The Must-See Stops: It was a good month for Dan Lanning, Sophia Smith and Travis Bazzana
The debut of The I-5 Corridor's monthly Power Rankings sees Oregon's third-year head coach take the top spot.
We understand it’s been a long winter. We know this spring has been soggy. But with every ping at Goss Stadium, roar at Providence Park and lamp lit inside of Veterans Memorial Coliseum, this past month we’ve gotten the unmistakable sounds of sports heating up here in Oregon.
As we charge full steam into summer, The I-5 Corridor is kicking May off by ranking the top players, coaches and teams who are creating the must-see stops for sports fans along the I-5 right now.
Here’s the debut of our new Power Rankings:
1. Dan Lanning, Oregon Ducks head coach
Look, we know it’s the offseason, but Oregon’s third-year head coach is on a bit of a tear. Last week, Lanning saw a program-record eight Oregon Ducks drafted into the NFL, followed it up by putting 40,000 butts into seats at Autzen Stadium for the spring game and then got to hop on a jet to go win $5,000 for the OHSU Foundation - Knight Center Institute in Atlanta on the golf course.
To top it all off, Deion started tweeting again, which has led to a resurfacing of this clip from September, back when the Ducks put a thumping on Colorado.
Lanning’s Q-rating couldn’t be higher in Eugene. Football season can’t get here soon enough.
2. Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns forward
A text from Shane Hoffmann at 11:01 p.m. Wednesday night:
“I don’t wanna lean on the Sophia Smith crutch but she just keeps entering takeover mode every time I write a gamer.”
Well, Shane, sometimes the story is the story. And right now, the Thorns forward is putting herself on the cover. The 23-year-old member of the U.S. Women’s National Team has seven goals and three assists through seven games this season, with her third brace of the year leading the way in Portland’s 3-2 win over Bay FC Wednesday night. After a winless first month, Smith’s charge — and a few other things we’ll get to later on in this list — has the Thorns on a three-match winning streak.
3. Jan Špunar, Portland Winterhawks goalie
The Winterhawks are a win away from their first trip to the WHL Finals in more than a decade, and while Portland has been scoring goals plenty fine, this juniors team is also riding along with the one constant of every successful postseason: a hot goaltender.
19-year-old Jan Špunar was named the WHL’s goaltender of the month in April after posting an 8-1-0-0 record with a 2.28 goals-against average, a .926 save percentage and a shutout. After allowing five goals in Portland’s series-opening loss against No. 1-seed Prince George, Špunar has been a wall, stopping 69 of 75 shots over the next three games as the Winterhawks raced out to a 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals.
Winterhawks coach Mike Johnston said it’s Špunar’s ability to minimize second attempts from an aggressive Cougars team that’s helped turn the series.
“I like how Jan has been dialed in during the series as far as managing the puck around the crease. Any time there’s a loose puck he’s on top of it,” Johnston said. “That’s been a real strength of his. When he’s on his game, his rebound control is good. And if there is a rebound that falls off of him, he’s on top of it and that’s the end of it.”
4. Travis Bazzana, Oregon State Beavers second baseman
For a moment, people were worried about Travis Bazzana. Oregon State’s leadoff rocket launcher took a pitch off the left wrist during a midweek game in Reno two weeks ago, pulling the All-American junior out of the game sitting with a .452 average, 18 home runs, eight doubles, 45 RBIs and 56 runs on the season.
Not to worry — Bazzana would only miss a game and was soon back in the lineup to resume his assault on the Pac-12’s fences. Bazzana’s third-inning solo shot against the Ducks on Friday provided a key insurance run in a 2-0 Oregon State win over Oregon. The Australian connected against the Ducks again Tuesday night for his 21st homer of the year — good for seventh in the nation.
5. Karina LeBlanc, Portland Thorns General Manager
The Thorns found themselves in uncharted waters. One of the NWSL’s premier organizations, in its first year of new ownership, was off to its worst start in history with a roster far too talented for such a placement in the record books.
So the Thorns general manager didn’t wait. After a 2-0 loss against North Carolina, Portland’s third loss in four games to start the year, LeBlanc reassigned head coach Mike Norris to a front-office role and appointed Rob Gale the team’s interim coach.
“Thorns FC have set the standard for excellence in the league,” LeBlanc said. “These changes will help us maximize our strengths as we continuously pursue championship-level success.”
Since then, all the Thorns have done is record three wins in three games while outscoring their opponents 9-3. A bold move led to bold results.
6. Bryce Boetcherr, Oregon Ducks centerfielder