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LEWISTON, ID – Lewis-Clark State College athletic department officials have announced the 2025 Hall of Fame inductees. They include longtime KOZE radio owner Mike Ripley, three teams that played for national titles, and four other individuals who helped LC athletics achieve excellence. They will be inducted during a ceremony in April.
From LCSC/Bert Sahlberg:
The 1990 and 2000 national championship baseball teams and the 2017 national runner-up women’s basketball team will join former Warrior baseball coach Jeremiah Robbins, former baseball players Doug Blume and Matt Foran, former volleyball player Anile Clemente, and longtime college supporter and Warrior Athletic Association board member Mike Ripley as the eighth class to be inducted into the LC State Athletic Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame was established in 2011 in a joint effort between the LC State athletic department and its booster club, the WAA. Each individual and team inducted has made a major contribution to the tradition of Warrior athletics, to the college, and to the community. Inductions take place every other year.
The 2025 ceremony is set for April 26 at the Clearwater River Casino & Lodge event center. Tickets are on sale now at lcwarriors.com/tickets and a full schedule of the weekend will be released at a later date.
JEREMIAH ROBBINS – BASEBALL
Robbins led the LC State baseball team to three Avista NAIA World Series titles and five championship games in his six years at the helm during 2013-18. He posted a 270-71 (.792 winning percentage). After finishing as the national runner-up in his first two seasons, the Warriors rolled off three consecutive national titles during 2015-17. In his final year, the Warriors finished third.
During his time, Robbins received numerous honors. Twice he was named the NAIA Coach of the Year and in each of the three championship seasons, he was honored as the American Baseball Coaches Association NAIA Coach of the Year. He earned the ABCA’s West Region Coach of the Year four times and was the NAIA West’s Coach of the Year twice.
As well as on the field, Robbins demanded excellence off the field. In his final year, the baseball program earned the NAIA’s F. Hank Burbridge Champions of Character award for sportsmanship and commitment to the community. The baseball team participated in campus activities and took part in several community events, including helping area Little League teams.
DOUG BLUME – BASEBALL
Lewiston native Doug Blume’s name still appears throughout the Warrior record book from his playing days nearly five decades ago. He graduated from Lewiston High School and played for the Warriors during the 1978-80 seasons. In his first season, he was an NAIA First-Team All-American and then was an honorable mention selection his senior year.
As a junior, he led the Warriors with 24 home runs, which ranks fourth on the program’s all-time list. He also had a slugging percentage of .913, which ranks second all-time. In a game against George Fox, he hit three home runs and drove in eight runs, both of which tied him for the top spot in a single game in program history. He was named the team’s Clutch Player of the Year after hitting .365 with 44 RBI.
He followed that up by hitting 20 home runs (ninth in a single season) and drawing 66 walks (third) as a senior. He finished his career with 44 home runs (third all-time on the LC State career list), a .764 slugging percentage (sixth) and 111 walks (10th).
He eventually spent 29 years with the Lewiston Police Department and retired as a sergeant.
MATT FORAN – BASEBALL
Foran pitched for the Warriors during 1994-97 and often drew the tough assignments against NCAA Division I foes. He earned NAIA Second-Team All-American honors in his senior year.
Despite the tough competition, Foran finished with an outstanding career as the winningest pitcher in program history. His 31 wins, 255 strikeouts, and 297.2 innings pitched are all career program bests. He made 50 appearances, which ranks ninth on the career pitching list, and finished with a remarkable 14 complete games, the most of any LC State pitcher since 1983. That ranks him fourth on the all-time list.
During his senior season, Foran posted a 9-1 record with four complete games and was named the team’s Most Outstanding Player. As a junior, he went 9-2 and helped the Warriors capture the national title.
Foran, a left-hander, also was selected as Canada’s outstanding senior baseball player after his participation with the Canadian national team following his freshman season at LC State. He posted a 5-2 record with a 2.12 earned run average as the top pitcher for the team in the 1994 Baseball World Cup.
ANILE CLEMENTE – VOLLEYBALL
Clemente made an immediate impact with the Warrior volleyball team when she arrived at LC State from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She joined the team as a sophomore after the 2007 season began. As a right-side hitter, she put up huge numbers throughout her career. She was a three-time NAIA All-American, earning third-team honors her sophomore and senior seasons, and a first-team accolade her junior year.
Arriving the same year as coach Jen Greeny, the pair helped immediately turn around the program. LC State posted records of 26-8, 30-4 and 25-9 in Clemente’s three years and placed 11th once and 13th twice at the national tournament. As a sophomore, she earned the Frontier Conference’s Co-Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards. She was the conference’s Player of the Year in 2008 when she was also named the ACVA Northwest Region’s Player of the Year. Clemente was a three-time First-Team All-Frontier Conference selection as well as a three-time first-team all-region pick.
Known for her hitting and serving abilities, she averaged 4.57 points per match, which was a program best until this past season. She finished her career seventh all-time in kills at 1,172. She had eight service aces in a match and had 65 aces in 2008 and 66 in 2009, both of which are on the program’s Top 10 list.
MIKE RIPLEY – SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR
Ripley’s service to LC State is unparalleled. He spent more than 50 years in the radio profession and co-owned 4K Radio stations with Gene Hamblin when their station, KOZE-AM, broadcasted the first NAIA World Series in Lewiston in 1984. Since then, KOZE has been a great partner with the athletic department and has carried both LC State basketball and baseball home games as well as all away league contests.
Ripley is also the lone charter member of the LC State athletic booster club, the Warrior Athletic Association, that is still with the WAA. The booster club started in 2002 and he continues to play a key role as the secretary/treasurer for the group. His experience and knowledge are often counted on and he also helped start the first endowment in the athletic department. As well as serving on the WAA board, Ripley has been involved with the LC State Foundation Board since 2004 and has served as president of the board.
Ripley began his broadcasting career in 1961 when he went to work for Hamblin at Orofino as a disc jockey while he was still in high school. They became partners in 1975 and were in business together until Hamblin’s death in 1990.
Ripley has been involved in many civic ventures, including the Seaport River Run and the Snake River Avenue underpass. In 2012, he was named Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the city of Lewiston.
1990 LC STATE BASEBALL TEAM
The 1990 baseball team posted a 52-14 record and captured the school’s sixth national title overall and its fourth straight. The team hit .351 on the season, which ranks fifth all-time and had 777 hits, which is ninth all time. Pitcher Mark Yockey was a NAIA First-Team All-American.
At the national tournament, played at LC State’s Harris Field, the Warriors defeated Lewis & Clark of Portland, Ore., 8-0 in its opener. It then defeated Grand Canyon 13-9, but lost to St. Francis 9-8 in the double-elimination tournament. LC State then beat St. Rose 11-2 and Southeastern Oklahoma 5-3 to advance to the championship game where it defeated Auburn Montgomery 9-4. Mark Rasmussen and Greg Umfleet hit sixth-inning home runs to propel the Warriors, and Rasmussen was named the tournament’s MVP.
Four players from the team were drafted – Yockey in the 15th round by San Francisco, shortstop Mike DeKneef by Boston in the 20th round, pitcher Bruce Bensching by San Diego in the 26th round and outfielder Todd Anderson by Montreal in the 44th round.
The 1990 World Series team included Greg Vaughns, Darrell Wagner, Dean Banks, DeKneef, Glenn Baxley, Anderson, Greg Blackman, Kelly Moffatt, Ray Domecq, Scott Baldwin, Solo Greene, John Herrera, Kevin Logsdon, John NesSmith, Yockey, Bensching, Mark Dow, Rasmussen, Umfleet, Larry Ephan, Mike Arringale, and Don Montgomery. Coaches were Ed Cheff, Chuck Higson and Chad Miltenberger.
2000 LC STATE BASEBALL TEAM
The 2000 Warrior Baseball team welcomed the Series back to Lewiston by capturing the program’s 11th title and second in a row. The Warriors kicked off Series play with a 10-4 win over Brewton-Parker and then beat Bellevue 9-3, The Master’s 15-1, Dallas Baptist 4-3 and Indiana Tech 9-8. In the championship game, LC State rolled to a 10-1 win over Dallas Baptist as Series MVP Wes Hutchison closed out the last two innings.
The 2000 team posted a 59-12 record, which is the second-most wins in a season in program history. The team had 835 hits, 608 RBI, 42 home runs, and 669 runs scored, all in the top 10 in program history.
Trevor Brown was a First-Team All-American selection, while teammates Jason Ellison, J.R. Diaz, Gil Pierce, Chris Mabeus and John Vietch were honorable mention selections.
LC State had four players selected in the draft that year, shortstop Elliott Strankman by San Francisco in the 12th round, pitcher Nate Natale by Kansas City in the 22nd round, Ellison also in the 22nd round by the Giants and Anthony Ferrari in the 44th round by Montreal. Both Ellison and Ferrari reached the big leagues in 2003.
Members of the 2000 World Series team were Yoshi Kimura, Strankman, Brandon O’Leary, Brown, Diaz, Ellison, Ray Vodegel, Kyle Woods, Kurt Koshelnik, Matt Hellman, Chad Kline, Pierce, Gabe Boruff, Kyle Korea, Ryan Heitmann, Nick Stelzer, Hutchison, Ferrari, Natale, Nic Puckett, Veitch, Mabeus, and Mike Chavez. Coaches were Ed Cheff, Denny Barrett, Andy Alldredge, Clint Cameron, Toby Cheff and Kevin Clouser.
2016-17 LC STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM
The most successful women’s basketball team in program history reached the championship game of the 2017 NAIA national tournament before it lost to Oklahoma City 73-66. That left LC State with a 35-2 record, the most wins in any season. The Warriors went 17-1 in Frontier Conference play and finished the year 18-0 at home. They started the season 23-0 and were ranked as high as No. 2 in the country before they suffered their only regular season loss. The Warriors earned one of four No. 1 seeds in the national tournament, the only Warrior team to do so.
After winning both games to claim the conference tournament title, LC rolled off wins against William Penn 59-45, Bethel 69-58, Westmont 72-67 and Vanguard 65-41 to advance to the national championship game in Billings, Mont.
As a team, the Warriors shot .468, the second-best on the program list, and the 23 straight wins also ranks as second best. Brian Orr was named the Frontier Conference’s Coach of the Year while current coach Caelyn Orlandi was the Player of the Year and Hailey Turner was the Sixth Player of the Year. Orlandi and Brittany Tackett were selected First-Team All-Frontier Conference and Orlandi was a First-Team All American, while Tackett was named to the Second Team. Brooke Litalien was a conference honorable mention selection.
Members of the team were Orlandi, Tackett, Natahnee Spencer, Megan Risinger, Jansen Edmiston, Turner, Lauren Johnson, Litalien, Sam Runkle, Jossilyn Blackman, and Hannah Burland.
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