Kauppila, Cardinal fall to Tar Heels
GLENDALE — The following are updates on local athletes at the collegiate level.
Lonnie Kauppila (Crescenta Valley High, 2008) Stanford baseball, freshman: Kauppila, a former two-time All-Area Baseball Player of the Year, recently helped Stanford sweep through the Cal State Fullerton Regional and advance to the Super Regional for the eighth time in the program’s history. On Friday, Kauppila and the Cardinal looked to continuing their winning ways.
Unfortunately for the unseeded Cardinal, it suffered its first playoff loss. Kauppila went hitless in three at-bats and had a sacrifice bunt in Stanford’s 5-2 loss to third-seeded North Carolina in an opening-round game of the double-elimination tournament in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Kauppila, who began his high school at Crescenta Valley before transferring before his junior year, struck out in the second inning before flying out to center in the fifth. He had a sacrifice in the seventh before flying out to center in the eighth.
Stanford dropped to 35-21, while North Carolina improved to 49-14. The teams will meet in the second game of the double-elimination tournament at noon PDT today on ESPN. Should a third game be necessary, it would take place at 1 p.m. PDT Sunday on ESPN. The winner will advance to the College World Series.
Kauppila closed out the Fullerton Regional with a big performance Sunday. Kauppila went three for six and drove in three runs in Stanford’s 14-2 victory against Illinois. He also earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
After Friday, Kauppila is batting .298 (60 for 201) with one home run and 25 runs batted in. He’s recorded 10 doubles and scored 23 runs in 55 games. Kauppila sports a stellar .992 fielding percentage.
Chad Nacapoy (Crescenta Valley High, 2007) Cal State Los Angeles baseball, junior: After transferring from Brigham Young University, Nacapoy, a former All-Area first-team pick, made a big impact at Cal State L.A. In his first season with the Eagles, who finished 27-23 and 21-19 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. he batted . 264 (45 for 174) with a team-leading eight home runs to notch all-conference second-team honors. Nacapoy also collected 12 doubles and drove in 23 runs and scored a team-best 37 runs in 49 games.
The Eagles closed out their season May 7 with a 5-2 CCAA win against Cal Poly Pomona in the second game of a doubleheader. Nacapoy didn’t participate in the game.
His last appearance came in the first game of the twin bill as a center fielder. Nacapoy went hitless in three plate appearances.
Brian Moon (Hoover High, 2006) Cal State Los Angeles baseball, junior: Moon, a former All-Area selection who transferred to Cal State L.A. from Stanford, turned in a respectable season. Moon batted .282 (48 for 170) with seven home runs and 30 runs batted in. He also scored 23 runs in 44 games for the Eagles (27-23, 21-19 in the CCAA).
Moon ended his season in style. He hit a two-run home run in the first inning to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead against Cal Poly Pomona in the second game of a CCAA doubleheader. Cal State L.A. posted a 5-2 victory.
Kris Kauppila (Crescenta Valley High, 2008) University of Portland baseball, junior: The former All-Area Player of the Year and Portland struggled this season. Kauppila batted .160 (20 for 125) with five doubles and six runs batted in for the Pilots, who went 24-30 and 11-10 in the West Coast Conference.
His last appearance came May 29, when he went hitless in one at bat in Portland’s 6-5 conference home victory against Santa Clara University.
Kauppila competed in 38 games, starting 34. He finished with 84 assists and 61 putouts while mostly playing second base.
