BSB: NWC POLL - Defending Champion Bruins Picked to Finish 3rd in 2010 Coaches’ Poll

2010 NWC Baseball Coaches' Pre-Season Poll

NEWBERG, Ore. - After losing five All-Conference hitters from last year's lineup but with three All-Conference hurlers back, the defending Northwest Conference baseball co-champion George Fox University Bruins have been picked to finish third in the 2010 pre-season NWC coaches' poll as voted on by the league's nine coaches.

George Fox collected one first-place vote and 67 points in the balloting, trailing favorite Pacific Lutheran University, which had six firsts and 84 points, and Linfield College, which garnered two firsts and 72 points.  In pre-season NCAA Division III national polls, Collegiate Baseball tabbed George Fox for a No. 18 spot with 211 points, while D3baseball.com picked the Bruins 19th with 137 points. 

The Bruins are coming off a 36-11 season and a conference co-championship which they shared with PLU, both 27-5 in the league.  The Bruins defeated the Lutes in a one-game playoff for the NWC's automatic berth in the D-III  National Tournament, then finished second to Chapman University in the West Regional.  George Fox was ranked 12th in the final D3baseball.com poll and 20th in the final Collegiate Baseball poll, which was taken before the post-season began.

Gone from last year's Bruin lineup which produced a .367 batting average, the third-highest in the nation, are left fielder Matt Wyckoff, a First Team All-American and NWC Player of the Year; Second Team All-American and First Team All-NWC second baseman Bo Thunell; First Team All-NWC shortstop Taylor Hunter; Second Team All-NWC center fielder Kyle Kuenzi; and honorable mention All-NWC third baseman Pat Bailey.  Regulars returning include a pair of Second Team All-Conference performers in right fielder Dan Winterstein and catcher Brent Trask, along with first baseman Seth Anderson.

The Bruins expect to rely on a solid and experienced pitching staff to again challenge for conference and post-season success.  Third Team All-West Region and First Team All-NWC reliever Chad Jones led the Bruins in both wins and saves, while Second Team All-NWC right-hander Mark Putney and honorable mention All-NWC righty Travis Schroeder anchor the starting and middle relief portions of the mound corps respectively.

Pacific Lutheran will be led by 2009 NWC Pitcher of the Year Robert Bleeker, who returns for his senior season.  Fellow Lute seniors Trey Watt, Ben Shively and Josh Takayoshi are returning First Team All-Conference honorees.  Bleeker and Watt should give PLU a formidable 1-2 punch as starting pitchers.

Linfield, which won the title in 2008 and advanced to the NCAA World Series, hopes to return to the top behind the All-NWC battery of senior pitcher Reese McCulley and junior catcher Cole Bixenman.  The Wildcats have also been selected to host the West Regional for the second year in a row.

Willamette University was fourth in the poll with 43 points. The Bearcats graduated Kyle Stalker, the most prolific power hitter in the NWC over the last two seasons. Pacific University and the University of Puget Sound had 42 points each to tie for fifth place in the poll. All-NWC senior pitcher Tyler Frandsen will power Pacific, while All-NWC catcher Mark Rockey will lead the Loggers.

Whitworth University was seventh in the poll with 34 points.  The Pirates will have to overcome the graduation of utility man Chad Flett, their only All-NWC player in 2009.

Lewis & Clark College was eighth with 17 points. Junior Tucker Laurence was first team All-NWC as a freshman and honorable mention last season.

Whitman College rounded out the poll in ninth place with 14 points. The Missionaries will look for improvement under first-year head coach Jared Holowaty.

Northwest Conference play begins the weekend of March 6-7, with teams returning to a three-game schedule against league opponents after two season of experimenting with a four-game series.  With no conference tournament, the regular season champion gets the automatic bid to the post-season playoffs.

George Fox opens its season next week in the Arizona Desert Classic in Anthem, Ariz., playing California Lutheran University on Feb. 11 at 10 a.m., Occidental College on Feb. 12 at 2 p.m., the University of La Verne on Feb. 13 at 10 a.m., and Whittier College on Feb. 14 at 2 p.m.  The Bruins' home opener at Morse Field is set for Feb. 23 vs. Corban College, a single game at 2 p.m.