March 4, 2010

BSB: WHAT’S BRUIN - Bruins Open NWC Play at Pre-Season Favorite Pacific Lutheran

* Upcoming Games

- Sat., Mar. 6, 11:00 am - at Pacific Lutheran University (2), Tacoma, Wash.

- Sun., Mar. 7, 11:00 am - at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash.

NEWBERG, Ore. - While the first weekend series of the Northwest Conference baseball season could probably not be called "do-or-die", the three games this Saturday-Sunday, Mar. 6-7, between the George Fox University Bruins and the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes in Tacoma, Wash., would certainly qualify as "important".

George Fox is the defending NWC champion, coming off a 36-11 campaign and a second-place finish in the NCAA Division III West Regional. Pacific Lutheran tied with GFU for the regular season conference title last year, lost a one-game playoff to the Bruins for a post-season bid, and is the favorite to win the conference this season. Linfield College was picked second and George Fox third is what is expected to be another tight three-team race for the 2010 crown.

The Bruins and Lutes will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 11:00 a.m., with a single game Sunday, also at 11:00 a.m. The NWC reverted to a three-game sets for conference this year after a two-year experiment with four-game series. PLU is planning to provide both live stats and live audio streaming for the series at the following links:

Audio: http://www.golutes.com/information/listenlive
Live Stats: http://www.golutes.com/information/livestats

George Fox takes a 6-5 record into the PLU series. After returning from their season-opening 2-2 road trip to Arizona, the Bruins dropped a split doubleheader to Concordia-Portland 10-9 and the University of Portland 11-7 on Feb. 20, then defeated Concordia 6-4 in Feb. 21, with all three games at UP. The scheduled home opener vs. Corban on Feb. 23 was rained out, so the Bruins finally played at home vs. Menlo on Feb. 27-28, sweeping the Oaks in a three-game series 11-5, 15-5, and 10-0. The Bruins dropped an 8-0 decision at Portland in their last game on Mar. 2.

Pacific defeated Lewis & Clark two games to one to open conference play last weekend. All other NWC teams are 0-0 and swing into conference action this weekend.

Projected starters for the Bruins this weekend include RHP Mark Putney (1-2, 8.40, 8 K's, 15.0 ip), RHP Jeremy Cheney (1-1, 6.50, 15 K's, 18.0 ip), and RHP Clay Gartner (1-0, 1.80, 15 K's, 20.0 ip). RHP Chad Jones (1-0, 0.75, 14 K's, 12.0 ip), a First Team All-NWC performer last year, anchors the bullpen.

Pacific Lutheran (9-1, NWC 0-0): The Lutes from Tacoma, Wash., received six first-place votes and 84 points in the NWC pre-season coaches poll to become the favorite, while the Bruins had one first and 67 points in being picked third ... PLU was 31-9 last season ... The Lutes are ranked 17th in the first regular season D3baseball.com poll ... The Lutes opened the season 8-0, sweeping St. Martin's and winning four in a row in the Arizona Desert Classic before going 2-1 in the Jim Doran Auto Classic at Linfield over the weekend, their only loss an 8-5 setback to Puget Sound ... Through ten games, Pacific Lutheran is batting .384 as a team, led by Carl Benton's .480 average ... Brock Gates leads the team in hits (19), at bats (45), runs (13), homeruns (6), runs batted in (16), total bases (39) and slugging percentage (.867). Gates is batting .422 with a .469 on base percentage ... Ryan Aratani leads the team with five doubles and is batting .425 ... The Lutes are currently posting a .550 slugging percentage and a .477 on base percentage ... On the mound, Trey Watt leads the team with three wins in three starts, and Robert Bleecker and Scott Wall each have two wins in two games started, leading a staff that has posted a 3.78 earned run average. Wall leads the three with a 1.74 ERA, while Watt boasts a team-high 19 strikeouts ... The Lutes' pitching staff is giving up an opponents' batting average (.254), slugging percentage (.345) and on base percentage (.325) ...Defensively, the Lutes have compiled a .965 fielding percentage ...

BRUIN BITS:

* Burch, Gartner, Stahl, Jones HM for NWC Weekly Awards

In the last two weeks, four Bruins received honorable mention for Northwest Conference Baseball Hitter and Pitcher Student-Athlete of the Week: SS Sam Stahl and RHP Chad Jones for Feb. 15-21, and 2B Josh Burch and RHP Clay Gartner for Feb. 22-28.

Stahl, a junior from Vista, Calif., received NWC recognition for the second week in a row after batting .625 (10-16) in three games with 3 doubles, 5 runs scored, 4 RBIs, and a .813 slugging pct. He went 4-6 with a double, a run, and 2 RBIs in a 10-9 loss to Concordia-Portland on Feb. 20, then was 3-5 with a double and 2 runs scored in an 11-7 loss at the University of Portland later in the day. On Feb. 21, he went 3-5 in a 6-4 win over Concordia, with a double, a run, and 2 RBIs.

Jones, a senior from McMinnville, Ore., garnered honorable mention as he notched his second save of the season and ninth of his career, one short of the Bruins' all-time record, with two perfect innings of relief in a 6-4 win over Concordia on Feb. 21. Included in that effort were three strikeouts.

Burch, a senior from Redding, Calif., earned his nomination after batting .500 (4-8) in the Bruins' three-game sweep of Menlo Feb. 27-28, with a double, home run, 4 runs scored, 5 RBIs, 3 sacrifice flies, and a 1.000 slugging pct. He was 1-3 with a run in an 11-5 first-game win on Feb. 27, then went 1-2 with a lead-off home run and 2 sacrifice flies in a 15-5 second-game win. In the Bruins' 10-0 win on Feb. 28, he was 2-3 with a double, a sacrifice fly, 2 runs and 2 RBIs.

Gartner, a freshman from Clovis, Calif., was lauded for his 10-0 win over Menlo on Feb. 22 in which he faced the minimum 24 hitters over his 8.0 inning of work. He allowed singles in the 4th and 5th innings, the only two batters who reached against him, but he picked off one runner and had the other thrown out by catcher Seth Monson. He fanned six during his stint before Chad Jones finished up.

* 2010 Honors

Sam Stahl

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete Hitter of the Week - HM, Feb. 8-14; HM, Feb. 15-21

Chad Jones

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete Pitcher of the Week - HM, Feb. 8-14; HM, Feb. 15-21

Josh Burch

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete Hitter of the Week - HM, Feb. 22-28

Clay Gartner

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete Pitcher of the Week - HM, Feb. 22-28

* Stahl's String of Multi-Hit Games Reaches Nine Before Stalling

An auspicious debut by Chemeketa Community College transfer Sam Stahl came to an end when the junior infielder from Vista, Calif., went 0-for-4 in the Bruins' 8-0 loss at the University of Portland on Mar. 2. After not playing in the Bruins' season opener, he started the next nine games, and not only hit safely in each one but collected multiple hits in each. The streak started with a 3-5 vs. Occidental, a 2-6 vs. La Verne, and a 3-4 with a grand slam home run vs. Whittier, all in the Arizona Desert Classic. In three games on the University of Portland's field, he went 4-6 vs. Concordia-Portland, 3-5 vs. the host Pilots, and 3-5 vs. Concordia again. The streak continued in a three-game series at home vs. Menlo as he went 2-5, 3-5, and 2-5 again before finally coming up empty at UP. He hit .523 (25-47) in that streak, with four doubles, a home run, a .681 slugging pct., 12 runs scored, and 12 RBIs.

* Bruins' Defense Settles Down and Fielding Average Climbs

Defense has become a source of pride for the George Fox baseball program - in the last seven years, the Bruins have finished in the top six in the nation in fielding average, leading the NCAA twice, and establishing a Division III record in 2005 with a .979 mark that still stands. The Bruins' 13 errors and .929 fielding average through four games in the Arizona Desert Classic was therefore decidedly uncharacteristic of the Bruins, who were breaking in new regulars at three infield and two outfield positions. Since that time, however, the defense has settled down, and in the last seven games the Bruins have committed only eight errors and fielded .969.

* Career Lists: Jones One Away from Tying Career Saves Record

- Chad Jones: With a save in the Bruins' 6-4 win over Concordia-Portland on Feb. 21, Jones notched his 9th career save, one short of the team record. No. 1 is southpaw Nick Hedgecock (10, 2005-08) ...

* Head Coach Marty Hunter

Marty Hunter (Linfield '84) is 70-30 (.700, 31-11 home, 33-12 road, 6-7 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 Pacific Lutheran, he is 5-4 (3-2 home, 2-2 road) ...