Monday, May 4, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore. - Western Oregon shortstop Marcus Hinkle and Montana State pitcher Brady Muller have been selected the GNAC Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week for the Week of April 27 - May 3.

Earning GNAC Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors were Badane Sultessa of Western Oregon, Cody Parker of Alaska Anchorage, Lindsey Butterworth of Simon Fraser and Kirby Neale of Saint Martin's.

Following is a recap of the accomplishments of the six honorees and a listing of athletes who were honorable mention selections:

Baseball: Player - Marcus Hinkle, Western Oregon (SS, 6-0, Sr., Puyallup, WA) had eight hits in 19 at bats as Western Oregon won three of four games with Northwest Nazarene to earn the No. 2 seed in this week's GNAC Baseball Championships. Hinkle scored six runs and hit two doubles in the Wolves three wins. He also registered three RBIs reaching a total of 12 bases. In Saturday’s opener against NNU, Hinkle missed the cycle by a home run, hitting a triple, double and a single in consecutive at bats.  Pitcher – Brady Muller, Montana State Billings (LHP, 6-1, Sr., Billings, MT) threw his first complete-game of the season as he helped the Yellowjackets earn a series sweep of SMU and win the GNAC regular-season title. Muller threw all nine innings while allowing just six hits and one unearned run in the ninth inning. He also struck out six Saints in the victory. This was Muller’s seventh game this year pitching at least seven innings while striking out five  or more batters, leading that conference in that category.

Honorable Mention: Kasey Bielec, Central Washington (INF, 5-11, Sr., Port Orchard, WA); Jonathan Dailey, Central Washington (SS, 6-3, Jr., Sherwood, OR); Luke Reinschmidt, Montana State Billings (CF, 5-11, Jr., Billings, MT); Andrew Groves, Northwest Nazarene (RHP, 5-11, Sr., Mukilteo, WA); Kyle Thomson, Northwest Nazarene (OF, 5-7, Sr., Enumclaw, WA); Josh Moss, Saint Martin’s (LHP, 6-1, Sr., Rochester, WA); Chandler Tracy, Saint Martin’s (C-1B, 6-2, Sr., Bellevue, WA); Jesse Pratt, Western Oregon (RHP, 6 5, Sr., Monmouth, OR).

Men’s Track & Field: Track – Badane  Sultessa, Western Oregon (Jr., Portland, OR – Clackamas CC) finished second overall in the 800 meters at the Mt. Hood Track Festival in a provisional national qualifying time of 1:51.13.  That time ranks fourth in Western Oregon track-and-field history and is eighth on the GNAC All-Time Top 10 list.  Field – Cody Parker, Alaska Anchorage (Jr., Comox, BC) had the eighth longest javelin throw this spring in NCAA Division II in the Oregon State High Performance Invitational with a throw of 213-9.  He finished second overall and was first among collegians.

Honorable Mention – Cole Hoberg, Northwest Nazarene (So., Prairie City, OR); Nate Vanderby, MSU Billings (So., Manhattan, MT); Justin Larson, Western Oregon (Jr., Dayville, OR).

Women’s Track & Field: Track – Lindsey Butterworth, Simon Fraser (Sr., North Vancouver, BC - Handsworth)  finished fourth in her heat of the 800 meters at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto Saturday in a time of 2:04.11.  The time was not only the fastest in NCAA Division II this spring but also qualified her to represent Canada in the World University Games.  It also ranks second in GNAC history.  Field – Kirby Neale, Saint Martin’s (Jr., Coos Bay - Marshfield)  won the shot at the Saint Martin’s Last Chance Qualifier with a provisional national qualifying put of 46-8 3/4. That mark ranks fourth in GNAC history.

Honorable Mention – Chelsey Knott, Northwest Nazarene (Fr., Parma, ID); Caitlin Curtis, Northwest Nazarene (Sr., Portland, OR - David Douglas);  Rebecca Laible, Western Oregon (Sr., Salem, OR – West Salem).