Former Wave stars wrap up collegiate seasons

The lights went out for another handful of ex-Greenwave stars this spring as two seniors played on the diamond for one final time.

Seven Fallon grads took advantage of the opportunity to showcase their talents on the college level, either on the diamond, track, tennis court or golf course.

Senior Sara Parsons (2010), who was the only Fallon alum playing at the Division I level this spring, concluded her career at Nevada as the Wolf Pack finished 27-25 overall, 9-15 in the Mountain West.

The senior outfielder finished with a .276 batting average this season and started in all 52 games, compiling two home runs, 21 RBIs and a .957 fielding percentage. The Wolf Pack won five straight games before dropping their season finale against Fresno State in Reno on Senior Day last month.

Senior Trent Blackwater (2010) finished his final season on the collegiate diamond as he pitched at Sul Ross State, a Division III school in Texas, after transferring from St. Gregory’s.

The right-handed hurler was one of the team’s best pitchers as he compiled a 6-5 record and 4.67 ERA in 15 games (13 starts) and tallied 66 strikeouts and 55 walks in 96.1 innings. Blackwater’s marks in wins, appearances, innings pitched and strikeouts were best on the team as he earned honorable mention accolades in the American Southwest Conference.

Blackwater ranked fourth in the ASC with 96.1 innings pitched, was sixth with 66 strikeouts, tied for fifth with 21 batters called out on strikes, tied for eighth with six wins, and tied for seventh with 13 starts.

The Lobos finished 21-23, including 15-18 in conference, this season.

Junior Matt Vanderbeek (2010) competed in only two tournaments this spring for the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Division II golf team as it finished seventh last month at the Division II West / South Central Regional Championships in Austin, Texas.

Vanderbeek carded a 73 and 78 in his first tournament, a central region crossover, before recording a 78-75-74 in the Dallas Baptist Classic in April.

Sophomore Jill Pinder (2012) ran into the injury bug in her sophomore season as the year ended after pitching in only four games at Division III Lewis and Clark. She took a medical redshirt year due to thoracic outlet syndrome, a rare condition that will require surgery to remove her first rib.

Pinder logged 14.1 innings with 13 strikeouts and 16 walks. Pinder finished with a 1-2 record, including a complete game victory, as Lewis and Clark ended the season at 12-25 and 8-20 in league.

Sophomore Jenny Rechel (2012) was the only Fallon alum playing at Western Nevada after ex-Greenwave teammates Kassie Archer and Cassie Bell saw their careers end because of injury.

Rechel was one of the Wildcats’ consistent hitters this season as they advanced to the Region 18 Tournament last month after defeating Colorado Northwestern Community College. Western Nevada, though, finished the season with a 14-45 record in Rechel’s second and final season with the program.

Rechel finished the year with a .266 batting average and scored 26 runs, third-best on the team. She was fourth on the team in hits with 41 and drove in 18 runs.

Freshman Haley Jorgensen (2013) strongly finished her freshman season at Division III Saint Mary’s.

St. Mary’s finished with a 10-8 record, including 4-6 in conference, while Jorgensen finished at 13-7 in singles and 4-2 in doubles with four different partners.

The Cardinal tennis team invaded England last month and visited historic sites such as Alnwick Castle and Bamburgh Castle, along with Oxford University and Wimbledon. St. Mary’s men’s and women’s teams played in a friendly competition against Oxford after ending the season in April with two straight wins over Macalester College and the University of Wisconsin – Stout.

Freshman Tanner Boone (2013) completed his first track and field season at NAIA Great Falls (Montana) after running cross country in the fall.

The Argos finished the year at the NAIA National Outdoor Championships last month in Alabama after competing in two Montana meets earlier in the month. Boone finished 19th in the 1500-meter run in the University of Montana Open and took fifth in the 5000-meter run two months in the Great Falls Invitational.

The cross country season begins Sept. 20 with the Montana State University Invitational.