Richland’s Fox, Kennewick’s Dickinson commit to Division I schools

Richland High School girls basketball standout Kylee Fox, who will be a senior this fall, already has her college future planned out.

Fox announced on Twitter Monday morning that she has committed to playing women’s basketball at Fresno State University, beginning in the 2023-24 school year.

Fox has been a two-time Player of the Year in the Mid-Columbia Conference, earning it in the spring of 2021 as a sophomore in the COVID-shortened season, and then being named top player for the 2021-22 season.

As a junior, Fox led the MCC in scoring with 21.0 points a game.

Fresno State, a Mountain West Conference school, is also interested in Kaia Foster of Chiawana. The school has offered the Riverhawks guard, who just completed her freshman season, with a scholarship.

▪ Right after the Class 3A state championship game ended on Memorial Day weekend, Kennewick coach Lenny Ayres lamented that he couldn’t figure out why no Pacific Northwest schools had offered star senior Daniel Dickinson any chances to play baseball for their school.

Dickinson was named the Mid-Columbia Conference Player of the Year, as voted on by the conference coaches. Dickinson played shortstop and was a relief pitcher.

In 27 games and in 115 plate appearances, the senior hit .529, smacked five home runs, drove in 28 runs, and stole 24 bases.

After the Lions finished second in the state finals, losing 8-4 to Mercer Island, Dickinson focused his attention on summer baseball. And then he was planning to play at NAIA school Ottawa University in Arizona.

But this week, Dickinson announced he was attending Utah Valley University, where he’ll play in the NCAA Division I Western Athletic Conference, after getting an offer from the Wolverines.

▪ Tri-City Americans general manager Bob Tory wasted little time in the offseason in naming a captain for the coming 2022-23 Western Hockey League season: it’s 19-year-old defenseman Marc Lajoie.

“After going without a captain last season, we felt it was important to establish our team’s leadership early this off-season,” said Tory in a team press release. “Marc is a three-year veteran who has matured both on and off the ice. He epitomizes what we are looking for in a leader as someone who can help re-establish our team identity and culture.”

Lajoie is big — 6-foot-5, 220 pounds — and has played in 150 games for the Ams, scoring 21 goals and 35 assists.

Normally, the Americans would wait until training camp in September to name a captain. Other seasons, they might wait until a month into the season.

By doing it now, the team has enough confidence in Lajoie doing the job.

Lajoie becomes the 33rd captain in the franchise’s history, following Luke Zazula, who served as Tri-City’s captain during the 2020-21 season.

“Marc will be an excellent leader for our group,” said Americans coach Stu Barnes. “He leads by example. His dedication to the game and his teammates is clear every day.”

▪ Cascade Collegiate League Showcase team catcher Jackson Lind (Kennewick) went 3 for 5 with a triple, home run and three RBIs in a 9-8 loss to the Yakima Valley Pippins on Monday night.

Lind, who plays at Seattle University, should see more action this summer playing for the CCL Showcase team.

▪ University of Oregon pitcher Logan Mercado (Tri-Cities Prep) went 6-2 this spring for the 36-25 Ducks.

The right-hander appeared in 25 games, striking out 41 batters in 41.1 innings.

Mercado had a 2.61 earned run average, while opposing batters hit .247 off of him.

▪ Whitworth University’s Kyndal Locati (Walla Walla) finished the women’s tennis season this spring with a 6-7 singles record for the Pirates, and had a 7-8 record in doubles play.

▪ Whitworth University had two area athletes earn honorable mention all-conference honors recently after the Northwest Conference softball awards came out.

Outfielder Rylee Gentner (Walla Walla Community College) and designated player Maddy Thomas (DeSales) both were named to the honorable mention list. Both players are listed as seniors.

▪ Eastern Oregon University’s Elliott Marks (Walla Walla CC) was the offensive leader this spring for the Mountaineers 11-35 baseball team. Marks led the team with a .345 batting average and 39 hits; he was also second on the team with three home runs.

McKlane Elgin (Richland/CBC) was second on the team — along with infielder Adrian Roa (Irrigon) — in runs scored, with 20.

Elgin was also second on the team in RBIs with 26.

▪ Sophomore pitcher Emmaleena Wood (Kamiakin) pitched the bulk of the innings for the Yakima Valley Community College softball team this season.

Wood earned 8 wins for the 14-31 Yaks, and tossed 194.1 innings, striking out 168.

▪ Matt Carlson (Hanford) led Blue Mountain Community College’s baseball team with 21 RBIs this past spring, and he was second with a .252 batting average. Gavin Hunter (Hermiston) led the Timberwolves (4-44) with a .290 batting average.

▪ The Blue Mountain Community College men’s soccer team has added Pablo Ulises Claustro, from Riverside High School in Boardman, to its team this coming fall.

▪ Pitcher Kaylie Northrop (Richland) went 4-5 with a 4.48 earned run average this spring for the 29-26 Appalachian State softball team.

The lefty, who transferred from UNLV after her freshman season, struck out 44 batters in 59.1 innings pitched.

▪ Corban University’s Tyson Stover (Chiawana) finished his first season with the men’s wrestling program by qualifying for the NAIA national tournament.

Stover, a freshman, had a 14-10 record overall while competing at 184 pounds. He was an at-large selection to the national tournament, where he went 1-2.