Northwest Notes June 3, 2021

Former Boise State QB Moore named to College Football Hall of Fame ballot

Kellen Moore, the winningest quarterback in the history of college football, is one of 78 former FBS players included on the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame ballot, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.

Moore, already inducted into the Boise State Athletics Hall of Fame, was added to this year’s national ballot in his first year of eligibility for the College Football Hall of Fame.

Moore led Boise State to a record of 50-3 in his four years as a starter, finishing his career ranked second in NCAA history in career passing touchdowns (142), third in career passing efficiency (168.97) and fifth in career passing yardage (14,667).

He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2010, and was named conference offensive player of the year three times. The Football Writers Association of America named Moore a first-team All-American in 2010, and the Touchdown Club of Columbus tabbed him as the nation’s top quarterback in both 2010 and 2011, ultimately naming the award after him.

The announcement of the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2022. The class will be officially inducted on Dec. 6, 2022 in Atlanta.

Chiefs to select first overall in 2021 WHL Prospects Draft

CALGARY, Alberta — The Spokane Chiefs will select first overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft following the completion of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery, the Western Hockey League announced Wednesday.

The 2021 WHL Prospects Draft is scheduled for Dec. 9.

All 22 WHL clubs participated in the four-phase lottery, unique for the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft. The lottery proceedings determined the order of selection for the first round of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, with inverse order of standing from the 2020-21 WHL Regular Season determining the order of selection for the second round and all subsequent rounds.

Tri-City will draft second, Seattle ninth, Everett 20th. Portland traded its first-round pick to Swift Current, which will draft seventh.

Program-record nine Zags earn WCC All-Conference baseball honors

SPOKANE — A program-record nine Gonzaga Bulldogs earned all-West Coast Conference baseball nods and three took home yearly awards, the WCC announced Wednesday.

Mark Machtolf, whose Zags won the WCC and earned their first postseason berth since 2018, was named WCC Coach of the Year, his fourth time bringing home the award since first winning it in 2009.

Zags ace Alek Jacob, a junior from Spokane, is the conference Pitcher of the Year. He recorded the program’s fifth-ever no-hitter and cracked 100 Ks on the season in his final start. The 6’3 righty was never tagged for a loss in any of his starts in conference play, finishing with an ERA of 2.18 in a team-high 11 appearances in conference play.

Junior third baseman Brett Harris is GU’s second Defensive Player of the Year after finishing the year with 58 putouts and 77 assists on 138 total chances — good for a fielding percentage of .978.

Saturday starter/first baseman Gabriel Hughes and catcher Tyler Rando were named to the second team.

Relievers Brody Jessee, Michael Spellacy and Trystan Vrieling joined Grayson Sterling and Andrew Orzel on the honorable mention list.

Sterling, Vrieling and Hughes also made the WCC’s 10-player All-Freshman team.

The Zags’ season continues as a No. 2 seed at the NCAA Regionals on Friday, when they will face fourth-seeded LSU in their first game in the Eugene Region.