Wednesday, March 17, 2021

NIGHTHAWKS OPEN CONFERENCE PLAY WITH SWEEP OF YELLOWJACKETS: Northwest Nazarene has led the GNAC in scoring all season long. Last week was no different.

The Nighthawks scored a total of 58 runs in their four-game sweep of Montana State Billings to open conference play, tallying 46 hits, 54 RBI, 11 doubles, 36 walks and eight home runs. As a team, NNU batted .354, bringing its conference-leading team batting average to .337, which ranks No. 22 in Division II.

Junior infielder Colton Moore was named the GNAC Baseball Player of the Week after he batted .625 in the four-game sweep. Moore went 10 for 16 with 11 runs, 10 RBI, three doubles, two home runs and four walks. He is second in the GNAC and 46th in Division II with 18 runs scored. Nighthawks’ senior outfielder Ryan Dearing leads the conference and is No. 6 in Division II with 24 runs.

Seniors Shawn Grandmont and John Gonzalez continue to power the NNU lineup. Grandmont batted 6 for 14 with seven runs, nine RBI, a double, a home run and five walks. Gonzalez went 5 for 10 with eight runs, seven RBI, a double, a triple, two home runs and eight walks. The two lead the conference and rank No. 12 nationally with 23 RBI.

The Nighthawks look to keep their bats alive and extend their winning streak as they stay home to host Central Washington on Friday and Saturday.

REPRESENTATION IN THE RANKINGS: Northwest Nazarene is starting to turn heads after its impressive 10-2 start to the season. The Nighthawks are ranked No. 15 in the latest NCBWA Division II national rankings and are among others receiving votes in the latest Collegiate Baseball Division II poll.

The Nighthawks are ninth in Division II with 11.5 runs per game, 22nd with a .337 batting average and 18th with 19 home runs.

All five GNAC teams made an appearance in the first NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings, released on Feb. 17.

GNAC PLAY UNDERWAY: The first week of GNAC play is in the books as four of the conference’s five teams took the field last week. Saint Martin’s enjoyed a bye week last week but will be back in action to open its conference schedule with a four-game series at Montana State Billings on Friday and Saturday.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
Colton Moore, Northwest Nazarene
IF/P • 6-2 • Jr. • Provo, Utah

Moore batted .625 with a 1.100 slugging percentage and .700 on-base percentage as the Nighthawks opened conference play with a four-game sweep of Montana State Billings. Moore went 10 for 16 in the series with 11 runs, 10 RBI, three doubles and a pair of home runs. He went 3 for 5 in Friday’s 22-10 win, which included a two-run homer and a two-RBI double. He then went 4 for 5 in Saturday’s 21-10 win, which included a two-run homer and a two-RBI single.

Also Nominated: Tyler McClain (Central Washington), Derek Maiben (Western Oregon).

PITCHER
Mike Peterson, Western Oregon
RHP • 6-5 • Sr. • Pullman, Wash.

Peterson earned his first win of the season in Saturday’s 5-2 series-opening victory over Central Washington. In six innings of work, Peterson allowed two runs on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts.

Also Nominated: Reid Rasmussen (Central Washington), Matthew Houlihan (Montana State Billings), Max Holtzclaw (Northwest Nazarene).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington opened conference play by splitting both doubleheaders with Western Oregon at home on Saturday and Sunday. The Wildcats lost the opener, 5-2, but bounced back to win Saturday’s second game, 6-3. The Wildcats dropped Sunday’s opener, 4-3, before winning the finale, 7-2.

• Freshman Reid Rasmussen picked up his first collegiate win in the Wildcats’ 7-2 victory on Sunday. In six innings of work, he allowed two earned runs on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts.

• Senior outfielder Justin Hampson led the Wildcats with a .500 batting average in the four games, collecting seven hits, two runs, three RBI, two doubles and two walks. Hampson went 3 for 4 with a run in Saturday’s 5-2 loss. He then went 1 for 3 with an RBI double in the second game. Hampson closed the series by going 2 for 3 with a run, a walk and an RBI single in the finale.

•  Freshman outfielder Zach Berryman went 6 for 14 in the series with five runs, an RBI, a double and a pair of walks. Berryman and Hampson lead the GNAC and rank 42nd in Division II with .500 batting averages.

• Central Washington is 4-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play. Up next, the Wildcats will head to Nampa, Idaho, to play a four-game series at Northwest Nazarene on Friday and Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings lost all four games at Northwest Nazarene on Friday and Saturday to open conference play. The Yellowjackets lost the games by scores of 22-10, 4-3, 21-10 and 11-6.

• Junior utility man Will Riley led the Yellowjackets in the series with a .500 batting average, going 9 for 18 with six runs, three RBI, four walks and three home runs. Riley opened the weekend by going 2 for 5 with a solo home run in Friday’s 22-10 slugfest. He went right back to work in game two, going 2 for 4 with two runs and a solo homer to start the game. Riley closed the series by going 3 for 4 with two runs and another homer in the finale.

• Senior first baseman/designated hitter Daniel Cipriano went 5 for 14 with four runs, seven RBI, a walk and three home runs. He went 3 for 5 with a pair of three-run home runs in Saturday’s 22-10 loss and then closed the series with a solo homer in the finale. Cipriano is second in GNAC history with 32 career home runs. The record is 43, held by Chandler Tracy (2012-15) of Saint Martin’s.

• Freshman Matthew Houlihan had the best performance on the mound for MSUB. In four innings of work in the close 4-3 loss on Friday, he allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits and four walks with eight strikeouts.

• Montana State Billings is now 0-12 overall and 0-4 in conference play. The Yellowjackets will look to get in the win column as they host Saint Martin’s on Friday and Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene couldn’t have opened conference play any better, completing a four-game sweep of Montana State Billings on Friday and Saturday in Nampa. The Nighthawks won by scores of 22-10, 4-3, 21-10 and 11-6.

• Junior infielder/pitcher Colton Moore was named the GNAC Baseball Player of the Week after batting .625 with a 1.100 slugging percentage and .700 on-base percentage. He went 3 for 5 with a two-run home run in Friday’s 22-10 win and then went 4 for 5 with another two-run bomb in Saturday’s 21-10 slugfest. Moore finished the week 10 for 16 with 11 runs and 10 RBI.

• Senior first baseman John Gonzalez batted .500 in the series, collecting five hits, eight runs, seven RBI, a double, a triple, eight walks and two home runs. His weekend was highlighted by a 2 for 2 performance in Friday’s 22-10 win with four runs, three RBI, three walks and a solo homer.

• Senior third baseman Shawn Grandmont finished the series with a .429 batting average, going 6 for 14 with seven runs, nine RBI, a double, two home runs and five walks.

• Senior Max Holtzclaw made two relief appearances to help secure two of the wins. He earned the win in Friday’s 4-3 victory after tossing 1.2 innings of perfection with four strikeouts. He also closed out Saturday’s 11-6 finale, allowing no runs and no hits while striking out three.

• Northwest Nazarene’s hot start in 2021 has captured the attention of the Division II baseball world as the Nighthawks are ranked No. 15 in the latest NCBWA Division II national rankings. The Nighthawks are also among others receiving votes in the latest Collegiate Baseball Division II poll.

• Northwest Nazarene improved to 10-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play. The Nighthawks will look to keep their win streak alive as they host Central Washington on Friday and Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s did not play last week. The Saints last took the field on Mar. 4, splitting a non-conference doubleheader at Western Oregon. The Saints won the first game, 7-6, before dropping the second game, 18-2.

• Freshman pitcher Justice Yamashita is among the Division II leaders with zero walks allowed per nine innings. In his first two outings of the season, Yamashita allowed eight runs, one earned, on 12 hits with five strikeouts in six innings. He leads the GNAC with a 1.50 earned run average.

• Sophomore outfielder Cody Chavis leads all eligible Saints with a .333 batting average. In five starts, Chavis has six hits, three runs and three RBI. Sophomore first baseman Aaron Renaud leads SMU and is fourth in the conference with an .867 slugging percentage.

• Saint Martin’s is 3-3 on the season. The Saints will open conference play with a four-game series at Montana State Billings on Friday and Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon split its four-game series at Central Washington to open conference play. The Wolves won the opener on Saturday, 5-2, then dropped the second game, 6-3. The Wolves won Sunday’s opener, 4-3, before losing the finale, 7-2.

• Senior Mike Peterson was named the GNAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week after he picked up his first win of the season in the opener. In six innings of work, he allowed two earned runs on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts.

• Junior infielder Derek Maiben led the Wolves at the plate with a .500 batting average. He went 9 for 18 in the four games with three runs, two RBI and a triple. Maiben went 2 for 5 with two runs and an RBI single in Saturday’s 5-2 win. He went 4 for 5 with another RBI single in the 4-3 win on Sunday.

• Western Oregon is second in the GNAC and 29th in Division II with a .328 batting average. The Wolves also rank 43rd nationally with a .416 on-base percentage.

• Western Oregon is now 3-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play. The Wolves will enjoy a bye week and then resume conference play on Mar. 26 and 27 at home against Montana State Billings.