Thursday, March 8, 2018

WILDCATS, YELLOWJACKETS & WOLVES START GNAC STRONG: In the opening week of GNAC play, Central Washington, Montana State Billings and Western Oregon earned series victories to start its conference slate off strong. The Wildcats swept Northwest Nazarene 12-5, 12-2, 6-4 and 10-7 while Western Oregon took care of Saint Martin’s 10-3, 9-3, 15-8 and 5-2. Meanwhile, the Yellowjackets captured a 3-1 series win over Concordia after taking the opening three games 4-2, 8-3 and 4-0.

YELLOWJACKETS IN THE RANKINGS: In the latest edition of the NCBWA Division II West Region Poll, Montana State Billings is the lone GNAC team included at No. 7 with 19 points. In the preseason edition of the poll, the Yellowjackets were one of three GNAC teams receiving votes (3). Montana State Billings currently in third place at 3-1 and is one of two GNAC teams with an overall record over .500. The Yellowjackets visit Western Oregon this weekend for a four-game series that will be split between Portland and Newberg, Ore.

WESTERN OREGON PICKED TO REPEAT AS CHAMPIONS: After capturing both the regular season title and GNAC championship last year, Western Oregon is picked yet again to win the conference in the 2018 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll.

The Wolves received two first-place votes to finish with 30 points in the poll. Western Oregon clinched the regular season by 4.5 games and outscored opponents 26-10 in the GNAC Championships to claim its 14th conference title in program history.

Closely behind the Wolves is Montana State Billings, a team that won 23 games under first-year head coach Aaron Sutton. Picked second with 29 points, the Yellowjackets are one of four teams to receive a first-place vote. Montana State Billings tied for third last season and went 0-2 in the conference tournament. Central Washington is picked third with 24 points while Northwest Nazarene is picked fourth (21 points).

Rounding out the coaches poll was Saint Martin’s (fifth, 16 pts.) and Concordia (sixth, 7 pts.).

For the second season in a row, the GNAC Championships will include four teams after being a three-team tournament up until the 2017 season. The GNAC Championships will be hosted by Central Washington on May 10-11 in Ellensburg, Wash. This will be the first time in the tournament’s six-year history that the Wildcats will host the event.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Player
Nyles Nygaard, Western Oregon
IF • 6-1 • Sr. • Torrance, Calif.

Nygaard went 8 for 14 with six runs, three home runs and 11 RBIs as the Wolves opened GNAC play with a four-game sweep of Saint Martin’s. He opened the series by going 2 for 5 with four RBIs, three of which came on a three-run homer, in a 10-3 win on Saturday. Nygaard then opened Sunday’s twinbill by going 4 for 6 with three runs and five RBIs and another three-run homer in a 15-8 win.

Also Nominated: Dustin Braun (Central Washington), Jalen Garcia (Montana State Billings).

Pitcher
Trevor Huddleston, Concordia
P/OF • 5-10 • Jr. • Woodland, Wash.

Huddleston went the distance in the Cavaliers’ 2-0 series-ending victory over Montana State Billings on Sunday. He allowed just two hits and two walks and struck out eight to earn his first victory of the season. In the process, Huddleston did not allow an MSUB runner past first base.

Also Nominated: Griffin Davis (Central Washington), Adam Cox (Montana State Billings), Craig Grubbe (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington earned a sweep against Northwest Nazarene in the opening week of GNAC play. The Wildcats took 12-5 and 12-2 wins on Saturday before taking 6-4 and 10-7 victories on Monday.

• Senior Dustin Braun paced the Wildcats’ offense by batting .500 over the four games. Braun went 3 for 4 in game two and helped the Wildcats to a five-run second inning with a grand slam to left center. The junior recorded seven hits for seven runs batted in and scored three runs. Braun is tied for first in the GNAC with a .396 batting average and is fourth in the league with 13 RBIs.

• Sophomore Justin Hampton had himself a week at the plate after batting .357. In the series opener, Hampton went 3 for 5 and recorded two RBIs in the first inning after smashing a two-run double to right center. Hampton improves his batting average to .244 on the season and has yet to commit an error this year.

• Junior Connor Stevenson tossed seven innings and allowed just two runs in game two Friday night. Stevenson allowed nine hits and struck out six. He leads the GNAC with a 1.46 earned run average and has pitched 24.2 innings. He is also tied for fourth in the league with 17 strikeouts.

• The Wildcats are second in the GNAC with a .283 batting average and have scored 92 runs on 136 hits. Their pitching staff leads the conference with a 5.23 ERA and has compiled 84 strikeouts this season. Central Washington has five of the GNAC’s top-15 hitters in terms of batting percentage with all five hitting better than .343.

• Central Washington returns home for its first GNAC home series of the season as it takes on Concordia.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia dropped its opening GNAC series to Montana State Billings. The Cavaliers fell in the opening doubleheader on Saturday, 4-2 and 8-3, before winning the second game of Sunday’s twinbill 2-0.

• Junior Trevor Huddleston was named the GNAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week after he went the distance in the Cavaliers’ 2-0 series-ending victory over Montana State Billings. He allowed just two hits and two walks and struck out eight to earn his first victory of the season. In the process, Huddleston did not allow an MSUB runner past first base. He is second in the GNAC with 19 strikeouts.

• Senior Andrew Barrera led Concordia with a .267 batting average for four hits and a run batted in. Barrera is third in the GNAC batting .386 this season and is tied for first with 22 hits.

• The Cavaliers’ pitching staff performed well on Sunday as they allowed just four runs in the two games. Freshman Dylan Diaz allowed four runs in the opening game while junior Wyatt Wentz and Huddleston combined for 9.1 scoreless innings in the series finale.

• Concordia is hitting .221 this season and has recorded 98 hits, 18 of which have been doubles. Its pitching staff is second in the GNAC with a 5.40 earned run average and has struck out 81 batters.

• Concordia begins its GNAC road schedule with a trip to Central Washington this weekend for a four-game series.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings earned a 3-1 series win over Concordia last weekend as it took Saturday’s doubleheader 4-2 and 8-2 before splitting Sunday’s contests. The Yellowjackets took game three using an all-around pitching performance for the 4-0 win.

• Over the four games, the Yellowjackets’ pitching staff shined. They led the GNAC with a 1.74 earned run average last week to go along with 36 strikeouts. Senior Tristan Shockley earned his first win of the year after going 5.2 innings in MSUB’s win on Sunday. Shockley allowed just two hits and no runs. He improves to fifth in the GNAC with a 4.50 ERA and has allowed just seven runs in four appearances.

• Senior Kade Hall paced the Yellowjackets’ offense by batting .462 over the four contests with six hits and four RBIs. Hall went 2 for 4 and accounted for two runs in the 8-3 win and followed it up with another 2 for 4 outing and two RBIs Sunday afternoon to lead MSUB to the 4-0 victory. The senior has a .344 batting average and is third in the GNAC with 14 runs batted in.

• Sophomore Hayden Humphrey averaged a .333 batting average over the series and accounted for two RBIs and two doubles. He also drew four walks. He led the Yellowjackets with two hits and three RBIs in the 8-3 win and reached base four times. Humphrey is fifth in the GNAC batting .364 with eight RBIs and seven walks.

• Montana State Billings leads the GNAC in batting average (.298), runs (111), hits (145), doubles (30) and triples (4). Its pitching staff owns a 6.05 earned run average and leads the league with three saves and 125 strikeouts.  

• The Yellowjackets continue their 22-game road trip against Western Oregon this week. Saturday’s opening doubleheader will take place in Newberg, Ore., while Sunday’s twinbill will be played in Portland, Ore.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene continues to search for its first GNAC win after being swept by Central Washington last weekend. The Nighthawks took 12-5 and 12-2 losses on Friday before losing the doubleheader on Monday, 6-4 and 10-7.

• Junior Zach Penrod led the Nighthawks at the plate after batting .400 with six hits, three runs batted in and three doubles. In the series opener, Penrod drove in two runs in the third inning and finished the day 2 for 5. Penrod ended the series with a hit, run and RBI in the 10-7 loss.

• Senior Casey Sheehan was second on the team in batting with a .353 average over the four games. Sheehan tallied six hits, two RBIs and recorded his fifth home run of the season. Batting leadoff in game two, Sheehan blasted a solo home run in the third inning to bring NNU back within 5-1. He leads the GNAC in home runs and is tied for second with 14 runs batted in. Sheehan is also second in the league with 39 total bases.

• Starting game three of the series, sophomore Brennan Patterson allowed two hits in five innings and no runs. Patterson has pitched 10.2 innings this year and has struck out five batters, two of which came in the series against Central Washington.

• The Nighthawks are third in the GNAC batting .274 and have hit a league-leading 19 home runs.

• Northwest Nazarene visits Saint Martin’s this weekend for a four-game series in Lacey, Wash. Both teams are looking for its first conference win.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Due to inclement weather, the opening doubleheader against Western Oregon was moved to Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, Ore., while the final two games were played at Edmonds Community College in Edmonds, Wash.

• Western Oregon swept the series by the scores of 10-3, 9-3, 15-8 and 5-2.

• Sophomore Ryan Colvin paced the Saints’ offense by batting .286. Colvin’s best outing at the plate came in game three when the sophomore went 3 for 4 with an RBI and two runs. Down by four in the first inning, Colvin singled up the middle to drive in the Saints’ first run of the afternoon. He leads the team with a .297 batting average and has recorded six RBIs and two home runs.

• In one appearance, freshman Ritter Garrison tossed five innings of three-hit ball and allowed just two runs. Down 13-1 in the fourth inning of game three, Garrison entered in relief and finished the final five innings with four strikeouts. The appearance was just his third of the season and now has now pitched seven innings this year.

• As a team, Saint Martin’s is hitting .229 and is one of three GNAC teams with three triples. The Saints also have the least amount of strikeouts with 90.

• Saint Martin’s hosts a four-game series against Northwest Nazarene this weekend with both teams looking for its first GNAC win of the season.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon opened its GNAC campaign strong with a four-game sweep of Saint Martin’s. Due to inclement weather, the opening doubleheader against Saint Martin’s was moved to Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, Ore., while the final two games were played at Edmonds Community College in Edmonds, Wash.

• The Wolves took Friday’s series opener 10-3 before taking the nightcap 9-3. In the twinbill on Sunday, Western Oregon earned 15-8 and 5-2 wins to capture its first series win of the season.

• Senior Nyles Nygaard was named the GNAC Player of the Week after he went 8 for 14 with six runs, three home runs and 11 RBIs.  He opened the series by going 2 for 5 with four RBIs, three of which came on a three-run homer. Nygaard then opened Sunday’s doubleheader by going 4 for 6 with three runs and five RBIs and another three-run homer in a 15-8 win. In 11 games this season, Nygaard has a .366 batting average and a .829 slugging percentage.

• Senior Jacob Martinez was second on the team as he hit .400. Martinez had a career day in the series opener as he went 5 for 6 and scored four of the Wolves’ 10 runs. Senior Cody Dykstra hit. 385 over the four games and recorded five hits, five runs and two runs batted in. Dykstra went 2 for 4 in the series finale and added an RBI.

• Freshman Kolby Bales made two relief appearances, allowing two hits in 4.1 innings. He allowed just one hit in two innings during the series opener and closed game three with one hit allowed in 2.1 innings.

• Western Oregon is fourth in the GNAC with a .271 batting average. Fielding has been a strength this season as the Wolves lead the GNAC with a .972 fielding percentage, committing just 11 errors all season.

• The Wolves return to Oregon to take on Montana State Billings this weekend. Friday’s doubleheader will be played in Newberg, Ore., while Saturday’s twinbill will take place in Portland, Ore.