BSB: Leadoff Man Burch Claims NWC Offensive Honors; Putney HM for Pitching

NEWBERG, Ore. – In a three-game series against the Whitman Missionaries in which George Fox hitters batted .461 and scored 57 runs, leadoff man Josh Burch stood out enough to earn the Northwest Conference Baseball Offensive/Fielding Student-Athlete of the Week award for games of Mar. 22-28.

In a 21-3 win in the first game of a doubleheader on Mar. 27, Burch went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, 3 runs scored and 4 RBIs.  In the second game, a 23-2 win, he was 3-for-4 with a double, 3 runs scored and 2 RBIs.  In the finale on Mar. 28, his one hit in five at bats was a three-run homer, and he also drove in another run with a sacrifice fly in a 13-4 win.  For the week, he was 6-for-12 (.500) with two doubles, two home runs, a 1.167 slugging pct., eight runs scored and 10 RBIs.  He also handled six chances at second base flawlessly in the field.

Burch, a fifth-year senior from Redding, Calif., was honorable mention for the NWC award for Feb. 22-28.  In the latest NWC stats, he ranks 2nd in sacrifice flies (4, T), 3rd in hit by pitches (7, T), 6th in slugging pct. (.661), 8th in RBIs (22, T), and 9th in home runs (4) while batting .355, and ranks 13th nationally in sacrifice flies (4) and 35th in hit by pitches (7). 

Honorable mention for NWC Pitching Student-Athlete of the Week went to right-handed ace Mark Putney, who posted a career-high 11 strikeouts in 8.0 innings of the series-opening 21-3 win over the Missionaries on Mar. 27.  He scattered six hits and walked only one.  The senior from Kodak, Alaska, ranks 2nd in the NWC in starts (7, T), 3rd in strikeouts (32, T), 5th in opponents’ batting avg. (.260), 6th in innings (43.0), and 7th in ERA (4.19).