Wednesday, April 14, 2021

WILDCATS TIE RECORDS IN SERIES WIN OVER SAINTS: Central Washington lit up the scoreboard on Sunday.

The Wildcats came close to tying the GNAC single-game record for runs scored in a 30-6 rout of Saint Martin’s in Sunday’s opener. They fell just two runs shy of the record of 32 runs, scored by Western Oregon in 2019.

Central scored the 30 runs without a single home run and just four extra-base hits. Senior outfielder Justin Hampson tied the GNAC record for hits in a conference game as he went 6 for 7 with four runs, three RBI and a triple. Freshman utility man Zach Berryman tied the GNAC single-game record for runs scored with five. He finished the game going 5 for 7 with the five runs and five RBI.

Berryman was named the GNAC Baseball Player of the Week and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II West Region Player of the Week after he batted .533 with a .619 on-base percentage to lead CWU to a 3-1 series win over the Saints.

Sophomore Dylan Weese earned his first win of the season in Saturday’s nightcap, a 4-0 victory. He threw a seven-inning complete-game shutout, allowing just four hits and two walks with five strikeouts to earn GNAC Pitcher of the Week honors.

NIGHTHAWKS CLAIM TOP SPOT IN WEST REGION: Despite splitting its four-game conference series with Western Oregon last week, Northwest Nazarene made its season debut at the top of the latest NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings.

The Nighthawks received 48 points to claim the No. 1 spot, edging out Azusa Pacific, which received 47 points. The Cougars held on to the top spot in the West Region all season long before being jumped by the Nighthawks this week.

Northwest Nazarene also made an appearance in the top-10 of the latest NCBWA Division II National Rankings, earning a tie for the No. 10 spot with Lindenwood with 262 points.

Western Oregon stays put at No. 3 in the West Region while Central Washington remains at No. 6. The Wolves are among others receiving votes in the national poll.

NO SPECTATORS: To protect the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches and other staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, spectators are not allowed at athletic events hosted by GNAC institutions this spring. Fans are encouraged to visit GNACSports.com for links to live stats and video for conference games.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
Zach Berryman, Central Washington
UT • 5-11 • Fr. • Ephrata, Wash.

Berryman hit .533 as the Wildcats took three of four games from Saint Martin’s, going 8 for 15 with nine runs, eight RBI, a double and two stolen bases. He opened Saturday by going 1 for 3 with an RBI single and a sacrifice fly before going 1 for 3 with a run in the nightcap. In Sunday’s opener, Berryman tied the GNAC record for runs scored in a game with five as he went 5 for 7 with five RBI and a double in the 30-6 rout. He closed the week by going 1 for 2 with an RBI and two runs in the 5-1 series-ending victory.

Also Nominated: Grant Kerry (Northwest Nazarene), Cody Isa (Saint Martin’s), Josh Berman (Western Oregon).

PITCHER
Dylan Weese, Central Washington
RHP • 6-2 • So. • Poway, Calif.

Weese went the distance in the finale of Saturday’s doubleheader, a 4-0 victory over Saint Martin’s. He allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out five in the seven-inning game to earn his first win of the season.

Also Nominated: Max Holtzclaw (Northwest Nazarene), Ryan Ancheta (Saint Martin’s), Mike Peterson (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington took three of four games at Saint Martin’s last week. The Wildcats dropped Saturday’s first game in 10 innings, 6-5, before winning the nightcap, 4-0. Central won both Sunday games, 30-6 and 5-1.

• Records were tied in CWU’s 30-6 rout of the Saints on Sunday. Freshman outfielder Zach Berryman tied the GNAC record for runs scored in a single game with five while senior outfielder Justin Hampson tied the record for hits in a conference game with six. The Wildcats’ 30 runs fell just two shy of the GNAC record of 32, scored by Western Oregon in 2019.

• Central Washington swept the GNAC Baseball Player of the Week awards. Berryman was named the GNAC and the NCBWA Division II West Region Player of the Week after he batted .533 with a .619 on-base percentage. He did it all in the four games, going 8 for 15 with nine runs, eight RBI, a double, four walks, a hit by pitch, a sacrifice fly and two stolen bases from the leadoff spot. Berryman went 5 for 7 in the 30-6 rout with his five runs, five RBI, a double and a hit by pitch.

• Sophomore Dylan Weese was named the GNAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week after he tossed a seven-inning complete-game shutout in Saturday’s second game. He allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out five to earn his first win of the season.

• Hampson batted .625 in the series, going 10 for 16 with seven runs, five RBI, a walk and four triples. He leads the GNAC with a .465 batting average and is second with a .542 on-base percentage.

• Central Washington stays put at No. 6 in the latest NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings.

• Central Washington sits in third place with a 9-7 conference record (11-9 overall). The Wildcats will head down to Monmouth, Oregon, to play at Western Oregon on Saturday and Sunday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings did not play last week. The Yellowjackets last took the field on April 2 and 3, winning just one of four games at Central Washington. The Yellowjackets lost both games on April 2, 21-15 and 7-6. They won the opener on April 3, 17-5, before dropping the finale, 10-9.

• Montana State Billings enters the week with a .303 team batting average and a 10.38 earned run average. The Yellowjackets are ninth in Division II with 49 home runs and sixth with 2.04 home runs per game. They also rank 11th in slugging percentage (.573), 35th in scoring (8.4) and 47th in runs scored (201).

• Senior first baseman/designated hitter Daniel Cipriano leads the GNAC with a .916 slugging percentage and is No. 3 with a .410 batting average and .533 on-base percentage. He is 12th in Division II with 11 home runs. His 36 career homers is seven shy of the GNAC record of 43, hit by Chandler Tracy (2012-15) of Saint Martin’s.

• Junior Connor Redmond leads MSUB with a 7.71 earned run average in 28 innings pitched. Redmond has limited opposing batters to a .319 batting average and is third in the conference with 41 strikeouts.

• Montana State Billings is in fourth place with a 5-11 conference record (5-19 overall). The Yellowjackets return to action on Friday and Saturday as they host first-place Northwest Nazarene.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene split with Western Oregon at home last week. The Nighthawks dropped both Friday games, 3-2 and 7-1. The Nighthawks swept Saturday’s doubleheader with a pair of walk-off wins, 9-8 and 4-3.

• Senior Max Holtzclaw earned both pitching wins in relief. He allowed one unearned run on one hit with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings in Saturday’s opener. He closed out the finale, allowing just one hit and one walk with a strikeout in 0.2 innings after starter Spencer Schwehr tossed 6.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts.

• Freshman utility man Grant Kerry provided the power in the series, batting .538 with a .600 on-base percentage and 1.538 slugging percentage. Kerry went 7 for 13 with four runs, five RBI, a double, four home runs and a pair of walks. He had two hits and a solo homer in each of Friday’s games. He then went 2 for 3 with a solo shot and two-run homer in Saturday’s opener.

• Northwest Nazarene is tied for No. 10 with Lindenwood in the latest NCBWA Division II Rankings. The Nighthawks are ranked No. 24 in this week’s Collegiate Baseball Division II poll. The Nighthawks also jumped Azusa Pacific to claim the No. 1 spot in the latest NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings with 48 points.

• Northwest Nazarene stays atop the GNAC standings with a 13-3 conference mark (19-5 overall). The Nighthawks are back in action this week, playing at Montana State Billings on Friday and Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s won one of four games against Central Washington at home last week. The Saints won Saturday’s opener in 10 innings, 6-5, before losing the nightcap, 4-0. The Saints dropped both Sunday games, 30-6 and 5-1.

• Junior second baseman Cody Isa led SMU with a .333 batting average as he went 5 for 15 with a run, three RBI and a double. Isa went 2 for 5 with a two-run single in the fifth inning and a walk-off RBI single in the 10th in Saturday’s win. He also went 2 for 4 with a run and a double in Sunday’s opener.

• Junior shortstop Ryne Oshiro went 4 for 13 in the series with two runs and a double. He went 2 for 5 with a run and a double in the lone win of the week. Oshiro is tied for the team lead with four doubles.

• Sophomore Ryan Ancheta earned the win in relief on Saturday. He held the Wildcats scoreless in 4.1 innings, allowing four hits while striking out two. Ancheta enters the week with a 9.28 earned run average.

• Saint Martin’s is 2-14 in conference play (5-17 overall). The Saints will host a doubleheader with NAIA powerhouse Lewis-Clark State on Friday before returning to GNAC play on April 23 and 24, hosting Montana State Billings.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon split four games at Northwest Nazarene last week. The Wolves swept Friday’s doubleheader, 3-2 and 7-1. The Nighthawks won both Saturday games on walk-off hits, 9-8 and 4-3.

• Senior Mike Peterson improved to 4-0 on the season after earning the win in the opener. He allowed two earned runs on three hits and four walks with seven strikeouts in six innings. Senior Alan Vasquez pitched the last two innings to earn the save, allowing just one hit and a walk with one strikeout.

• Senior Seth Kuykendall earned the win in relief in Friday’s nightcap. He allowed one earned run on four hits with three strikeouts in four innings.

• Junior infielder Derek Maiben led the Wolves at the plate with a .438 batting average, going 7 for 16 with three runs, three RBI, a double and a walk. He went 3 for 4 with a run and an RBI double in Friday’s second game. He closed the series by going 2 for 3 with an RBI single in Saturday’s finale.

• Senior first baseman Connor McCord went 5 for 15 in the series with a .412 on-base percentage. He finished with three runs, three RBI, two doubles, two walks and a two-run home run that came in Saturday’s first game.

• Western Oregon is ranked No. 3 in the NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings for the second straight week. The Wolves are also among others receiving votes with nine points in the latest NCBWA National Rankings. The Wolves rank 11th in Division II with 7.13 hits allowed per nine innings and 23rd with a 3.95 earned run average.

• Western Oregon sits in second place with an 11-5 conference mark (12-6 overall). The Wolves will host Central Washington on Saturday and Sunday. The last time the two teams met was when they split a four-game conference series on Mar. 13 and 14 in Ellensburg.