Softball: What the UNO wins mean

If you were at the softball games this past week, you saw a different team then what anyone has seen in the last couple of years. Somehow, someway, USD was able to sweep the 11th ranked team in the nation in Nebraska-Omaha. Then on Thursday, the Coyotes were able to take one out of two against Augustana.

This isn’t normal for the Coyote softball team. After the volleyball team went on their run this year, it made the softball program the lowest of the low for all of the programs. This year wasn’t off to a great start for interim head coach’s Amy Klyse. If she wanted to prove she is the person for the job now was the time.

The team then showed some life at the right time. They beat UNO 2-1 and 5-3 for their first sweep ever against the Mavericks. Then the team came back from five runs down to take the first game against Augie. Granted Augie held off a late USD comeback to win the second game.

The three wins this week gave the Coyotes a 6-6 record in conference play. I couldn’t find the last time the Coyotes were .500 in the conference. The stats only go back to 1999 by the way. The wins also locked up a third place finish for the Coyotes. THIRD PLACE! If you have seen this team over the past couple of years, that comes as a surprise.

This sets the Coyotes up for a good seed in the NCC tournament. The wins over UNO also puts the NCC on notice that the Coyotes might be putting it together and have found the confidence to win the tight games against good to great teams.

The pitching for the Coyotes is very solid. Sophomore Brittany Donohue has been downright nasty and shut down UNO on Tuesday, and freshman Courtney Heim is developing into a solid pitcher. Mel Johnson and Tagney Jones have also thrown quality innings. What team in the conference can match the depth the Coyotes have? Basically, none.

The problem for the Coyotes has been their offense, but they have started to right the ship a bit. Before the four games this week, the Coyotes had a .215 average AS A TEAM. Minnesota Twins fans call that Nick Punto-ish. But in four games this week, the team is now batting .225. Yeah, it doesn’t looks stylish, but they raised the team average ten points in a week. I will take the improvement and the team will as well.

Tagney Jones and Krystal Kirwan have been the constants of the Coyote lineup for the last couple of years, and this year is no different. After a slow start, Abby Poulter is hitting well as well. Other players who have stepped up are Shara Thompson, Mel Johnson, Donohue, and Jasey Goedeken. They will all have to continue to hit to have a shot at the NCC championship.

With the Coyotes new found confidence, it will be interesting to see what they can do in the upcoming NCC tournament. This run is coming at the perfect time, not only for the team, but for coach Klyse to show she is the right person for the job. Stay tuned, an interesting weekend ahead for this team in the future.

——–Justin Rust

Athlete(s) of the Year Chatter

It’s that time of the year.

Time to select The Volante Male and Female Athlete of the Year.

Although voting ends tomorrow, you have time to vote for the male (here) and female (here) winners.

Let me tell you, narrowing the final list down to five nominees was as hard as it’s been in my four years at USD. With each year and each list (male vs female), there are always 1-2 obvious choices. But this year, you have worthy selections on both sides.

For the male, you have a national champion (Terry Liggins), the nation’s leading rusher (Amos Allen) and the USD leader in career receptions (Brooks Little). Plus, you’ve got Dylan Grimsley and Scott Hargens — both worthy choices.

For the female, the list is STACKED. In it, you’ve got two national champions (Emma Erickson and Jill Smolczyk), a player from a national runner-up (Jeana Hoffman), one of the best distance runners in the country (Ramsey Kavan), and a worthy volleyball selection (Amber Kobus).

The two winners will be profiled in next week’s issue of The Volante.

Get online, make your pick and see who wins.

— Jeremy Hoeck

Backup QB position

Who will be the back up behind Noah Sheppard and why is it important? Well, it is important because if the starter goes down with an injury, you want to know you have a backup you can trust until the starter is healthy. That statement is true at any level.

Redshirt freshman Tyler Robinson and Dante Warren are locked in the battle, with Jake Breske assuming the fourth string role. Both QB’s have yet to distinguish themselves from each other. Robinson had the chance after Warren threw the pick, but then Robinson threw a pick on his own. Neither QB has been overly impressive, but it is also just the spring game. Robinson was the second string QB last year and Warren was named the USD Scout Team player of the year. One advantage Warren clearly has over Robinson is his ability to use his legs. A few times tonight, Warren has escaped the rush and ran for the first down. Robinson has the experience over Warren in that category. I will give the edge to Robinson, but I would be comfortable with either one, which makes the depth chart look a little better.

Well, that is the end of the spring game, the offense won 34-28. The offense scored late on a great fade route by freshman Dustin Nowotny. Sheppard threaded the ball in to Nowotny with an impressive throw. Sheppard put the ball in exactly the right spot as two backs were right next by Nowotny. Nowotny also made an outstanding catch and held onto the ball and was able to stay in bounds. I think Nowotny could be a star next year.

Well, that wraps it up for the spring game. Have a great weekend.

——–Justin Rust

Is Gold digger appropriate Dome music?

The song “Gold digger” by Kanye West was just playing, and with families at the Dome, is it appropriate? Along with most of the rap played? Personally, I don’t mind and I enjoy the song, but the thought crossed my mind.

All of the coaches are wearing a beige colored button down shirt or windbreaker. I don’t know who started the trend for the coaches, but it’s very bland. If you look at them too long, you might just fall asleep.

Mychal Bogan intercepted a deep pass from red-shirt freshman Dante Warren. Bogan has stood-out during spring camp and has earned the starting corner job over senior T.J. Simmons. Simmons should be the incumbent, but Bogan has played so well, he has earned it. It played the deep ball tight with receiver Dominic Artis. The ball was under thrown, but Bogan made the adjustment to it. He has played well most of the night.

The score is now 24-17 offense. Make that 24-23 after a Justin Harper interception.

———Justin Rust

The creation of South Saskatchewan

The newspaper guys were just talking about North Dakota and made some comments about them. I am sure this one is going to come back to bite me someday, but someone said if Canada did take over North Dakota, what would they be called? Well, they came up with South Saskatchewan would be the new name. You heard it here first folks. Granted North Dakota is south of Manitoba…..

Anyways, it seems like the tight ends will see more receptions in Gordon Shaw’s offense. Brandon White has two receptions in the spring game and Mitch Mohr has two as well. Mohr had two receptions all of last year, and White only had one. The tight ends combined for nine receptions all of last year with one touchdown. Shaw was able to get his tight ends involved in the offense at Minnesota. Their first priority is blocking, but they were always reliable in the passing game.

When I talked to Shaw today, he said if he was at Minnesota still, he would’ve recruited London Landry and Mohr to play for the Golden Gophers. That is high praise from a guy who knows that position well. It will be interesting to see how that successful the tight ends will be in the upcoming year.

By the way, I interviewed Shaw on 91.1, the local radio station. It was on Sports Weekly, a weekly show I do on Fridays from 12-2 with Drew Quandt. Many of the Volante reporters have contributed as well. Yes, I know, shameless plug, but hey, advertising isn’t cheap nowadays.

————–Justin Rust

Halftime at the Dome

Yes, the spring game has a halftime.

Quick thought from the first “half” of action.

The battle for the number one running back is between sophomore Matt Lee and redshirt freshman Chris Ganious. Both have looked impressive in practice, and both have had their moments in the spring game. Lee looks like he has the edge though with his touchdown run. But in the Coyotes system, they need to have two running backs. Last year it was Allen and Lee. Last year, Lee looked good as the backup and ready to take on the starting role. Ganious ripped up the scout team last year and should be a solid contributor for the rest of his Coyote career.

Halftime just ended and the offense is still up 21-9.

——–Justin Rust

Scoring for the Spring Game

I should have led off with this, but oh well. The scoring system is different in the spring game than in a regular game. Here is the run-down:

Defensive Stop-2 points

Turnover- 6 points

First Down- 1 point

Field Goal- 3 points

Touchdown- 6 points

That is the scoring summary. The second string offense just scored a touchdown, as Matt Lee broke an 11 yard run. Lee ran right where the center and right guard are suppose to be, but they cleared the hole so well, I think a full-sized truck could’ve gone through it. Impressive job by the new offensive line. Lee hasn’t had the most room to run tonight, but has found a few holes. Lee has the speed Meierkort likes, and the size of Amos Allen and Stephan Logan. I am going to say Lee gets 1,000 yards this upcoming season, but really, in this offense, it is very hard not to get 1,000 yards if you are the starting tailback.

This one is for Chuck Baldwin, our adviser at the Volante, as his son Josh Baldwin just ran for a yard on first down. Hope you appreciate that one Chuck!

The offense leads 19-8 as the third-string offense is on the field now.

USD Football Spring Game

The game is underway and the offense leads the defense 3-2, they were down 2-0 though so they have started to find a rhythm. It is their first trip inside the red zone for the spring game.

One person who has caught my eye, and many around me, is sophomore defensive end Abe Booker. Booker has impressed coach Ed Meierkort throughout the spring. He continues to do the same here as he has used his speed to get around right tackle Josh Shorley. Booker has very good speed considering his size. He is 6-3, 253 pounds. The team will look to him to get to the quarterback since they lost last years sack leader John Morales. Zach Johnson also contributed eight sacks as well to the defensive line. If Booker can use his combination of size and speed, then expect 10-15 sacks out of him next year.

The offense scored a field goal, and they are up 8-7.

—-Justin Rust

2008 USD football schedule announced

While it comes with the tag line that every game is subject to change, the Coyotes released the 2008 football schedule.

It features 11 games, including five at home, all against NAIA opponent. The six road games see the Coyotes face five D-I Football Championship Subdivision schools.

The Coyotes will open the Division I era Aug. 30 at 7 p.m in the DakotaDome against NAIA St. Ambrose.

The Coyotes then travel to former North Central Conference and D-I FCS established Northern Iowa. That game is scheduled to get underway Sept. 6 at 4:05 p.m. in the UNI Dome.

USD stays on the road as they travel to Hammond, La., to take on Southeast Louisiana at 6 p.m. The Lions are a Southland Conference member with the campus located 45 miles away from Louisiana’s flagship university LSU.

The Coyotes return Sept. 20 to take on NAIA member Culver-Stockton at 2 p.m.

Then USD hits the road again as they travel to Montana State; another solid D-I FCS school. That game is scheduled for 1:05 MST on Sept. 27.

USD then faces Great West Conference foe Cal Poly at 6:05 PST Oct. 4. The Coyotes will open play in its new league at San Louis Obispo, Calif.

The Coyotes return from that trip to host Missouri S&T in the Dome at 2 p.m. Missouri S&T is a member of the Mid-American Intercollegiate Conference, which is the same league traditional D-II power Northwest Missouri State competes in.

USD then travels to Tigerville, S.C., to take on North Greenville. NGU is a D-II school that competes in the National Christian College Athletics Association.

The Coyotes then host Southern Oregon in the Dome at 2 p.m. The Raiders are another NAIA opponent.

USD then hits the road to face Southern Utah Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. MST. The Thunderbirds are a Great West Conference member.

The Coyotes end the season Nov. 22 against former NCC foe and rival North Dakota at 2 p.m. in the Dome.

Its not really the greatest schedule, but that’s life of a school in transition from D-II to D-IAA. I’m sure there are some short of agreements with some of the D-IAA teams to return to the Dome.

Check back with this blog for comments from head coach Ed Meierkort and players on what their thoughts are on the schedule.

– Vance Janak

Lamppa Heads For The Pac-10

And who can blame him?

If you’re a coach in his position, if you were offered a job with a close friend at a Division I school with significantly better facilities, more job security (not to mention a nice pay increase), wouldn’t you do the same thing?

Yeah, you would. Just as Brian Lamppa did Tuesday, resigning his position as head volleyball coach at USD to take the associate head coaching gig at Washington State.

I understand that his announcement came as a shock to his Coyote team. And understandably so. The Coyotes had an amazing season last year, and return six seniors for next year’s team.

Lamppa heads to the Pacific Northwest alongside former SDSU volleyball coach Andrew Palileo, who took the head job at Washington State.

The two are close friends and have similar visions for coaching and for the game itself.

“We share a lot of the same common beliefs and values,” Lamppa told The Volante this week. “We have found we have quite the bond and connection and that is something that takes time to develop. I am honored and humbled he (Palileo) chose me to be on his staff.”

Yeah, it wasn’t the best time for the move – for the Coyotes – but keep this mind: Lamppa did what many of us would have done in the same situation.

Coaches want to challenge themselves, and by going to WSU (which was 10-22 and 1-17 in the Pac-10 last year) Lamppa has a significant challenge.

We should all wish him the best of luck out there.

— Jeremy Hoeck