Saturday, February 25, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. -- After being named NCBWA West Region Player of the Week, senior outfielder Zach Robinson will lead Montana State Billings into St. George, Utah for a three-game series against No. 20 Dixie State in the final week of non-conference play.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Zach Robinson, Montana State Billings
OF • 5-10  • Sr. • Cedar Hills, Utah

Robinson batted .562 (9 for 16) with three doubles, five runs and a pair of RBIs with a .588 on-base percentage and a .750 slugging percentage as the Yellowjackets split a four-game series at No. 12 Colorado Mesa. He went 4 for 5 with two RBIs, two runs and two doubles in Saturday’s second game and had two hits in each of Sunday’s victories.

Also Nominated: Alex Hagerman (Saint Martin’s), Conor Plaisance (Central Washington), Cole Crosby (Concordia), Matt Lightfoot (Northwest Nazarene).

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Sam Muskat, Montana State Billings
LHP • 5-8  • Fr. • Beaverton, Ore.

Muskat pitched five innings of no-hit relief to pick up his first collegiate win. It was a 7-2 victory over Colorado Mesa, which is ranked No. 12 in the nation by the NCBWA. He faced the minimum 15 batters and needed just 50 pitches for the win. He retired eight of the 15 batters in three pitches or less.

Also Nominated: Byron Baker (Montana State Billings). Ryan Dorney (Saint Martin’s), Jake Levin (Central Washington), James Brooks (Concordia), Adam Paulson (Northwest Nazarene).

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The Wildcats earned a sweep against College of Idaho, winning both games in the doubleheader 5-1 and 9-1.
• The two wins placed the Wildcats atop the GNAC standings and they are receiving votes in the NCBWA West Region Rankings.
• The Wildcats burst open a pitching duel in the top of the ninth inning with a nine run inning to win 9-1 in the second game against College of Idaho. Kyle Blankenship came into the game with one out in the eighth inning and retured the final five batters with three strikeouts to earn the win.
• Dustin Braun went 6 for 8 in the two games and drove in three runs in the ninth inning with a single up the middle and a double down the left field line later in the same inning.
• Reigning GNAC Pitcher of the Week Jake Levin tossed 6.1 innings with just one run allowed on five hits with four strikeouts to lead Central Washington to a 5-1 victory. It was Levin’s second win of the season. He has allowed just one earned run in 13.1 innings this season to be the GNAC’s leader in ERA.
• As a team, Central Washington leads the GNAC in both ERA and fielding percentage.
• Connor Plaisance leads the GNAC in total bases with 19. He has tallied two home runs and three doubles for a slugging percentage of .905.
• The Wildcats will next play against Academy of Art in a four-game series to be played over two days on Saturday and Sunday.

CONCORDIA
• In the first two weeks of the season, Concordia has claimed victories over both UC San Diego and Cal State L.A., which are both ranked in the NCBWA West Region Rankings.
• Concordia defeated Cal State L.A. on Saturday to wrap up the trip to St. George, Utah with a 15-7 win. Scott Schepige was credited with the win after five innings of work with just two earned runs allwed. James Brooks got the save with four innings with one earned run allowed and six strikeouts.
• Brooks has now thrown 13 innings with just one earned run allowed, ranking second in the conference in earned run average. He also leads the league in strikeouts with 15. He is the first pitcher in the GNAC this season to record both a win and a save.
• Leadoff hitter Cole Crosby went 4 for 5 in the victory and now leads the GNAC in hits with 12 and RBIs with eight. He also become one of just five players in the GNAC to have hit a triple this season, driving in two runs with a triple into left center field.
• Gabe Padukiewicz came around to scored four times against Cal State L.A. He has scored a GNAC-best seven runs this season.
• Sam Gillenwater tossed 2.2 shutout innings to put out a red-hot Cal State L.A. lineup. He allowed just three hits and struck out one batter.
• Concordia will not play this week, but will host Northwest Nazarene the following week to open conference play.  

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings earned a split against No. 12 Colorado Mesa winning the final two games of the four-game set. The Yellowjacket bats came alive with 29 runs in the four games played in Grand Junction, Colo.
• Zach Robinson led that offensive effort, going 9 for 16 at the plate with four runs scored in the doubleheader on Saturday. For his efforts, Robinson was named GNAC Player of the Week.
• In game two against Colorado Mesa, Cody Cooper struck out one batter and left the game in the sixth inning with a 7-3 lead. That strikeout was the 167th of his career, placing the senior at No. 12 on the GNAC’s all-time strikeout leaders list. He also ranks ninth in strikeouts per nine innings with 8.60.
• Casey Merritt was named Player of the Week last week. On the season, he has nine hits with three runs, a double and two RBIs. The Yellowjackets have claimed three of the four weekly awards this year.
• Kade Hall has a team best 14 total bases with three doubles and a home run. He has driven in seven runs, which is tied for third most in the GNAC this season.
• Sam Muskat threw five perfect innings in his collegiate debut to pick up the win against the No. 12 team in the nation. Bryon Baker grabbed the other win in relief. This season, Baker has thrown 5.1 innings in two outings with seven strikeouts and just two hits allowed.
• Ryan Myers has only played in three games, but has already hit a GNAC-best two home runs. In total, he has driven in six runs in eight at bats with two home runs and a single.
• The Yellowjackets will next travel to No. 20 Dixie State for a three-game series that will begin on Friday. No GNAC team has defeated Dixie State so far this season.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Crusaders suffered a four-game sweep against California Baptist to wrap up the team’s trip to California. On Monday, the Crusaders won the series finale against Cal State L.A. to earn a sweep. Cal State L.A. is ranked No. 8 in the West Region by the NCBWA.
• After two series, Brett Nielsen is the Crusaders’ leading hitter with a .417 batting average and .708 slugging percentage.
• Kyle Redford had five hits and four walks in the first eight games and came around to score seven times. He is the GNAC leader in runs scored so far this season.
• Jarod Gonzales has five hits this season and all five have gone for extra bases. The senior corner infielder has four doubles and a home run in 27 at bats and has driven in a team-best eight runs. Those eight RBIs are also tied for most in the GNAC this season.
• Ross Clevenger started two games in the first two series taking a loss and a no decision in 10.2 innings of work. He had 10 strikeouts and a team-best .310 opposing batting average.
• Senior Andrew Helmstadter hit a double into centerfield in the third game against California Baptist. It was his 40th career double, becoming the 10th player in GNAC history to reach the milestone. It also gave the designated hitter 254 total bases, which cracks the conference’s top 20 at No. 18.
• Helmstadter was hit by a pitch in the series finale agaisnt California Baptist. It was the 29th time in his career being hit by pitch, which places him in the top 10 in GNAC history in that category.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• The Saints opened their 2017 campaign at the Dixie State Tournament. Due to rainy conditions, the Saints only got to play two games and both were against No. 20 Dixie State. Saint Martin’s dropped both games, 4-2 and 10-3.
• Saint Martin’s leads the league in team batting average at .271 with three players that are batting over .400. Adam Eskil is batting .444 with a double and a team-best two RBIs.
• The first game was called due to rain after four and a half innings. Ryan Dorney threw a complete game with four runs allowed, including one earned run.
• In the third inning, Zach Raczok reached base on a walk and was driven in by leadoff hitter Alec Hagerman on a single to right field. Hagerman scored the other run in the loss on a passed ball in the first inning.
• Six pitchers got into the second game with Tanner Inouye taking the most innings. He threw three innings of one-run ball and struck out a batter.
• The Saints will next play against College of Idaho in a four-game series starting on Thursday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon dropped both games against UC San Diego last week during a rain-soaked weekend in the City of Motion.
• Justin Wakem leads the GNAC in batting average at .538 with seven singles in 13 at bats. He has reached base nine times in four games, but has not scored a run yet this year.
• Connor McCord got the team’s lone win with a 7-5 victory against Fresno Pacific, pitching two shutout innings with two strikeouts in relief.
• Defending GNAC Pitcher of the Year Brady Miller started two games in the first two series of the season, picking up a loss and a no decision. He struck out seven batters in 10 innings pitched.
• Joey Crunkilton had two hits and drove in a run in the second game against the Tritons. He drove in Forest Garcia with a single into right field and advanced to second base on a throwing error.
• Western Oregon will not play this week and then will host Montana State Billings to open conference play with a four-game series starting on March 4.