Santa Cruz High School alumnus Dillon Danner leads the University of Idaho baseball team in batting and has an added bonus considering he’s also the Yoats’ starting catcher. (Yotes Athletics – Contributor)

Dillon Danner leads the University of Idaho baseball team in batting averages despite juggling the most physically demanding position in the game, catcher, and a more physically demanding schedule.

Tyler Harris, meanwhile, has seen limited playing time on CI’s men’s basketball team, which ranks first in the NAIA. However, the Scotts’ playing time for his Valley high school graduate has increased significantly in the Coyotes’ last five games. In fact, Harris made his first start of the season last Saturday with his perfect 3-for-3 shooting from the field in the University of Idaho’s 97-74 victory over Oregon’s Bushnell University. Scored his six points, his best of the season.

While one is a frequent starter and the other is primarily a back-up to a strong and talented team, the two Santa Cruz County athletes have each excelled in their own ways. contributes to the success of

467 batting average and put the CI baseball team to a 7-1 start. The Santa Cruz High School alumnus has 2 doubles, 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored in 7 of 15 at-bats.

Danner, who became a junior, started playing catcher in the first grade. In his first year, he learned how difficult it was to play in this position given his CI’s brutal schedule.

Not to be confused with its much larger NCAA Division I cousin, the University of Idaho (which doesn’t have a baseball team). The University of Idaho is a small private school. To keep travel costs down, CI plays a schedule that consists of doubleheaders for most of the weekend. This equates to 36 innings of baseball over two days, assuming the game doesn’t go into extra innings.

squatting for long periods of time, catching a fastball after hitting a fastball, removing a foul ball from various parts of the body (including protected ones), and withstanding a collision with a baserunner charging toward home plate. All of this can take its toll in a single nine-inning game. , not to mention that within 48 hours he had four people playing. Besides, coyotes play most of their games in the Pacific Northwest and Southwest Canada. Winter temperatures in the area can get very cold during this time.

“It’s hard if you’re not used to it,” says Danner. “In high school, we are used to one game a day (seven innings).”

But the Coyotes’ grueling schedule didn’t deter Danner. bottom.

He’s pretty close to that: Last year, he started 38 of the CI’s 48 games, some as a designated hitter. Of his seven games he has appeared in this season, he has started in his four.

“He loves being in the game and he’s going to give it his all,” said Brian Schweiger, the Coyote’s assistant coach who works with the team’s catcher. “He will do whatever he can for the team.”

As for batting, Danner struggled in his first two seasons. But he’s hit in nearly half his plate appearances this year. He also has three multi-hit his games, including the weekend of February 3-4, when CI stole his two doubleheaders from Park University in Gilbert, Arizona.

“His number one job is catching,” Schweiger said. “Number 2 has arrived at the base.

“But he has good plate discipline. He’s very good at seeing which pitches are strikes and which ones are balls.”

Meanwhile, Harris has played in just 15 games for the CI men’s basketball team this season. The 6-foot-10 junior forward, who transferred to the University of Idaho after spending one season each at Gavilan College in Gilroy and Redwood College in Visalia, scored 38 points in the season.

Harris also has 44 rebounds and two season-high seven.

Despite his limited playing time, Harris is not essentially a CI version of Daniel “Rudy” Ruetiger, the University of Notre Dame practice team football player made famous by the movie “Rudy.” Harris can make a big contribution when called upon to do so — and as Saturday’s start showed, he’s called upon.

“Now I play cleanup minutes a lot,” Harris said. “I’ll go in and try to keep the lead. Defensively he solves the problem by rebounding and shot blocking and making sure he doesn’t give up layups.”

“Uncomfortably, I clean things up with informational and a lot of drop-off screens. I’m a strong role player even off the bench.”

Coyote coach Colby Blaine believes his team wouldn’t have been No. 1 in the NAIA without Harris. Blaine recalls one of his CI’s biggest games last season at his NAIA tournament in Kansas City, Missouri against Grace University of Nebraska. Harris stepped in and not only prevented the University of Idaho from relinquishing their lead, but also helped the Coyotes extend their lead.

“You never get depressed when Tyler comes in,” Blaine said. “We can weather the storm.”

With Harris off the bench and beefing up CI when needed, the Coyotes won 25 straight, including all conference games. In fact, CI haven’t lost since the season opener.

Harris has appeared in his last five CI games, averaging 3.8 points and 3.0 rebounds.

“One of the reasons we’ve been so successful is because we have so many people in our meetings who get important minutes on all the other teams,” Blaine said. “Tyler is happy to play his part. He’s always ready for the moment.”

county connection

County Connections are held every other Thursday during the school year. For updates on local collegiate athletes, email Ray Hacke (raydhackelaw@gmail.com).