Wednesday, February 22, 2017

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY: One of the rainiest months of February in record weather history on the West Coast has caused some significant juggling to GNAC softball schedules. Strong weather systems forced teams playing in the Bay Area, Southern California and Hawaii to reschedule numerous games. Teams have lost a total of 10 games so far this season.

The most lost games were in Utah, where GNAC teams had four games washed out on the final day of the Dixie State Easton Classic on Feb. 11. Simon Fraser had games on Feb. 17 at Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific rained out and Saint Martin’s had it’s scheduled home season-opening twinbill against Pacific Lutheran postponed due to rain.

Weather again could make this weekend’s action interesting. The Portland-area forecast calls for a rain/snow mix on both Friday and Sunday with clear skies on Saturday. Concordia will host its Cavalier Classic in Portland over the weekend.

Western Oregon and Northwest Nazarene are scheduled for games in the Treasure Valley this weekend. Forecasts call for sunny skies on Friday and Saturday with a chance of snow on Sunday night.

A HOME OF THEIR OWN: For years, Concordia softball played its home games either north of campus at Portland’s Delta Park or southwest of campus at Hood View Park in Happy Valley. Now, for the first time, the Cavaliers can walk out of their dorm rooms and onto the field.

Concordia played its first softball games on a reconfigured Porter Park on Saturday, splitting a doubleheader with Division III Pacific (Ore.). Originally built to house the Cavaliers’ baseball and soccer teams, Concordia retrofitted the FieldTurf facility to also serve the softball program with the installation of softball lines and the ability to remove the infield mound to allow for softball games. A portable outfield fence was also installed to meet NCAA softball specifications.

Porter Park is part of a complex also known as Hilken Community Stadium and Tuominen Yard when in soccer configutation. The facility was completed in 2011 and has a capacity of 781 for baseball and softball.

THE TEAM TO WATCH: After their run through the GNAC Championships into the NCAA Division II Super Regional, Central Washington will be the team to beat in the GNAC in 2017.

The Wildcats were picked by conference coaches to repeat as GNAC champion in the annual coaches’ preseason poll, which was released on Jan. 27. Central Washington received six of eight possible first place votes to finish with 61 points, well ahead Western Oregon, which was picked second with 50 points.

In addition to the conference prognostication, Central Washington was No. 14 in the NFCA Division II Preseason Coaches Poll. The Wildcats finished in that position in the 2016 poll.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
Destiny Kuehl, Western Oregon
IF • 5-8 •  Senior • Portland, Ore.

Kuehl finished hitting .579 (11 for 19) in six games with nine runs, 11 RBIs, a double and three home runs to lead the Wolves to a 4-2 week on the road. She went 5 for 6 in the Wolves’ doubleheader at Chaminade on Wednesday and went 2 for 3 with two homers, two RBIs and three runs in the nightcap. Kuehl ended the road trip by going 2 for 3 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs an 11-0 win at BYU-Hawaii on Friday.

Also Nominated: McKenzie Smith (Concordia), Brittany Genuardi (Northwest Nazarene).

PITCHER
Rylee Thomas, Northwest Nazarene
P • 5-7 •  Sophomore • Spanaway, Wash.

Thomas went 2-1 and compiled a 1.24 earned run average as she helped lead the Crusaders to a 4-2 week. In 17 innings, she allowed eight runs, three earned, on 17 hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. She allowed two runs on six hits and struck out two in five innings of a 3-2 win in the nightcap at San Francisco State on Tuesday and then allowed one unearned run on four hits with four strikeouts in six innings of the Crusaders’ 13-6 win over Notre Dame de Namur on Wednesday.

Also Nominated: Sammy Cadwallader (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington has not played since Feb. 10, when the Wildcats took a 4-3 loss to St. Edward’s. Central Washington will not play again until Wed., Mar. 1, when they host Division III Pacific Lutheran for a doubleheader.

• The Wildcats enter the week leading the GNAC with a .351 batting average. The Wildcats also lead the league with 100 hits and rank second with 66 runs. Kailyn Campbell is CWU’s top hitter with a .455 average, 15 hits, 13 runs, 10 RBIs, three doubles and four home runs.

• Central Washington also leads the GNAC with a 2.64 earned run average. The staff has allowed 35 runs, 23 earned, on 80 hits in the nine games. Kayla Smith leads the staff with a 1.18 earned run average in seven appearances. In 23.2 innings, she has allowed 22 runs, four earned, on 10 hits. She is 3-3 on the season.

• Central Washington was picked by GNAC coaches to repeat as conference champion in the 2017 GNAC Softball Preseason Coaches Poll. The Wildcats received 61 points, including six of eight first place votes. In addition, the Wildcats opened the season No. 14 in the NFCA Preseason Coaches Poll, mirroring their finish in the poll in 2016. Since then, the Wildctas have dropped out of the rankings.

• First baseman Kailyn Campbell was one of two GNAC players named to the NFCA’s watch list for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II Player of the Year.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia became the first GNAC to play at home this season, opening it’s new home at Porter Park with a split of Saturday’s doubleheader with Division III Pacific (Ore.).

• Junior pitcher Tori Muir was the winner in Saturday’s 3-2, eight-inning nightcap, allowing one walk and striking out two in 2.2 innings of relief. Starter Jessica Lambourn went 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on six hits.

• Muir leads Concordia with a 3.18 earned run average. She has allowed 23 runs, 10 earned, on 13 hits in eight appearances and 22 innings.

• Senior outfielder Meghan Luebbert batted .429 for the series, going 3 for 7 with a run. She went 2 for 4 in Saturday’s opener. Luebbert enters the week eighth in the GNAC with a .450 average with nine runs and four RBIs. Luebbert was one of two GNAC players named to the NFCA’s watch list for the Schutt Sports/FNCA Division II Player of the Year.

• The Cavaliers enter the week with a .283 batting average and have 48 runs and 87 hits in 11 games. In the circle, the Cavaliers own a 4.61 earned run average, having allowed 64 runs, 49 earned.

• Concordia will host the Cavalier Classic (formerly the Northwest Cup) on Saturday and Sunday at the team’s new on-campus facility, Porter Park. The Cavaliers will play Southern Oregon and British Columbia on Saturday. They will play the Raiders again on Sunday before wrapping the tourney against Corban.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings has not played since Feb. 10, when it beat UC Colorado Springs 12-3 in the Dixie State Easton Classic. The Yellowjackets return to action on Sunday when they travel to Minot, N.D., for a doubleheader against Minot State.

• Junior outfielder Heather Tracy leads the Yellowjackets offensively with a .451 batting average in 13 games. She has gone 23 for 51 with 12 runs, eight RBIs, four doubles and a triple. As a team, Montana State Billings is hitting .307 with 116 hits, 87 runs and a GNAC-leading home runs.

• Freshman pitcher Maddy Lincoln leads the MSUB pitching staff with a 5.35 earned run average and a 3-4 record. In 36.2 innings, she has allowed 43 runs, 28 earned, in 53 hits with 24 strikeouts. As a team, the Yellowjackets own a 6.63 ERA. They have allowed 114 runs, 78 earned, in the 13 games.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Crusaders went 4-2 last week in a trio of doubleheaders in the Bay Area. After taking a pair of 5-1 losses to Academy of Art on Feb. 13, NNU swept San Francisco State on Feb. 14, 4-2 and 3-2, and Notre Dame de Namur on Feb. 15, 14-2 and 13-6.

• Sophomore Rylee Thomas was named the GNAC Pitcher of the Week after she went 2-1 in three appearances. She had a 1.24 earned run average as she allowed eight runs, three earned, on 17 hits with eight strikeouts in 17 innings. She won her first start against San Francisco State, allowing two runs on six hits in five innings to win the opener 3-2. Thomas enters the week second in the GNAC in pitching with a 1.62 earned run average.

• Freshman pitcher Rae Young was also a leader for the Crusaders, but in the hitting department. She batted .467 in five games, going 7 for 15 with three runs and two RBIs. She went 2 for 3 in both games at San Francisco State and had two hits in the opener at Notre Dame de Namur.

• Freshman infielder Brittany Genuardi leads NNU in hitting with a .400 batting average. In 13 games, she has gone 20 for 50 with four runs, 14 RBIs, four doubles and two home runs.

• As a team, Northwest Nazarene is hitting .287 with 103 hits, 65 runs, 17 doubles, two triples and nine home runs in the 13 games. The Crusaders own a 4.08 earned run average, allowing 75 runs, 49 earned, in 84 innings.

• Northwest Nazarene will host Eastern Oregon for a four-game non-conference series on Friday and Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• After it’s opening four games at UC San Diego and against Dominican (Calif.), Saint Martin’s has been a victim of rain. The Saints saw their last two doubleheaders, at Azusa Pacific on Feb. 6 and vs. Pacific Lutheran on Feb. 18, called off due to weather.

• The Saints will play four games at the Cavalier Classic in Portland this weekend. They will take on Corban and British Columbia on Saturday. On Sunday, The Saints will play UBC again before facing Southern Oregon.

• Senior outfielder Mary Dettling was named the first GNAC Softball Player of the Week of the season after she hit .615 (8 for 13) in the four games with five doubles, two runs and six RBIs against UC San Diego and Dominican (Calif.). She continues to lead the GNAC in batting average.

• Sophomore outfielder Lauren Diuco is fourth in the GNAC with a .538 batting average while junior outfielder/pitcher Lindsay Miller is fifth with a .500 average.

• Pitcher Jessica O’Toole is fifth in the GNAC a 2.33 earned run average in six innings of work. She earned the win in the Feb. 4 game against Dominican in 4.1 innings of relief, allowing two runs on three hits.

• The Saints are second in the GNAC with a .324 team batting average with 35 hits, 26 runs and a GNAC-leading 12 doubles. The Saints own a 3.92 team earned run average and are tops in the league with a .992 fielding percentage with one error in four games.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser went 2-4 in six games last week in Hawaii. The Clan won their 5-4 opener with BYU-Hawaii on Feb. 13 and then collected a 5-1 win in their opener with Chaminade on Feb. 14.

• Junior infielder Taylor Lundrigan led the Clan offensively with a .524 batting average in the six games, including 11 hits, three runs, six RBIs and four doubles. Her week was capped by a 4 for 4 performance in the win over Chaminade with a double, a home run and three RBIs. Lundrigan enters the week second in the GNAC with a .586 batting average with 17 hits, six runs, five doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs.

• Senior Tori Belton and junior Alia Stachoski split the Clan’s wins in the two games. Belton was the winner against BYU-Hawaii, allowing three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts in the six innings. Stachoski earned the save. Stachoski then earned the win over Chaminade with one run on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts in five innings. Belton came on for the save.

• Belton leads SFU in the circle with a 2.43 earned run average, having allowed 18 runs, eight earned, on nine hits with 15 strikeouts in 23 innings.

• Simon Fraser enters the week with a .300 batting average, which includes 70 hits, 36 runs, 18 doubles and two homers in eight games. The Clan pitching staff owns a 3.46 earned run average, allowing 32 runs, 27 earned, on 46 hits in 54.2 innings.

• The Clan will play four games at the Cavalier Classic this weekend. Simon Fraser will face Southern Oregon and Corban on Saturday and British Columbia and Corban on Sunday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon came home from Hawaii with a 4-2 record in a trio of doubleheaders on the islands. After dropping both games to Hawaii Pacific on Feb. 13, the Wolves beat Chaminade twice, 11-2 and 12-4, on Feb. 14 and beat BYU-Hawaii twice, 9-3 and 11-0, on Feb. 17.

• Senior infielder Destiny Kuehl was named the GNAC Softball Player of the Week after she went .579 in the six games, going 11 for 19 with nine runs, 11 RBIs, a double and three home runs. She went 5 for 6 in WOU’s doubleheader at Chaminade on Tuesday, which included two home runs in the nightcap, and went 2 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs in Wednesday’s second game win over BYU-Hawaii. Kuehl is batting .424 on the season with 14 hits, 11 runs and 11 RBIs.

• Senior infielder Kelsie Gardner is WOU’s leading hitter with a .425 average with 17 hits, 13 runs and a double. She hit .480 in the six games in Hawaii, going 12 for 25 with 10 runs, a double and a RBI.

• Sophomore pitcher Haley Fabian went 2-1 with a 3.57 earned run average in the three games, allowing 12 runs, eight earned, on 15 hits in 15.2 innings. She went the distance in the opening win over Chaminade, allowing two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts. Fabian leads the Wolves overall with a 3.41 earned run average and a 2-3 record in six appearances and 26.2 innings.

• Western Oregon enters the week with a .312 team batting average with 98 hits, 70 runs and 12 home runs. The Wolves are second in the GNAC with a 2.69 earned run average as the staff has allowed 46 runs, 27 earned, on 67 hits in 70.1 innings.

• The Wolves will travel to Caldwell, Idaho, this weekend with a four-game set against NAIA rival College of Idaho.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington has not played since taking a 12-0 loss to Cal State San Bernardino at the Dixie State Easton Classic on Feb. 10. The Vikings do not play again until their conference opener against Montana State Billings on Mar. 4.

• Junior first baseman Emily Benson leads the Vikings offensively with a .567 batting average. In 30 at-bats, Benson has 17 hits, 11 runs, 13 RBIs, two doubles, a triple and four home runs.

• Sophomore Shearyna Labasan leads the WWU pitching staff with a 2.73 earned run average. She is 3-0 on the season, having allowed 12 runs, 10 earned, on 21 hits with 18 strikeouts in 25.2 innings.

• Western Washington is third in the GNAC in hitting with a .317 batting average, 90 hits, 41 runs, 11 doubles, three triples and seven home runs. The Vikings’ pitching staff owns a 3.55 earned run average, having allowed 39 runs, 34 earned, on 59 hits in 67 innings.