Wednesday, May 5, 2021

WOLVES SET NEW SINGLE-GAME HOME RUN RECORD: Western Oregon set the new GNAC single-game record with eight home runs in a 28-13 rout of Montana State Billings in Friday’s opener. The Wolves swept the Yellowjackets in four games to take the season series, 7-1.

Senior outfielder Blayze Arcano had himself a week at the plate as he earned GNAC Player of the Week and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II West Region Player of the Week honors. Arcano batted .550 with a .571 on-base percentage and a 1.500 slugging percentage. He went 11 for 20 with 10 runs, 21 RBI, two triples and five home runs.

Arcano and senior designated hitter Josh Berman each hit three homers in the 28-13 slugfest, tying the GNAC record for home runs in a conference game. The feat was accomplished just three other times.

Arcano and junior catcher Anthony Zellner each scored five times in the game, tying the GNAC single-game record. Arcano’s nine RBI also tied the conference single-game record. He became the fourth player in conference history to drive in nine runs.

Western Oregon (16-6, 15-5 GNAC) sits in second place behind Northwest Nazarene. The Wolves are ranked No. 3 in the NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings for the fourth straight week and are among others receiving votes with 24 points in the latest NCBWA National Rankings.

THE LONG WAIT IS FINALLY OVER: It’s been quite some time since Central Washington last took the field, but the Wildcats are back and ready to play again.

Central Washington’s series against Western Oregon and Northwest Nazarene in April were both canceled due to health and safety protocols. That layover was followed by a bye week last week.

The Wildcats haven’t played since their 5-1 series-finale win at Saint Martin’s on April 11. They enter the week in a tie for the GNAC lead with Western Oregon with a .317 team batting average.

Central Washington sits in third place with a 9-7 conference record (11-9 overall). The Wildcats will return to action as they play at Montana State Billings on Friday and Saturday.

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
Blayze Arcano, Western Oregon
OF • 5-11 • Sr. • Ewa Beach, Hawaii

Arcano batted .550 in the Wolves’ four-game sweep of Montana State Billings, going 11 for 21 with five home runs, 21 RBI, two triples and 10 runs with a .571 on-base percentage and a 1.500 slugging percentage. In Friday’s opener, a 28-13 victory, Arcano went 4 for 6 as he tied GNAC single-game records with nine RBI and five runs scored. He had three of the Wolves’ GNAC record eight home runs in the contest. Arcano went 3 for 5 with two runs and three RBI in Thursday’s opener and added a three-run homer in the nightcap. He closed the series on Friday by going 3 for 4 with six RBI and another three-run homer.

Also Nominated: Haden Keller (Northwest Nazarene), Dakota Hill (Saint Martin’s).

PITCHER
Seth Kuykendall, Western Oregon
RHP • 6-3 • Sr. • Spokane, Wash.

In a weekend full of offense, Kuykendall pitched a sterling complete-game performance for a 10-1 win in Friday’s series finale against Montana State Billings. He allowed one run on four hits with one walk and seven strikeouts to improve to 5-2 on the season. It was Kuykendall’s first complete game of the season and the second for the Wolves in 2021.

Also Nominated: Tyler Tan (Northwest Nazarene), Tanner Inouye (Saint Martin’s).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington has not played since April 11 due to health and safety protocols and a bye week last week.

• Senior outfielder Justin Hampson leads the conference and is eighth in Division II with a .465 batting average while also ranking 20th nationally with a .542 on-base percentage and ninth with 1.74 hits per game.

• Sophomore utility man Zach Berryman is second in the conference behind Hampson and ranks No. 10 in Division II with a .464 batting average. He leads the conference and is eighth nationally with a .573 on-base percentage.

• Sophomore Dylan Weese is 1-0 with a save on the season, allowing six runs, three earned, on 19 hits with seven walks and 18 strikeouts in 23.1 innings. He leads the conference and is fifth in Division II with a 1.16 earned run average.

• Central Washington and Western Oregon lead the GNAC with a .317 team batting average. The Wildcats are second in the conference with a .416 on-base percentage and third with a 5.97 earned run average.

• Central Washington is ranked No. 6 in the NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings for the second straight week.

• Central Washington is 11-9 overall and sits in third place with a 9-7 conference record. The Wildcats will return to play at Montana State Billings on Friday and Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings was swept by Western Oregon at home last week, losing 19-15 and 18-6 on Thursday and 28-13 and 10-1 on Friday.

• Sophomore outfielder Hayden Foltz led the Yellowjackets with a .636 batting average in three games. He went 7 for 11 with a .667 on-base percentage, a 1.000 slugging percentage, two runs, three RBI, a walk, a double and a home run. His week was highlighted by a 4 for 5 performance in Friday’s opener with an RBI double in the fifth inning and a solo homer in the seventh.

• Junior utility man Will Riley went 8 for 17 in the series with four runs, five RBI, two doubles, a triple and a walk. He opened the series by going 4 for 6 in Thursday’s first game with two runs, an RBI double and a pair of RBI singles. Riley leads the GNAC with 57 hits and 15 doubles and is No. 3 with a .396 batting average.

• With his first-inning home run in Friday’s opener, senior first baseman/designated hitter Daniel Cipriano tied the GNAC career record for homers in conference games. He now has 28 homers in conference games, tying Chandler Tracy (2012-15) of Saint Martin’s. Cipriano’s 13 homers in 2021 lead the GNAC and rank No. 20 in Division II.

• Montana State Billings enters the week with a .293 batting average and a 10.49 earned run average. The Yellowjackets are ranked No. 11 in Division II with 66 home runs and 1.83 home runs per game.

• Montana State Billings is in fourth place at 8-20 in conference play (8-28 overall). The Yellowjackets will wrap up their regular season this week, hosting Central Washington on Friday and Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene took all four home games against Saint Martin’s last week to sweep the season series with the Saints. Due to inclement weather on Saturday, the remainder of the third game and the finale were rescheduled for Monday.

• The Nighthawks won both Friday games, 25-8 and 12-11. They wrapped up Saturday’s opener on Monday, winning 16-6, and then took the finale, 6-2.

• Junior outfielder Haden Keller led the Nighthawks with a .588 batting average, going 10 for 17 with a .579 on-base percentage, a 1.118 slugging percentage, seven runs, eight RBI, a walk and three home runs. Keller opened the week by going 5 for 6 in Friday’s first game with four runs and a solo homer. He went 2 for 3 in the nightcap with a sacrifice fly, a solo homer and a three-run shot. Keller went 2 for 5 on Saturday with a run, a walk and an RBI single before closing the series with an RBI single in Monday’s finale.

• Freshman utility player Grant Kerry has been the offensive spark for NNU in the second half of the season. He went 7 for 16 in the series with four runs, nine RBI, a walk, a double and two home runs. Kerry had at least two hits in the first three games. He went 4 for 5 in the opener with a solo homer in the third inning and a three-run shot in the sixth.

• Sophomore Shane Martin earned the win in relief in the third game. He threw the last two innings, allowing no runs and no hits while walking one and striking out three. Martin also pitched 2.2 innings in the series opener, allowing four unearned runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

• Northwest Nazarene stays atop the NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings with 60 points and all six first-place votes. The Nighthawks made a jump to No. 6 in the latest NCBWA National Rankings. The Nighthawks are also ranked No. 17 in this week’s Collegiate Baseball poll.

• Northwest Nazarene sits in first place with a 21-3 conference mark (27-5 overall). The Nighthawks will host Biola for a four-game non-conference series on Thursday and Friday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s lost all four games at Northwest Nazarene. Due to inclement weather, Saturday’s opener was delayed. The remainder of that game and the series finale were played on Monday. The Saints lost by scores of 25-8, 12-11, 16-6 and 6-2.

• Freshman catcher Mark Steward led the Saints with a .563 batting average, going 9 for 16 with five runs, five RBI, a double and a home run. Steward went 4 for 5 in Friday’s nightcap with two runs and a pair of RBI singles. He then went 2 for 4 on Saturday with a solo shot in the seventh inning.

• Junior Dakota Hill went 6 for 14 in three games with three runs, 11 RBI, a sacrifice fly, a double and a home run. He drove in at least three runs in all three games, opening the series with a 3 for 5 performance in Friday’s opener with a run scored, a double and four RBI. He went 2 for 4 with a run and four RBI in Friday’s nightcap and then hit a three-run shot on Saturday.

• Senior Tanner Inouye took a no-decision in Friday’s second game. He allowed two earned runs on three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in five innings. Inouye enters the week with a 4.61 earned run average.

• Saint Martin’s is in fifth place with a 3-21 conference record (7-25 overall). Up next, the Saints will host Western Oregon on Thursday and Friday in their final home series of the season.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon scored a total of 75 runs in its four-game conference sweep at Montana State Billings last week. The Wolves won both games on Thursday, 19-15 and 18-6. They swept Friday’s doubleheader, 28-13 and 10-1.

• Western Oregon set a new GNAC single-game record with eight home runs in the 28-13 rout on Friday.

• Senior outfielder Blayze Arcano was named the GNAC and the NCBWA Division II West Region Player of the Week after he batted .550 with a .571 on-base percentage and a 1.500 slugging percentage. He went 11 for 20 with 10 runs, 21 RBI, two triples, five home runs and a walk.

• Arcano and senior designated hitter Josh Berman each hit three home runs in the Friday opener, tying the GNAC record for homers in a conference game. The feat had only been accomplished three other times. Arcano also tied GNAC single-game records with five runs scored and nine RBI in the 15-run rout.

• Berman went 8 for 18 in the series with 10 runs and 10 RBI. He went 4 for 6 in Friday’s first game with four runs, eight RBI and the three homers. Berman enters the week with a .364 batting average and ranks No. 2 in the conference with a .764 slugging percentage.

• Western Oregon swept the Player of the Week awards with senior Seth Kuykendall earning GNAC Pitcher of the Week honors. He tossed a seven-inning complete game, allowing just one earned run on four hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.

• Western Oregon is ranked No. 3 in the NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings for the fourth straight week. The Wolves are also the first team to receive votes with 24 points in the latest NCBWA National Rankings.

• Western Oregon sits in second place with a 15-5 conference mark (16-6 overall). The Wolves will hit the road for their final road trip of the regular season, playing at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Friday.