2016 Northwest Conference Baseball Pre-Season Coaches’ Poll
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TEAM
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1STS
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PTS
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‘15 NWC
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‘15 ALL
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Pacific Lutheran University
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(6)
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66
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18-6
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32-14
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Linfield College
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(1)
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57
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16-8
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33-15
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Whitworth University
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(1)
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49
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16-8
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28-15
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George Fox University
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41
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13-11
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17-25
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University of Puget Sound
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38
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13-11
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19-20
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Willamette University
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(1)
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30
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10-14
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21-18
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Pacific University (Ore.)
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26
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12-12
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21-19
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Whitman College
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16
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5-19
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6-28
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Lewis & Clark College
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10
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5-19
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8-32
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(Points awarded on a 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches could not vote on their own teams.)
NWC BASEBALL: Pacific Lutheran a Solid Choice to Repeat as ’16 Diamond Champ
HILLSBORO, Ore. – Although four different teams received first-place votes in the 2016 Northwest Conference pre-season baseball coaches’ poll, defending regular-season champion Pacific Lutheran University is still a strong favorite to capture the crown again, well ahead of runner-up Linfield College
Pacific Lutheran picked up six of the nine first-place votes from the league’s coaches, while the other three firsts were divided among Linfield, Whitworth University, and Willamette University. The Lutes came out on top overall with 66 total points, nine ahead of Linfield’s 57. Linfield is ranked 14th and Pacific Lutheran 17th in D3baseball.com’s pre-season poll.
PLU, in its final season under NWC Coach of the Year Geoff Loomis, won the conference by two games with an 18-6 mark and finished 32-14 overall after going 2-2 as an at-large selection in the NCAA Division III South Regional in Demorest, Ga. Loomis accepted the coaching job at his alma mater, the University of Portland, and was replaced by Nolan Soete, the Lutes’ associate head coach since 2011, on an interim basis.
Pitching, long a strength for PLU, will be solid again despite the loss of All-NWC First Team starter Chris Bishop and closer AJ Konopaski, as Kyle Rossman (Jr., 6-4, 2.49 ERA, 64 K’s) returns to lead the staff. All-NWC First Team outfielder Collin Nilson has graduated, but the Lutes’ offense and defense should again flourish with a dynamic infield that includes First Team second baseman Landon Packard (Jr., 331, 3 hr, 28 RBI) and third baseman Tyler Thompson (Sr., .306-5-40), along with honorable mention shortstop Ben Welch (Jr., .331-0-24).
Linfield tied for second in the conference last year at 16-8 and went 33-15 overall, reaching the finals of the NCAA West Regional in Tyler, Texas, by going 3-2 in the regional as a second at-large selection for the NWC. The Wildcats will also be under a “new” coach this spring after Scott Brosius left to pursue an opportunity in professional baseball, as Linfield director of athletics Scott Carnahan, who guided the program for 24 seasons from 1984-2007 and went 562-377-2, returns to the head position.
Linfield lost its top two starting pitchers in NWC Pitcher of the Year and all-time winner Chris Haddeland and All-NWC Second Teamer Aaron Thomassen, as well as First Team shortstop Corey VanDomelen, but the Wildcats have developed a reputation for simply ‘reloading’. All-NWC Second Team third baseman Eric Lawson (Sr., .314-4-33) provides the Wildcats a solid bat and outstanding glove around which to build, as does first sacker Ben Andrews (Jr., .303-1-42).
Whitworth, coming off a 28-15 campaign and tie for second in the NWC at 16-8, garnered 49 points to place third in the poll. The Pirates won the first-ever NWC Tournament last year and received an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, where they went 0-2 in the West Regional. Head coach Dan Ramsay briefly left the program last spring to take an assistant’s job at Washington State University, but was quickly welcomed back to Whitworth for his eighth season when WSU changed head coaches.
The Pirates must find replacements for All-America catcher Joshua Davis and three top-flight hurlers: All-NWC First Team staff ace Dan Scheibe, Second Team reliever Carson Blumenthal, and honorable mention starter Spencer Ansett. All-NWC First Team outfielder Jeremy Druffel (Sr., .382-1-30) and designated hitter Matthew Nelson (Jr., .330-6-30) with honorable mention shortstop Joel Condreay (So., .374-0-15) assure the Pirates of a potent lineup.
George Fox, although receiving no first-place votes, tallied 41 points to come in fourth in the poll. The Bruins saw a string of 19 straight seasons at .500 or better come to an end in 2015 when they went 17-25 overall, but a 13-11 mark in conference play earned them a tie for fourth and a berth in the first NWC Tournament. Coach Marty Hunter looks to get the Bruins back on track after fashioning a 204-123 record in eight previous seasons.
The Bruins will look to rebuild almost their whole pitching staff after several key graduations, including All-NWC First Team ace Ian Buckles. The lineup must replace All-NWC First Team outfielder Zach Rapacz, but still expects to be strong offensively with the return of Second Team designated hitter Andrew Reichenbach (Jr., .321-3-23) and honorable mention outfielder A.J. Valencia (So., .322-0-11).
The University of Puget Sound, coming off a 19-20 season and fourth-place tie in the NWC at 13-11, earned the fifth spot in the poll with 38 points. The Loggers, who posted a school-record 457 hits in 2015, will again be under the direction of coach Jeff Halstead, now in his second year.
The Loggers lost a couple of key components to graduation in All-NWC Second Team catcher Bobby Hosmer and outfielder Connor Savage, their all-time leader in hits. All-NWC First Team utility player Chris Zerio (Sr., .365-1-33) and Second Team first baseman Nathan Backes (Jr., .319-4-37) still provide the Loggers plenty of pop, while Collin Maier (Jr., 5-4, 2.57, 77 K’s) gives UPS a competitive start to the pitching staff.
Willamette came in sixth in the poll with 30 points, including one vote for first. The Bearcats, who were 21-18 overall, started last year 12-0 and nearly cracked the D3baseball.com top 30, but struggled to a 10-14 record and seventh-place finish in the conference. Hoping for a more consistent season in 2016 is head coach Aaron Swick, who enters his eighth season with a 136-134-1 record.
The Bearcats took a big hit with the graduation of NWC Position Player of the Year Tiras Koon and his league-leading 12 home runs. Infielder Troy Conway (So., .322-1-11) is the top returning hitter, though the Bearcats should benefit from the return of 2014 All-NWC First Team designated hitter Ty Wyatt, who missed all of his sophomore year due to injury. Jackson Watt (Sr., 4-5, 4.73, 65 K’s) is the Bearcats’ pitching leader.
Pacific University (Ore.) collected 26 points for seventh in the poll. The Boxers, in their first year under coach Brian Billings, turned a rough 2-12 start in 2015 into a final 21-19 record and sixth-place finish in the NWC at 12-12. Billings came to the program after 12 seasons at Puget Sound and has produced a 222-270-2 record in 13 years of coaching.
The Boxers graduated All-NWC Second Team second baseman Donnie Bradley, but return a pair of talented hitters in two other Second Team selections, outfielder Walker Olis (Sr. .307-4-27) and utility player Nathan Suyematsu (Sr., .278-0-217; 2-2, 3.19, 21 K’s). Joey Angyus (So., 2-1, 1.56,18 K’s) leads a young pitching staff.
Whitman College received 16 points for eight place in the poll. Former Missionary outfielder Brian Kitamura takes over the program at his alma mater this spring after five seasons as an assistant coach, and will look to improve upon last year’s 6-28 record and 5-19 league mark that was tied for eighth.
Whitman shortstop Adrian Vela (So., .358-1-10) made an auspicious debut and earned All-NWC Second Team honors, the only freshman on the First or Second Teams. Robert Maislin (Sr., 2-5, 2.01, 52 K’s) was also named to the Second Team despite his losing record, as he proved competitive every time out but suffered from a serious lack of run support in his outings.
Lewis & Clark College came in ninth in the poll with 10 points. The Pioneers tied for eighth in the NWC at 5-19 and went 8-32 overall, and will look to climb in the standings under sixth-year coach Tom Flynn.
The Pioneers graduated both of their All-NWC selections in Second Team outfielder E.J. Hand and honorable mention outfielder Eric Hyun. Infielder Bradley Lezak (Sr., .317-1-15) is the Pios’ top returning hitter, while John Trupin (Sr., 0-6, 6.00, 17 K’s) is top pitcher back after leading the staff with 69 innings pitched.
The 2016 season gets under way on Friday, Feb. 5, with Whitworth at California Lutheran University and three games in the Northwest Conference Invitational Tournament at Ron Tonkin Field in Hillsboro, Ore.: Willamette vs. Pacific Lutheran, Pacific Lutheran vs. George Fox, and George Fox vs. Pacific (Ore.). The first conference series take place Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 20-21, with Pacific (Ore.) at George Fox, Lewis & Clark at Puget Sound, Linfield at Pacific Lutheran, and Willamette at Whitman.
The four-team double-elimination NWC Tournament will be held Friday-Sunday, April 22-24, at the home of the regular season champion. The NWC Tournament winner gets the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament. Whitworth will also serve as the host of this year’s West Regional at Avista Stadium in Spokane, Wash., on Wednesday-Sunday, May 18-22.