Boise Seminoles & Braves: BHS Baseball Player News

Kacy Gardiner was a pitcher and outfielder for the 2008 5A State Champs. Coach Steve Keller is also a former Brave and Seminole: 

Moses Lake Herald-7/9/2009:

Moses Lake starting pitcher Kacy Gardiner threw five innings of no-hit baseball Wednesday night, but Kitsap rallied late for a 2-1 victory at Larson Playfield.

Moses Lake jumped on Kitsap in the bottom of the fourth inning when Peter Estes scored on a sacrifice fly from Nick Fuoco to take a 1-0 lead before Kitsap rallied for two runs in the top of the eighth to claim the victory.

The loss dropped Moses Lake to 2-22 overall while the BlueJackets improved to 9-13. 

Columbia Basin Herald:

Gardiner was superb in 6 1/3 innings of work, allowing just one hit and keeping the BlueJackets scoreless. Despite the strong outing, Gardiner didn’t earn a decision.

Moses Lake head coach Steve Keller said his starter was impressive.

”Kacy Gardiner pitched five innings of no-hit baseball,” he said. “He threw very well.”

Gardiner took a no-hitter into the top of the sixth inning before allowing a Kitsap base hit.

Although the BlueJackets managed to break up Gardiner’s bid for a no-hitter, the right hander remained composed.

“I wasn’t really paying attention (to the no-hitter),” he said. “When I did give up a hit, I wasn’t flustered. I knew I still had the shut out.”

While Gardiner was impressive in the start, he said he couldn’t have pitched well without defensive support.

“I had some good defensive plays behind me,” he said. “Brock (Gates) made some good plays in left (field).”

The Pirates took their 1-0 advantage into the top of the eighth inning before Kitsap rallied.

The BlueJackets took advantage of a bases loaded double to claim the victory, Keller said.

“Walks beat us,” he said. “The walks and one hit. Other than that it was a good game. We had guys on base, e just didn’t get the hit with runners on.”

Moses Lake wraps up their three-game series with Kitsap tonight and Keller said his needs to respond.

“Show up ready to work,” Keller said he told his team after Wednesday night’s loss. “They are a beatable team. We have to get locked in pitch by pitch.”

After returning home to Carson City on Friday night from the Juco World Series,where his Western Nevada Wildcats finished 3rd in the nation, Jeff Barto took the mound Saturday for his summer collegiate team the Nevada Bighorns. Pressed into action, Jeff threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings, helping keep the Bighorns in the game, but his effort was not enough as the Horns fell 8-4 to the Folsom Pioneers.

 In the first game of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Western District Tournament against Northeastern Junior College from Sterling, Colo., Jeff Barto came in to pitch in the 8th inning with runners on 1st and 3rd and one out and got the final two outs. Western Nevada went on to win that game 10-5 and advanced to the first round of the JUCO World Series where their 1st round opponent will be No. 1 Howard of Texas, which is 57-1 on the season.

--M. Polito 

Here is an update on news on recent alumni from the Braves program. 

Northwest Nazarene University – NNU is now 15-31.  Sean McDonald has really come on during the last portion of the season, tearing it up at the plate.  In the latest double header, Sean was 6 for 8.  Over the last 7 games, Sean has hit .481 and led the Crusaders.  Charles Pollock has 10 appearances with a 2-4 record and 5.19 ERA (2^nd on team).  Charles is averaging just less than 1 strikeout per inning.

Creighton University – Bobby Lewis made the decision to redshirt this season.  Bobby will be playing for the Moses Lake Collegiate Summer League team coached by Steve Keller.

Western Nevada College – Jeff Barto continues to perform well with 11 appearances and a 1-0 record in relief.  WNC has clinched the Region 18 championship and now plays in the district tournament. 

Wenatchee Community College – Wenatchee CC are seeded second in the regional tournament.  The Knights dropped 2 to TVCC on Saturday and many local Brave families and friends made the tip to Ontario to watch the games.  Tylor Pavel went 1 for 1 and Kacy Gardiner pitched 2 ^1/3 innings giving up no runs, 2 hits, and 2 BB.    

Tufts University – Jake Crawford has pitched 4 innings for the Jumbos and will be playing for the Seminoles this summer.

Navarro College – Navarro lost a game to Texarkana 11-6 on May 10, 2009 in the Region XIV Tournament, but they remain in contention.    Second baseman Bobby Buckner hit his fourth home run of the season and also had a double.

University of Puget Sound – Puget Sound finished the 2009 season 16-23 overall and 13-18 in Northwest Conference action, seventh overall.  Casey Coberly hit a very good .289 in a DH role this season and will be playing for the Seminoles this summer. 

St. Martin’s University – Marshall Nelson continues to platoon at 3^rd base, playing in 39 games.  Mat Nelson is 1-4 on the mound.

New Mexico State University – NMSU is 39-13 and ranked in the Division I top 25 programs; it looks to have a chance to go to regionals for the Collegiate World Series.   Richard Stout continues to excel, hitting .355 and leading the Aggies with 21 stolen bases.   

Centenary College – Jimmy Hoyt is on the pitching staff of the Gents.  He has not yet made an appearance.

If you have information on these or other players, please send it to Mike Polito.  Good luck to all!

--K. Peters

The Braves took time prior to their game with Capital tonight to acknowledge the 8 seniors leaving the program after this game. They are:

Steven Carson                    Mike Christensen

Stephen Detty                   Stephen Doan

Buddy Ford                        Marlowe Peter

Greg Simonds                     Jake White

Good luck gentlemen! 

Updates on Braves Baseball Alumni

Jeff Barto – Jeff is doing well on the mound.  He is 1-0 with 10 appearances and a 4.61 ERA for Western Nevada.  The Wildcats are 29-11.

Richard Stout – Richard is tearing it up for New Mexico State with a .364 BA, 2 HR, and 19 stolen bases.  He is a major force for the 29-6 Aggies in the outfield and there are rumors that some pro teams are giving him a hard look.

Bobby Lewis – Bobby is playing for the 17-16 Blue Jays.  His father reports that Bobby is enjoying baseball and school immensely and looks forward to playing for Steve Keller again at Moses Lake in the Western Collegiate League this summer.

Bobby Buckner – In the most recent reports available (April 5), Bobby was instrumental in helping the Navarro Bulldogs to a doubleheader win.  In the first game, he had a 2 RBI single and had 2 more hits in the second game.  Navarro is 11-3 in conference.

Tylor Pavel and Kacy Gardiner – News is hard to come by for these two at Wenatchee Valley.  From the information available in the local paper, Tylor is doing very well with 4-9 and a HR in recent games.  Kacy is pitching regularly in relief and holding his own in a tough conference.

Good luck to all for the rest of the season.

--K. Peter

Boise senior outfielder Buddy Ford was named athlete-of-the-week on 4/14/2009 by KIVI TV. Buddy is performing equally well in the classroom and on the field as the report featured Buddy's 3.72 GPA to go with his .400 batting average. Buddy will be studying Mechanical Engineering this fall at the Universtiy of Idaho. Way to go Buddy!!!

Go Vandals!!

--M. Polito

Here is an update on news on recent alumni from the Braves program.  This is a great program!

Northwest Nazarene University – NNU is now 6-5.  Sean McDonald continues to start in centerfield, contributing both offensively and defensively.  He continues his trend of getting on base anyway possible with 9 walks in 40 plate appearances. Charles Pollock has 2 appearances with a 1-0 record and 4.50 ERA.

Creighton University – Bobby Lewis has successfully made the switch from 1^st Base to the outfield.  Creighton is currently 0-6.

Western Nevada College – Jeff Barto continues to perform well with 4 mound appearances in which he as a 0.000 ERA and has held opponents to a .176 BA.  Jeff also had an opportunity to play 5 innings in the outfield, going 1-3 with an RBI. 

Wenatchee Community College – Wenatchee CC started its season yesterday.  No results available yet on Tylor Pavel and Kacy Gardiner.    

Tufts University – Jake Crawford made the roster at Tufts.  Tufts starts it season on March 13.

Navarro College – Bobby Buckner now plays for Navarro College, one of the top ranked programs in the NJCAA.  Navarro has played several games so far, but statistics are not available.

University of Puget Sound – Casey Coberly has been appearing regularly as a DH for the 2-2 Loggers.

New Mexico State University – Richard Stout is tearing it up for the 7-0 Aggies, hitting .450.  Stout is now the starting centerfielder, having successfully transitioned from the infield to the outfield.

Centenary College – Jimmy Hoyt is on the pitching staff of the 1-1 Gents.  He has not yet made an appearance.

If you have information on these or other players, please send it to Mike Polito.  Good luck to all!

--K. Peter

11/23/2009:  Two Boise High varsity players, Marlowe Peter and Tucker Barney,  were selected for Team Idaho in September 2008.  These two were part of a 20-player roster selected from across the state.  After some initial games locally, the team participated in the Senior Fall Classic in Peoria, AZ in October.  The Senior Fall Classic is one of the premier showcase tournaments in the nation, attracting over 60 teams and 400 college coaches and professional scouts.  Team Idaho and our Boise boys showed that Idaho produces high-quality and high-class baseball players, amassing a record of 3-1 in the tournament.  Team Idaho was fortunate to be coached by our own Jeff Reifman.               -K. Peter  

11/23/2009:  The January 23, 2009 issue of Collegiate Baseball named Junior Tucker Barney and Senior Marlowe Peter as two of the top players in the U.S.  Collegiate Baseball is the premier publication covering collegiate and high school baseball.  Players are recommended to the list by coaches, scouts, and prospective colleges, and the Collegiate Baseball staff performs further evaluations to determine selection. Twenty-three other Idaho players received this honor, including several from the Boise area.   -K. Peter

Here is the current news on recent alumni from the Braves program.  What a group of young men!

Northwest Nazarene University – Sean McDonald won the starting job in centerfield and has played every game for the 6-2 Crusaders.  Sean remains an impact player and went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI in their most recent game.  Charles Pollock is in the starting rotation for NNU and boasts a 1-0 record with 10 strikeouts.

Creighton University – Bobby Lewis has successfully made the switch from 1^st Base to the outfield and his Creighton Blue Jays start their season on February 20.

Western Nevada College – Jeff Barto improved his velocity, location, and breaking ball to earn a spot on the WNC roster that includes several prospective major league draft picks.  Barto has appeared in 2 of WNC’s 8 games and has an ERA of 0.000.

Wenatchee Community College – Two players from last year’s State Championship team, Tylor Pavel and Kacy Gardiner, went to join former coach Steve Keller at Wenatchee.  No current information is available on the website. 

Tufts University – Jake Crawford is continuing to pitch well.  His dad, Nick, reports his velocity has increased and he is hopeful, yet confident, he will make the team.  Tufts starts it season on March 13.

Navarro College – Bobby Buckner now plays for Navarro College, one of the top ranked programs in the NJCAA.  Navarro has played several games so far, but statistics are not available.

If you have information on these or other players, please send it to Mike Polito.  Good luck to all!          --K. Peter