 


"This is the best finish we've ever had at the SEC meet," co-head coach Mark Cook said. "Our best finish before was fifth. We thought we were a little ahead of Georgia after three events, but we couldn't hold them off. This is the hardest meet of the year."


Jaime Pisani tied for second on vault at the SEC Championship, Mariah Howdeshell tied for seventh on bars, Katherine Grable tied for seventh on beam and Pisani tied for third on floor. In the all-around, Grable was fifth, Jordan Salsberg 13th and Grable 14th.


Arkansas set a school record in the vault at the SEC meet (49.325) and Pisani tied school marks of 9.90 on both floor and vault.


Boise State, meanwhile, claimed the Western Athletic Conference title with a 195.700 in San Jose, California.  Amy Glass, Hannah Redmon and Hailey Gaspar finished 1-2-3 in the vault with scores of 9.900, 9.875 and 9.85, respectively.  Redmon won the WAC title on the uneven bars with a 9.850.  Boise State’s Achilles heel is the balance beam, where their best performer could only manage fourth, while Kelsey Lang was second on the floor (9.825).


Arkansas received the best score of the two post-season performances, 195.800 to 195.700, albeit on floors hundreds of miles apart.  It should also be noted that the Razorbacks were pushed harder in their championship than Boise State was.  A tighter WAC race might have forced the Broncos to push themselves harder.


Championships are not decided on statistics but on actual performance.  I mentioned yesterday that Boise State has to go into the Regional with their eyes on winning the meet, not trying trying to get one of the top two scores.  That's a mental attitude, and I believe it to be essential to Boise State's chances tomorrow afternoon.  Nerves will play a huge part in a sport in which tenths of points decide the final team standings.  


Boise State was selected to start the six-rotation meet on the bye before floor, meaning they will have a bye in the first rotation and actually begin their competition in rotation two on floor. They will then continue on to vault, then a bye, then bars and end the meet on beam.


The Denver Regional gets underway at 6 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday) night Mountain Time.

Boise State:

MEET RESULTS
WAC Championship
San Jose, California
Saturday, March 19


Boise State’s Individual Results:
Floor: 48.950
Hailey Gaspar 9.825, Hannah Redmon 9.825, Sarah Smith 9.800, Kelsey Lang 9.750, Amy Glass 9.750, Kelsey Black 9.575

Vault:  49.175
Amy Glass 9.900, Hannah Redmon 9.875, Hailey Gaspar 9.850, Brittany Potvin-Green 9.800, Amanda Otuafi 9.750, Sarah Smith 9.750

Bars:  48.825
Hannah Redmon 9.850, Katie Tuller 9.750, Lindsay Kazandjian 9.750, Brittany Potvin-Green 9.750, Kelsey Black 9.725, Amy Glass 9.120

Beam:  48.750
Kelsey Lang 9.875, Lindsay Kazandjian 9.825, Amy Glass 9.825, Bekah Gher 9.675, Lacee Lang 9.550, Hannah Redmon 9.170

Arkansas:

MEET RESULTS
SEC Championship
Birmingham, Alabama
Saturday, March 19



Arkansas' Individual Results
Floor: 48.975
Amanda Siebert 9.625, Jordan Salsberg 9.65, Amy Borsellino 9.775, Kelci Lewis 9.80, Katherine Grable 9.85, Jaime Pisani 9.90

Vault: 49.325
Amanda Siebert 9.725, Jordan Salsberg 9.875, Amy Borsellino 9.825, Katherine Grable 9.875, Jaime Pisani 9.90, Michelle Stout 9.85

Bars: 48.675
Jordan Salsberg 9.55, Katherine Grable 9.75, Genny Salvatore 9.70, Jaime Pisani 9.175, Michelle Stout 9.825, Mariah Howdeshell 9.85

Beam:  48.825
Scarlett Williams 9.725, Jaime Pisani 9.80, Jordan Salsberg 9.725, Shelby Salmon 9.65,Katherine Grable 9.85, Stacy Bartlett 9.725

WAC Softball Statistics

TEAM BATTING           G   Avg   AB    R    H   2B   3B   HR   BB   SO  SB-ATT 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Mexico State....  34  .338  920  242  311   52    6   43  148  170  57-62  
Boise State.........  31  .308  818  170  252   28    2   28  100  123  27-33  
Nevada..............  29  .286  767  137  219   39    4   25   87  188  21-24  
Hawai`i.............  34  .264  856  166  226   33    3   40  113  194  20-24  
San Jose State......  34  .261  905  140  236   39    1   17  115  167  28-36  
Fresno State........  27  .245  691   93  169   25    7   17   63  158  30-35  
Utah State..........  32  .228  778   84  177   30    1   14   65  196  10-15  
Louisiana Tech......  33  .214  836   93  179   20    2   10   85  182  35-42  
Totals.............. 127  .269 6571 1125 1769  266   26  194  776 1378 228-271 

TEAM PITCHING          G   ERA   W   L  Sv     IP     H     R    ER    BB    SO 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hawai`i.............  34  1.34  25   9   0  225.0   147    65    43    54   261 
Fresno State........  27  2.25  19   8   1  192.2   165    78    62    67   160 
Boise State.........  31  3.59  19  12   5  200.2   209   129   103    91   194 
San Jose State......  34  4.55  13  21   2  217.0   310   198   141    97   106 
Louisiana Tech......  33  4.68   8  24   2  221.1   265   182   148   100   188 
New Mexico State....  34  5.01  23  10   4  215.0   291   189   154    76   134 
Nevada..............  29  5.91   9  20   1  177.2   231   209   150   116   141 
Utah State..........  32  6.58   5  27   0  192.2   286   208   181   118   106 
Totals.............. 127  4.19 121 131  15 1642.0  1904  1258   982   719  1290 

TEAM FIELDING          G    PO     A     E    Pct    DP    PB SBA-ATT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Fresno State........  27   578   249    28   .967    11     2  19-22 
Hawai`i.............  34   675   253    35   .964    10     5  14-18 
Boise State.........  31   602   235    37   .958     6    13  38-48 
Louisiana Tech......  33   664   264    43   .956     4     8  54-65 
Utah State..........  32   578   260    39   .956    11     3  32-42 
Nevada..............  29   533   201    39   .950     4    13  32-44 
New Mexico State....  34   645   286    51   .948     4     4  31-38 
San Jose State......  34   651   286    52   .947    10     3  17-36 
Totals.............. 127  4926  2034   324   .956    60    51 237-313

INDIVIDUAL BATTING
Min 2.0 AB/Team game         G   Avg  AB    R    H  RBI   2B   3B   HR   BB
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nohara, Hoku-NMSU.........  34  .453  86   29   39   55    5    1   19   36
Jones, Kandis-NMSU........  33  .438 112   36   49   26    9    1    0    9
Bridges, Devon-Boise State  31  .410  78   20   32   31    4    0    8   15
Bourke, Holly-Boise State.  31  .390 100   24   39   19    5    1    3   10
Crump, Allie-Boise State..  30  .373  83   16   31   17    3    0    7   12
Hopkins, Karley-NEV.......  29  .371 105   23   39   10   12    1    2    6
Caplan, Kellie-Boise State  31  .370 108   23   40   10    3    0    1    3
Murdock, Britton-NEV......  29  .364  88   14   32   15    7    1    2    7
Coenen, Sadie-SJSU........  29  .356  73   20   26    1    6    1    0   15
Jennings, Tiare-NMSU......  34  .351  94   30   33   27    5    0    4   28
Maroda, Ashley-NMSU.......  31  .351  94   19   33   20    9    0    4   10
Randall, Kylie-NMSU.......  34  .337 101   34   34    7    3    1    1   20
Stange, Alex-SJSU.........  33  .333  96   14   32   17    5    0    2    8
Jones, Erin-NEV...........  19  .333  63   12   21   11    2    0    3    5
Patrick, Danielle-NEV.....  28  .330  88   14   29   28    6    0    6   12
Wolfe, Annica-SJSU........  32  .330  88   10   29   19    5    0    2    9
Rodriguez, Jenna-UH.......  34  .327 104    6   34   20    4    0    2    4
Conrad, Teresa-NMSU.......  30  .325  83   22   27   27    4    1    7   11
Swedberg, Valerie-NMSU....  28  .325  77   15   25   22    8    2    4    5
Iwata, Jessica-UH.........  34  .324 105   31   34   22    3    1   11   17

INDIVIDUAL PITCHING
Min 1.0 IP/Team game       App   ERA  W-L  Sv    IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Parnaby, Kaia-UH..........  11  1.10  9-2   0  70.0  45  16  11  15  87
Ricketts, Stephani-UH.....  24  1.30 15-7   0 151.0  92  44  28  39 171
Oakes, Mackenzie-FS.......  17  1.61 12-2   1  91.1  75  30  21  23  50
Zell, Aubray-Boise State..  12  2.12  6-1   0  56.0  51  19  17  10  56
Moses, Michelle-FS........  16  3.00  6-6   0  86.1  75  43  37  35 102
Krieg, Meghan-LATEC.......  21  3.19  5-13  1 120.2 108  67  55  57 149
Ames, Jennifer-SJSU.......  18  3.37  5-9   2  97.2 132  65  47  37  39
Newman, Alex-NMSU.........  25  3.38 15-2   0  89.0  87  48  43  31  55
Work, Lela-Boise State....  17  3.47  3-4   5  42.1  42  22  21   6  43
Crump, Allie-Boise State..  16  4.02  9-5   0  85.1  96  67  49  44  86
Darby, Mallary-NEV........  24  4.69  9-13  0 125.1 138 119  84  67 104
Fox, Elyssa-SJSU..........  16  4.97  3-10  0  62.0  82  56  44  29  44
Kipp, Erin-LATEC..........  13  5.28  0-6   1  59.2  87  56  45  20  25
Harmon, Mandy-USU.........  24  5.54  4-17  0 107.1 138  98  85  62  70
Gutierrez, Janessa-SJSU...  17  5.75  3-2   0  35.1  62  47  29  15  15

HITS
----
Jones, Kandis-NMSU........   49
Caplan, Kellie-Boise State   40
Hopkins, Karley-NEV.......   39
Bourke, Holly-Boise State.   39
Nohara, Hoku-NMSU.........   39

RUNS SCORED
-----------
Jones, Kandis-NMSU........   36
Randall, Kylie-NMSU.......   34
Iwata, Jessica-UH.........   31
Jennings, Tiare-NMSU......   30
Nohara, Hoku-NMSU.........   29

RUNS BATTED IN
--------------
Nohara, Hoku-NMSU.........   55
Bridges, Devon-Boise State   31
Kliebenstein, Shar-UH.....   30
Patrick, Danielle-NEV.....   28
2 tied with 27 RBI(s)

DOUBLES
-------
Hopkins, Karley-NEV.......   12
Maroda, Ashley-NMSU.......    9
Jones, Kandis-NMSU........    9
Swedberg, Valerie-NMSU....    8
2 tied with 7 double(s)

TRIPLES
-------
Gilleland, Haley-FS.......    2
Ortiz, Brooke-FS..........    2
Swedberg, Valerie-NMSU....    2
20 tied with 1 triple(s)

HOME RUNS
---------
Nohara, Hoku-NMSU.........   19
Iwata, Jessica-UH.........   11
Kliebenstein, Shar-UH.....   10
Moses, Michelle-FS........    8
Bridges, Devon-Boise State    8

TOTAL BASES
-----------
Nohara, Hoku-NMSU.........  103
Iwata, Jessica-UH.........   72
Kliebenstein, Shar-UH.....   65
Jones, Kandis-NMSU........   60
Bridges, Devon-Boise State   60

STOLEN BASES                SB-ATT
----------------------------------
Randall, Kylie-NMSU.......  23-24 
Gilleland, Haley-FS.......  12-13 
Murdock, Britton-NEV......   9-9  
3 tied with 8 stolen base(s)

STRIKEOUTS                    IP   SO
-------------------------------------
Ricketts, Stephani-UH..... 151.0  171
Krieg, Meghan-LATEC....... 120.2  149
Darby, Mallary-NEV........ 125.1  104
Moses, Michelle-FS........  86.1  102
Parnaby, Kaia-UH..........  70.0   87

Broncos Go After Florida at Denver Regional Gymnastics Championships

Boise State goes after history this weekend at the NCAA Regional Gymnastics Championships.  In the next few days, I'll be looking at the field at the Denver Regional.

One team at Boise State's Denver Regional is #1 Florida.  I'll say it--if Boise State doesn't think they can beat Florida, they aren't going to do well this weekend.  They will be intimidated and perform badly.

Here's the reason I say this.  Most people would look at the teams in this regional and say, well, Florida's going to be the top team, but Boise State has a chance at topping Arkansas.  Do you feel that way?  If so, try this on for size.  Arkansas beat Florida earlier this year.  Yep, knocked 'em off in one of the stunning results of the season.  So if Boise State doesn't go into the meet trying to beat Florida, they're likely not going to beat Arkansas either.

At this point, it's mental, and it's all about confidence.  Most of the teams in the Regional Championships are fairly close in ability.  But if you go in perceiving you're not as good....bingo--you're not going to be as good.  What I would tell the team is that this is the year you prove yourself.  I don't want you finishing second, I want you finishing first.  Go after Florida.  Whatever score Florida gets, you go one better.

If you can have that attitude and give the Gators a fight, you're going to be right there with them at the end and probably finish second.  At that point, it will be up to Arkansas to keep up.  The Broncos have the talent, they have the experience, and they have the coaches.

Now all they have to do is go out and perform.

Bronco Track Team Hosts All-Idaho Cup

With the weather turning nicer, Boise State's track team is set to host the All-Idaho Cup this weekend in Bronco Stadium.  Action gets underway at noon Friday in the field events while the track events begin at 4.  Field events begin Saturday morning at 10 and the running events start at 1 p.m.


The meet was formed to allow all Idaho teams the chance to compete against each other but Idaho was not able to bring their team down.

Boise State Edges Utah 9-8 in Game One

Boise State pulled magic out of the hat in the seventh inning as Tazz Weatherly rocketed a roundtripper to lead Boise State to a 9-8 over Utah in Salt Lake City.  Weatherly's blow brought her out of a 4-33 slump in game one of a scheduled doubleheader.  Lela Work pitched six innings in relief to earn the win.

The Broncos had taken an 8-6 lead in the previous inning, only to see Utah's Whitney Holm hit a two-run homer to tie. 

Utah grabbed the early lead off Bronco starter Aubray Zell 2-0 but Allie Crump's homer and Mackenzie Whyte's two-out two-RBI single in the second gave Boise State a 3-2 lead.  But the Utes banged out five consecutive hits in the bottom half of the inning to send Zell to the dugout, with the big blast being Holm's first home run of the game.  Bronco catcher Megan Harvey helped the Bronco cause by throwing out two Utes trying to steal.

Facing a 6-3 deficit, Boise State battled back.  Whyte drove in Kelly Sweeney and Holly Bourke's sac fly scored Weatherly in the fourth to make it a 6-5 contest and set the stage for the wild finish.

Whyte had three hits and three RBI's, a run and a stolen base to lead the Bronco cause.  The Utah pitching staff pitched around freshman Devon Bridges, fearing the freshman slugger's ability to leave the yard.

Utah dropped to 15-16 with the loss.

The Sporting News Selects Boise State's Kellen Moore As the Top Collegiate Player

Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore has been chosen by The Sporting News as the #1 player in the nation in college football.


Senior writer Matt Hayes chose Moore to top the list of 25 players to watch next fall.  "He's a season away from becoming one of the game's all-time greats, from setting records that may never be reached and leading his team where no other non-BCS school has been," Hayes said.


Most people did not realize it at the time, but Moore beat out eventual Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton of Auburn as the nation's top passer last year with a 182.63 rating.  Moore has already set an all-time record for the lowest interception ratio (in 2009) and is in position to set at least two more NCAA records.  Kellen is 38-2 and is just seven wins away from tying Colt McCoy of Texas for the most wins by a college quarterback.  He is 35 touchdown passes away from the all-time mark held by Graham Harrell of Texas Tech.

Moore's teammate, defensive tackle Billy Winn, is #15 on Hayes' list and is the second-highest defensive tackle.  Winn had four sacks and 9.5 tackles last season.  It's ironic that Winn is so well thought of on the national scene when the Western Athletic Conference never saw fit to name him even All-Conference.

Boise State has this week off for spring break but then will resume spring drills next week leading up to the annual Spring Game Saturday, April 16 at 5 p.m.

Boise State Wins Seventh National Championship

The Boise State debate and speech team has won its second national championship in the last six years, as the Broncos are coming home with hardware from the Pi Kappa Delta National Championship Tournament in Portland, Oregon.

These championships seem to be coming in pairs--the teams that have won championships have won more than one.  The football team has won two (one each in junior college and I-AA), the cheerleaders have won three national championships and now the debate team has won two national titles. 

Boise State's intellect and debating skills were in top form as the Broncos beat Oregon State, Michigan, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Arkansas and dozens of other schools in head-to-head competition on an even playing field.   In addition to the two National Championships, the Talkin' Broncos have also captured two runner-up trophies.

This win was not the result of a few good performances.  Throughout the competition, the Bronco team was at the top of the standings in each individual segment.  Nowhere was this more demonstrated than in the Impromptu Speaking, Extemporaneous Speaking and Informative Speaking categories in which Boise State dominated the podium.  The Boise State student group received one Superior Award (Jon Agnew) and six Excellent Awards (Taylor Bruun, Debra Groberg, Sam Pagano, Mallory Pouraghi, freshman Cassandra Sullivan and sophomore Josh Watkins) in Impromptu Speaking.  Two Broncos (Agnew and Mike Fitzgerald) were honored with Superior Awards and two more (Pagano and Sullivan) captured Excellent honors in Extemporaneous Speaking.  In Informative Speaking, Josh Watkins was Superior, while Monica Cutler, junior Sabonn Dammarell, Debra Groberg and Cassandra Sullivan all received Excellent marks from the Championship judges. 

Groberg also received a Superior mark in Dramatic Interpretation.  Sam Pagano received Superior marks in Poetry, Discussion and Oral Interpretation.  Sadonn Dammerell was judged Excellent in After Dinner Speaking and To Honor Immigrants and Superior in Prose.  Watkins also received an Excellent grading from the judges in Dramatic Interpretation and another Excellent Award in Persuasive Speaking.  Mallory Douraghi won an Excellent Award in the category To Honor Immigrants.  Lauren Bramwell received an Excellent Award in Oral Interpretation.  Fitzgerald received an Excellent Award in Persuasive Speaking.  Jessica Gresl was given Excellent in both Prose and Broadcast Journalism.  Ben Larsen captured Superior Awards in both Prose and Oral Interpretation and an Excellent mark in Communication Analysis.  Jon Agnew was judged Superior in the Editorial Impromptu category.  Taylor Bruun won an Excellent Award in Persuasive Speaking.  Taylor Brook also received Superior in Editorial Impromptu and Howie Long captured an Excellent trophy in Broadcast Journalism. 

Watkins and Larsen received an Excellent Award in the Dramatic Duo competition.  Lauren Bramwell and Tanya Medukha received Excellent Awards in the NPDA competition and Taylor Bruun and John Agnew were awarded Excellent trophies in the Open competition. 



They Are the Champions!!!!!!

I give my highest salute to this group of Broncos--super job!

Well-Deserved Award for Bridges

Boise State freshman sensation Devon Bridges has been named the Western Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week, the league office announced yesterday.

Bridges blasted four home runs over the weekend and knocked in 10 in a three-game sweet of Nevada.  Bridges hit .714 (5-7) with an .800 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of 2.429.  Bridges set school records of six RBI's in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader and two grand slams in a season, hitting her second of the year in that game.



And the season is barely getting started.








Bridges now has eight homers on the year and leads the Broncos with 30 RBI's.  Boise State plays seven road games this week.

Geraldo Hiwat Poised for Banner Year

You've all heard the phrase "The game is slowing down for ________."

The college game (especially at Boise State's level) is played at a fast pace and the difference from high school is considerable.  Once players put in the work, study the plays and study the film, the awareness hits them.  That appears to be the case this spring for Boise State wide receiver Geraldo Hiwat.  Consider that the learning curve for a guy who just started football in high school in the Netherlands is pretty steep and one would have to say he's made considerable progress. 

Hiwat has both the size (6-4, 200) and the speed (timed at 4.57 in the Netherlands and he's faster now); the raw package the Broncos got when he committed to Boise State had tremendous upside.  It seemed like a match made in heaven--Geraldo wanted to learn and he had some of the best teachers in the game in the Bronco coaches.  Now, word out of Boise State spring camp is that Hiwat is running the routes, making the cuts, and using his body the way the coaches want him to.  This is extremely good news for Boise State's prospects this fall.  If Hiwat and a few other receivers (Aaron Burks, Kirby Moore and Matt Miller to name a few) can close the gap between them and departing seniors Titus Young and Austin Pettis, it would certainly take pressure off of Doug Martin and the Bronco ground game.