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WHAT’S BRUIN - Baseball News & Notes 3/10
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Overall Record: 11-2 (Home 4-1, Road 0-1 Neutral 7-0)
NWC Record: 2-1, 4th T (Home 2-1, Road 0-0)
* HIGHLIGHTS:
* Upcoming Games: Bruins to Play First NWC Road Games at Pacific
* Ranta Wins BAA Award; Ranta, Stahl HM for NWC Honors
* Bruins Climb to 22nd in D3baseball.com National Rankings
* Hunter Two Away from 100 College Coaching Victories
* NWC Team Stats: Bruins’ Early Success Keyed by Pitching, Defense
* NWC Batting Stats: Hunter in Hits, Winterstein in Runs Lead League
* NWC Pitching Stats: Ranta Leads League in Wins, Innings, Starts
* Upcoming Games: Bruins to Play First NWC Road Games at Pacific
- Sat., Mar. 12, 11:00 am - at Pacific University (2), Forest Grove, Ore.
- Sun., Mar. 13, 12:00 pm - at Pacific University, Forest Grove, Ore.
NEWBERG, Ore. - After starting Northwest Conference play by taking two of three at home from Pacific Lutheran University in an exciting series, the George Fox University Bruins will hit the road for the first time in conference play with a three-game set against the Pacific University Boxers at Lincoln Park Stadium in Forest Grove, Ore., Mar. 11-12.
The Bruins and Boxers will square off Saturday in a doubleheader starting at 11:00 a.m., followed Sunday by a single game at 12:00 noon. George Fox is 11-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference, residing in fourth place in the league standings, while Pacific is 8-5 overall and 4-2 and in third place in the league. The Boxers, after sweeping Lewis & Clark College to open conference play, dropped two at Linfield College last weekend before salvaging the final game 11-4.
Pacific is batting .272 as a team with a 5.71 staff ERA. CF Kevin Schwartz leads the Boxers offensively with a .370 average, a league-leading six doubles, and 13 RBIs, while 2B Nate Rasmussen bats .350 and SS Jared Van Hoon .340. C Conor Clark leads the team with two home runs. The Boxers are the NWC co-leaders in stolen bases (27-31).
Projected starting pitchers for the Bruins this weekend include Brian Ranta (4-0, 1.80, 27 K’s, 30.0 ip), RHP Clay Gartner (1-1, 1.88, 8 K’s, 14.1 ip), and RHP Brian Davis (2-0, 4.41, 20 K’s, 16.1 ip). The Boxers could counter with RHP Rob Dittrick (3-1, 2.48, 23 K’s, 27.0 ip), LHP Chad Fahey (1-1, 3.52, 22 K’s, 23.0 ip), and LHP Jason Sawyer (1-1, 7.29, 8 K’s, 21.0 ip).
In last year’s series in Newberg, the Bruins swept the Saturday twinbill 8-1 and 10-0 before the Boxers took the Sunday game 7-4.
BRUIN BITS:
* Ranta Wins BAA Award; Ranta, Stahl HM for NWC Honors
Right-hander Brian Ranta has been named the Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week for Feb. 28-Mar. 6, while he and third baseman Sam Stahl received honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Baseball Pitching and Offensive/Fielding Student-Athlete of the Week awards respectively.
Ranta, a junior from Clackamas, Ore., pitched the Bruins to a conference-opening 4-3 win over the Pacific Lutheran Lutes at home on Mar. 5. He threw a complete game, scattering six hits while striking out four and walking one. Only one of the runs he allowed was earned. With the win, he improved to 4-0 on the season with 27 strikeouts in 30.0 innings, and lowered his ERA to 1.80.
Stahl, a senior from Vista, Calif., batted .308 (4-13) with a double, two runs scored, three RBIs, a double, and a stolen base. In the first game of the Pacific Lutheran series, a 4-3 win on Mar. 5, he went 2-5 with an RBI. On Mar. 6, after an 0-4 in the Bruins’ first-game 2-1 loss to the Lutes, he went 2-4 with a two-run game-winning double, two RBIs, two runs, and a steal.
The Athlete of the Week Award for both men and women is presented throughout the Bruin sports seasons by the Bruin Athletic Association, whose mission is to provide George Fox student-athletes with an outstanding athletic and academic experience and to strengthen the overall competitiveness of the Bruin athletics program. For more information about the organization or to become a member, visit the Bruin Athletic Association website.
* 2011 Honors
Josh Rapacz ---
- Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week - Feb. 7-13
- Northwest Conference Offensive/Fielding Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 7-13
Andrew Snyder ---
- Northwest Conference Pitching Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 7-13 (HM)
Taylor Hunter ---
- Northwest Conference Offensive/Fielding Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 14-20
Brian Ranta ---
- Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week - Feb. 14-20; Feb. 28-Mar. 6
- Northwest Conference Pitching Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 14-20; Feb. 21-27; Feb. 28-Mar. 6 (HM)
Dan Winterstein ---
- Northwest Conference Offensive/Fielding Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 21-27 (HM)
Sam Stahl ---
- Northwest Conference Offensive/Fielding Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 28-Mar. 6 (HM)
* Bruins Climb to 22nd in D3baseball.com National Rankings
After debuting in the D3baseball.com NCAA Division III national rankings last week at No. 24, the George Fox Bruins have climbed two places to No. 22 in the poll of Mar. 7 after taking two of three from Pacific Lutheran this past weekend. The Bruins received 153 points in the voting by a panel of 25 coaches, sports information directors, and media members from across the country ... Other West Region teams in the top 25 include No. 7 Texas-Tyler (14-0), No. 9 Linfield (8-4), No. 10 Trinity TX (15-2), No. 12 Pomona-Pitzer (13-4), and No. 20 Chapman (10-4).
D3baseball.com/NCBWA National Poll: http://www.d3baseball.com/landing/index
* Hunter Two Away from 100 College Coaching Victories
With two more victories, Marty Hunter can become the third coach in George Fox baseball history to reach the 100-win plateau, joining Pat Casey (171-113-1, 1988-94), now the head coach at Oregon State, and Pat Bailey (353-158, 1996-2007), an assistant at Oregon State. Hunter’s record to date in his fourth season stands at 98-38. He could reach 100 wins faster than any other Bruin baseball coach; Bailey got his 100th in his fourth season and 149th game.
* NWC Team Stats (3/7): Bruins’ Early Success Keyed by Pitching, Defense
- Batting: George Fox is 1st in runs (87), hits (141), RBIs (71), doubles (26, T), total bases (176), sacrifice bunts (18), 2nd in batting avg. (.313), on base pct. (.391), total at bats (535), at bats (450), 3rd in slugging pct. (.391), walks (44), strikeouts (83), sacrifice flies (6, T), stolen bases (26, T), 4th in hit by pitches (17), 6th in home runs (3, T), 8th in triple (0, T) ...
- Pitching: George Fox is 1st in wins (11), saves (5), 2nd in innings (116.0), fewest walks (32), 3rd in ERA (3.41), opponents’ batting avg. (.254), strikeouts (83), pickoffs (3, T), 5th in wild pitches (9), hit batters (13) ...
- Fielding: George Fox is 1st in fielding avg. (.977), chances (522), assists (162), fewest errors (12, T), caught stealing (10), 2nd in putouts (348), 4th in double plays (8, T), 7th in passed balls (2, T) …
* NWC Batting Stats (3/7): Hunter in Hits, Winterstein in Runs Lead League
- SS Taylor Hunter is 1st in hits (24), total bases (28, T), 2nd in batting avg. (.429, T), 3rd in at bats (56), 4th in total at bats (64, T), 5th in on base pct. (.484), 6th in RBIs (11, T), 7th in doubles (4, T), 8th in hit by pitches (3, T) ...
- RF Dan Winterstein is 1st in runs (21), 3rd in hits (18, T), 4th in total at bats (64, T), at bats (54, T), 5th in total bases (23, T), 6th in walks (8, T), stolen bases (4, T), 7th in home runs (1, T) …
- CF Nate Hickok is 7th in runs (12, T), 8th in hit by pitches (3, T) ...
- 1B Eric Gantenbein is 2nd in hits (19), 6th in at bats (53), 7th in total at bats (61), 8th in total bases (22, T), 9th in RBIs (10, T), 10th in runs (10, T) …
- 3B Sam Stahl is 2nd in RBIs (15), doubles (5, T), sacrifice flies (3), 3rd in hits (18, T), 4th in at bats (54, T), 5th in total bases (23, T), 6th in stolen bases (4, T), total at bats (62), 10th in runs (10, T) …
- LF Derek Aldrich is 6th in stolen bases (4, T), 7th in home runs (1, T), 8th in hits (16, T), total bases (22, T), hit by pitches (3, T) …
- C Josh Rapacz is 2nd in sacrifices (3, T), 7th in doubles (4, T) …
- 2B Derek Blankenship is 2nd in sacrifices (3, T), 7th in home runs (1, T) …
- DH Todd Nagamine is 2nd in sacrifices (3, T) ...
* NWC Pitching Stats (3/7): Ranta Leads League in Wins, Innings, Starts
- RHP Brian Ranta is 1st in innings (30.0), wins (4), starts (4, T), 2nd in strikeouts (27), 7th in ERA (1.80), 8th in opponents’ batting avg. (.208) …
- RHP Andrew Snyder is 2nd in ERA (0.48), 3rd in opponents’ batting avg. (.177), 4th in wins (2, T) , 6th in appearances (6) …
- RHP Clay Gartner is 5th in saves (1, T), 6th in opponents’ batting avg. (.200), 9th in ERA (1.88), wild pitches (5, T) …
- RHP Brian Davis is 1st in starts (4, T), 2nd in wild pitches (5, T), 3rd in hit batters (6, T), 4th in wins (2, T), 7th in strikeouts (20) …
- RHP Kyle Albertson is 4th in wins (2, T), 5th in saves (1, T), 7th in appearances (5, T) …
- RHP Jacob Brown is 1st in saves (2, T), games finished (6), 3rd in appearances (7, T) …
- RHP Dan Winterstein is 5th in saves (1, T) ...
NWC Fielding Stats (3/7): Two Bruins Among Leaders in Fielding Avg.
- 1B-C Eric Gantenbein is 1st in fielding avg. (1.000, T), chances (133), putouts (119), caught stealing (7), 2nd in double plays (22, T) …
- 2B Derek Blankenship is 1st in fielding avg. (1.000, T), assists (112), 8th in double plays (18) …
- C Josh Rapacz is 7th in caught stealing (2, T), 10th in chances (61, T) …
- SS Taylor Hunter is 3rd in assists (39) ...
* Head Coach Marty Hunter
Marty Hunter (Linfield ’84) is 98-38 (.721, 43-14 home, 42-17 road, 13-7 neutral) to date in his 4th 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 three seasons at GFU … Against Pacific, he is 9-2 (5-2 home, 4-0 road) …
