HILLSBORO, Ore. – Linfield has been selected as the Northwest Conference frontrunner for the 2022 season, as voted on by conference head coaches. The Wildcats earned 49 points and seven first-place votes. George Fox ranks second in the poll with 43 points and one first-place vote.
Whitworth received 35 points for 3rd. Lewis & Clark takes the fourth spot on the list with 31 points, while Pacific Lutheran received 25 points to rank them fifth. Pacific (Ore.) (18 pts), Puget Sound (14 pts) and Willamette (9 pts) round out the poll.
The regular season will begin for most NWC teams Friday, February 11th, with conference play kicking off on Saturday, February 26th.
The NWC Championship Tournament will be hosted by the number one seed during the regular season on April 22nd-24th, 2022.
Below are key returners and players to watch from each team as well as NWC accolades from 2021.
George Fox
Ashley Davis | P | SR | Tigard, OR | Tigard | First Team All-NWC | 2021 NWC Pitcher of the Year
Claire Fountain | UTL | SR | Turlock, CA | Pitman | First Team All-NWC | 2021 NWC Player of the Year
Kamryn Potter | IF | SO | Junction City, OR | Junction City | First Team All-NWC
Lewis & Clark
Samantha Gildersleeve | OF | SO | Vacaville, CA | Vacaville | First Team All-NWC
Alyssa Abe | P | SO | Wahiawa, HI | Leilehua | Second Team All-NWC
Lily Moffitt | 2B | JR | Half Moon Bay, CA | Half Moon Bay | Second Team All-NWC
Linfield
Tayah Kelley | P | JR | Myrtle Creek, OR | South Umpqua | First Team All-NWC
Katrina Johns | SS | JR | Naches, WA | Naches Valley | Second Team All-NWC
Baily Paul | INF | SR | Gig Harbor, WA | Peninsula | Second Team All-NWC
Pacific (Ore.)
Kylee Ancheta-Maeda | P | JR |Wahiawa, HI | Leilehua
Haylie Uetake | C | SR | Ewa Beach, HI | Roosevelt
Rylee Patton | P | SR | Eastvale, CA | Eleanor Roosevelt
Pacific Lutheran
Cailey Collado | 2B | JR | Huntington Beach, CA | Ocean View | First Team All-NWC
Erin McGrath | UTL | JR | Woodinville, WA | Woodinville | First Team All-NWC
Casey Wright | C/OF | SO | Federal Way, WA | Federal Way | Second Team All-NWC | 2021 NWC Freshman of the Year
Puget Sound
Hailee Ueyama | 2B | SR | Mililani, HI | Iolani | Second Team All-NWC
Hana DeGuzman | OF | SR | San Jose, CA | Archbishop Mitty
Kendall Gantz | 1B/P | JR | Beaverton, OR | Westview
Whitworth
Maddy Thomas | C | JR | Milton-Freewater, OR | DeSales (Wash.) | Second Team All-NWC
Heather Menzer | IF | SO | San Diego, CA | Rancho Bernardo | First Team All-NWC
Corinne Vasiloff | RHP | SO | Litchfield Park, AZ | Trivium Prep
Willamette
Brianna Majors | SS/2B | JR | San Diego, CA | Cathedral Catholic
Mia Lund | OF | SO | Omaha, NE | Westside
Shaye Mott | P/1B | JR | Livermore, CA | Granada
| Team |
Pts. |
2021 NWC Finish |
| Linfield (7) |
49 |
2nd |
| George Fox (1) |
43 |
1st |
| Whitworth |
35 |
4th |
| Lewis & Clark |
31 |
3rd |
| Pacific Lutheran |
25 |
6th |
| Pacific (Ore.) |
18 |
5th |
| Puget Sound |
14 |
7th |
| Willamette |
9 |
8th |
(Points awarded on a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches could not vote for their own teams; numbers in parentheses indicate first place votes)