Chukars Finish Season Just Outside Postseason Picture
Treasure Valley Community College baseball wrapped up its season last week after dropping a pair of games to Yakima Valley Community College. The Chukars finished the year with a 23-27 overall record and a 14-14 mark in East Region play, ending the season tied with Yakima Valley for fourth place. However, Yakima Valley earned the postseason berth after winning the tiebreaker.
In the first matchup against Yakima Valley, Treasure Valley fell 7-1 despite strong relief pitching from Gabe Tanner, who threw three scoreless innings and struck out three batters. Hunter Christensen recorded a double as part of the Chukars' three-hit effort, while Kade Bailey drove in the team's lone run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning. Treasure Valley drew seven walks in the contest but struggled to capitalize offensively, leaving nine runners on base. Defensive errors also proved costly, contributing to four unearned runs for Yakima Valley.
The Chukars were more competitive in the second game but ultimately fell 5-2. Treasure Valley collected seven hits, led by Nicholas McDaniel, who finished with two hits and an RBI. Colt Durham continued his strong season with a hit, a run scored, and an RBI, while Hunter Christensen and Cam Ueland each added hits of their own. On the mound, Kace Stapleton struck out three over three innings, and Marco Aviles delivered an impressive relief appearance with three scoreless innings and three strikeouts while allowing no hits.
Although the Chukars narrowly missed the postseason, the team put together a solid season and established a strong foundation for the future. Durham led the offense with a .362 batting average, the sixth-best mark in the NWAC, while Ueland paced the team with four home runs, tying for eighth in the conference. Christensen ranked third in the NWAC with a team-high 62 hits on the season. On the defensive side, pitcher Grayson Paul finished seventh in the conference with a 1.67 ERA and tied for 10th in the NWAC with 68 strikeouts while issuing only eight walks all season. With a large group of freshmen eligible to return next season, Treasure Valley heads into the future with optimism and valuable experience.