Tuesday, May 6, 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. – Montana State Billings junior second baseman Brody Miller has been selected as the Great Northwest Athletic Conference baseball Player of the Year, after batting .390 with six home runs, 34 RBI and 37 runs scored for the Yellowjackets this season.

Miller led the GNAC in on-base percentage at .495, tied for the lead in doubles with 16, and was second in slugging percentage at .587.

"Brody is a coach's dream as a hitter," MSUB head coach Rob Bishop said. "His desire to be a better hitter has resulted in the great season he was able to put together this year. Brody is a leader on our team and has the respect of every guy in the program. He has made great strides in his mental toughness since he began his career here as a freshman."

GNAC Pitcher of the Year honors went to Brandon Williams of Central Washington, and teammate Cory Welch was named GNAC Newcomer of the Year. Williams led the GNAC with a 2.04 ERA, while posting a record of 8-3 and a GNAC-high 81 strikeouts in 70.2 innings of work. Williams logged a pair of shutouts on the season and had the most strikeouts in a single game with 15. He did not allow a home run.

“Brandon is an awesome young man,” CWU head coach Desi Storey commented. “He is a potentially overpowering guy in our league, especially when he is rested. He is a great competitor, and we feel that when he is on the mound we should win.”

Welch, a transfer from the College of Southern Nevada, led the conference in saves (10), while striking out 35 batters in 30.2 innings with a stellar ERA of 0.59. Welch also started 43 games at shortstop for the Wildcats, scoring 37 runs and hitting four home runs.

Saint Martin’s shortstop Zack Larsen received GNAC Freshman of the Year honors, after batting .308 with a team-high 12 doubles and 28 runs scored in his debut collegiate campaign. Larsen started 45 games for the Saints this season, posting an on-base percentage of .396.

Saint head coach Ken Garland was voted GNAC Coach of the Year by his peers, after piloting the Saints into the GNAC Championships with eight wins in his team’s final 10 conference games.

Also earning first-team honors were starting pitchers Aaron Vaughn of Northwest Nazarene, Eric Huson of Western Oregon, and Zach Carter of Saint Martin’s.

Vaughn led the conference in victories with a mark of 9-4, and totaled 76 strikeouts in 84.0 innings pitched with a 3.32 ERA. Vaughn also had the most complete games in the GNAC with seven.

Huson was the lone starter besides CWU’s Williams to log a sub-3.00 ERA, checking in with a mark of 2.26. The junior struck out 39 batters in 71.2 innings, while posting a record of 6-2.

Carter was the Saints’ top starter, eating up 82.2 innings and posting a 6-3 record with a 4.35 ERA.

Saint Martin’s junior Chandler Tracy was a first team all-conference pick at catcher, after leading the conference in home runs with 11 and slugging percentage at .628. Tracy also hit .328 with 34 RBI for the Saints, and became the GNAC career leader in home runs this season as he now has 31. 

Montana State Billings first baseman Kevin Toon, Western Oregon third baseman Garret Harpole and Central Washington utility infielder Kasey Bielec joined the major award winners on the all-conference first team.

Toon finished the season batting .348 with 28 RBI and 10 doubles for the Yellowjackets. Harpole hit .331 with four home runs, 27 RBI and 32 runs scored for the Wolves. Bielec led the conference in RBI with 38 while batting .340 with seven home runs, 11 doubles and 30 runs scored for CWU.

First team all-conference outfielders included Ethan Sterkel of Central Washington, Luke Reinschmidt of Montana State Billings, and Daniel McNabb and Matt Taylor of Western Oregon. 

Sterkel led the conference and was the lone player to break the .400 mark in batting average, as he hit .401 with 37 runs scored and 27 RBI on the season. The senior right fielder had 12 doubles and an on-base percentage of .465, while striking out just eight times in 179 plate appearances.

Reinschmidt batted .359 for the Yellowjackets with 16 doubles and a GNAC-high five triples this season. The sophomore scored 32 runs and drove in 27 this season, and became just the third player in GNAC history to hit for the cycle when he achieved the feat on March 28 in a 16-7 win over Northwest Nazarene.

McNabb hit .359 with 36 RBI and 32 runs scored for the Wolves. The senior logged an on-base percentage of .411 with seven doubles and four triples in 42 starts this season. Taylor hit .345 and stole eight bases for the Wolves. The junior also collected 12 doubles, two triples and a pair of home runs while driving in 32 and scoring 31 times.

Saint Martin’s junior Travis Shaw earned first team all-conference designated hitter honors, after batting .320 with 10 doubles, two home runs and 24 RBI for the Saints. Shaw logged an on-base percentage of .402 and scored 27 runs for SMU this season.

First Team: Starting Pitchers – +Brandon Williams, Central Washington (RHP, 6-0, 225, Jr., Auburn, WA); +Aaron Vaughn, Northwest Nazarene (RHp, 5-11, 195, Sr., Tucson, AZ); Eric Huson, Western Oregon (RHP, 6-3, 210, Jr., Forest Grove, OR); Zach Carter, Saint Martin’s (RHP, 6-0, 190, Jr., Camas, WA). Relief Pitcher – Cory Welch, Central Washington (RHP, 6-0, 180, Jr., Las Vegas, NV). Catcher – +*Chandler Tracy, Saint Martin’s (C, 6-2, 205, Jr., Newcastle, WA). First Base – Kevin Toon, Montana State Billings (1B, 6-2, 170, So., Walla Walla, WA). Second Base – +Brody Miller, Montana State Billings (2B, 5-9, 180, Jr., Missoula, MT). Shortstop – Zack Larsen, Saint Martin’s (SS, 6-0, 170, Fr., Cosmopolis, WA). Third Base – +Garret Harpole, Western Oregon (3B 6-2, 195, Jr., Elmira, OR). Infield – Kasey Bielec, Central Washington (3B, 5-11, 205, Jr., Port Orchard, WA). Outfield – +Ethan Sterkel, Central Washington (OF, 6-2, 210, Sr., Ellensburg, WA); +*Daniel McNabb, Western Oregon (OF, 5-11, 175, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga, CA); +Luke Reinschmidt, Montana State Billings (OF, 5-11, 175, So., Billings, MT); +Matt Taylor, Western Oregon (OF, 6-1, 195, Jr., Corona, CA).  Designated Hitter – Travis Shaw, Saint Martin’s (DH, 5-11, 185, Jr., Mililani, HI).
 + - unanimous * - repeater (Tracy from 2012)

Second Team: Starting Pitchers – Spenser Watkins, Western Oregon (RHP, 6-1, 190, Sr., Scottsdale, AZ); Matt Minnich, Western Oregon (LHP, 5-11, 205, Sr., Kennewick, WA). Relief Pitcher - Jake Mills, Montana State Billings (RHP, 6-2, 205, Jr., Burley, ID). Catcher – Zach Reay, Central Washington (C, 6-2, 205, Jr., Blackfoot, ID). First Base – Nathan Etheridge, Western Oregon (1B, 6-5, 220, So., Grants Pass, OR). Second Base – Parker Miles, Western Oregon (2B, 5-9, 185, Sr., Salem, OR). Shortstop – Cory Welch, Central Washington (SS, 6-0, 280, Jr., Las Vegas, NV). Infield – Eric Tinnell, Central Washington (2B, 5-11, 175, Sr., Ephrata, WA). Outfield – Tate Glasgow, Northwest Nazarene (OF, 6-0, 195, Jr., Portland, OR); Alex Bielaski, Saint Martin’s (OF, 6-0, 215, Sr., Bellevue, WA); Chris Bradshaw, Western Oregon (OF, 6-1, 195, Sr., Medford, OR). Designated Hitter – Sam Cook, Northwest Nazarene (DH, 6-2, 200, Sr., Nampa, ID).

Honorable Mention: Starting Pitchers – Brady Muller, Montana State Billings (RHP, 6-1, 165, Jr., Billings, MT); Stuart Fewel, Central Washington (RHP, 6-5, 230, Sr., Portland, OR); Skye Adams, Central Washington (LHP, 6-0, 195, Sr., Vancouver, WA); Josh Moss, Saint Martin’s (LHP, 6-1, 230, Jr., Tenino, WA); Willie Davies, Central Washington (RHP, 6-0, 200, Sr., Shoreline, WA). Relief Pitcher - Tony LaDue, Saint Martin’s (RHP, 6-2, 171, Sr., McCleary, WA). Catcher – Andrew Helmstadter, Northwest Nazarene (C, 6-0, 170, Fr., Palm Desert, CA); Will Chavarria, Western Oregon (C, 6-0, 195, Sr., Puyallup, WA). First Base – Josh Potter, Central Washington (1B, 6-3, 215, Sr., Des Moines, WA); Spencer Dodd, Saint Martin’s (1B, 6-0, 195, Sr., Eagle, ID). Second Base – Kyle Thomson, Northwest Nazarene (2B, 5-7, 165, Jr., Enumclaw, WA). Shortstop – Austin Hamilton, Western Oregon (SS, 5-9, 175, Jr., Salem, OR). Outfield – Bret Bitow, Montana State Billings (OF, 5-10, 165, Jr., Puyallup, WA); Scott Stone, Central Washington (OF, 6-5, 205, Sr., Corvallis, OR).

Player of the Year – Brody Miller, Montana State Billings (2B, 5-9, 180, Jr., Missoula, MT).
Pitcher of the Year – Brandon Williams, Central Washington (RHP, 6-0, 225, Jr., Auburn, WA);
Freshman of the Year – Zack Larsen, Saint Martin’s (SS, 6-0, 170, Fr., Cosmopolis, WA).
Newcomer of the Year – Cory Welch, Central Washington (RHP/SS, 6-0, 180, Jr., Las Vegas, NV).
Coach of the Year – Ken Garland, Saint Martin’s.