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BSB: WHAT’S BRUIN - Bruins to Play Three in Portland Before Home Opener on Tuesday
Upcoming Games
- Sat., Feb. 20, 11:00 am - vs. Concordia University (Ore.) at U. of Portland, Portland, Ore.
- Sat., Feb. 20, 2:00 pm - at University of Portland, Portland, Ore.
- Sun., Feb. 21, 11:00 am - vs. Concordia University (Ore.) at U. of Portland, Portland, Ore.
- Tue., Feb. 23, 2:00 pm - vs. Corban College, Newberg, Ore.
NEWBERG, Ore. - Three games in two days at the University of Portland's Joe Etzel Field, two against the Concordia University (Ore.) Cavaliers and one against the host Portland Pilots, await the George Fox Bruins this weekend before their home opener on Tuesday against the Corban College Warriors at Morse Field in Newberg.
On Saturday, the Bruins will play Concordia at 11:00 a.m., then turn right around and play the NCAA Division I Plots at 2:00 p.m. On Sunday, the Bruins and Cavaliers again square off at 11:00 a.m. The Bruins and Warriors are set to begin at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday in a single game.
George Fox is 2-2 after splitting four games in the Arizona Desert Classic Feb. 11-14 in Anthem, Ariz. The Bruins opened with a 13-3 setback to California Lutheran, knocked off Occidental 7-2 in 11 innings, let a five-run lead get away in the late innings of an 11-8 loss to La Verne, and finished up with a 10-7 win over Whittier. 2B Colton Thomas hit .727 in three games before missing the finale with back spasms, while Sam Stahl hit .500 with five RBIs and a grand-slam home run vs. Whittier while filling in at three different infield positions. RHP relief ace Chad Jones got the extra-inning win over Occidental and saved the Whittier game, working five total innings with seven strikeouts, no walks, and two hits and one run allowed.
Projected starters for the Bruins this weekend include RHP Mark Putney (0-1, 5.40 ERA, 1 K, 5.0 ip), RHP Jeremy Cheney (0-0, 1.29, 4 K's, 7.0 ip), and RHP Clay Gartner (0-0, 0.00, 3 K's, 5.0 ip).
Concordia, a member of the NAIA and the Cascade Collegiate Conference, is 1-3 in the early going, but that one win was impressive - a 7-6 road victory over the 6th-ranked Lewis-Clark State Warriors, a perennial NAIA power. The Cavaliers are batting .279 on the season while the pitching staff has a 7.41 ERA. Hot hitters for the Cavs include CF Ryan Kolstad (.556-1-3), DH Andrew Reid (.500-0-2), SS Tony Flanagan (.429-0-2), and 1B Sean Myrom (.308-1-3). Steven Taft got the win at LCSC with four innings of shutout relief, fanning five with no walks.
Portland, coming off a 25-26 season and a 7th-place finish in the West Coast Conference, opens up against Concordia Friday before meeting the Bruins. The Pilots lost their three top home run hitters from last year but return every other starter. Portland relief ace Zach Varce (3-5, 2.69 ERA, 9 saves and 62 strikeouts in 60.1 innings) is one of 40 pitchers on the "watch list" for the NCBWA's Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in D-I each year; he led the WCC in ERA and tied for the league lead in saves.
Corban, also in the NAIA and CCC, is off to a 4-3 start while batting .237 with a 5.90 team ERA. 1B Steve Candelaria (.357-2-8) and DH Steven Blum (.286-2-8) have provided the early power for the Warriors, while CF Josh Warner (.364-1-2) is the top hitter. RHP Jacob Kopra (2-0, 2.03 ERA, 8 K's in 13.1 innings) seems to have established himself as the staff ace.
BRUIN BITS:
* Stahl, Jones Receive Honorable Mention for NWC Weekly Awards
New infielder Sam Stahl and veteran closer Chad Jones of George Fox received honorable mention for Northwest Conference Baseball Hitter and Pitcher Student-Athlete of the Week respectively for Feb. 8-14 as the Bruins went 2-2 in the season-opening Arizona Desert Classic Feb. 11-14 in Anthem, Ariz.
Stahl did not play in the Bruins' opener, but went 3-5 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI in a 7-2 11-inning win over Occidental on Friday. His bases-loaded single in the 11th drove in the winning run. In an 11-8 loss to La Verne on Saturday, he was 2-6 with a run scored. In a 10-7 win over Whittier on Sunday, he went 3-5 with two runs scored, four RBIs on a grand slam home run that gave the Bruins a 5-3 lead in the 2nd, and two stolen bases. For the week, he hit .500 (5-10) with a double, home run, four runs scored, five RBIs, and two stolen bases while playing second, third, and short at various times. The junior transfer from Vista, Calif., and Chemeketa Community College posted a.750 slugging percentage and .500 on base percentage.
Jones picked up where he left off in 2009 when he led the team in both wins (8) and saves (7) while earning First Team All-NWC and Third Team All-West Region honors. In the Bruins' 7-2 11-inning win over Occidental on Friday, the senior right-hander from McMinnville, Ore., got the win by working the last three innings, allowing one run on one hit with three strikeouts and no walks. He saved the Bruins' 10-7 win over Whittier with two innings of one-hit shutout ball, fanning four with no free passes. For the week, he was 1-0 with a save, a 1.80 ERA, seven strikeouts and no walks in five innings.
* 2010 Honors
Sam Stahl
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete Hitter of the Week - HM, Feb. 8-14
Chad Jones
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete Pitcher of the Week - HM, Feb. 8-14
* Career Lists: Jones Alone at No. 2 in Career Saves
- Chad Jones: With a save in the Bruins' 10-7 win over Whittier on Feb. 14, Jones notched his 8th career save, breaking a tie for 2nd all-time with Derrick Jones (7, 2003-06). No. 1 is Nick Hedgecock (10, 2005-08) ...
* Head Coach Marty Hunter
Marty Hunter (Linfield '84) is 66-27 (.710, 28-11 home, 33-10 road, 5-6 neutral) to date in his 3rd season as the George Fox head coach ... He was the Northwest Conference Co-Coach of the Year in 2009 ... He has guided the Bruins to two post-season appearances in his two seasons at GFU ... Against Concordia-Portland, he is 1-2 (1-2 home) ... Against Portland, he is 1-0 (1-0 away) ... Against Corban, he is 0-0 ...
