Tuesday, April 4, 2017

GNAC STANDS PAT AT TURLOCK: It was another steady season of progess for GNAC softball squads at the annual Tournament of Champion in Turlock, Calif. The league won 22 games in the tournament, which featured nearly every NCAA Division II softball team in the West Region.

Central Washington led the league with a 5-1 record, tying for second place among the 26 teams in the field. The Wildcats batted .331 in the six games, second best in the tournament, and was also second with a 0.88 earned run average. In 40 innings pitched, the CWU staff allowed nine runs, five earned, on 29 hits.

Western Oregon and Western Washington each won four games while Northwest Nazarene and Saint Martin’s had three wins apiece. The Wolves had the third best batting average in the tournament at .329 while the Vikings’ .987 fielding percentage was third best.

The GNAC’s ledger included a pair of solid upsets. Saint Martin’s opened the tournament with a 7-2 upset over No. 2 Humboldt State on Friday. The Saints did not allow a run after the Lumberjacks scored two to take the lead in the third and then capitalized on four errors.

Western Washington closed the tournament by shutting out No. 7 Chico State 4-0. Freshman Anna Kasner threw a one-hitter and faced just one batter over the minimum while striking out 13.

The GNAC is now 237-336-1 in the 16 years of the Tournament of Champion. Central Washington finished with five wins for the second time in tournament history. Northwest Nazarene was the most improved of the GNAC teams, winning three games after going 0-5 in 2016. The Crusaders had never won more than two games in its first eight years in the tournament.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
Kailyn Campbell, Central Washington
1B • 6-0 •  Senior • Bellevue, Wash.

Campbell was named to the Tournament of Champions All-Tournament Team and led the tournament in hitting with a .600 average, five runs, three doubles, nine RBI and six stolen bases in the six games. Campbell led CWU to a 5-1 record in the tournament, tying for second place. She finished with a .520 average in seven games last week, going 13 for 25 with five runs, three doubles and a home run.

Also Nominated: Mary Dettling (Saint Martin’s), Destiny Kuehl (Western Oregon), Heather Tracy (Montana State Billings), Shearyna Labasan (Western Washington), Meghan Luebbert (Concordia), Cassidt Fifield (Northwest Nazarene).

PITCHER
Kiana Wood, Central Washington
P/OF • 5-6 •  Senior • Aloha, Ore.

Wood finished with a 3-0 record and a 1.00 ERA in four games last week, allowing seven runs, four earned, on 21 hits with seven strikeouts in 28 innings. She opened the week by allowing three runs, one earned, on eight hits as she threw nine innings in CWU’s 4-3 win over Stanislaus State on Wednesday. She won twice in the Tournament of Champions, holding Cal State San Bernardino to five hits in a 7-0 shutout on Friday and allowed four runs, three earned on seven hits in 10 innings of work to beat Sonoma State on Sunday, 4-3.

Also Nominated: Kim Nelson (Saint Martin’s), Sammi Cadwallader (Western Oregon), Megan Dettling (Montana State Billings), Anna Kasner (Western Washington), Rylee Thomas (Northwest Nazarene).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The Wildcats went 6-1 last week, which included a 5-1 record in the Tournament of Champions. The record tied the Wildcats for second place in the tournament and included a 7-0 shutout of Cal State San Bernardino and a 6-4, 10-inning win over Sonoma State.

• Senior Kailyn Campbell was named the GNAC Softball Player of the Week after she hit .520 in the Wildcats’ seven games, going 13 for 25 with 10 RBIs, five runs, three doubles and a home run. She was the leading hitter at the Tournament of Champions as she went .600 with five runs, three doubles, nine RBI and six stolen bases. Campbell leads the GNAC and is third in Division II with a .524 batting average. She is also fifth in Division II in both doubles (15) and doubles per game (0.52).

• Senior Kiana Wood was named the GNAC Pitcher of the Week after she compiled a 1.00 earned run average with three wins in four appearances. Her week included a pair of extra-innings victories. She went nine innings to beat  Stanislaus State on Wednesday, allowing three runs, one earned, on eight hits. She closed the week going 10 innings in the Wildcats’ 6-4 win over Sonoma State, allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits. Wood enters the week leading the GNAC with 12 wins and a 1.97 ERA.

• The Wildcats finished with 30 stolen bases in 32 attempts over the seven games. Campbell had eight of those steals while sophomore Savannah Egbert had six and junior Celine Fowler had four. Egbert is ranked 41st in Division II with 0.41 stolen bases per game while CWU is 22nd as a team with 1.97 stolen bases per game. The team’s 64 total stolen bases is 25 more than second place Concordia.

• Campbell and Wood were both named to the Tournament of Champions All-Tournament Tream.

• Central Washington leads the GNAC and is eighth in Division II with a .360 batting average and also lead the GNAC with a 2.57 earned run average. The Wildcats saw their ERA drop 0.55 points over the seven games. The Wildcats lead Division II in double plays per game (0.72) and rank eighth in scoring (7.48 runs per game).

• The Wildcats return to conference play at home, hosting Simon Fraser for two games on Saturday and Western Washington for two games on Sunday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia finished with a 1-5 record at the Tournament of Champions. The Cavaliers’ lone win came on Sunday, an 11-0, five-inning win over Holy Names.

• Senior Meghan Luebbert provided an offensive spark as she went .455 in the six games with 10 hits, two doubles, a home run, two RBIs and six runs. She had two hits in each of the first three games of the series and went 3 for 4 against UC San Diego on Sunday. Luebbert is second in the GNAC with a .491 batting average and leads the league with 38 runs scored.

• Sophomore Mckenzie Smith had eight hits and a .421 average in the six games. She went 2 for 2 in Friday’s opener against Sonoma State, which included a two-run homer that accounted for all of CU’s scoring in the game.

• Senior Mattie Boucher picked up the pitching win in the 11-0 victory over Holy Names, allowing four hits and striking out one. Boucher leads the Cavaliers’ staff with seven wins and a 5.47 earned run average.

• Concordia enters the week with a .300 batting average and a 5.69 earned run average. The Cavaliers are second in the GNAC with 39 stolen bases and have drwan more walks (125) than any team in the league.

• Concordia is off this weekend and return to play when they host Western Oregon on Friday, Apr. 14.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings went 2-4 at the Tournament of Champions, which included a a trio of one-run losses. The Yellowjackets’ wins included a 5-2 defeat of Dominican (Calif.) on Saturday and an 8-4 win over Holy Names on Sunday.

• Junior Heather Tracy led MSUB offensively with a .444 batting average, going 8 for 18 with five runs and three RBIs. She went 3 for 4 with a run and an RBI in the win over Dominican (Calif.) and went 2 for 2 against Holy Names. Tracy enters the week third in the GNAC and 15th in Division II with a .481 batting average. She also leads the GNAC and is third in Division II with 65 hits.

• Junior Megan Dettling was solid both at the plate and in the circle. She batted .421 in the six games with eight hits, two doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs. She went 3 for 4 against Holy Names and had a two-run against San Francisco State. Dettling earned both pitching wins for the Yellowjackets as she compiled a 1.96 earned run average in the tournament. Dettling enters the week ranked 10th in Division II with 0.33 home runs per game and 18th with 10 home runs.

• As a team, Montana State Billings enters the week with a .300 batting average. The Yellowjackets are 12th in Division II with 1.03 home runs per game and 42nd with a .471 slugging percentage. The Yellowjackets also enters the week with a 5.67 earned run average

• Montana State Billings’ will not play this weekend. The Yellowjackets return to action with a four-game series at home against Central Washington on Apr. 14 and 15.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene went 3-2 at the Tournament of Champions. The Crusaders posted a 2-1 win over Azusa Pacific and an 8-0 (5 inning) win over Dominican (Calif.) on Friday and ended the tourney with a 7-1 win over Holy Names.

• The Crusaders won three games despite hitting .236, the lowest batting average of any GNAC team in the tournament. Freshman Brittany Genuardi led the offense with a .357 average with five hits and three RBIs. She had two hits in the finale against Holy Names. Genuardi leads the Crusaders with .385 batting average and ninth in Division II with four sacrifice flies.

• Sophomore Cassidy Fifield finished with a .353 average with six hits, five runs and a RBI in the leadoff spot. She went 3 for 4 with three runs in the win over Dominican (Calif.).

• Sophomore Rylee Thomas led the way in the circle as she went 2-1 with a 3.15 earned run average in three appearances. She allowed one hit and struck out four over six innings in the win over Dominican (Calif.) and allowed one run on six hits with two strikeouts in the win over Holy Names. Thomas leads the NNU staff with a 4.26 ERA and seven wins.

• Northwest Nazarene enters the week with a .265 batting average and a 4.97 earned run average.

• Northwest Nazarene takes to the road this weekend to face Western Oregon in a four-game series in Monmouth on Friday and Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s went 3-3 at the Tournament of Champions. The Saints opened the tournament with a 7-2 upset of No. 2 Humboldt State before scoring an 11-3 (5 inning) win over Cal State East Bay on Saturday and a 7-1 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills on Sunday.

• Senior Mary Dettling led the Saints by batting .400 in the six games with eight hits, two doubles, six RBIs and a run scored. She went 2 for 4 in the win over Humboldt State and then had two hits in each of the final three games of the series. Dettling enters the week leading SMU with a .397 batting average. She is 14th in Division II with 1.25 RBIs per game.

• Junior Kim Nelson was active for the Saints both at the plate and in the circle. She batted .368 in the six tournament games, which included a 3 for 4 performance against Cal State East Bay. Nelson pitched in four games for the Saints, compiling a 3.50 earned run average. She earned the win over Humboldt State, allowing two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts. Nelson enters the week seventh in the GNAC with a 3.02 ERA.

• Saint Martin’s is second in the GNAC and 26th in Division II with a .328 batting average. The Saints are 21st in Division II in scoring (6.54 runs per game), 33rd in slugging percentage (.484) and 50th in doubles per game (1.58). In the circle, Saint Martin’s has a 3.84 earned run average.

• Saint Martin’s will play six GNAC games this weekend, all at home. The Saints will host Saint Martin’s on Friday and Western Washington on Saturday before welcoming Western Oregon for a rain make-up doubleheader on Sunday.

SIMON FRASER
• It was a hard-luck weekend for Simon Fraser at the Tournament of Champions. The Clan went 0-6 in Turlock with no game decided by more than three runs. The Clan lost four games by one-run margins.

• Junior Taylor Lundrigan led the Clan in the tournament with a .421 average in the six games with eight hits, three doubles, a home run, four runs and five RBIs. She finished with two hits and a RBI double against Sonoma State on Saturday and had three hits with a solo home run on Sunday against UC San Diego. Lundrigan is fourth in the GNAC and 41st in Division II with a .448 batting average. She is also 21st in Division II with an .805 slugging percentage.

• Senior Tori Belton compiled a 2.93 earned run average in four appearances in the tournament. Her best performance came in Sunday’s 2-1 loss on Sunday against San Francisco State, allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Belton leads SFU with four wins and a 4.26 earned run average.

• Depsite the losses, Simon Fraser had a decent week offensively. The Clan finished with a .288 batting average in the six games with 51 hits.

• As a team, Simon Fraser enters the week with as .286 batting average and a 4.56 earned run average.

• Simon Fraser is on the road once again this weekend, playing at Saint Martin’s on Friday and at Central Washington on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon was one of two GNAC teams to finish at 4-2 at the Tournament of Champions. The Wolves won their first four games of the tournament: 7-2 over Holy Names and 4-1 over UC San Diego on Friday; 7-3 over Academy of Art and 9-4 over Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday.

• Senior Destiny Kuehl had the second best batting average of any GNAC player in the Tournament of Champions at .500, going 11 of 22 with two doubles, a triple, a home run, three runs and five RBIs. She went 3 for 3 with a solo home run in the win over UC San Diego and went 3 for 4 in Sunday’s loss to San Francisco State. Kuehl enters the week with a .438 batting average, second best for WOU.

• Senior Kelsie Gardner went .429 in the six games for WOU with nine hits, a double, seven runs and two RBIs from the leadoff spot. She went 2 for 3 with a run in the win over Holy Names and went 2 for 4 with a run and two RBIs, both on a fourth-inning single, against Academy of Art. Gardner is sixth in the GNAC and leads WOU with a .439 average. She is 38th in Division II with 1.09 runs per game.

• Senior Sammi Cadwallader compiled a 1.50 earned run average in three appearances and 14 innings for the Wolves. She earned her lone win of the week against UC San Diego, allowing one run on four hits with three strikeouts in the complete-game effort. Cadwallader leads the Wolves and is second in the GNAC with a 2.27 ERA.

• Western Oregon enters the week third in the GNAC and 49th in Division II with a .321 batting average. The Wolves are also third in the league with a 3.77 earned run average.

• Western Oregon aims to play its first home games of the season this weekend, hosting Northwest Nazarene for four games on Friday and Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington went 5-3 last week. After dropping three games prior to the Tournament of Champions, the Vikings rebounded to win four games in the tourney, including a 4-0 upset of No. 7 Chico State to close the run.

• Sophomore Shearyna Labasan led WWU in the nine games with a .393 average. She batted .438 in the Tournament of Champions as she went 7 for 16 with five runs. She went 2 for 3 with two runs and two RBIs, both on a fourth-inning single, in a win over Academy of Art, and also went 2 for 2 against Chico State. Labasan also won two games in the circle as she compiled a 1.67 earned run average in four games, allowing seven runs in 21 innings. She enters the week third in the GNAC with a 2.56 earned run average.

• Freshman Anna Kasner threw a complete-game one-hitter to beat Chico State on Sunday, striking out 13. It was the third time this season that she has struck out 13 batters. Kasner went 2-2 in four appearances last week and went 2-0 with a 0.84 ERA in the tournament. She is fourth in the GNAC with a 2.65 ERA. Kasner is ranked sixth in Division II with 10.2 strikeouts per game and 17th with 123 strikeouts.

• Western Washington enters the week with a .301 batting average and is second in the GNAC with a 3.50 earned run average. The Vikings lead the league and are 49th in Division II with a .966 fielding percentage.

• Western Washington goes on the road to continue the GNAC schedule. The Vikings will play two at Saint Martin’s on Saturday and two at Central Washington on Sunday.