Wednesday, March 19, 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. – With Great Northwest Athletic Conference baseball teams entering midseason form, Central Washington and Saint Martin’s are each slated to host conference action this weekend.

Coming off of a 2-2 split with Montana State Billings, SMU (6-14, 3-5 GNAC) welcomes GNAC-leading Western Oregon (15-10, 9-3) to Lacey, Wash., for a four-game series beginning Saturday. The teams will square off in a 1 p.m. Pacific time doubleheader on Saturday, and close the series with a noon doubleheader Sunday.

In Ellensburg, Wash., Central Washington (8-9, 3-5) plays host to Montana State Billings (4-16, 3-5), as the four-game series has been relocated due to unplayable conditions at the originally scheduled site of Billings. First pitch for the series is set for noon on Saturday, with a noon doubleheader on Sunday following to wrap up the meeting. 

Northwest Nazarene (10-15, 6-6) is off until March 28, when GNAC action returns to Nampa with a four-game series against MSUB. Crusader senior right-hander Aaron Vaughn is among Division II leaders in complete games as he has totaled four so far this season. Vaughn also ranks ninth in the NCAA in wins with five. 

Kody Stone of Western Oregon is No. 10 in Division II in saves with five, and is currently in second place in all-time saves in the GNAC with 18. The career mark of 24 is currently held by Nick Patee of Northwest Nazarene (2003-06).

Offensively, SMU junior Chandler Tracy ranks 21st in Division II in home runs with five this season and has moved into third place in the GNAC record books with 25 in his career. Tracy is four home runs shy of tying Central Washington’s Jamie Nilsen (2005-08) for the all-time mark of 29.

RECAP

Red Lion Player of the Week Kevin Toon sparked MSUB to a pair of wins against Saint Martin’s on Saturday, and he finished the four-game set batting 8-for-13 with four doubles, six runs scored and five RBI. The ‘Jackets also had a strong offensive performance from Luke Reinschmidt, who hit 7-for-15 with five runs, three doubles and no strikeouts. 

For the Saints, Tracy had two doubles and a home run throughout the 2-2 split with MSUB, and Travis Shaw went 5-for-12 and drew four walks for a .588 on-base percentage on the weekend. Junior left-hander Josh Moss earned Red Lion Pitcher of the Week honors, as he tossed eight stellar innings and struck out seven batters against four hits and two walks to help SMU to a 3-2 win on Friday.

Western Oregon junior Eric Huson was instrumental in the Wolves’ 1-0 win over NNU on Saturday, tossing eight shutout innings while allowing two walks and two hits, and striking out four batters. Spenser Watkins also turned in a great performance from the mound for the Wolves, striking out nine batters in his seven-inning start Friday. Daniel McNabb led WOU at the plate with a line of 5-for-12, and he drove in five of his team-high seven runs in the series-clinching 13-2 win on Saturday.

For the Crusaders, Vaughn picked up his fifth win of the season, tossing a seven-inning complete game in NNU’s 3-1 victory on Saturday. Kyle Thomson was the lone NNU hitter to bat .300 on the weekend, logging a line of 4-for-11 and drawing a pair of walks for an on-base percentage of .462. Thomson also played flawless defense at second base, recording nine putouts and five assists without an error.

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