Wednesday, March 26, 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. – After being named Red Lion Pitcher and Player of the Week respectively, Western Oregon baseball standouts Eric Huson and Parker Miles were named National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Regional Pitcher and Player of the Week announced Wednesday morning.

Huson was dominant in his effort against Saint Martin’s last week, tossing a two-hit shutout in the Wolves’ 5-0 win on Sunday. The junior right-hander struck out five batters and walked none in the 9-inning stellar performance.

Miles hit 8-for-16 with four doubles, three runs scored and a pair of RBI as the Wolves took a four-game series from Saint Martin's 3-1. The second baseman also stole a pair of bases and struck out just once in 18 plate appearances, while handling all 12 of his fielding chances perfectly. On the season, Miles has committed just one error in 74 chances for a fielding percentage of .986. 

The duo helped WOU extend its lead on first place in the conference, as the Wolves are now 12-4 in GNAC play and 19-11 overall.

Currently sitting in second place, Northwest Nazarene (10-15, 6-6 GNAC) gets back into action this weekend after a 12-day layoff. The Crusaders welcome Montana State Billings to Nampa for a four-game tilt with doubleheaders on Friday (4 p.m. MTN) and Saturday (noon MTN).

NNU has relied on senior ace Aaron Vaughn all season long, as he currently ranks second in the GNAC among qualifiers with a 2.03 ERA. Vaughn has 36 strikeouts against just six walks in 40 innings of work, and leads the conference with five wins.

The Yellowjackets (6-18, 5-7) are coming off a 2-2 split with Central Washington last week, taking the first and last games of the four-game series in Ellensburg. 

MSUB junior Brody Miller leads the conference in batting with a .419 average, and his 36 hits and 19 walks are the most in the GNAC so far.

Sophomore Kevin Toon has been red hot lately, hitting .600 (18-for-30) with four doubles, eight runs scored and 10 RBI over his past eight games.

Following a two-game nonconference matchup against Minot State after this week’s bout in Nampa, MSUB will play the remainder of its 2014 season on its home field. To date, the ‘Jackets have yet to play a home game this season.

The Wildcats (12-11, 5-7) will look to gain ground in the conference standings with a home series against SMU this weekend. CWU has won three of its last five conference games and six of its last eight overall, and is currently tied for third in the GNAC standings with MSUB. 

CWU’s Kasey Bielec is currently the second-leading hitter in the conference at .391. The junior utility player leads his team in most major offensive categories, including hits (27), home runs (4) and RBI (19). 

On the mound for the Wildcats, Brandon Williams has proven to be the most consistent starter. The junior transfer from Mount Hood CC holds a 4-1 record with a 2.52 ERA and has a GNAC second-best 41 strikeouts over 35 2/3 innings.

Saint Martin’s (7-17, 4-8) will look to carry over momentum from a 9-5 win over Western Oregon on Sunday to this weekend’s series against CWU.

The Saints boast three of the conference’s top-five batting leaders, with Travis Shaw and Alex Bielaski hitting .383 and Chandler Tracy at .348.

With his next home run, Tracy will move into a tie for second place in the GNAC record books as his career mark of 25 is one away from Daniel Dillard’s (WOU, 2010-11) total of 26. The all-time conference career record of 29 is held by Jamie Nilsen of CWU (2005-08), and is within reach for Tracy, who is currently in his junior year of eligibility. 

On the mound for SMU, relief pitcher Tony LaDue has as not allowed a run in nine consecutive appearances in relief (6 2/3 innings). The last run he surrendered was on Feb. 23, and over the current stretch he has only allowed four hits.

For more information, including a complete listing of 2014 standout performances and a comprehensive career top-10 watch list, check out the full baseball weekly report.