June 1, 2007

LEWISTON, Idaho - On a map it's simply known as the spot where Oregon, Washington and Idaho come together. To small-college baseball fans, it represents 10 teams with one dream - an NAIA Baseball National Championship.

Lewiston, Idaho, is known for its baseball. Lewiston High went deep into the Idaho state baseball playoffs, and as the sign outside Harris Field states, "the Warriors Play Here".

Thursday night, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) did play, one final time, at Harris field in 2007 when the Warriors captured their 15th national title in school history. But the love of NAIA baseball doesn't stop with the Navy and Red of LCSC.

The city wraps around 10 participating institutions, and for one week, "Go Warriors" gets suspended as the battle cry for the Idaho town of just more than 30,000 residents. Of course, it seems to slip back into the vocabulary once Lewis-Clark makes its way back to the field for a World Series game.

"It's `Go Warriors' until today," said Lewis-Clark State College President Dr. Dene Kay Thomas with a smile, after a kick-off event last Tuesday. "But from here on, it's `Go Teams'."

The fans make Lewiston special. Many have seen nearly every game in every season that the tournament has traveled to Idaho, making Lewiston a first-class host for an NAIA championship.

Attendance figures this week have topped 4,000 each night of the series, and on more than one occasion, the attendance mark has tipped 5,000 for the final game. It's a social event for Lewiston residents, but don't be fooled - the LC Valley knows its baseball.

The tournament also draws a batch of unique fans, most of which have been coming to the series since it first came to Harris Field during the 1984 season.

You'll see fans with large fish nets trying to catch foul balls and especially during the nightcaps to the day, the high-pitched sound of a trumpet in the stands can be heard for blocks.

"This series means so much to Lewiston," said Lewiston resident Dennis Riddle, who owns the famous fish net on the first-base side. "We've been coming since it came here and we'll keep coming back. Lewiston loves the World Series and we want to keep it here for a long time."

Riddle is also one of many fans that are allowed to build a top or a shade at the top of the grand-stand, where fans also raise large table umbrellas during the Series.

"It's nice that they let us put these up," said Riddle. "The weather can be unpredictable here, getting really hot or raining without a lot of warning.

For the Association as a whole, Lewiston represents one of many championship host sites that go all out for the NAIA, making the student-athlete the center of attention for at least a few games of their collegiate careers.

The Series also gives student-athletes a chance to showcase their skills in front of scouts for many Major League Baseball clubs that have all attended games during the 2007 World Series.

In Thursday's title game, Beau Mills did his best to up his draft stock, knocking three home runs out of the park and in the process, breaking a single-season record for home runs with his 36th, 37th and 38th home runs in 2007. Mills first homer, a three-run shot in the first, tied the record, while his fourth-inning grand slam broke the record.

His solo homer later in the game just added to the record.

While Mills received roars from the packed house on championship night at Harris Field, baseball purists would have been in heaven at last night's championship end. After Lewis-Clark State underwent the traditional pile at the mound and the dust cleared, there were the Spring Arbor Cougars, this season's runner up.

The Cougars watched the celebration, and applauded their opponent. Afterward, both schools accepted post-game awards and both sets of players shook hands and visited on the field. As the clock neared midnight in Lewiston, the stadium managed to clear, ending another Avista-NAIA World Series in the Idaho town.

"I think this event is just a testament to the hard work and love of the game that Lewiston and L-C State have," said NAIA baseball championship administrator Scott McClure. "You see it everywhere here, from the local newspaper devoting its sports section to us to the radio station setting up shop and calling Harris Field home for a week and a half. Even the fans really call this place home when the Series rolls around. The people here put life on hold because they love baseball."

At series end, the fans were already talking about 2008. That series will take place on Memorial Day Weekend and the following week to end the 2008 NAIA Baseball season.