Wednesday, April 28, 2021

YELLOWJACKETS SWEEP WEEKLY AWARDS AFTER SERIES WIN: Montana State Billings won its second series in conference play last week, taking three of four games at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Friday.

The Yellowjackets swept the Player of the Week awards for the first time this season. Junior catcher Justin Lutz was named the GNAC Player of the Week after he went 4 for 7 in two games with four runs, two RBI, a double and a home run. He went 3 for 4 in Friday’s opener, a 19-8 win, with four runs, two walks, an RBI double and a solo homer.

Senior Blake Tritch earned Pitcher of the Week honors after he earned his first win of the season in a 4-1, extra-inning finale on Friday. Tritch threw an eight-inning complete-game, allowing one earned run on three hits with four walks and three strikeouts.

Montana State Billings ranks No. 8 in Division II with 1.84 home runs per game. Senior first baseman/designated hitter Daniel Cipriano’s 27 career home runs in GNAC games is one shy of the record of 28, set by Chandler Tracy (2012-15) of Saint Martin’s. Cipriano’s 37 career homers is six shy of Tracy’s record of 43.

THREE WEEKS LEFT: There are just three weeks left in the regular season and things are starting to heat up.

Northwest Nazarene continues to sit atop the GNAC standings with a 17-3 conference mark (23-5 overall). The Nighthawks lead the field with a 3.81 earned run average and are second with a .307 batting average.

The Nighthawks are ranked No. 9 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) National Rankings and No. 19 in the Collegiate Baseball poll. The Nighthawks hold on to their top spot in the NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings with 59 points and five first-place votes.

Western Oregon sits in second place at 11-5 in conference play (12-6 overall). Pitching has been the Wolves’ strength as three starting pitchers rank in the conference’s top-five in earned run average.

The Wolves are ranked No. 3 in the NCBWA West Region Rankings and are among others receiving votes with 13 points in the NCBWA National Rankings.

Central Washington stays in third place with a 9-7 conference record (11-9 overall). The Wildcats lead the conference and rank 36th in Division II with a .317 batting average. The Wildcats enter the week at No. 6 in the NCBWA West Region Rankings.

Rounding out the GNAC standings are Montana State Billings (8-24 overall, 8-16 GNAC) and Saint Martin’s (7-21 overall, 3-17 GNAC).

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
Justin Lutz, Montana State Billings
C • 6-0 • Jr. • North Bend, Wash.

Lutz went 4 for 7 in his two games for the Yellowjackets against Saint Martin’s with four runs, two RBI, a double and a home run. In Thursday’s opener, Lutz went 1 for 4 with an RBI single that proved to score the game-winning run in the 6-5 victory. Lutz opened Friday by going 3 for 4 with an RBI double and a solo home run in the 19-8 opening-game win.

Also Nominated: Griffin Williams (Saint Martin’s).

PITCHER
Blake Tritch, Montana State Billings
RHP • 6-2 • Sr. • Chaska, Minn.

Tritch went extra innings to earn the complete-game win in the 4-1 series finale with Saint Martin’s on Friday. Going eight innings, Tritch allowed one run on three hits with four walks and three strikeouts to earn his first win of the season.

Also Nominated: Zach Alcos (Saint Martin’s).

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

• Senior outfielder Justin Hampson leads the conference and is ninth in Division II with a .465 batting average while also ranking 25th nationally with a .542 on-base percentage and 10th with 1.74 hits per game.

• Sophomore utility man Zach Berryman is second in the conference behind Hampson and ranks No. 11 in Division II with a .464 batting average. He leads the conference and is seventh 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 sixth in Division II with a 1.16 earned run average.

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

• Central Washington moved up one spot to No. 6 in the latest NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings.

• Central Washington is 11-9 overall and sits in third place with a 9-7 conference record. The Wildcats will have the week off before returning to action at Montana State Billings on May 7-8.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings took three of four games from Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Friday in the Yellowjackets’ final road trip of the regular season. Montana State Billings won the opener, 6-5, before losing the second game, 9-4. The Yellowjackets won both games on Friday, 19-8 and 4-1 (eight innings).

• Montana State Billings swept the weekly awards after its series win. Junior catcher Justin Lutz was named the GNAC Player of the Week after he batted .571 with a .700 on-base percentage and 1.143 slugging percentage in two games. Lutz went 1 for 4 with an RBI single in Thursday’s opener. He closed his week by going 3 for 3 in Friday’s first game with four runs, two walks, an RBI double in the first inning and a solo home run in the fourth.

• Senior Blake Tritch was named the GNAC Pitcher of the Week after he earned his first win of the season in the extra-inning finale. Tritch tossed all eight innings, allowing just one earned run on three hits with four walks and three strikeouts. He enters the week with a 2.33 earned run average.

• Senior infielder Tanner Parker batted .385 in the series, going 5 for 13 with three runs, an RBI and a double. Parker had a hit in all four games, led by a 2 for 4 performance with a run scored in Thursday’s second game.

• Montana State Billings stays in fourth place with an 8-16 conference record (8-24 overall). The Yellowjackets will host Western Oregon on Thursday and Friday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene did not play at Central Washington last week due to health and safety protocols. The Nighthawks swept Montana State Billings on April 16-17, winning on April 16, 6-2 and 11-5, and on April 17, 9-5 and 10-5.

• Junior outfielder Ryan Dearing leads the Nighthawks and is third in the GNAC with a .398 batting average to go with a .515 on-base percentage, 41 hits, 37 runs and 12 RBI. He is 40th in Division II with 1.32 runs per game and 42nd with 25 walks.

• Freshman utility player Grant Kerry enters the week with a .382 batting average, .471 on-base percentage and .716 slugging percentage. He is third in the conference with 33 RBI and fourth with 39 hits.

• Freshman pitcher Kyle Ethridge is 4-1 on the season and ranks fifth in the conference with a 3.13 earned run average. In 37.1 innings of work, he has allowed 20 runs, 13 earned, on 32 hits with 10 walks and 53 strikeouts, which lead the GNAC.

• Northwest Nazarene stays atop the NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings with 59 points and five first-place votes. The Nighthawks rank No. 9 in the NCBWA National Rankings and No. 19 in the Collegiate Baseball poll.

• Northwest Nazarene is 23-5 overall and holds on to the top spot in the conference standings with a 17-3 conference mark. The Nighthawks will host Saint Martin’s on Friday and Saturday in their last home conference series of the season.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s dropped three of four home games against Montana State Billings on Thursday and Friday. The Saints lost Thursday’s opener, 6-5, before bouncing back to win the second game, 9-4. The Yellowjackets won both games on Friday by scores of 19-8 and 4-1 (eight innings).

• Sophomore Ryan Ancheta earned the lone win of the week in relief. He allowed one earned run on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts in four innings.

• Sophomore Zach Alcos took a no-decision in the extra-inning nightcap on Friday. He allowed just one earned run on four hits with three walks and a strikeout in seven innings. He enters the week with a 4.50 earned run average.

• Freshman outfielder Griffin Williams batted .385 in the series, going 5 for 13 with four runs, three RBI, a double and three walks. Williams opened the week by going 2 for 3 in Thursday’s opener with a walk, a two-run single in the first inning and an RBI single in the seventh. He recorded a hit in all four games and scored twice in the second and third games.

• Freshman infielder Braeden McNally went 6 for 12 in the four games with two runs, eight RBI, a double and a walk. McNally went 2 for 4 in Thursday’s second game with a run, a sacrifice fly in the second inning, a two-run single in the sixth and an RBI single in the seventh. He followed that by going 3 for 4 in Friday’s opener with a two-run single in the fifth and an RBI single in the seventh.

• Saint Martin’s is 7-21 overall and 3-17 in conference play. The Saints will hit the road to play at Northwest Nazarene on Friday and Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Because of health and safety protocols and a bye week last week, Western Oregon has not played since April 10.

• Junior infielder Derek Maiben leads the Wolves and is sixth in the GNAC with a .379 batting average. He also owns a .447 on-base percentage with 25 hits, 13 runs and 10 RBI. Twin brother, junior outfielder Jacob Maiben, ranks third in the conference with a .521 on-base percentage.

• Senior first baseman/pitcher Connor McCord is batting .362 with a .458 on-base percentage and leads the conference with a .809 slugging percentage, which ranks 30th in Division II. McCord leads the Wolves with 17 RBI.

• Western Oregon has three pitchers ranked in the top-five in the conference in earned run average. Senior Nick Parr is second in the conference and 23rd in Division II with a 1.83 ERA to go with a 2-0 record, 25 strikeouts and just four earned runs allowed in 19.2 innings.

• Senior Mike Peterson is 4-0 on the season and is third in the GNAC with a 1.86 ERA. He has allowed eight runs, six earned, on 17 hits and seven walks with 25 strikeouts. Sophomore Matthew Dunaway ranks No. 4 in the conference with a 2.25 ERA and No. 12 in Division II with 4.95 hits allowed per nine innings.

• Western Oregon is ranked No. 3 in the NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings for the third straight week. The Wolves are also among others receiving votes with 13 points in the latest NCBWA National Rankings.

• Western Oregon sits in second place with an 11-5 conference mark (12-6 overall). The Wolves will play at Montana State Billings on Thursday and Friday.