Thursday, January 23, 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. – With a precedent of 12-consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference baseball titles in its wake, Western Oregon has once again been favored to win the conference title in the 2014 GNAC preseason coaches’ poll.

The Wolves received 4-of-5 first-place votes, totaling 24 points and leading second-place Central Washington by three points total. The Wildcats were awarded the other first-place vote, after proving to be WOU’s toughest competition in last season’s race for the conference title.

Montana State Billings landed third in the preseason poll, tallying 14 total points after finishing the 2013 campaign in third place. Northwest Nazarene and Saint Martin’s tied for the fourth spot in the preseason poll, each receiving eight points to round out this year’s competition.

WOU head coach and 2013 GNAC Coach of the Year Kellen Walker has been part of the program for eight of the Wolves’ string of 12 conference titles over the past dozen years, and enters his second season as the head coach of the program. Walker guided the Wolves to a 30-24 overall mark last season, holding a five-game lead over second-place CWU with a 24-8 record in GNAC play to capture the conference title.

Returning to the Wolves’ rotation this season is 2013 GNAC Newcomer of the Year Spenser Watkins, whose 3.19 ERA was second only to teammate and GNAC Pitcher of the Year A.J. Burke’s mark of 2.78 a season ago among GNAC starting pitchers. WOU’s top reliever, Kody Stone, also returns for his senior campaign, after garnering first team all-GNAC honors with 13 saves and 88 strikeouts in 84 2/3 innings with a 3.19 ERA.

The Wolves said goodbye to now-professional shortstop Blake Miller and outfielder Matt Nylen, two more first-teamers. Daniel McNabb’s bat is back in the Wolves’ lineup however, after he posted a conference-leading .376 batting average as a junior designated hitter in 2013.

Long-tenured CWU head coach Desi Storey returns for his 23rd season in command of the Wildcats’ program, after piloting his team to a 30-24 overall record in 2013 and a second-place finish in the GNAC.

The Wildcats will miss the production of GNAC Player of the Year Kyle Sani, as the 2013 senior led the NCAA in home runs a season ago with 18, while driving in 58 and batting .347. CWU’s top returning starter is Stuart Fewel, who earned second-team all-GNAC accolades as a junior in 2013 with an ERA of 4.82 in 74 2/3 innings of work.

The 2014 season marks the fourth for Rob Bishop, who guided MSU Billings to a solid 17-14 conference record a season ago. The Yellowjackets return a pair of first-team all-conference picks in starting pitcher Brady Muller and outfielder Drew Fosnes. Muller tossed three complete games for MSUB in 2013 while posting an ERA of 3.47 and striking out 64 batters in 80 1/3 innings. Fosnes hit .335 as a junior and tied for the team lead with 12 doubles last year.

First-year head coach Rocke Musgraves takes over the program at Northwest Nazarene after spending more than a decade as the head coach at Louisiana State University Shreveport. Musgraves compiled an impressive 588-275 record in 14 seasons at the NAIA level, leading the Pilots to World Series appearances in 2003, 2011 and 2012.

NNU welcomes back senior starting pitcher Aaron Vaughn, who handled the bulk of the pitching duties with 66 innings last season. Vaughn was awarded second-team all-conference honors after striking out 44 and walking just 13 in 2013. The Crusaders will miss the bat of Logan Parker, who led last season’s team with a .333 batting average and 15 doubles during his senior year.

SMU head coach Ken Garland returns for his sixth season of action in the GNAC, having compiled an overall record of 91-155 since joining the Saints in 2009.

Bobby Twedt, SMU’s most prolific offensive player from 2013, and Brendan Jeffers, the Saints’ top pitcher, each graduated after earning all-conference accolades. Catcher Chandler Tracy returns for SMU after batting .301 and leading the team with a dozen home runs and 29 RBI as a sophomore. 

For a full preseason report, including team-by-team breakdowns and analysis, visit the 'related links' section of this article.