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Raiders pick two coaches ASHLAND � James Gravelle and Jose Chavez were named head softball and women�s soccer coach, respectively, on Monday by Southern Oregon University Athletic Director Monty Cartwright in anticipation of both sports� introduction to the varsity level next school year. Gravelle, a 1998 SOU graduate, compiled a 23-7 record over the past two seasons as the Raider club softball coach. His 2000 squad went 15-1, including seven victories over varsity opponents and a doubleheader sweep of regional small-college power Oregon Tech. Gravelle, 26, was a cornerback on the Raiders� football team before moving to secondary coach in 1997. He will lead SOU into its first intercollegiate softball competition 1982, when the program was eliminated due to campus-wide budget cuts. "This is a great opportunity both personally and professionally,�� said Gravelle in a statement released by the school. "This program and area already has enough talent that we (SOU) could contend for a conference title right away." Chavez, 33, is currently an assistant coach for the Houston Hurricanes professional men�s soccer team, and he will return to Ashland in August to steer the Raiders into their first-ever intercollegiate season. Chavez is a FIFA-certified coach and guided the Raiders women�s junior varsity-level soccer teams the past two seasons. A native of El Salvador who moved to Oregon in 1988, Chavez served as the head boys soccer coach at Rogue River High from 1990 until �92. The Chieftains totaled 31 wins against eight losses and three ties under Chavez, including a 1991 Skyline Conference title and an appearance in the Class 3A quarterfinals. He returns nine players from his 1999 Raider team that went 7-2-1 with three wins over varsity programs. "A key for this program will be to take advantage of the excellent high school competitors in our area," said Chavez in a statement released by the school. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA