Tuesday, March 26, 2019

IT’S TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS TIME: The eight GNAC teams will take a brief week away from conference competition and test itself against the rest of the west at the annual Tournament of Champions, hosted by Stanislaus State University in Turlock, California. All eight teams will play five games over the course of three days beginning on Friday.

The conference went 23-19 in last year’s tournament. Central Washington and Saint Martin’s led the way with 5-1 records while Concordia and Western Washington each won three games. The conference is 260-355-1 all-time in the Tournament of Champions. Western Washington is the only GNAC team with a winning record in the tournament at 56-51.

CAVALIERS CHARGE TO TEAM OF WEEK AWARD: In search of some success and momentum heading into this week’s massive Tournament of Champions, the Concordia softball team was able to secure some big wins away from home with a perfect 4-0 week.

The Cavaliers started the weekend with two victories in Hillsboro against Saint Martin’s on Saturday. They then made the trip north to Ellensburg one day later, sweeping a doubleheader at Central Washington to run their winning streak to five games while earning the selection as GNAC Team of the Week.

“I can’t be more proud of these athletes and the work they have continued to put in day in and day out,” said head coach Shelley Whitaker. “They take both successes and failure personally and that drives them in practice. We have continued to rep mechanics and routine situations while also pressing on the offensive side.

“Sweeping two quality programs this weekend was a huge step for us in our quest for establishing this program as an annual conference contender,” Whitaker said. “Our goal isn’t to play perfect every time we step on to the field, but to be better than we were the game before and play fundamental, Concordia-style softball.”

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
Hannah Self, Concordia
OF/C • 5-11 • Junior • Tigard, Ore.

Self paced the Cavaliers in a weekend sweep of Saint Martin’s and Central Washington by hitting .533 in four games, going 8 for 15 with eight runs, seven RBI and three home runs. She finished the week with a .562 on-base percentage and 1.267 slugging percentage. Self went 3 for 4 with two RBI in both wins over Saint Martin’s on Saturday, scoring three runs in the opener and a double short of the cycle in the second game. Self hit a solo home run for what proved to be the winning run in Sunday’s 6-4 opening-game win over Central Washington on Sunday and had a two-run shot in the nightcap.

Also Nominated: Lauren Diuco (Saint Martin’s), Amanda Janes (Simon Fraser), Ryanne Whitaker (Western Oregon).

PITCHER
Mckenzie Smith, Concordia
UT • 6-2 •  Senior • Victoria, B.C.

Smith was a winner in all three of her appearances, allowing three runs, two earned, on nine hits with six strikeouts. Smith allowed just one hit, walked three and struck out three in the complete-game, 7-0 victory over Saint Martin’s on Saturday. She entered in relief in the first game at Central Washington on Sunday and allowed one run on two hits and struck out one in two innings in the 6-4 victory. Smith capped the week with a complete-game win in the nightcap, allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in the 7-2 victory.

Also Nominated: Taylor Williams (Central Washington), Brandi Schoessler (Saint Martin’s).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington procured a split in its first home games of the season, scoring 10-2 (6 inn.) and 11-4 wins over Western Oregon on Saturday before taking 6-4 and 7-2 losses to Concordia on Sunday. The losses ended a 10-game win streak.

• Sophomore Katie Kastning led the Wildcats offensively with a .571 batting average in the four games, going 8 for 14 with five runs, seven RBI and four doubles. She went 3 for 3 with a pair of doubles, including a three-run double, in the opener against WOU and went 2 for 4 in the nightcap. Kastning also had two hits with an RBI double in the opener against Concordia. Kastning is ninth in the GNAC with a .388 batting average.

• Senior Rachael Johnson batted an even .500 in the four games, going 5 for 10 with four runs, two RBI and a home run. Johnson went 2 for 3 in the opener against Western Oregon, including a solo home run, and went 2 for 2 in the nightcap to highlight the weekend. Johnson enters the week batting .377.

• Sophomore Lexie Strasser started two games and threw 14 innings, allowing eight runs, seven earned, on 20 hits with six strikeouts. She was the winning pitcher in Saturday’s opener with WOU, allowing two runs on 10 hits in the complete-game effort. Junior Taylor Williams went 1-1 in a pair of relief appearances and was the winner in Saturday’s second game, allowing one unearned run on two hits in five innings.

• Central Washington is second in the GNAC and 17th in Division II with a .337 batting average and enters the week with a 4.25 earned run average. The Wildcats lead the GNAC and rank 19th in Division II with a .408 on-base percentage.

• The Wildcats will play single games against Stanislaus State on Wednesday and Concordia Irvine on Thursday before facing Academy of Art, Chico State, Azusa Pacific, Hawaii Pacific and Sonoma State in the Tournament of Champions.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia is on a five-game win streak after a pair of big sweeps over the weekend. The Cavaliers took 12-0 (5 inn.) and 7-0 wins from Saint Martin’s on Saturday before traveling to Central Washington on Sunday and coming away with 6-4 and 7-2 victories.

• The impressive road swing earned the Cavaliers selection as the GNAC Team of the Week.

• Junior Hannah Self was named GNAC Player of the Week after she hit .533, going 8 for 15 with eight runs, seven RBI and three home runs. Self went 3 for 4 with two RBI in both wins over Saint Martin’s, scoring three runs in the opener and finishing a double short of the cycle in the second game. Self hit a solo home run for what proved to be the winning run in Sunday’s opener with Central Washington on Sunday and had a two-run shot in the nightcap. Self enters the week with a .323 average.

• Senior Mckenzie Smith was named GNAC Pitcher of the Week. She won all three of her appearances, allowing three runs, two earned, on nine hits with six strikeouts. Smith allowed just one hit, walked three and struck out three in the opener against Saint Martin’s. She entered in relief in the first game at Central Washington on Sunday and allowed one run on two hits and struck out one in two innings in the 6-4 victory. Smith capped the week with a complete-game win in the nightcap, allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Smith is eighth in the GNAC with a 3.79 earned run average and has an 8-5 record. She is tied for 30th in Division II with three shutouts.

• The Cavaliers had three hitters finish with averages above .500. Junior Macy Besuyen batted .643, going 9 for 14 with four runs, four RBI, two doubles and a triple. Her weekend included a 3 for 4 effort in the second game against SMU. Sophomore Linda Gehrir batted .500, going 6 for 12 with four runs and two RBI. She went 2 for 3 in each opening game.

• Concordia enters the week with a .292  batting average and is third in the GNAC with a 3.77 earned run average. The Cavaliers are 10th in Division II with 0.52 double plays per game.

• Concordia will play doubleheader at Holy Names on Wednesday and Notre Dame de Namur on Thursday before a Tournament of Champions schedule that includes Hawaii Pacific, Humboldt State, Academy of Art, Cal State San Bernardino and Chico State.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Last week’s scheduled four-game series with Western Oregon was postponed due to snow and adverse field conditions. The two teams will make up one doubleheader on Thursday in Turlock, Calif., and the second onApr. 8 in Portland.

• The Tournament of Champions will be MSUB’s first games since Mar. 9. The Yellowjackets are scheduled to face Humboldt State, Cal State San Marcos, Cal State San Bernardino, Chico State and Academy of Art.

• Freshman Rylan Austin leads the Yellowjackets offensively with a .308 batting average in 21 games, including 20 hits, two doubles and six RBI. Austin ranks 28th in Division II with 0.33 sacrifice hits per game. Junior Jolene House is batting .450 in eight games, which includes nine hits, six runs and two RBI.

• Freshman Alyssa Etheridge leads MSUB in the circle. She is 10th in the GNAC with a 3.90 earned run average. She has allowed 33 runs, 21 earned, on 29 hits with 27 strikeouts in 37.2 innings. She threw a no-hitter against Saint Martin’s on Mar. 8.

• Montana State Billings enters the week with a .263 batting average and 4.36 earned run average.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene took three of four games at Simon Fraser over the weekend. The Nighthawks split on Friday, winning 3-2 and losing 7-5, and took both ends of Saturday’s twinbill, 7-3 and 7-5.

• Seniors Anna Williams and Abigail Otto each hit .615 in the four games. Williams went 8 for 13 with five runs, seven RBI, three doubles and two home runs in the series. She hit a two-run homer in Friday’s opener and went 4 for 5 in Saturday’s opener, including a second-inning grand slam. Williams is second in the GNAC with a .479 average and is 10th in Division II with 10 home runs.

• Otto also went 8 for 13 with three runs, two RBI and a home run. She hit her home run in Friday’s second game, where she went 2 for 4, and capped the week by going 3 for 4 in Saturday’s nightcap. Otto enters the week with a .329 batting average.

• Sophomore Jordan Adams picked up two of the three pitching wins and had a save, amassing a 2.74 earned run average in three appearances. She allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out five to win Friday’s opener. Adams allowed three runs on four hits with five strikeouts in Saturday’s opener before allowing one run on three hits in 1.1 innings of the nightcap for the save. Adams leads the GNAC with a 2.24 earned run average.

• The Nighthawks are third in the GNAC and 24th in Division II with a .330 batting average and own a 4.65 earned run average. Northwest Nazarene is eighth in Division II with 2.04 doubles per game and 18th with a .519 slugging percentage and one home run per game.

• Northwest Nazarene’s schedule at the Tournament of Champions includes games against UC San Diego, Stanislaus State, Azusa Pacific, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State East Bay.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• The Saints dropped all four games in doubleheaders moved from Lacey to the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex in Hillsboro, Oregon. Saint Martin’s lost 12-0 (5 inn.) and 7-0 to Concordia on Saturday and 11-7 and 6-5 to Western Oregon on Monday.

• Sophomore Devyn Connolly led the Saints offensively with a .455 batting average in the four games, going 5 for 11 with two runs, an RBI and three doubles. She went 3 for 4 in the opener against Western Oregon, including an RBI single. Connolly is batting .317 for the Saints and leads the team with seven doubles.

• Senior Lauren Diuco batted .333 in the four games, going 4 for 12 with two runs, two RBI and a triple. Diuco had the one-run triple in Monday’s opener with WOU and then went 2 for 4 in the nightcap with an RBI single. Diuco leads the Saints with a .338 batting average and 27 hits.

• Junior Brandi Schoessler led the SMU pitching staff as she compiled a 4.85 earned run average in two games. She took the loss in Saturday’s second game with Concordia, allowing seven runs, three earned, on nine hits in six innings of work. In Monday’s nightcap, Schoessler allowed six runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts. Schoessler is second in the GNAC with 10 wins is seventh with a 3.44 earned run average.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week with a .266 batting average and 5.68 earned run average.

• The Saints’ schedule at the Tournament of Champions will include games against Cal State San Bernardino, Holy Names, Chaminade, Sonoma State and Cal State San Marcos.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser went 1-5 to end a 10-game homestand. The Clan split with Northwest Nazarene on Friday, losing the opener 3-2 and winning the nightcap 7-5. Simon Fraser lost both to the Nighthawks on Saturday, 7-3 and 7-5, before losing two games to Western Washington in Monday, 9-1 (5 inn.) and 10-5.

• Junior Courtney De Adder led the Clan with a .471 batting average in the six games, going 8 for 17 with six runs, two RBI, a double and a triple. De Adder had a two-run single in Friday’s win and went 2 for 4 with two runs in Saturday’s nightcap. She closed the week by going 2 for 4 in the second game against WWU with two runs. De Adder enters the week with a .370 batting average in 16 games.

• Sophomore Alex Ogg batted .419 in the six games, going 9 for 21 with two runs and a double. Ogg went 2 for 4 in both the opening game and the finale of the series with Northwest Nazarene and finished by going 2 for 4 in the second game against Western Washington. Ogg leads the GNAC and ranks 25th in Division II with a .471 batting average.

• Freshman Anissa Zacharczuk made five relief appearances in the circle amassed a 3.91 earned run average in 16 innings pitched. She earned the win in Friday’s nightcap against NNU, allowing two runs on six hits in 5.2 innings of work. Zacharczuk has made nine appearances and owns a 4.71 ERA.

• Simon Fraser enters the week with a .314 batting average and 6.18 earned run average. The Clan is third in Division II with 0.61 double plays per game.

• Simon Fraser’s schedule at the Tournament of Champions includes games against Hawaii Pacific, San Francisco State, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Sonoma State and UC San Diego.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon split its first GNAC doubleheaders in two weeks, taking 10-2 (6 inn.) and 11-4 losses at Central Washington on Saturday before collecting 11-7 and 6-5 victories over Saint Martin’s in Hillsboro, Oregon on Monday.

• Senior Ryanne Whitaker led the Wolves with a .583 batting average in the two twinbills, going 7 for 12 with four runs and an RBI. Whitaker went 2 for 3 in both games at Central Washington, scoring a run in the nightcap, and went 2 for 4 with two runs scored in the first game against Saint Martin’s. Whitaker is seventh in the GNAC with a .394 batting average.

• Sophomore Ayanna Arceneaux finished with a .500 batting average, going 6 for 12 with four runs and four RBI. All of her offense came in the Saint Martin’s doubleheader, going 3 for 4 with an RBI single, RBI double and two-run homer in the opener and went 3 for 3 with a triple and three runs in the nightcap. Arceneaux is third in the GNAC with a .463 batting average.

• Senior Haley Fabian earned the win in the opener against Saint Martin’s, improving to 6-2 on the year. She allowed six runs, five earned, on eight hits with four strikeouts in six innings. Freshman pitcher Maddie Mayer earned the win in the nightcap, allowing five runs, two earned, on nine hits with a strikeout to improve to 4-2 on the season. Fabian is sixth in the GNAC with a 3.41 earned run average.

• Western Oregon was tied for 24th in last week’s NFCA Division II Coaches Poll, the first GNAC team ranked this season.

• The Wolves enter the week leading the GNAC and ranked 18th in Division II with a .343 batting average and rank second in the GNAC with a 3.42 earned run average.

• The Wolves will play the first of two make-up doubleheaders with Montana State Billings on Thursday in Turlock, Calif., before facing Sonoma State, Cal State East Bay, San Francisco State, Stanislaus State and Cal State Dominguez Hills in the Tournament of Champions.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington ran its current win streak to four games thanks to a doubleheader sweep of Simon Fraser on Monday, 9-1 (5 inn.) and 10-5.

• Junior Paityn Cyr led the way offensively as she went 3 for 5 with three runs scored in the twinbill. She went 1 for 2 with a walk and scored a pair of runs in the opener and then went 2 for 3 with a run and an RBI in the nightcap. Cyr enters the week with a .342 batting average.

• Senior Shearyna Labasan went 5 for 9 in the two games with a run and three RBI. She opened the day by going 2 for 4 in the opener, which included a two-run double in the second, and then went 3 for 5 with a run and an RBI in the nightcap. Labasan was also the second-game starter in the circle, allowing five runs on 10 hits in five innings. Labasan is batting .436 in 10 games and is third in the GNAC with a 2.92 earned run average.

• Senior Makinlee Sellevold earned both pitching wins. She went the distance in the five-inning game one, allowing one run on six hits with two strikeouts. Sellevold then threw four innings in relief in game two, allowing one hit and one walk in four innings. Sellevold is second in the GNAC with a 2.40 earned run average, is 26th in Division II with 95 strikeouts and is tied for 30th nationally with three shutouts.

• Western Washington enters the week with a .320 batting average and leads the GNAC with a 3.15 earned run average. The Vikings are 27th in Division II with 6.35 runs per game.

• The Vikings will play a single game at Sonoma State on Wednesday before facing Cal State San Bernardino, Azusa Pacific, Dominican (Calif.), Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State East Bay in the Tournament of Champions.