Lonnie Kauppila has productive baseball season for Stanford
Keeping tabs on local athletes playing in college.
Lonnie Kauppila (Burbank High, 2010) junior, infielder, Stanford University: The former Bulldogs standout was successful on the field, as well as in the classroom this season.
Along with his accomplishments as a junior infielder for the Cardinal, Kauppila was one of 13 Stanford players named to the Pacific-12 Conference Baseball All-Academic Team. Kauppila was an honorable mention honoree.
Stanford saw its season come to an end May 26 with a 6-4 Pac-12 loss to UCLA at home.
Stanford ended the campaign with a 32-22 overall record and was 16-14 in the Pac-12 for fifth place.
The Cardinal closed its regular season by winning six of its last 10 games and three of those losses were at the hands of top-10-ranked squads. The Cardinal was hoping to earn a postseason bid, but did not receive an invitation to the NCAA Championships.
For the season, Kauppila batted .271 (36 for 133) with 20 runs scored, 16 runs batted in, six doubles and 18 walks. In addition, he started 44 of 48 games for the Cardinal in the infield and had a .957 fielding percentage.
Kauppila was able to bounce back from a knee injury his sophomore season that forced him to miss the final two months of the campaign. That injury cut short a productive season in which Kauppila hit .280, scored 16 runs, drove in 13 runs.
Amanda Keith (Burbank High, 2010) senior, Brigham Young University, women’s golf: Keith ended her four-year career with the Cougars by being named a 2013 All-West Coast Conference honorable mention selection.
BYU finished the season on a high note, earning three consecutive top-five finishes, including a third-place finish at the West Coast Conference Golf Championships.
The Cougars finished in fifth place among a field of 15 teams at the BYU Entrada Classic (March 18-19), recording a 920 team score. Their following tournament, the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic (April 8-10), the Cougars finished fourth out of 19 teams, shooting a 72-over-par 936. At the WCC Golf Championships April 17, the Cougars tallied a 64-over-par 928, improving on 2012’s sixth-place finish.
Keith helped lead the Cougars, finishing with a 77.80 scoring average for the season — second best on the team.
Keith had her best season for BYU, finishing four tournaments in the top 20 after earning only three top-20 finishes during her prior three seasons. Competing in the Dick McGuire Invitational, the senior shot rounds of 74-72-74 to tally a 220, tying for ninth place.
Keith led the Cougars with the low score in three tournaments this season and tied for 14th place at the WCC Championships.
Natalie Ficocelli (Providence High, 2011) sophomore, first baseman, Pasadena City College: The former Pioneers all-league standout finished her two-year stint at PCC by earning All-South Coast Conference honorable mention honors.
On the season, Ficocelli batted .328 with six doubles, 15 runs batted in and a team-best .986 fielding percentage. In SCC games, she hit .300 with five doubles, a home run and 12 RBI.
PCC experienced its struggles during the season, ending with a 15-25 record and a 7-14 showing in the SCC. The team concluded the season April 23 with a 10-0 conference victory against L.A. Harbor College.
Nick Morton (Crespi High, 2011) freshman, pitcher, Pacific University Oregon: The Burbank native had some success during his first season on the collegiate level.
Morton made 12 appearances for the Boxers, six as a starter. He compiled a 2-2 record and had a 3.86 earned-run average. In addition, he recorded 22 strikeouts and walked 14 in 46 2/3 innings.
He helped Pacific to a tie for fourth place in the Northwest Athletic Conference with Pacific Lutheran at 12-12. The Boxers finished with a 17-23 overall record, rebounding from an 0-11 start to the season. Pacific ended the season April 28 with a 5-1 victory against Pacific Lutheran.