Friday, March 6, 2020

BEST IN THE WEST: The first week of conference play is in the books as two of the GNAC’s top performers earned regional recognition from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

Concordia senior Sasha Jabusch earned GNAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week and NCBWA West Region Pitcher of the Week honors after he picked up the complete-game shutout in the Cavaliers’ 1-0 win over Saint Martin’s on Saturday. Jabusch allowed just three hits and one walk and tied the GNAC single-game record with 15 strikeouts.

The shutout was Jabusch’s first victory of the season. He ranks fifth in the GNAC with a 3.20 earned run average and leads the conference with 33 strikeouts.

Northwest Nazarene senior infielder Shawn Grandmont, the reigning GNAC Baseball Player of the Week, was also named the NCBWA West Region Player of the Week as the Nighthawks won three out of four games at Central Washington last week.

Grandmont batted .412 with seven hits, six runs, eight RBI and four home runs in the series. He hit homers in each of the Nighthawks wins on Friday and then hit a solo homer and a grand slam in Saturday’s 10-9 loss.

Northwest Nazarene and Concordia clash this week as the Nighthawks host the Cavs on Friday and Saturday.

LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOOKS: Montana State Billings ranks 10th in Division II with 24 home runs and fifth with 1.71 home runs per game. The Yellowjackets also rank 10th in the nation with a .544 slugging percentage. Western Oregon leads the GNAC and is sixth in Division II with 6.12 hits allowed per nine innings.

Western Oregon’s Connor McCord has been on a tear as of late. The preseason All-American ranks second in Division II with a .583 batting average, fifth with a 1.000 slugging percentage, 12th with a .625 on-base percentage and 31st with 1.75 hits per game. McCord also leads Division II with one double per game.

REPRESENTATION IN THE RANKINGS: Montana State Billings dropped one spot to No. 5 in the latest NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings. Western Oregon is among others receiving votes with one point.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
Shawn Grandmont, Northwest Nazarene
IF • 6-1 • Sr. • Lethbridge, Alta.

Grandmont batted .412 in four games as the Nighthawks opened GNAC play by taking three of four games from Central Washington. He went 7 for 17 with six runs scored, eight RBI and four home runs. Grandmont had solo home runs in both wins on Friday and then hit two home runs in Saturday’s opener, including a grand slam.

Also Nominated: Jaden Hassell (Central Washington), Max Ramirez (Concordia), Nathan Bloxham (Montana State Billings), Aaron Renaud (Saint Martin’s), Connor McCord (Western Oregon).

PITCHER
Sasha Jabusch, Concordia
LHP • 5-9 • Sr. • Kelso, Wash.

Jabusch threw a complete-game shutout in Saturday’s 1-0 series-opening victory over Saint Martin’s. He allowed just three hits and one walk and tied the GNAC single-game record with 15 strikeouts. The win propelled the Cavaliers to a series win.

Also Nominated: Hunter French (Central Washington), Kyle Ethridge (Northwest Nazarene), Tanner Inouye (Saint Martin’s), Mike Peterson (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington won one of four games at home against Northwest Nazarene to open conference play, winning 10-9 in Saturday’s first game.

• Cameron McGrath led the Wildcats at the plate with a .375 batting average, going 6 for 16 with two doubles, a triple, two RBI and six runs scored. McGrath went 3 for 5 with two runs and an RBI single in Friday’s second game. He then plated the tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning with an RBI single. The Wildcats went on to win the game on a walk-off walk.

• Austin Ohland batted .333 in the series with five hits, including a home run, and four RBI. Ohland went 2 for 5 with a solo homer in the fifth inning and an RBI single in the sixth inning in the Wildcats’ 10-9 win on Saturday.

• Colton Turner earned the victory in two innings of relief in the Wildcats’ 10-9 win on Saturday. He allowed one hit and one earned run while striking out three.

• The Wildcats are second in the GNAC with a .270 batting average, 126 hits, 65 RBI and 71 runs scored while also ranking third with a .362 slugging percentage and a .368 on-base percentage.

• The Wildcats will stay home this week, hosting Western Oregon on Saturday and Sunday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia opened GNAC play by winning three out of four games at home over Saint Martin’s. The Cavaliers won the first game on Friday, 1-0, before losing the second game, 17-8. The Cavs then won both games on Sunday, 2-1 and 5-4.

• Sasha Jabusch was dominant in the Cavs’ conference opener to earn GNAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week and NCBWA West Region Pitcher of the Week honors. Jabusch picked up the complete-game shutout in Friday’s 1-0 win, allowing just three hits and one walk while tying the GNAC single-game record with 15 strikeouts. He leads the GNAC with 33 strikeouts and ranks fifth with a 3.20 earned run average.

• Todd Reese led the Cavs with a .429 batting average, going six for 14 with three doubles, three RBI and three runs scored. Reese drove in the game’s only run in Saturday’s 1-0 win with a first-inning double. He followed with a 2 for 2 performance with an RBI double in the 17-8 loss before going 2 for 5 with two runs and an RBI double in Sunday’s finale. Reese is tied for fifth in the conference with four doubles.

• Matt Bergevin batted .417 last week with five hits, five walks and two runs. Bergevin went 2 for 4 with a double in Sunday’s 2-1 win and then finished the week by going 1 for 3 with two walks in the 5-4 finale.

• The Cavs will take to the road this week to play at Northwest Nazarene on Friday and Saturday. Both teams are 3-1 in conference play.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings split at Western Oregon last week, winning 3-1 in Saturday’s second game and 8-5 in the series finale on Sunday.

• Sam Powers led the Yellowjackets with a .308 batting average as he went 4 for 13 with an RBI and a run. Powers went 1 for 3 in each of the first three games of the series and then finished the week by going 1 for 4 with an RBI and a run. Powers is third in the GNAC with a .447 batting average and .737 slugging percentage and ranks fifth with a .475 on-base percentage.

• Daniel Cipriano went 3 for 11 on the week with two walks, two RBI and three runs. Cipriano went 1 for 2 with a walk and a solo home run in Saturday’s 3-1 victory and then closed the week by going 1 for 3 with a walk and an RBI single in Sunday’s 8-5 win. Cipriano leads the conference and ranks 16th in Division II with six homers while also ranking 36th in Division II with 19 RBI.

• Matthew Houlihan improved to 3-0 on the season as he picked up the victory in the Yellowjackets’ 3-1 win on Saturday. Houlihan allowed three hits and one run, unearned, while walking two and striking out seven in six innings pitched. He is third in the GNAC with a 1.42 earned run average and fifth with a .179 opposing batting average.

• The Yellowjackets dropped one spot to No. 5 in the latest NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings.

• Montana State Billings is now 10-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play. The Yellowjackets will stay on the road this week, playing at Saint Martin’s on Friday and Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene went 3-1 at Central Washington last week, winning both games on Friday, 10-4 and 6-4, and then winning Saturday’s finale, 3-1.

• Shawn Grandmont was named the GNAC Baseball Player of the Week and the NCBWA West Region Player of the Week after he batted .412 in the four games. He went 7 for 17 with six runs, eight RBI and four home runs. Grandmont had solo home runs in both games on Friday. He then went 3 for 5 with five RBI in Saturday’s 10-9 loss, which included two homers, one of which was a grand slam.

• Kyle Gracey led the Nighthawks with a .467 batting average as he went 7 for 15 with two doubles, two home runs, six runs and six RBI. Gracey opened the week by going 3 for 5 with an RBI single and a three-RBI homer in Friday’s 10-4 win and then went 2 for 4 with two runs in Friday’s 6-4 win. Gracey hit his second homer of the week in Saturday’s 10-9 loss.

• Kyle Ethridge continues to be a workhorse on the mound. He improved to 3-0 on the season after picking up the victory in Saturday’s 3-1 win, allowing four hits and one earned run while walking two and striking out five in seven innings pitched.

• Northwest Nazarene is now 5-7 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The Nighthawks open a two-week homestand this week, hosting Concordia on Friday and Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s went 1-3 at Concordia last week to open conference play, outslugging the Cavaliers in Saturday’s second game to win 17-8.

• Aaron Renaud led the Saints at the plate again, batting .538 with seven hits, two doubles, four walks and four runs scored. Renaud was a main contributor in the Saints’ 17-8 win on Saturday, going 2 for 3 with two walks and two runs. He then went 2 for 3 and scored the Saints’ only run in Sunday’s 2-1 loss and then finished the week with a 1 for 3 performance in the 5-4 series finale. Renaud is second in the GNAC and 21st in Division II with a .487 batting average while also ranking 25th in Division II with a .592 on-base percentage.

• Ty Matsunami batted .364 on the week with four hits, three walks, two runs and two RBI. He went 3 for 5 with a walk, a run and two RBI singles in Saturday’s 17-8 slugfest.

• Harrison Goebel picked up the victory in Saturday’s 17-8 win, allowing seven hits and six earned runs while walking three and striking out two in 4.1 innings pitched. He posts a 5.62 earned run average and a .250 opposing batting average.

• The Saints open their home schedule this week, hosting Montana State Billings on Friday and Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon split with Montana State Billings at home last week, winning the conference opener on Saturday, 11-1, and winning Sunday’s first game, 3-2.

• Connor McCord continued his dominant start to the season, leading the Wolves with a .600 batting average. McCord went 6 for 10 with three doubles, three walks, three runs and five RBI. McCord went 4 for 4 with two doubles, four RBI and a run in Saturday’s 11-1 win and then went 2 for 2 with a sacrifice fly in Sunday’s 3-2 win. McCord leads Division II with one double per game and ranks second with a .583 batting average.

• Jacob Maiben went 8 for 15 in the series with a walk, three doubles and five runs. He is seventh in the conference with a .345 batting average.

• Mike Peterson picked up the victory in the Wolves’ 11-1 opener. He allowed four hits and one earned run while striking out three in eight innings pitched. Peterson is fourth in the conference with a 2.13 earned run average.

• The Wolves are among others receiving votes in the latest NCBWA West Region Rankings.

• Western Oregon is 4-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play. Up next, the Wolves will head to Ellensburg to play at Central Washington on Saturday and Sunday.