Monday, May 1, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. – A pair of big pitching performances for Western Oregon baseball and softball lead this week’s list of GNAC Player of the Week award winners.

Senior Sammi Cadwallader was named as the Softball Pitcher of the Week after she picked up two big wins which helped the Wolves qualify for the GNAC Championships. She threw two complete-game wins, allowing five runs, two earned, in 14 innings. She topped her week by throwing a three-hit shutout in the season finale over GNAC regular season champion Central Washington, 3-0.

Senior Brady Miller was selected as the Baseball Pitcher of the Week after he threw a complete-game, seven-inning victory on Tuesday to beat Saint Martin’s 5-1. He allowed the one run on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts to improve to 4-2 on the season.

Western Washington freshman Anna Kasner was named the Softball Player of the Week after a six-game run that included a .476 batting average, 10 hits, three doubles, a triple, a grand slam and 16 RBIs. She went 4 for 5 with five RBIs and finished a home run short of the cycle in Friday’s game one win over Northwest Nazarene. She got the home run in Saturday’s opening game, a third inning grand slam that helped the Vikings to the 16-8 win.

Central Washington senior Conor Plaisance was named the Baseball Player of the Week after he batted .500 with five hits, two doubles, two home runs, six walks and seven RBIs as the Wildcats split a four-game series with Western Oregon. He had his best performance in Saturday’s opener, a 13-11 victory, in which he went 3 for 6 with two homers and six RBIs.

The Vikings’ Anna Paradee led three record-setters to earn track and field weekly honors. Paradee was named the Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she set the GNAC record in the pole vault at the Ralph Vernacchia Open. Her winning mark of 12 feet, 8 inches, bettered the record of 12 feet, 7.5 inches, set by WWU’s Karis Anderson in 2012.

Northwest Nazarene’s Payton Lewis earned the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he set a NNU record in the pole vault at the Idaho/Utah Border Clash. His winning mark of 17 feet, 2.75 inches added two inches to his previous record and improved his No. 2 mark in Division II.

Western Oregon’s Aaron Whitaker was selected as the Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he set a school record in the 400 meters at the OSU High Performance Meet. His second place time of 47.96 was just under the previous WOU record of 48.00 seconds and moves Whitaker to No. 7 on the GNAC all-time list.

The Crusaders’ Taylor Deskins was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she won both sprint events at the Idaho/Utah Border Clash. Her times of 12.40 seconds in the 100 meters and 25.67 seconds in the 200 meters are both season bests.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 35
BASEBALL PLAYER
Conor Plaisance (Central Washington, OF, 5-11, Sr., Mill Creek, Wash. – Edmonds CC): Plaisance led Central Washington to a weekend split with Western Oregon by batting .500 with five hits, two doubles, two home runs, six walks and seven RBIs. He went 3 for 6 with two home runs and six RBIs in Saturday’s 13-11 series-opening victory, which included a three-run homer. Also Nominated: Steven Sordahl (Saint Martin’s), Justin Wakem (Western Oregon), Ryan Myers (Montana State Billings), Spencer Pollock (Northwest Nazarene).

BASEBALL PITCHER
Brady Miller (Western Oregon, P, 6-2, Jr., Gilbert, Ariz. – Campo Verde): Miller returned to form with a complete-game 5-1 victory in the second game with Saint Martin’s on Tuesday. He allowed the one run on six hits with three walks and eight strikeouts to improve to 4-2 on the season. Also Nominated: Benjamin Wadowski (Saint Martin’s), Cody Cooper (Montana State Billings), Brady Baker (Northwest Nazarene), James Brooks (Concordia).

SOFTBALL PLAYER
Anna Kasner (Western Washington, P, 5-8, Fr., Milton, Wash. - Fife): Kasner led a big offensive week for the Vikings as she batted .476 in six games with 10 hits, three doubles, a triple, a home run and 16 RBIs. She went 4 for 5 with five RBIs and finished a home run short of the cycle in Friday’s opening win over Northwest Nazarene and then went 2 for 4 with four RBIs in the nightcap. Kasner then went 2 for 5 with four RBIs, all on a grand slam in the third, in Saturday’s opening game win. Also Nominated: Hailey Gearey (Simon Fraser), Mary Dettling (Saint Martin’s), Mercedes Green (Western Oregon), Courtney Somers (Concordia), Heather Tracy (Montana State Billings), Kylie Orr (Northwest Nazarene).

SOFTBALL PITCHER
Sammi Cadwallader (Western Oregon, P, 5-8, Sr., Toledo, Ore. – Toledo): Cadwallader picked up two big wins for the Wolves to clinch the No. 4 seed in the GNAC Championships, allowing five runs, two earned, while striking out six in 14 innings. She picked up the complete-game win over Saint Martin’s, allowing five runs, two earned, on eight hits. She then threw a complete-game three-hit shutout in the regular season ending 4-0 win over Central Washington, allowing just three hits and striking out five. Also Nominated: Kim Nelson (Saint Martin’s), Mattie Boucher (Concordia), Megan Dettling (Montana State Billings), Makinlee Sellevold (Western Washington), Rae Young (Northwest Nazarene).

MEN’S TRACK
Aaron Whitaker (Western Oregon, Sr., Agana Heights, Guam – Guam): Whitaker broke a 17-year-old Western Oregon record in the 400 meters at the OSU High Performance Meet. Whitaker placed second (behind a Division I competitor) in a time of 47.96 seconds, which is No. 7 on the GNAC all-time list. Also Nominated: Josiah Shelman (Saint Martin’s), Carlos Ortiz (Concordia), Sam Zook (Montana State Billings), Daniel Jones (Western Washington), Ebu Camara (Northwest Nazarene).

MEN’S FIELD
Payton Lewis (Northwest Nazarene, Jr., Nampa, Idaho – Nampa Christian): Lewis set a school record to win the pole vault at the Idaho/Utah Border Clash. His mark of 17 feet, 2.75 inches, bettered his own NNU record of 17 feet, 0.75 inches, and improves his No. 2 mark on the GNAC all-time list as well as his No. 2 mark in Division II this season. The performance also improves Lewis’ NCAA Championships automatic qualifying mark in the event. Also Nominated: Vladislav Tsygankov (Simon Fraser), Mitch Wilkens (Saint Martin’s), Wesley Gray (Western Oregon), Caleb Bridge (Concordia), Beau Ackerman (Montana State Billings), Brandon Pless (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Taylor Deskins (Northwest Nazarene, Sr., Corvallis, Ore. – Corban Univ.): Deskins won both the 100 meters and 200 meters at the Idaho/Utah Border Clash. She won the 100 meters in a season-best 12.40 seconds and also ran a season-best to win the 200 meters in 25.67 seconds. Also Nominated: Grace Hamre (Saint Martin’s), Olivia Woods (Western Oregon), Michaela Johnson (Montana State Billings), Savannah Smith (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Anna Paradee (Western Washington, Jr., Tacoma, Wash. – Decatur): Paradee set a GNAC record in the pole vault and won the event at the Ralph Vernacchia Invitational. Her clearance of 12 feet, 8 inches, broke the GNAC record of 12 feet, 7.5 inches, set by the Vikings’ Karis Anderson in 2012. The performance moves Paradee up to No. 15 on the Division II season best list. Also Nominated: Ella Brown (Simon Fraser), Megan Vernoy (Saint Martin’s), Sheila Limas De La Cruz (Western Oregon), Ellie Logan (Northwest Nazarene).