BSB: ALL-CONFERENCE - Batterymates on First Team Lead 14 Bruins in All-NWC Honors

NEWBERG, Ore. – Batterymates Mark Putney on the mound and Brent Trask behind the plate have been named to the All-Northwest Conference Baseball First Team as selected by the league’s nine coaches, leading a group of 14 George Fox University Bruins who have received All-NWC accolades for 2010.

Right fielder Dan Winterstein was named to the All-NWC Second Team, while honorable mention went to first baseman Seth Anderson, second baseman Josh Burch, third baseman Eric Gantenbein, shortstop Sam Stahl, left fielder Michael Woo, designated hitter Jason Brown, catcher/designated hitter Josh Rapacz, starting pitchers Jeremy Cheney and Brian Ranta, and relievers Travis Schroeder and Chad Jones.

Putney, a senior from Kodiak, Alaska, posted a 6-4 record as the Bruins’ number one starter, with a 4.31 earned run average and 60 strikeouts in 71.0 innings.  He walked only 23 batters and allowed opponents a .278 batting average.  He was the staff leader in starts (12), wins, and strikeouts, and was second in innings and third in ERA.  In the Northwest Conference, he ranked second in strikeouts, tied for second in starts, tied for fifth in wins, seventh in innings, and eighth in ERA and opponents’ batting average.  A First Team All-NWC selection in 2008 and Second Team in 2009, he also was named to the ESPN The Magazine / CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII Baseball First Team for the second time in his career.

Trask, a senior from Albany, Ore., led the Bruins in home runs (6) and slugging percentage (.588) while batting .330 with seven doubles, 27 RBIs, and 24 runs scored.  An outstanding defensive catcher, he committed only one error all season, fielding .993, and threw out eight of 23 runners trying to steals, a .348 percentage.  In the conference, he tied for 10th in home runs.  He was a Second Team All-NWC selection last year.    

Winterstein, a junior from Eugene, Ore., led the Bruins with a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen bases while batting .317 with 12 doubles, one home run, 28 RBIs, and 26 runs scored.  He was second on the team in doubles and hits (45).  In the conference, he tied for fifth in sacrifice bunts (6).  This was the third straight year he has been a Second Team All-NWC choice.

Anderson, a senior from Boise, Idaho, batted .288 with eight doubles, two home runs, 26 RBIs and 22 runs scored.  He was second on the team in at bats (153).  He had a .990 fielding average, and led the conference in total chances (406) and putouts (391).

Burch, a fifth-year senior from Redding, Calif., led the Bruins in walks (26) and sacrifice flies (6), tied for the lead in hit by pitches (11), and was second in runs (32) while batting .275 with seven doubles, 29 RBIs, and five stolen bases as a lead-off hitter.  In the conference, he tied for first in sacrifice flies, third in hit by pitches, and fourth in walks.  He was the NWC Player of the Week for Mar. 22-28.  In national stats, he was 25th in sacrifice flies.

Gantenbein, a junior from Warrenton, Ore., led the team in sacrifice bunts (7) and was second in batting (.350) and RBIs (30) while contributing five doubles, one home run, and 28 runs to the Bruins’ offense.  He tied for third in the conference in sacrifices. 

Stahl, a junior from Vista, Calif., led the Bruins in batting (.370), at bats (184), runs (38), hits (68), doubles (17), RBIs (39), and total bases (93), while ranking second in slugging percentage (.505) and stolen bases (7).  In the conference, he was second in at bats, tied for third in hits and fourth in doubles, and ranked fifth in total at bats (197) and 10th in total bases.  In the field, he was the conference leader in assists (131).  In national stats, he was 38th in doubles and 44th in hits.

Woo, a senior from Cedar Mill, Ore., appeared in 39 games, batting .307 with 42 hits, six doubles, a triple, 23 RBIs, and 28 runs scored. 

Brown, a senior from Battle Ground, Wash., tied for the team lead in hit by pitches (11) while batting .326 with six doubles, one home run, 16 RBIs, and 30 runs scored.  He tied for fourth in the conference in hit by pitches, and was the NWC Player of the Week and honorable mention for National Hitter of the Week for Mar. 8-14 when he was a perfect 6-for-6 at the plate with a 1.667 slugging percentage.

Rapacz, a freshman from West Richland, Wash., batted .348 with six doubles, one home run, a .478 slugging percentage, 12 RBIs, 15 runs scored, and four stolen bases. 

Cheney, a sophomore from Medford, Ore., went 3-2 as the Bruins’ No. 2 starter with a 5.06 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 53.1 innings.  He appeared in 10 games, all starts, and allowed opponents a .281 batting average.  In the conference, he tied for third in pickoffs (3), was ninth in strikeouts and opponents’ batting average, 10th in ERA, and tied for 10th in starts. 

Ranta, a sophomore from Clackamas, Ore., earned the Bruins’ No. 3 spot in the rotation and posted a 4-3 record with one save and a 4.04 ERA, which was second on the team.  He struck out 39 and walked only 17 in a team-leading 71.1 innings, threw the team’s only complete game and shutout, and allowed batters a .273 average, lowest among the starting staff.  In the NWC, he tied for first in pickoffs (4), was sixth in ERA, innings, and opponents’ batting average, tied for ninth in wins, and was 10th in strikeouts and starts (10).  He was the NWC Pitcher of the Week for Mar. 13-19. 

Schroeder, a senior from Kelowna, B.C., led the Bruins in appearances (20) as a middle reliever, going 2-2 with one save, a 6.63 ERA, and 30 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 38.0 innings.  He was second in the conference in total appearances and relief appearances (19), and tied for sixth in games finished (8). 

Jones, a senior from McMinnville, Ore., led the team in ERA (3.10) and saves (4) while posted a 3-3 record with 45 strikeouts and 14 walks in 40.2 innings.  He made 19 appearances and allowed a .277 batting average.  In the conference, he was first in games finished (15), tied for first in saves, and was third in total appearances and relief appearances (16) and seventh in strikeouts.  The Bruins’ all-time saves leader with 11 in two seasons, he was a First Team All-NWC and Third Team All-West Region selection in 2009.

George Fox went 23-16 overall this spring, the 15th straight winning season and 22nd in 23 years for the program.  The Bruins finished third in the Northwest Conference with a 16-8 league record.  Marty Hunter completed his third year as head coach of the Bruins with an 87-41 record.