|
School
|
(1st)
|
Pts.
|
2013 Overall
|
2013 NWC
|
|
Linfield College
|
(8)
|
72
|
42-8
|
21-3
|
|
George Fox University
|
(1)
|
59
|
26-12
|
17-7
|
|
Pacific Lutheran University
|
|
47
|
22-18
|
12-12
|
|
Whitworth University
|
|
38
|
14-25-1
|
8-16
|
|
Willamette University
|
|
36
|
20-20
|
13-11
|
|
University of Puget Sound
|
|
29
|
17-23
|
11-13
|
|
Whitman College
|
|
23
|
16-22
|
8-16
|
|
Pacific University
|
|
21
|
17-23
|
12-12
|
|
Lewis & Clark College
|
|
9
|
9-31
|
6-18
|
(First-place votes in parenthesis. Points awarded on 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches cannot vote for their own team.)
SEATTLE, Wash. – Fresh off their first ever national championship, it is no surprise that the Linfield Wildcats have been selected as the overwhelming favorite to repeat as Northwest Conference champions in 2014. Linfield earned every possible first-place vote given by the head baseball coaches of the Northwest Conference, as coaches were not allowed to vote for their own school, for a maximum possible total of 72 points.
Not only is Linfield the number one team in the Northwest Conference but they are also the number one team in all of Division III, according D3baseall.com's Preseason Top 25 poll. Linfield received 22 out of 25 first-place votes in the poll that is voted on by a panel of 25 Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country.
The Wildcats cruised through 2013 with an overall record of 42-8 and a conference record of 21-3 on their way to hoisting the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship Trophy at the end of May in Appleton, Wis., winning nine of their final 12 games of the season before defeating Southern Maine 4-1 in the National Championship.
Top-to-bottom, head coach Scott Brosius has a loaded lineup that will continue to ride the right arm of ace Chris Haddeland (15-1, 1.07 ERA), who went the full nine innings and allowed only one run in that victory over Southern Maine. Haddeland, who was just a sophomore last season, was named NWC Pitcher of the Year and headlines seven 2013 All-NWC First and Second Team selections returning in 2014.
Paired with Haddeland is fellow First Team All-NWC junior pitcher Aaron Thomassen (12-1, 2.49 ERA), giving the Wildcats a tremendous top of the rotation. Offensively, Linfield returns All-NWC First Team senior outfielder Jake Wylie, who led the NWC in home runs (8) and RBI (66) in 2013.
The clear-cut number two team voted on by the coaches is the George Fox Bruins, collecting 59 points in the poll and receiving the only other first-place vote. George Fox finished second in the Northwest Conference last season, going 17-7 in conference.
The Bruins will be without three All-NWC honorees, but do bring back 2013 NWC Player of the Year and Batting Champion Josh Rapacz, who hit a blistering .450 while also leading the conference in OBP (.514) and slugging percentage (.690) and ranked fourth in RBI (38).
George Fox also returns first-baseman Derek Dixon for his senior season. Dixon hit a solid .355 in 2013 and was third in the NWC with 43 RBI, good enough for Dixon to be named First Team All-NWC.
Pacific Lutheran collected 47 points in the poll, good enough for third place. The Lutes were an even .500 a season ago in conference going 12-12, finishing fourth.
The strength of the 2014 Lutes may be their pitching staff with the return of standout starting pitcher Trevor Lubking and reliever A.J. Konopaski. Lubking had an 8-4 record in 12 starts to go with 102 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.48. Konopaski's five saves and 0.97 ERA were good enough to place him on the All-NWC First Team along with Lubking. The Lutes will be without their other outstanding pitcher Max Beatty, who was drafted by the San Diego Padres and is currently playing within their minor league system.
Looking to rebound from a disappointing 2013 are the Whitworth Pirates, projected fourth in the coaches' poll with 38 points. Whitworth was the 2012 Northwest Conference champion and was voted the favorite in 2013 before finishing eighth with a conference record of 8-16.
The Pirates have a relatively young roster and return all three First and Second Team All-NWC selections in senior outfielder Tyler Pfeffer, senior first-baseman Gerhard Muelheims and sophomore third-baseman Jeremy Druffel. Last season, Muelheims had a batting average of .414 and a .469 on-base percentage, both top five in the conference. Pfeffer, who was the only Pirate named to the All-NWC First Team, hit .386 with 32 RBI and also had a perfect fielding percentage.
Willamette was only one of three schools to finish with a winning conference record in 2013 (13-11) and is slotted fifth in this year's poll with 36 points.
Despite finishing in third last season, the Bearcats only had one player named to either the All-NWC First or Second Team in starting pitcher Peter Hoffman. Hoffman had a record of 7-4 in ten starts along with a 3.18 earned run average and a team leading 60 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched.
Willamette also returns nearly their entire regular starting lineup from 2013, including their team's leaders in batting average (Hunter Gallant - .365), home runs (Tosh Semlacher - 7) and RBI (Semlacher - 34). Head coach Aaron Swick has potential to make noise in 2014.
Predicted just behind the Bearcats are the University of Puget Sound Loggers in sixth, gathering 29 points in the poll after an 11-13 conference campaign.
Puget Sound brings back their only All-NWC First Team selection in utility player Lucas Stone, who hit an impressive .356 and a team-leading 15 doubles his junior season. Junior outfielder Connor Savage and senior catcher Christian Carter, both Second Team All-NWC in 2013, return to make the Loggers formidable in 2014.
The Missionaries of Whitman College place seventh in this year's preseason poll with 23 points, just where they finished 2013 with an overall record of 16-22 and 8-16 in conference play.
Whitman returns their stellar second-baseman senior Cameron Young, who was No. 4 in the Northwest Conference with a .396 batting average. Their lineup will also still have plenty of pop with senior outfielder Kyle Moyes who led the Missionaries in both home runs (7) and RBI (30).
Just two points behind Whitman in eighth with 21 points are the Pacific Boxers, who finished an even 12-12 in the Northwest Conference last season.
Pacific loses All-NWC First Team starting pitcher Matt Delegato (8-1, 1.66 ERA) and All-NWC Second Team shortstop Michael Arakaki (.353 BA). However, last year's breakout outfielder Walker Olis returns for his sophomore season after hitting .336 with five home runs and 25 RBI his freshman season. The Boxers will be without head coach Greg Bradley at the conclusion of the 2014 season, who announced in May that he will be stepping down after the 19 years in Forest Grove.
Lewis & Clark is projected ninth, collecting nine points in the coaches' poll. A season ago, the Pioneers finished conference play 6-18.
The Pios do return two All-NWC Second Teamers with junior designated hitter/catcher Michael Kinkenon and junior outfielder Eric Hyun. Hyun led his team with a .340 average and ten stolen bases while Kinkenon was the leader in RBI with 25.
The 2014 baseball season begins Monday, Feb. 3.
--Article compiled by Northwest Conference Sports Information Director Christopher Brown with submissions by Northwest Conference Institution Sports Information Directors.