Saturday, May 4, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – A pair of conference tournament mainstays plus two teams anxious to return to the postseason make up the field for the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Baseball Championships, which begin May 8 at Porter Park on the campus of Concordia University.

Winning its fourth regular season title in the last five years, Montana State Billings enters as the tournament’s No. 1 seed. This will be the program’s sixth appearance in the event’s seven-year history. The Yellowjackets enter the GNAC Championships with a record of 30-18 (30-10 GNAC) and lead the league in plenty of offensive categories, including RBI (342) and slugging percentage (.546). The team also set a GNAC single-season record with 79 home runs.

Looking to defend its GNAC Championships title and not having to travel far to do so is second-seeded Western Oregon. Back in the conference tournament for a seventh straight season, the Wolves may be the most balanced team in the field as they top the conference in both batting average (.326) and earned run average (3.96). The club enters postseason play with a record of 29-11 (26-11 GNAC).

Northwest Nazarene owns a 24-22 (20-17 GNAC) record and enters the GNAC Championships as the No. 3 seed. The Nighthawks finished the regular season strong while punching their ticket to the postseason, winning four of their final five games and outscoring their opponents 39-21 in that stretch. This will be the program’s fourth trip to the conference tournament in the last five years.

Saint Martin’s, the No. 4 seed, will make its second-ever appearance in the GNAC Championships and its first since 2014. The Saints (19-30, 15-25 GNAC) went .500 through a crucial month of April and then clinched a spot in the tournament on the penultimate day of the regular season. Entering the event with one of the deepest pitching staffs in the field, the team ranks second in the conference in earned run average (5.01) and strikeouts (388).

Tournament action begins at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday with No. 2 seed Western Oregon taking on third-seeded Northwest Nazarene. Regular-season champion Montana State Billings will then face No. 4 seed Saint Martin’s at 6 p.m. to round out the first day of games. The championship game of the double-elimination tournament will begin on Friday at 12 p.m.

Every game of the GNAC Baseball Championships will be webcast at GNAC.tv. Advance tickets are available now at GNACtickets.com.

GNAC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

May 8-10 at Porter Park, Portland, Ore.

WED., MAY 8
Game 1: No. 3 Northwest Nazarene vs. No. 2 Western Oregon, 2:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 4 Saint Martin’s vs. No. 1 Montana State Billings, 6 p.m.

THURS., May 9
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 12 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 3:30 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 7 p.m.

FRI., MAY 10
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, Noon
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary), 30 minutes following the conclusion of Game 6