Baseball Factory In Idaho

When it comes to the subject of College Baseball, schools such as Texas, Georgia Tech, LSU, Oklahoma St. Stanford and Miami (FL) come to mind. They, among others, are the traditional NCAA Div. l powers and seem to make it to the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska almost every year. Also, they have produced many of Major League Baseball's best players.

However, there is a college program in the Pacific Northwest that doesn't get a whole lot of notoriety because they play at a lower level. However, their brand of baseball is anything but low. Lewis & Clark St. College, located in Lewiston, ID, is one of the most successful college baseball programs in the country. The warriors have won 16 NAIA National Titles dating back to 1984. They have produced three NAIA National Players of the Year, 78 All-Americans, and 14 players who have either played in MLB or are currently playing. One of those players was pitcher Keith Foulke, who while with the Chicago White Sox back in 2001, tallied 42 saves on the season, the second most in White Sox history. Another pitcher who hales from LCSC is Steve Reed, who pitched for several Major League clubs, including the Atlanta Braves. Reed pitched 13 straight seasons in the Bigs (1992-2005) and tied the Major League record for appearances with 50 in 13 straight seasons.

Currently, there are only two Lewis & Clark players in the Majors at this time: Carlos Fisher, a pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds and Brendan Ryan, a Shortstop with the St. Louis Cardinals. There are also several former LCSC players playing at all levels of the Minor Leagues.

This year is not much different than most years for the Warriors. They sit at the top spot of the NAIA Top 25 with a record of 28-2. They currently have the nation's best ERA at 2.55. They are #1 in runs scored per game (7.8) and the Warrior hitters rank 10th in the nation with an average of 11.3 hits per game. Coach Ed Cheff has been at the helm for 34 years and, as mentioned earlier, has led the Warriors to 16 national titles. From 1982 to 1992, Cheff guided the Warriors to 11 consecutive national championship games, 8 of which they won. That has not been duplicated at any collegiate sport at any college level. Cheff is currently fourth on the All Division List with most wins. He trails Gordie Gillespie of St. Francis University, Augie Garrido of the University of Texas and Gene Stephenson of Wichita State University. Coming into the 2010 season, Cheff win/loss record was 1,657-425. Over 100 of his former players have gone on to play professional baseball. Cheff was named to the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1994 and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2009, Cheff was honored as ABCA's recipient of the Lefty Gomez Award for his lifetime contribution to Armature Baseball. f things keep going as they have been, Cheff may find himself one day in Cooperstown. For more information on Lewis & Clark State College and their baseball program, go to www.lcsc.edu/athletics/Baseball.