It was not a part of Jackson Vaughn’s agenda when he suffered a career-ending injury during his freshman year at Linfield College while playing for the football team. Because of his injury, he gained early exposure to coaching, and although he did not realize it at the time, it marked the beginning to a successful coaching career here at Linfield.

Vaughn, head coach of the softball team and assistant coach of the football team, has just finished his 17th year as the defensive coordinator for the football team, and his 12th year as the head coach for the softball program.

“I have a lot of ties, history and memories involving all of the teams in our conference,” Vaughn said. “Conference has not changed too much, and many teams have come and gone through the years. As a coach, I have realized the benefits of building a stable program.”

In his senior year, Jackson was finishing up his accounting degree. He had never considered teaching and coaching to be a possible career for him. However, after completing several job interviews, Vaughn realized that sitting behind a desk all day would not be his ideal career. He then returned to Linfield in the fall for a fifth year to earn his degree in education. Luckily, he had taken education as a backup and had enough courses to finish in one year.

Vaughn assumed he would work as a teacher and coach at the high school level right out of college. At the same time that he was looking for a job, an opening at Linfield was made available, and Jackson took advantage of the opportunity.

“I enjoy the interaction with players and the opportunity to teach and help athletes on a day to day basis,” Vaughn said. “Jobs in the office are just not as much fun.”

Vaughn enjoys working with athletes at the college level because he is impressed with their ability to balance schoolwork and athletics.

“The two sports I coach have been competitive at the national level,” he said. “It takes a lot of hard work to get there, while still trying to maintain somewhat of a social life.”

He urges athletes, especially those who participate in spring sports to take some time off when summer rolls around.

“It is important to let the body recover,” Vaughn said. “I want my athletes to go do something fun now that school is out. Celebrate and relax. By mid-june it will be time to get back into working out. Athletes only have a four year span to maximize their talent and athletic careers. It is important to remember this during the off season.”

Sarah Mason

Features editor

Sarah Mason can be reached at

linfieldreviewfeatures@gmail.com.

No. 14 Southern Maine Huskies  

(42-8, 12-2)

Location: Gotham, Maine

How They Got Here: Won Little East Conference, Won ECAC Region

Hitter to Watch: Senior Tucker White (.411/.519/.732, 73 runs, 10 HR, 35 stolen bases)

Pitcher to Watch: Junior Logan Carman (12-0, 1.62 ERA, 3 CG)

No. 7 Ithaca Bombers 

(38-6, 10-1)

Location: Ithaca, N.Y.

How They Got Here: Won Empire 8 Conference, Won Ithaca Region

Hitter to Watch: Junior Tim Locastro (.424,.539,.625, 65 runs, 2 HR, 36 stolen bases)

Pitcher to Watch: Senior Pat Lemmo (11-0, 1.44 ERA, 5 CG, 66 strikeouts)

No. 16 Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers (39-9, 19-5)

Location: Stevens Point, Wis.

How They Got Here: Finished second in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Won Whitewater Region

Hitter to Watch: Senior Ryan Schilter (.376/.443/.605, 9 HR, 48 RBI, 21 stolen bases)

Pitcher to Watch: Senior Jacob Herbst (9-1, 2.78 ERA, 70 strikeouts)

No. 10 Kean Cougars
(38-11, 14-4)

Location: Union N.J.

How They Got Here: Won Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, Won Rose-Hulman Region

Hitter to Watch: Senior Corey Marchant (.373/.507/.586, 54 runs, 5 HR, 56 RBI)

Pitcher to Watch: Senior Justin Scott (9-1, 2.15 ERA, 3 CG)

Millsaps Majors 

(38-12, 17-4)

Location: Jackson, Minn.

How They Got Here: Won Little East Conference, Won ECAC Region

Hitter to Watch: Senior Tucker White (.411/.519/.732, 73 runs, 10 HR, 35 stolen bases)

Pitcher to Watch: Junior Logan Carman (12-0, 1.62 ERA, 3 CG)

No. 9 Manchester Spartans
(39-5-1, 22-3)

Location: North Manchester, Ind.

How They Got Here: Won Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, Won Rose-Hulman Region

Hitter to Watch: Senior Corey Marchant (.373/.507/.586, 54 runs, 5 HR, 56 RBI)

Pitcher to Watch: Senior Justin Scott (9-1, 2.15 ERA, 3 CG)

No. 12 Webster Gorloks 

(36-10, 20-1)

Location: St. Louis, MO.

How they got here: Won St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Won Augustana Region

Hitter to Watch: Senior Cody Stevenson (.317/.449/.428, 47 runs, 31 stolen bases)

Pitcher to Watch: Senior Steven Dooley (10-2, 2.23 ERA, 68 strikeouts)

~Complied by Tyler Bradley/Sports columnist

Heat, wind, lightning, rain and some Texas barbecue. We were able to experience a little bit of everything in our trip to Austin, Texas.

After thunderstorms our first night, a heat wave set in, bringing record highs to the Austin area. Temperatures soared, reaching 97 degrees. And if it wasn’t hot enough, we were playing on an all-synthetic turf field, which increases temperatures even more. The heat came as a blessing first, followed by exhausted players.

The scene at Tornado Field at Concordia University-Texas could only be described as nail biting. All our games, aside from Pomona-PitzerCollege, were decided by two runs or less.

The suspense built up each day, culminating in a winner take all championship showdown against Trinity University-Texas.

Just as the previous games, it was a pitchers duel, but we felt confident. Trinity hit a bomb in the second inning, but we responded with a walk, a hit batter and a balk.  As I entered the game, I was confident. I had already thrown 10 plus innings, but my arm felt fine and I had yet to surrender a run.

I was living dangerously through out my outing, allowing a batter to reach base every inning. The defense behind me was strong as usual, turning two double plays in the process.

We finally broke the game open in the sixth, stringing together four hits and scoring two runs.

At that point I was sure we were going to win. We were playing good baseball and although runners were reaching base, there were no true scoring opportunities.

The top of the ninth was the closest Trinity came to scoring again. After a one out single, the next to batters both flew out to deep left. With a strong wind blowing to left field, both balls looked to have the potential to leave the park. Neither did.

As the ball was caught all sorts of emotions were running through my mind. Relief, excitement and pure joy were all there. Before I could even process what had happened my teammates hit me. Everyone was on top of me, aside from senior Kyle Chamberlain, who was lying underneath me.

There was no better way to end the day.

Chris Haddeland/ For the Review

Game 1: Linfield – 2 vs. Texas Lutheran – 0

Sophomore Chris Haddeland (12-1, 1.06 ERA) started the opening game of the regional and threw his second shutout of the season (seventh complete game) en route to a 2-0 Linfield victory. It may have been his most dominant outing of the year—he gave up just two hits while striking out nine on 112 pitches.

The ‘Cats were hit with an injury to All-NWC first team outfielder, junior Jake Wiley, in the first inning. After driving in the first run of the game with an RBI single, Wiley was thrown out while attempting to steal second on a hit-and-run play, and sprained his right ankle during the slide. Wylie was helped off the field and was replaced by senior Kenny Johnson.

Wiley’s RBI single and an RBI double from senior Jordan Harlow in the second inning were the only runs the ‘Cats could push across for Haddeland, but it was all he needed.

Game 2: Linfield – 8 vs. Pomona-Pitzer – 3

A big offensive contribution from senior Michael Hopp off the bench in replace of Wiley, as well as another stellar game from junior Tim Wilson buoyed a nice outing from Aaron Thomassen and gave the ‘Cats an victory.

With Wiley unable to play because of his sprained right ankle, Hopp played second base while Wilson moved into Wiley’s left field spot. Hopp went 3-5 at the plate with two RBI.

Thomassen (12-1, 2.65 ERA) allowed seven base runners and two earned runs in his first three innings, but settled down for his final four innings to pick up the victory.

“The first couple innings were more of a struggle with the heat. Making the adjustment to 90 degrees and high humidity can be pretty difficult. Eventually I got into a rhythm and used a faster pace to get myself out of the heat,” Thomassen said.

He ended with a line of seven innings and seven strikeouts, and gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits and four walks on 121 pitches.

Wilson reached base in four of his five plate appearances, driving in two RBI and scoring a run. Junior Nick Fisher launched a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning. It was his fifth home run of the season.

Game 3: Linfield – 4 vs. Trinity – 3

The No. 1 ranked ‘Cats emerged victorious against the No. 6 ranked Trinity  University Tigers behind solid pitching—including a surprise save for Haddeland on one day rest—and a four run first inning, highlighted by a three run bomb from Fisher.

Linfield began the game with three straight hits. Wilson and sophomore Corey VanDomelen singled and then scored on Fisher’s second home run of the regional tournament (his sixth of the season). The ‘Cats would pick up their final run of the inning—and the game—on a bases loaded walk by Hopp. Wylie remained out of the lineup with a sprained right ankle.

The Trinity starting pitcher only recorded one out in the first inning before being replaced, but Trinity freshman Michael Walker entered in relief and pitched the remaining 7 2/3 innings without giving up a run.

Junior Zach Brandon (8-2, 3.09) pitched 5 1/3 innings effective innings and had to pitch out of jams caused by three errors — two from VanDomelen and one from Hopp.

Junior Justin Huckins pitched in relief and struck out one before handing the ball over to Haddeland for the final 1 1/3.

Haddeland had thrown a complete game just two days before, but the decision to send him out there was as much his own as the Brosius.’

“If we won this game we were in the drivers seat, so taking care of business was super important. I was ready to go so they put me in,” Haddeland said.

Game 4: Trinity – 3 vs. Linfield – 2

Despite an inside-the-park home run by Wilson and Wylie’s return to the lineup as the designated hitter, the ‘Cats could not eliminate the Tigers and move on to Appleton in this game.

With fresh arms at a premium, the ‘Cats sent sophomore Joseph Stevick to the hill to make just his second start of the season. Before the game, Stevick did not even know he would be starting.

“I was really excited when I was told that I would be the one to start the game,” Stevick said.

He responded with a quality start, and said he attacked the hitters with a lot of fastballs low in the zone while mixing in off-speed pitches for big pitches.

Unfortunately for Stevick, Linfield’s offense could only muster nine baserunners and two runs on the day. Fisher drove in Wilson with an RBI single in the sixth inning and Wylie singled right after, but a key and uncharacteristic double play off the bat of junior Kramer Lindell ended the inning.

“I felt pretty badly for my teammates that I waited until the regional tournament to ground into double plays,” Lindell said.

The only other Linfield run came in a strange play in the eighth inning. On a 1-0 pitch, Wilson drove a pitch to the deep center field wall that appeared to be caught. The ball actually dropped out of the glove of the center fielder and Wilson sped around the bases for the inside-the-park home run.

The ninth inning saw the ‘Cats put Lindell and senior Kyle Chamberlain on base, but Johnson struck out looking to end the game.

Game 5: Linfield – 3 vs. Trinity – 1

On the brink of elimination, another relief appearance by Haddeland, and some key hits with runners in scoring position from the offense propelled the team to the victory, and punched their ticket to Appleton, Wisc.

Linfield handed the ball to Huckins—the NWC leader in saves—to make his first start of the season, and he went 3 1/3 innings and allowed just one run—a solo shot by Trinity center fielder, junior Pat Hirschberg, in the second inning.

In a role reversal with Huckins, Haddeland (13-1, 0.99 ERA) entered in relief and went the rest of the way. Just like his previous outings during the week, he gave up zero runs.

His outing was also met with a 20-minute delay on the field after a disputed call ended the seventh inning. The umpires called Wilson out after the ball hit him while he was running to second base. Linfield manager Scott Brosius protested the call, but dropped the protest so that Haddeland’s arm did not get cold.

Haddeland was undeterred, and he finished the final two innings.

The ‘Cats responded to Hirschberg’s home run in the bottom half of the second inning. Lindell walked and Truex was hit by a pitch. They then moved to second and third base on a balk. Harlow then grounded out to second base to score Lindell.

In the sixth inning, the hobbled Wylie stepped to the plate with two runners on, and after fouling off a few pitches, he lined a 3-2 pitch to left field for an RBI single. Truex would smoke a line drive to center field to drive in Fisher for the third and final Linfield run of the game two batters later.

A large celebratory dogpile occurred on the pitchers mound after the final out. There was much rejoicing.

Tyler Bradley /Sports columnist

Tyler Bradley can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Sophomore Chris Haddeland was awarded with Most Outstanding Player at the Division III West Regional Baseball Tournament on May 18.
Photo courtesy of Kat Moreno

As the pitcher waits patiently for the catcher’s call, he focuses himself on the pitch while he throws the last pitch of the game. As the team runs out, he sends his glove straight into the air as they pile themselves on top of him.

Sophomore Chris Haddeland was awarded with Most Outstanding Player at the Division III West Regional Baseball Tournament.

“I think of it as a team award,” Haddeland said. “They helped me earn those two wins that we needed.”

Since second grade, he knew that he wanted to be a pitcher after spending the previous two years playing in the McMinnville Parks and Recreation League.

“I wanted to be a pitcher because they get to touch the ball the most, and the game is essentially in their hands,” Haddeland said.

While playing at McMinnville High School, he earned first team all-state honors and played in the all-star series.

Last season, Haddeland was not in the starting rotation, with only a select few opportunities to spot start. He now has the first spot in each series.

“It’s pretty neat to know when you are going to throw exactly,” Haddeland said. “The circumstances are different for regional and national tournaments, meaning I can throw at any point.”

Over the course of the tournament, Haddeland made one start and had two relief appearances. He pitched 16 scoreless innings, had 12 strikeouts and no walks.

Spending a lot time on the mound puts a lot of stress on a pitcher’s arm and shoulder. Haddeland had to spend a lot of time after games icing them to get ready for his next appearance on the mound. Athletic trainer Greg Hill stood as Haddeland’s go-to person following playing in the tournament.

“He did a good job this weekend icing us up and keeping us healthy,” Haddeland said.

His pitching choices include a fastball, curveball, slider and change-up.

“I use all of them when I am in a jam, especially my breaking ball,” Haddeland said.

This was Haddeland’s first time at the regional tournament and it made him more eager to participate in the post-season festivities.

“Going to the regional tournament was one of our main goals,” Haddeland said. “No one score more than four runs besides Linfield against Pomona-Pitzer. It was pretty exciting.”

Haddeland also was selected as Northwest Conference’s Pitcher of the Year and first team all-conference.

He has the most individual wins in the division and has the ninth lowest earned run average. Haddeland’s ERA is currently .99 with a 13-1 record. Throughout the season, he has pitched seven complete games for the Wildcats, all of which were victories.

Sitting in the stands during a majority of the series, including the regional tournament, are Haddeland’s parents.

“They have come to every series of mine,” Haddeland said. “It’s great to have my parents at games.”

Haddeland will next be pitching at the Division III World Series May 24-28 in Appleton, Wis.

“I am looking forward to us playing in the national tournament,” Haddeland said. “We are going to be competing against a lot of teams with depth. It’s going to be interesting to compare ourselves to top teams in the nation.”

Ivanna Tucker

Sports editor

Ivanna Tucker can be reached at

linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

The team makes a dogpile to celebrate winning the West Regional title in Austin, Texas. The Wildcats beat Tritnity University in the championship game 3-1, advancing to the Division III World Series. The Wildcats will face Ithaca College on May 24 in Appleton, Wis.
Photo courtesy of Kat Moreno

Linfield Junior Tim Wilson settled under a fly ball coming down from the Texas sky once again, and he let the ball land in his glove.

Linfield fans everywhere could finally exhale. The ‘Cats did it.

Wilson’s catch was out number three in the bottom of the ninth of a 3-1 victory against the Trinity University (Texas) Tigers. The Linfield Wildcats baseball team is now going to the Division III College World Series in Appleton, Wis.

The celebration was, as junior Kramer Lindell described it, “pure elation.”

“It feels absolutely amazing. I don’t even know if it has sunk in to be honest,” Lindell said.

Senior Michael Hopp said, “When I saw Timmy making the catch, I just threw my hands up and ran to the dogpile.”

“I got smacked by all the players,” sophomore Chris Haddeland said, who was at the bottom of the dogpile.

Haddeland pitched the final 5 2/3 innings of the 3-1 victory. He gave up zero runs on five hits and struck out three. Because of his effort, he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Austin Regional.

He also threw a complete game two-hit shutout on May 15, and picked up the save in 1 1/3 innings of a 4-3 win May 17 against Trinity. In total, he pitched 16 innings. He gave up seven hits. He walked zero hitters and struck out 12. He did not give up a run.

“I’m happy we have the opportunity to go to Wisconsin…it is a cool award, but a lot of the credit goes to my defense. We definitely wouldn’t be in the position we are right now without the defense,” Haddeland said.

That defense, especially the outfield, had to deal with temperatures in the ’90s and a strong wind blowing out to left field. Sophomore Aaron Thomassen, the winning pitcher against Pomona-Pitzer earlier in the week, acknowledged that the wind was a problem all week, and so did Wilson and outfielders Lindell and junior Nick Fisher.

“It took right field out of play essentially…I just had to rely on good jumps and focus on getting way behind the ball. Fortunately, running down fly balls is one of my favorite things to do,” Lindell said.

Before Wilson made the final out, he had to make another catch at the wall, and in the game before—a 3-2 Linfield loss to Trinity—he was helped on the offensive side by the wind for an inside-the-park home run.

“I knew that I struck the ball well on contact and having the wind blowing out would make it a difficult play for their center fielder. I saw him catch it, so I slowed down a bit, but then I saw the ball come free as he hit the wall and it was off to the races from there. That was my first inside-the-park home run,” Wilson said.

“The wind was something we paid attention to all weekend. It was very stiff,” Fisher said.

Fisher also hit two home runs this week after moving up to third in the lineup. This move was necessitated after junior Jake Wylie suffered a sprained ankle in the first game of the tournament.

Wylie, of course, led the team in RBI this year and was third in batting average. A loss like this was handled with a resilient team effort for the next two games—an 8-3 win against Pomona-Pitzer and a 4-3 win against Trinity.

Wylie’s replacement in the lineup was Hopp. Wilson moved to left field and Hopp took over second.

“When [Wylie] first got hurt, I was getting my mind in the right spot…I was ready to step up and help my team…win. Usually it’s my defense that helps the team. Fortunately, my bat came to the plate this weekend,” Hopp said.

Against Pomona-Pitzer, Hopp went 3-5 with two RBI. In the 4-3 win against Trinity, he went 2-3 with an RBI. When the tournament was finished, Hopp was named to the All-Tournament team.

“From being a guy off the bench to become a member of the All-Tournament team is surreal for me. I’m glad the voters recognized me for a good weekend,” Hopp said.

Hopp joined Wilson, Haddeland, Thomassen and Fisher on the All-Tournament team.

Hopp was joined by other unsung contributors such as Joe Stevick, who made a quality start in just his second start of the season.

Don’t forget junior Justin Huckins, who made his first start of the season in the final game against Trinity before handing the ball to Haddeland.

And, of course, this team would not be as successful without sure-handed senior third baseman Jordan Harlow and senior catcher  Kyle Chamberlain, who caught every inning this week except for the first six of the 3-1 win.

Those six innings were caught by freshman Kruze Mingus, who did not get to play much at all this year until this game.

“We stayed very confident even after the game one loss. We have yet to lose to a team twice this year, so we knew that Trinity had to play its best game for a chance to beat us,” said Wilson.

Every player stepped up in some way, so despite losing the first game of the day 3-2, the Wildcats showed resilience and responded against a team that many of the players said had the deepest pitching staff they had faced all year.

Resilience is great, but it is often spawned by unfortunate events, and without Wylie’s injury, Hopp may not have been in the lineup. But Wylie did return for the final two games of the tournament, and he announced his presence with the go-ahead RBI single in the 3-1 win.

Wylie said, “In an important game like that, you just have to block the pain.”

When asked about what he will be doing to heal this week, he laughed and said, “Lots of ice. I should be able to sprint on it pretty soon.”

Speaking of ice, Haddeland may need some for his arm. It was clear that he had lower velocity during the 3-1 win, but he said he will be ready to go by the first game on Friday against Ithaca College.

Wilson, who was on the wildcat team that lost in the Texas regional two years ago, said, “it felt like we took care of some unfinished business that we left in Texas two years ago.”

They took care of business in Austin. Now they have business in Appleton. Just like Wylie hopes to sprint, this Wildcat team is excited for Appleton and they hope to win it all. The catch by Wilson was another event in what has been an amazing season.

So amazing in fact, that sophomore shortstop Corey VanDomelen said he “didn’t want to fall asleep because there is nothing that could make me any happier right at this moment. It’s pure joy.”

Well, there is one thing that could possibly be more amazing, and it is a Division III College World Series Championship.

Tyler Bradley/Sports Columnist

Tyler Bradley can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com

The softball team had 12 members receive conference honors for this season.

Senior third baseman Karleigh Prestianni received Northwest Conference Player of the Year and junior Karina Paavola was selected as NWC
Pitcher of the Year.  They also received first team honors. This is Prestianni’s fourth time being honored as first team.

Paavola was selected three times this season as NWC Pitcher of the Week

Juniors second baseman Ashley Garcia, pitcher Shelby VandeBergh, sophomores outfielders Erin Carson, Grace Middelstadt and utility Lisa Yamamoto were also selected to join Prestianni and Paavola on first team.

This is the second first team honors for Garcia. For Carson, this is her first year starting and being selected for the all-star team.

Sophomores catcher Mckenna Spieth and pitcher Montana McNealy received second team honors.

Honorable mentions went to juniors shortstop Katy Brosig and first baseman Haylie Watson and senior outfielder Megan Wallo.

This is the second mention for Brosig. Watson received second team honors in 2012.

Head coach Jackson Vaughan was selected NWC Coach of the Year for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons.

VandeBergh was also selected to be on the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District 8 Softball Team.

The finance and business major has a 3.86 cumulative grade point average.

Ivanna Tucker/Sports editor

Ivanna Tucker can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Dirt or polyurethane, the surface doesn’t matter for the Wildcats’ distance runner senior Emily Zegar.

Prior to her senior spring semester, Zegar had solely been a cross country runner for the Wildcats.

Improving each year, Zegar qualified for the district meet in the fall of 2012, where the Wildcats placed fourth in the eight-team meet. Zegar finished 54th overall, with a time of 24:49.

“Our women’s team just didn’t pull it together as well as we could have,” Zegar said.

With her success in cross country in the fall, Zegar attempted something she had not done since her days at Sprague High School. She started running track.

“There are differences between the two,” Zegar said. “In cross country you run a set distance. In track, however, there are multiple races to compete in.”

“[A] huge difference between the two, one that I didn’t think I would like, is that in track you know exactly how fast you’re going every lap. You know if you’re speeding up or slowing down and you can compare each week’s race with the past week’s. In cross country, however, every race is different because the terrain and courses are all unique from one another.”

Running the “dead dog” workouts and finishing the optional two miles at the end, the team drives out early in the morning in vans to run up hills of
gravel roads.

“I was so relieved to reach the yellow gate where some of my teammates were cheering me on to finish—it was probably one of the best running highs ever,” Zegar said.

Carrying over her success from the fall, Zegar was able to qualify for the Northwest Conference Championships in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter races.

Zegar saved her best performance for last in the 10,000-meter. The senior ran the race in 41:31.31, setting a new personal record and finishing 17th.

Zegar also set a personal record earlier in the 2013 track season in the 5,000-meter, running a 18:58, breaking her 20-minute goal.

“This year was my break through year. I really discovered how to tap into what drives me as a runner, and grew a lot stronger as an athlete,” Zegar said.

Concluding her athletic career at Linfield, Zegar has a lot to reminisce about.

“I have truly loved being able to be a part of the distance team at Linfield. I’ve created life-long friendships with such hardworking people who I can share the deep bond of running with, Zegar said.

“It has been a lot of hard work and required a lot of commitment, not to mention taxing on my body, but it has definitely been one of the best decisions I have made at Linfield.”

Chris Haddeland/Senior reporter

Chris Haddeland can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Are you having trouble focusing lately?

The weather is lovely, classwork is piling up and you need to squeeze as much fun out of what time is left with your friends.

Unfortunately, Linfield students, our baseball and softball teams are not going to help you focus. Both teams begin regionals in the next week and a half—softball on May 9 and baseball on May 15—and you will not want to look away.

How come? Well, Linfield has two amazing programs. Linfield baseball is number one in the country, while Linfield softball is number six in the country.

Baseball is looking to reach the NCAA tournament, and softball is looking to return to the Division III championship game for the fourth year in a row.

That’s right, the fourth year in a row. This has only happened once in the 31-year history of Division III softball when The College of New Jersey reached the championship game four times from 1982-85. Linfield students, we could possibly witness history being made.

Two of the best pitchers in the country—juniors Karina Paavola (22-2, 1.81 ERA) and Shelby VandeBergh (12-3, 2.12 ERA)—anchor the rotation, while the lineup was by far the best in the NWC, with a slash line of .361/.425/.564. Seniors Karleigh Prestianni, Rachelle Ridout and Megan Wallo could amazingly advance to the finals in every single year of their career. The softball team—and the rest of the Division III softball teams—discovers their fate with the announcement of Regional brackets today.

As for baseball, the team narrowly missed advancing to the NCAA tournament in 2011. The sting still remains for the players who were a part of the team.

“It’s nice to see that all of the hard work…paid off. What would mean more…is making a run at a championship and bringing back some hardware from Texas,” senior Tim Wilson said.

But the baseball team has a good chance to break through the regional barrier this year. With three of the best pitchers on the West Coast—sophomores Chris Haddeland and Aaron Thomassen and junior Zach Brandon—the pitching staff is excellent. Wilson and juniors Jake Wylie, Kramer Lindell and Nick Fisher have raked all year with cartoon-like OPS numbers of 1.057, 1.055, 1.134 and 1.076. Plus, excellent senior leadership and solid play have come from Nate McClellan, Jordan Harlow and Kyle Chamberlain.

Linfield students have been spoiled all year with fantastic baseball and softball. Now, when everyone is busy and trying to remain focused, the teams are rounding third and heading into the home stretch.

Good luck with focusing on everything. These two teams will make it difficult to look away.

Tyler Bradley/Sports columnist

Tyler Bradley can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

His baseball career began in kindergarten when his parents tossed wiffle balls to him, swinging a large plastic bat that was as tall as he was.

Sophomore Aaron Thomassen now sports #42 from the pitcher’s mound for the Linfield baseball team. At a young age, his father told him he could be a good ballplayer if he committed himself and put extra effort in to improve his game.

“Baseball is very different because it is a game where failure occurs more often than success,” Thomassen said. “The game forces me to deal with not always getting my way and has taught me leadership on and off the field. I know my actions can affect others so I’ve learned to tame some of my emotions.”

Thomassen enjoys Linfield baseball because it is a collective effort to succeed. He says baseball does not rely on one person to get the win, and it is a game that is usually won by multiple players.

“At Linfield, baseball is all about the team,” he said. “We know we have talent from the returning players, but we have witnessed that talent does not always win games. We have strong leadership from the upperclassmen and underclassmen who want to compete for positions. The team chemistry this year is unlike any other team I’ve played for. We compete with one another while still having fun, and we all expect to win.”

As a pitcher, Thomassen feels he can control the game and help his team succeed.

“Baseball is a game of momentum,” he said. “If I can control the other team’s momentum, it gives my team a better shot of winning. I’m a pretty high energy guy when I’m pitching, so if I get out of a tough situation, I generally won’t hold back my excitement.”

Thomassen says success never gets old, and he enjoys sharing the team’s accomplishments with his supportive family and friends.

“I’m looking forward to a couple more dog-piles, hopefully,” he said. “Surprisingly, they never get old.”

Aside from his teammates, Thomassen shares his baseball success with friends and family. He shares a unique bond with his grandmother, Joelle, who pays close attention to the team’s stats and conference standings.

This summer he will play baseball for the Fort Collins Foxes in Fort Collins, Colo., in preparation for next season.

“I enjoy playing baseball because their is a feeling unlike any other feeling when you succeed in sports,” Thomassen said. “For me, the sport is baseball, and I have always cherished succeeding with my teammates. Nothing gives me the drive to succeed as much as baseball does.” 

Sarah Mason/Features editor

Sarah Mason can be reached at linfieldreviewfeatures@gmail.com.