Chapjian picks up regional honors
The following are updates on local athletes at the collegiate level.
Sako Chapjian (Hoover High, 2008) junior infielder/designated hitter, Cal State Dominguez Hills baseball: Chapjian and Dominguez Hills encountered a difficult season, going 14-34 and 10-30 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. But Chapjian’s individual prowess didn’t go unnoticed after spending his first season with Dominguez.
Chapjian, a former standout with Glendale Community College who also played last season for the Glendale Angelenos in their inaugural season, batted .288 (47 for 163) with seven home runs and a team-leading 32 runs batted in during 47 games. He finished second on the team in home runs and led the team in runs batted in.
For his work on the diamond, Chapjian secured Daktronics second-team All-West Region honors. Chapjian, one of two designated hitters to be named to the All-Region team, started 37 contests solely as an offensive player for the Toros. Chapjian notched 10 multiple-RBI games, including two contests in which he drove in three.
Chapjian finished with an on-base percentage of .393, reaching on 22 walks and 10 hit-by-pitches. With respect to conference leaders, he finished ninth in home runs and doubles.
The Toros closed out their season May 5, falling in a doubleheader to Cal State San Bernardino. Chapjian hit a solo home run in the first game, which the Toros lost, 3-2, in 12 innings.
Kris Kauppila (Crescenta Valley High, 2008) junior infielder, Portland University baseball: While Portland has hovered around .500 throughout most of the season, Kauppila has done his best to keep his numbers respectable. He’s batting .277 (48 for 173) with two home runs and 18 runs batted in through 45 games.
It’s been a struggle of late for Portland, which entered Tuesday’s nonconference home game against Oregon having dropped 13 of its last 18 games. In a West Coast Conference contest against Gonzaga University on Saturday, Kauppila had two hits and drove in a run in Portland’s 5-3 road defeat. He had a run-scoring infield single in the eighth inning to bring Portland to within 3-1.
In a conference home game against Saint Mary’s on May 13, Kauppila went three for three and scored a pair of runs to help Portland post a 7-5 victory. Kauppila finished with two singles and a double.
Portland is 25-23 and 12-12 in conference. It will wrap up its two-game homestand with Oregon today before closing out the regular season this weekend with a three-game nonconference series against Seattle.
Erin Ashby (Crescenta Valley High, 2011) freshman infielder, Stanford University: Ashby, last season’s All-Area Softball Player of the Year, and the Cardinal saw their season conclude Sunday in the Lafayette Regional Final at Lamson Park in Lafayette, La. She did get a brief taste of playoff experience, though.
Sixteenth-ranked Stanford suffered a 6-2 loss against Lafayette. Ashby entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the sixth and struck out.
Stanford (40-19) began the tournament Friday with a 1-0 win against 23rd-ranked Baylor and then dropped a 9-3 decision to Lafayette later Friday. Ashby didn’t participate in either of those games and didn’t take part in Stanford’s 6-2 victory against Baylor in an elimination game.
Ashby had two hits in 18 games and drove in one run. She made the first start of her career Feb. 26 against New Mexico State and registered her first hit on March 3 against Florida International with a run-scoring double in Stanford’s 10-0 victory.
