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LCSC Athletic website
September 14, 2022
Five Individuals and Three Teams Highlight 2023 Warrior Athletics Hall of Fame Class
LEWISTON, Idaho – The Lewis-Clark State College athletic department and the Warrior Athletic Association will induct five individuals and three national championship baseball teams into the Warrior Athletic Hall of Fame in April of 2023, officials announced on Wednesday.
The seventh class to be inducted into the Warrior Athletic Hall of Fame includes former women's basketball coach Mike Divilbiss and former men's basketball coach George Pfeifer, former women's basketball player Caelyn Orlandi, former baseball player Rusty Harris and former cross country and track runner Chelsey Leighton. The Avista NAIA World Series baseball championship teams from 1989, '96 and '99 also will be enshrined at a banquet.
The Hall of Fame was established in 2011 in a joint effort between the LC State athletic department and its boost 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 to the Warrior Athletic Hall of Fame are held every other year. However, because COVID-19 postponed the 2021 ceremony to last year, LC State will hold another induction ceremony this year.
Divilbiss turned the Warrior Women's Basketball program into an annual national power. He compiled a 310-122 record (.718 winning percentage) during 1987-2001. The Warriors earned their first NAIA national tournament berth in 1996 and qualified in each of his final six years. In 2001, LC State advanced to the national semifinals where it lost to eventual champion Oklahoma City.
In his final 11 seasons at the helm, LC never lost more than 10 games in a year and won 20 or more games 10 times. In his final two seasons, LC State posted records of 28-2 and 33-4 and was ranked No. 1 in the nation, a first for the program. After the 2001 season, Divilbiss was hired at the University of Idaho where he spent seven seasons. He also had coaching stops on staffs at Wisconsin-Green Bay, Illinois and North Idaho College. He recently spent three years as athletic director at Lakeland High School in Rathdrum. He and his wife, Judy, currently reside in the Spokane area.
Pfeifer also had a long and successful career at LC State. He became head coach in 1987 after serving as an assistant to Dick Hannan for two seasons. Pfeifer coached the Warriors for 16 seasons and led them to a 20-9 mark in 1999-2000, marking the first time the program had ever reached 20 wins in a season. He also led the Warriors to six national tournament appearances, including its first ever in 1992. He finished his LC State career with a 295-206 record.
Pfeifer started his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Warriors while he attended LC State. He graduated from the college in 1979 and then coached at his high school alma mater, St. Maries, for three seasons. After time at Hardin High and Rocky Mountain College in Montana, he became an assistant at LC State in 1987. Following the 2005 season, he served as an assistant coach at Idaho for a year and then took over the Vandals for two seasons. He later was head coach at Montana State-Billings, an assistant at Montana State, a head coach at Lewis & Clark High in Spokane, and part of basketball operations at Gonzaga for his friend Mark Few. Pfeifer also resides with his wife, Sue, in the Spokane area.
Orlandi had a monster career with the Warriors during 2013-17, culminating with a runner-up finish at the NAIA national tournament, the best finish ever by the women's basketball team. Orlandi was a two-time NAIA All-American guard and led the NAIA her senior year in total assists (261), assists per game (7.05) and assist to turnover ratio (3.6:1). She set the school record for assists in a season and a career, averaged in double figures scoring all four seasons, and finished with a 13.1 points per game average.
Orlandi wound up with 1,766 points, which ranks fifth on the program's all-time scoring list. Her 13.1 points-per-game-average ranks fourth, and her 622 total field goals are fifth. She made 199 3-pointers (sixth all-time), 323 free throws (seventh), and shot 84.8 percent at the free-throw line (third). She was a two-time First-Team All-Frontier Conference selection, a second team selection as a sophomore, and the Freshman of the Year during her first season.
As well as leaving her mark on the court, Orlandi, a Coeur d'Alene High product, was feted for her work in the classroom. She earned both Frontier Conference and NAIA Scholar-Athlete distinction both her junior and senior seasons. She currently is in her sixth year as the associate head coach for the Warrior Women's Basketball team.
Harris was a standout shortstop at Lewiston High and then for the Warriors during 1984-87. His name is dotted throughout the Warriors' record book. He is the all-time leader in runs scored and walks, second in doubles, third in hits and games played, fourth in total bases, eighth in singles, and 10th in RBI. He holds the program's single-season record in runs scored at 131 (next highest is 102) and has the record for most consecutive games scoring at least one run at 21. Defensively, twice he won the Warriors' Golden Glove Award.
He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 16th round of the 1986 draft, but chose to remain at LC. After a stellar senior season when he earned NAIA First-Team All-American honors, he was selected by Houston in the 13th round of the 1987 draft and signed. He played six seasons in the Astros' minor league system, reaching the AAA level where he hit .294 with Tucson. Harris and his family currently reside in Brandon, Miss.
Chelsey Leighton came to LC State in 2009 from nearby Lapwai after she was a standout in several sports for the Wildcats. She competed in both cross country and track for the Warriors and made her mark her senior year in 2014 when she won the marathon at the NAIA national outdoor meet in 3 hours, 2 minutes and 25.1 seconds. At that time, she was only the second LC State runner to ever win a national title.
What was remarkable about the feat is that Leighton came to LC State as a sprinter before she changed to a distance runner during her sophomore year. She placed seventh at a cross country meet as a sophomore and then had a great junior year where she set the program record for the half marathon and then placed ninth in the marathon at nationals. She also placed 31st at nationals her senior year in cross country. Leighton resides in Ellensburg, Wash., with her husband, former LC Men's Basketball assistant coach Drew Church.
The three Warrior baseball teams to be inducted were all coached by legendary Ed Cheff, who passed away earlier this year. Cheff led the Warriors to 16 national titles.
The 1989 squad went 41-24, which was a bit misleading. While the 24 losses were the most in a season by a Cheff-coached team, 17 of the losses were to NCAA Division I schools. The team hit .292 for the season, led by catcher John NesSmith's .352 average, while the pitching staff had a 3.80 earned run average. Darrell Wagner (9-3) and Joe Misa (7-3) led a strong staff.
In the World Series, the Warriors defeated Point Park 7-3 to begin play, and then Hawaii Hilo 12-6 and St. Francis 7-4. The Warriors then bested Oklahoma Baptist 12-4 and North Florida 10-5, before defeating St. Francis again 5-2 for the title. In all, LC outscored the opposition 53-24 in going undefeated in the10-team field. NesSmith was chosen as an NAIA Second-Team All-American, while Mike Murphy of Lewiston was an honorable mention pick.
Members of the 1989 Series team were position players Greg Vaughns, Reggie Brown, Chip Damato, Karey Redditt, Glen Baxley, Geoff Curtis, Murphy, Rob Castaneda, Darin Brewer, NesSmith, Eric Munoz, and Dave Peterson, and pitchers Wagner, Steve Callahan, Misa, Rob Hays, Ray Domecq, Bruce Bensching, Mark Yockey and Darren Cooper.
In 1996, the Warriors went 53-11 and set a program record for most wins in a season at a neutral site with 14. The team hit .334 on the season while holding opponents to a .237 batting average. Jose Rijo-Berger led the team with a .390 average, followed by Art Baeza at .389. Matt Foran (9-2) and Matt Randel (8-0) led a strong pitching staff that had a 2.66 ERA.
The '96 Series was held in Sioux City, Iowa that year and the field consisted of only eight teams. The Warriors were the top seed but barely edged No. 8 seed Geneva 2-1. LC State then defeated Cumberland 9-4, St. Ambrose 3-1, and St. Thomas 4-2 to move into the championship game. The Warriors then claimed the title with a 9-0 win over St. Ambrose. In its five Series games, LC State only allowed eight runs. Baeza was selected as a NAIA First-Team All-American for the Warriors.
The '96 Series roster included position players Keith Habig, Tristan Fike, Ryan Wilson, Dave Schueller, Allen Jackson, Ethan Rodriguez, Trent Kies, Troy Silva, Bucky Jacobsen, Rijo-Berger, Baeza and Tyler Borup. Pitchers were Jason Ginoza, Carl Starks, Adam Huxhold, Randel, Foran, Tim Conklin, Fletcher Lee, Mike Megee, Frank Wheeler, and Randy Wilson.
The Warriors finished the century with a 57-14 record during the 1999 campaign and captured the 10-team World Series title in Jupiter, Fla., which also marked the last time the Series was held outside of Lewiston. Brian Nannini (.415) and Brandon O'Leary (.391) led a solid offense that hit .330 during the season, while James Ramshaw and Fletcher Lee both went 10-0 on the mound.
LC State was the top seed in the Series and opened with a 14-0 win over Culver-Stockton and followed with a 9-4 win over Bellevue. In an all-Idaho matchup, LC State defeated Albertson College (now College of Idaho) 7-3 and the moved into the championship game with a 3-0 win over Birmingham-Southern. With the two Idaho teams remaining, Albertson forced an if-necessary game with a 2-1 win over the Warriors. LC State, however prevailed in the title game with a 7-2 win. Both Ramshaw and O'Leary were chosen for NAIA All-American Honorable Mention honors,
The '99 series team included position players Kurt Koshelnik, J.R. Diaz, Elliott Strankman, Kendrick Wallace, O'Leary, Ryan Luther, Chad Kline, Nannini, Ray Vodegel, Toby Cheff, Jason Ellison, Gil Pierce, Gabe Boruff and Tom Fazio. Pitchers were Anthony Ferrari, Ramshaw, John Veitch, Nick Stelzner, Clint Cameron, John Foster, Ryan Baerlocher, Lee, Rob Shoults, and Garnet Jensen.
The induction ceremony will be held on April 22 at the Clearwater River Casino & Lodge. Tickets for the event will go on sale in early 2023.
The seventh class to be inducted into the Warrior Athletic Hall of Fame includes former women's basketball coach Mike Divilbiss and former men's basketball coach George Pfeifer, former women's basketball player Caelyn Orlandi, former baseball player Rusty Harris and former cross country and track runner Chelsey Leighton. The Avista NAIA World Series baseball championship teams from 1989, '96 and '99 also will be enshrined at a banquet.
The Hall of Fame was established in 2011 in a joint effort between the LC State athletic department and its boost 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 to the Warrior Athletic Hall of Fame are held every other year. However, because COVID-19 postponed the 2021 ceremony to last year, LC State will hold another induction ceremony this year.
Divilbiss turned the Warrior Women's Basketball program into an annual national power. He compiled a 310-122 record (.718 winning percentage) during 1987-2001. The Warriors earned their first NAIA national tournament berth in 1996 and qualified in each of his final six years. In 2001, LC State advanced to the national semifinals where it lost to eventual champion Oklahoma City.
In his final 11 seasons at the helm, LC never lost more than 10 games in a year and won 20 or more games 10 times. In his final two seasons, LC State posted records of 28-2 and 33-4 and was ranked No. 1 in the nation, a first for the program. After the 2001 season, Divilbiss was hired at the University of Idaho where he spent seven seasons. He also had coaching stops on staffs at Wisconsin-Green Bay, Illinois and North Idaho College. He recently spent three years as athletic director at Lakeland High School in Rathdrum. He and his wife, Judy, currently reside in the Spokane area.
Pfeifer also had a long and successful career at LC State. He became head coach in 1987 after serving as an assistant to Dick Hannan for two seasons. Pfeifer coached the Warriors for 16 seasons and led them to a 20-9 mark in 1999-2000, marking the first time the program had ever reached 20 wins in a season. He also led the Warriors to six national tournament appearances, including its first ever in 1992. He finished his LC State career with a 295-206 record.
Pfeifer started his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Warriors while he attended LC State. He graduated from the college in 1979 and then coached at his high school alma mater, St. Maries, for three seasons. After time at Hardin High and Rocky Mountain College in Montana, he became an assistant at LC State in 1987. Following the 2005 season, he served as an assistant coach at Idaho for a year and then took over the Vandals for two seasons. He later was head coach at Montana State-Billings, an assistant at Montana State, a head coach at Lewis & Clark High in Spokane, and part of basketball operations at Gonzaga for his friend Mark Few. Pfeifer also resides with his wife, Sue, in the Spokane area.
Orlandi had a monster career with the Warriors during 2013-17, culminating with a runner-up finish at the NAIA national tournament, the best finish ever by the women's basketball team. Orlandi was a two-time NAIA All-American guard and led the NAIA her senior year in total assists (261), assists per game (7.05) and assist to turnover ratio (3.6:1). She set the school record for assists in a season and a career, averaged in double figures scoring all four seasons, and finished with a 13.1 points per game average.
Orlandi wound up with 1,766 points, which ranks fifth on the program's all-time scoring list. Her 13.1 points-per-game-average ranks fourth, and her 622 total field goals are fifth. She made 199 3-pointers (sixth all-time), 323 free throws (seventh), and shot 84.8 percent at the free-throw line (third). She was a two-time First-Team All-Frontier Conference selection, a second team selection as a sophomore, and the Freshman of the Year during her first season.
As well as leaving her mark on the court, Orlandi, a Coeur d'Alene High product, was feted for her work in the classroom. She earned both Frontier Conference and NAIA Scholar-Athlete distinction both her junior and senior seasons. She currently is in her sixth year as the associate head coach for the Warrior Women's Basketball team.
Harris was a standout shortstop at Lewiston High and then for the Warriors during 1984-87. His name is dotted throughout the Warriors' record book. He is the all-time leader in runs scored and walks, second in doubles, third in hits and games played, fourth in total bases, eighth in singles, and 10th in RBI. He holds the program's single-season record in runs scored at 131 (next highest is 102) and has the record for most consecutive games scoring at least one run at 21. Defensively, twice he won the Warriors' Golden Glove Award.
He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 16th round of the 1986 draft, but chose to remain at LC. After a stellar senior season when he earned NAIA First-Team All-American honors, he was selected by Houston in the 13th round of the 1987 draft and signed. He played six seasons in the Astros' minor league system, reaching the AAA level where he hit .294 with Tucson. Harris and his family currently reside in Brandon, Miss.
Chelsey Leighton came to LC State in 2009 from nearby Lapwai after she was a standout in several sports for the Wildcats. She competed in both cross country and track for the Warriors and made her mark her senior year in 2014 when she won the marathon at the NAIA national outdoor meet in 3 hours, 2 minutes and 25.1 seconds. At that time, she was only the second LC State runner to ever win a national title.
What was remarkable about the feat is that Leighton came to LC State as a sprinter before she changed to a distance runner during her sophomore year. She placed seventh at a cross country meet as a sophomore and then had a great junior year where she set the program record for the half marathon and then placed ninth in the marathon at nationals. She also placed 31st at nationals her senior year in cross country. Leighton resides in Ellensburg, Wash., with her husband, former LC Men's Basketball assistant coach Drew Church.
The three Warrior baseball teams to be inducted were all coached by legendary Ed Cheff, who passed away earlier this year. Cheff led the Warriors to 16 national titles.
The 1989 squad went 41-24, which was a bit misleading. While the 24 losses were the most in a season by a Cheff-coached team, 17 of the losses were to NCAA Division I schools. The team hit .292 for the season, led by catcher John NesSmith's .352 average, while the pitching staff had a 3.80 earned run average. Darrell Wagner (9-3) and Joe Misa (7-3) led a strong staff.
In the World Series, the Warriors defeated Point Park 7-3 to begin play, and then Hawaii Hilo 12-6 and St. Francis 7-4. The Warriors then bested Oklahoma Baptist 12-4 and North Florida 10-5, before defeating St. Francis again 5-2 for the title. In all, LC outscored the opposition 53-24 in going undefeated in the10-team field. NesSmith was chosen as an NAIA Second-Team All-American, while Mike Murphy of Lewiston was an honorable mention pick.
Members of the 1989 Series team were position players Greg Vaughns, Reggie Brown, Chip Damato, Karey Redditt, Glen Baxley, Geoff Curtis, Murphy, Rob Castaneda, Darin Brewer, NesSmith, Eric Munoz, and Dave Peterson, and pitchers Wagner, Steve Callahan, Misa, Rob Hays, Ray Domecq, Bruce Bensching, Mark Yockey and Darren Cooper.
In 1996, the Warriors went 53-11 and set a program record for most wins in a season at a neutral site with 14. The team hit .334 on the season while holding opponents to a .237 batting average. Jose Rijo-Berger led the team with a .390 average, followed by Art Baeza at .389. Matt Foran (9-2) and Matt Randel (8-0) led a strong pitching staff that had a 2.66 ERA.
The '96 Series was held in Sioux City, Iowa that year and the field consisted of only eight teams. The Warriors were the top seed but barely edged No. 8 seed Geneva 2-1. LC State then defeated Cumberland 9-4, St. Ambrose 3-1, and St. Thomas 4-2 to move into the championship game. The Warriors then claimed the title with a 9-0 win over St. Ambrose. In its five Series games, LC State only allowed eight runs. Baeza was selected as a NAIA First-Team All-American for the Warriors.
The '96 Series roster included position players Keith Habig, Tristan Fike, Ryan Wilson, Dave Schueller, Allen Jackson, Ethan Rodriguez, Trent Kies, Troy Silva, Bucky Jacobsen, Rijo-Berger, Baeza and Tyler Borup. Pitchers were Jason Ginoza, Carl Starks, Adam Huxhold, Randel, Foran, Tim Conklin, Fletcher Lee, Mike Megee, Frank Wheeler, and Randy Wilson.
The Warriors finished the century with a 57-14 record during the 1999 campaign and captured the 10-team World Series title in Jupiter, Fla., which also marked the last time the Series was held outside of Lewiston. Brian Nannini (.415) and Brandon O'Leary (.391) led a solid offense that hit .330 during the season, while James Ramshaw and Fletcher Lee both went 10-0 on the mound.
LC State was the top seed in the Series and opened with a 14-0 win over Culver-Stockton and followed with a 9-4 win over Bellevue. In an all-Idaho matchup, LC State defeated Albertson College (now College of Idaho) 7-3 and the moved into the championship game with a 3-0 win over Birmingham-Southern. With the two Idaho teams remaining, Albertson forced an if-necessary game with a 2-1 win over the Warriors. LC State, however prevailed in the title game with a 7-2 win. Both Ramshaw and O'Leary were chosen for NAIA All-American Honorable Mention honors,
The '99 series team included position players Kurt Koshelnik, J.R. Diaz, Elliott Strankman, Kendrick Wallace, O'Leary, Ryan Luther, Chad Kline, Nannini, Ray Vodegel, Toby Cheff, Jason Ellison, Gil Pierce, Gabe Boruff and Tom Fazio. Pitchers were Anthony Ferrari, Ramshaw, John Veitch, Nick Stelzner, Clint Cameron, John Foster, Ryan Baerlocher, Lee, Rob Shoults, and Garnet Jensen.
The induction ceremony will be held on April 22 at the Clearwater River Casino & Lodge. Tickets for the event will go on sale in early 2023.
