Friday, April 22, 2016

THIS WEEK'S GNAC SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
McKenzie Smith, Concordia
P • 6-2 •  Freshman • Victoria, B.C.

Smith helped the Cavaliers vault into second place in the GNAC standings by hitting .588 (10 for 18) with eight runs, nine RBI, a double and three home runs. She went 4 for 6 with a double, a home run and a RBI in Wednesday’s sweep of Saint Martin’s and went 2 for 2 with a run and three RBI in the opener on the weekend series at Montana State Billings.

Also Nominated: Mercedes Green (Western Oregon), Alana Olague (Central Washington), Morgan Thome (Northwest Nazarene), Heather Tracy (Montana State Billings).

PITCHER
Alyson Boytz, Western Oregon
P • 5-9 • Senior  • Noti, Ore.

Boytz finished with a 2-1 record in three appearances, allowing seven runs, six earned, on 20 hits with 15 strikeouts in 18.2 innings of work. She allowed one unearned run on three hits with four strikeouts in Tuesday’s 12-1, five-inning win over Montana State Billings and threw a complete-game four-hitter in Saturday’s 6-0 win over Northwest Nazarene.

Also Nominated: Megan Dettling (Montana State Billings), Kendall Goodwin (Northwest Nazarene).

AROUND THE GNAC
PLAYOFF FIELD TO BE DETERMINED THIS WEEKEND: With the GNAC Championships on the horizon, there is still plenty to be determined in terms of both teams that will compete and tournament seeding.

The only thing that seems to be close to finalized is the first three teams in. Central Washington (16-8) will secure a spot by winning one of its final four games this weekend while Saint Martin’s (15-9) needs two wins to guarantee its position in the tournament, which the Saints will host in Lacey, Wash.

Western Oregon, the only team to have completed their GNAC schedule thus far, has guaranteed its position in the tournament with a 17-11 GNAC record (see below).

The battle will come down to the fourth and final spot. Concordia, which entered the week in second in the GNAC at 14-8, dropped to fourth by losing three of four games to Western Oregon on Wednesday and Thursday. The Cavaliers will end their regular season on Sunday with a rain make-up doubleheader at Simon Fraser.

Western Washington is still alive for the fourth spot with a 12-12 mark with four games remaining as is Simon Fraser at 10-12 with six games remaining. Both teams, however, would need to sweep their weekend series to secure a spot. Both teams will host Central Washington and Saint Martin’s.

FIRST OF THE FOUR: While it may not have seemed possible after March, Western Oregon’s great run in April has secured the Wolves a position in the GNAC Championships.

The Wolves did not play a home game over the first two months of the season. Once the WOU Softball Field became playable on Apr. 9, though, they took advantage. Playing 12 of their final 18 games in Monmouth, the Wolves went 13-5 to finish GNAC play at 17-11.

In their final four-game road trip of the season, Western Oregon succeeded to secure a hard fought split with Northwest Nazarene. After dropping Friday’s opener, the Wolves used a grand slam by Mercedes Green to go up 5-0 after three innings before holding off a Crusaders’ seventh inning rally to win 5-3. Pitching ruled the day in Saturday’s opener as Alyson Boytz threw a complete-game four hitter to give the Wolves a 6-0 win.

The Wolves’ series with Concordia was moved up to Wednesday and Thursday to avoid potential wet weekend weather. In Wednesday’s opener, WOU used a three-run second to take a 4-1 lead and held off a seventh inning rally to win 4-3. In the nightcap, the Wolves used their favorite weapon, the walk-off hit, for the win as Kelsie Gardner’s infield single allowed the Wolves the 2-1, eight-inning victory. The playoff spot was secured in Thursday’s opener as the Wolves scored three in the fourth en route to the 4-2 victory.

In their 12 home games, Western Oregon has batted .353 as a team with a .514 slugging percentage, 117 hits, 11 doubles, 12 home runs and 65 RBI. The Wolves have outscored opponents 69-39. In the circle, Western Oregon pitchers have a 2.03 earned run average and a .240 opponent’s batting average in Monmouth.

A COMBINED NO-NO: Before picking up their GNAC Championships spot, Western Oregon made some history as three pitchers combined to no-hit non-conference Northwest Christian. Sammi Cadwallader, Stephanie Morgan and Haley Fabian combined to allow just three walks and strike out 11 for the 6-0 victory in Tuesday’s nightcap. It is the 21st no-hitter in GNAC history and the third for Western Oregon since the founding of the conference in 2001 (their first since 2004). It is also the first time that three pitchers have combined for the no-no.

Cadwallader was strong in the start, allowing one walk and striking out six in three innings before yielding to Morgan, who earned the win after allowing one walk and striking out one in the fourth. Fabian closed the door, allowing just one walk and striking out four to record her second save of the season.

ROAD WARRIORS: It will come down to a pair of road doubleheaders for both Central Washington and Saint Martin’s to secure their spots in the GNAC Championships and to determine which of the two teams will gain the tournament’s No. 1 seed.

Picked to finish fifth in the league in the preseason coaches poll, the Wildcats enter the weekend leading the GNAC by one game at 16-8. They have been on a roll after going 4-2 at the Stanislaus Tournament of Champions, winning seven of their last eight games. In those eight games, CWU is batting .419 with 99 runs and 85 hits.

Saint Martin’s, meanwhile, has struggled as of late. After returning from Stanislaus to sweep Northwest Nazarene in a four-game GNAC series, the Saints have lost five of their last six. The one win came on Apr. 17 at home as the Saints beat Central Washington 9-8. Since returning from California, Saint Martin’s is batting .320 and pitchers have a 3.48 earned run average.

Both teams will be making the northern swing to complete the regular season. Central Washington will be at Western Washington on Friday and at Simon Fraser on Saturday while Saint Martin’s plays in Burnaby on Friday and in Bellingham on Saturday.

REGIONAL RANKINGS: Central Washington moved up two spots in this week’s NCAA West Region Rankings, up to No. 4 after being ranked No. 6 in the opening rankings last week. Western Washington is ranked No. 10 after not being listed in the first week rankings. Saint Martin’s, which was ranked ninth last week, is out of the rankings this week. Humboldt State, with a 45-2-1 in-region record, continues to top the regional rankings.

TICKETS FOR GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS ON SALE NOW: Tickets are now available for the 2016 GNAC Softball Championships, which take place Apr. 28-30 on the campus of Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Wash. Tournament passes purchased online prior to the event are $14 for adults and $8 for seniors, students and children. Single-session tickets will be available for $7 for adults and $4 for seniors, students and children. Online ticket sales end on Wed., Apr. 27. At the gate, tickets will be $8 for adults and $5 for seniors, students and children. Children two-years-old and under are admitted free. Purchase Tickets