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WHAT’S BRUIN - Baseball News & Notes 3/31
Links: Quick Facts / Roster / Schedule & Results / Statistics / Press Releases
Multimedia: Live Stats / Video / KFOX Radio
Overall Record: 17-5 (Home 5-1, Road 3-4 Neutral 9-0)
NWC Record: 8-4, 3rd T (Home 3-1, Road 3-3, Neutral 2-0)
* HIGHLIGHTS:
* Upcoming Games: Bruins to Host Whitworth in Key NWC Series
* Hickok Gets BAA Award; Hickok and Ranta HM for NWC Honors
* Bruins Up to 14th in D3baseball.com Poll, Get Votes in ABCA Poll
* Hickok Sets Steals Record with 5, Stahl Ties Record for At Bats
* Hunter Picks Up 100th Coaching Win as Son Hits Game-Winning HR
* NCAA Stats: Bruins Ranked 3rd Nationally in Sacrifices, 6th in Fielding
* NWC Team Stats: Bruins Lead League in Six Offensive Categories
* NWC Batting Stats: Four Bruins Have League Lead in Seven Stats
* NWC Pitching Stats: Ranta Leads League in Wins, Strikeouts, Starts
* NWC Fielding Stats: Gantenbein Leads NWC in 3 Defensive Stats
* Upcoming Games: Bruins to Host Whitworth in Key NWC Series
- Sat., Apr. 2, 12:00 pm - vs. Whitworth University (2), Newberg, Ore.
- Sun., Apr. 3, 12:00 pm - vs. Whitworth University, Newberg, Ore.
NEWBERG, Ore. - With six straight wins in Northwest Conference play, the George Fox Bruins have climbed into a tie for third in the league standings, and hope to continue that ascension as they host the Whitworth Pirates in a three-game series this weekend, with a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday at 12:00 noon both days.
George Fox, ranked 14th in the latest D3baseball.com poll, is 17-5 overall and 8-4 in the conference, tied with Pacific behind 8-1 Puget Sound and 10-2 Linfield. Whitworth, which salvaged the final game of their three-game Linfield series with a 4-3 win in Spokane on Sunday, comes to Newberg with a 10-14 overall record and a 4-5 league mark that puts them in sixth place.
The Bruins have taken back-to-back NWC series with Willamette and Whitman to get back into the conference race. Projected starting pitchers for the Bruins this weekend include Brian Ranta (6-1, 1.70, 47 K’s, 53.0 ip), RHP Clay Gartner (1-2, 2.30, 20 K’s, 31.1 ip), and RHP Brian Davis (2-0, 5.06, 26 K’s, 26.2 ip), although RHP Joey Clancy (2-0, 5.66, 14 K’s, 20.2 ip) has pitched well in recent relief outings and could get one of the starts.
The Pirates are likely to counter with RHP C.J. Perry (3-2,
6.41, 10 K’s, 26.2 ip), RHP Nathan Johnson (2-3, 5.45, 23
K’s, 39.2 ip), and LHP Liam O’Brien (1-1, 1.31, 12
K’s, 20.2 ip), who got the start (but not the decision) while
giving up only one earned runs in 5.1 innings in the Linfield
upset. Landon Scott (.352-3-19 and Tyler Pfeffer (.292-1-24)
are the offensive leaders for the Pirates, who hit .262 as a
team. In last year’s series, the Bruins swept the
Pirates in Spokane for only the second time ever, winning 16-5,
11-3, and 15-10.
Multimedia: George Fox will provide live stats for
all three games of the Whitworth series; a link to the live stats
is available above.
BRUIN BITS:
* Hickok Gets BAA Award; Hickok and Ranta HM for NWC Honors
Record-setting center fielder Nate Hickok has been named the Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week and received honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Baseball Offensive/Fielding Student-Athlete of the Week for March 14-20, while hurler Brian Ranta was honorable mention for NWC Pitching Student-Athlete of the Week as well.
Hickok, a senior lefty swinger from Sherwood, Ore., batted .571 (8-14) with a triple, a home run, a .929 slugging percentage, a .625 on base percentage, five stolen bases, eight runs scored, and seven RBIs. He began the week with a 2-4 game in an 11-10 win over Willamette on Mar. 21, scoring twice and hitting a two-run homer in the 8th inning that proved to be the difference when the Bearcats rallied for three in the 9th. In a 15-2 win at Whitman on Mar. 26 in the first game of a doubleheader, he was 2-4 with two runs and an RBI. In the second game, which was suspended by rain and completed on Sunday, he was 2-2 with a walk, a hit by pitch, two runs, an RBI, and set a George Fox record with five stolen bases in a 12-5 win. The Bruins completed a 4-0 week with a 10-2 win on Mar. 27 as he went 2-4 with a two-run triple that started the scoring, finishing with two runs and three RBIs. He is the eighth different Bruin to receive an NWC honor of some kind this season.
In conference statistics, Hickok ranks 4th in stolen bases (9), 5th in runs (21, T), triples (1, T), 6th in hit by pitches (6, T), and 7th in on base pct. (.451).
Ranta, a junior right-hander from Clackamas, Ore., threw six shutout innings in the Bruins’ 15-2 win over Whitman on Mar. 26, allowing six hits with six strikeouts and no walks. He let with a 12-0 lead after extending his string of scoreless innings to 19 in a row. He has been an NWC Pitcher of the Week nominee five times this season, winning the award three times, and BAA Athlete of the Week twice.
In conference statistics, Ranta is 1st in wins (6, T), strikeouts (47), starts (7, T), 2nd in innings (53.0), 5th in opponents’ batting avg. (.215), 6th in ERA (1.70). In national stats, he ranks 2nd in wins (6, T), 16th in strikeouts (47, T), and 20th in fewest walks per 9 innings (0.68).
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); Mar. 14-20; Mar. 21-27 (HM)
Dan Winterstein ---
- Northwest Conference Offensive/Fielding Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 21-27 (HM); Mar. 14-20 (HM)
Sam Stahl ---
- Northwest Conference Offensive/Fielding Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 28-Mar. 6 (HM)
Derek Aldrich ---
- Northwest Conference Offensive/Fielding Student-Athlete of the Week - Mar. 7-13 (HM)
Nate Hickok ---
- Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week - Mar. 21-27
- Northwest Conference Offensive/Fielding Student-Athlete of the Week - Mar. 21-27 (HM)
* Bruins Up to 14th in D3baseball.com Poll, Get Votes in ABCA Poll
With a 4-0 week, the Bruins improved to 17-5 on the season and moved up to 14th in the NCAA Division III D3baseball.com national poll of March 29, the fifth of the season. George Fox received 210 points to climb from 19th the previous week. In the first regular-season American Baseball Coaches Association / Collegiate Baseball poll of 2011, George Fox was listed among “others receiving votes” ... Shenandoah (19-1) is the No. 1 team in the nation in both polls.
D3baseball.com /NCBWA Poll: http://www.d3baseball.com/landing/index
ABCA / Collegiate Baseball Poll: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/abcapoll.html
* Hickok Sets Steals Record with 5, Stahl Ties Record for At Bats
In the Bruins’ 12-5 win at Whitman on Mar. 26-27 (the game was suspended by rain Saturday and finished Sunday), center fielder Nate Hickok set a new George Fox single-game record with five stolen bases in five attempts. He swiped second and third in the 4th, stole third and scored on a throwing error in the 6th, then stole second and third and scored on a passed ball in the 7th to break the previous record of four steals in a game held by five others. Previous Bruins to steal four bases in a game were Mike Nadeau vs. Western Baptist, 4/13/94; Ryan Muñoz vs. Pacific, 5/4/97; Stephen Donohue vs. Lewis & Clark, 3/18/02; David Peterson at Lewis & Clark, 4/4/05; and Kyle Kuenzi vs. Lewis & Clark, 3/7/09 (2nd game).
In the first game of the Whitman series, a 15-2 win on Mar. 26, third baseman Sam Stahl tied the George Fox record for most official at bats in a game with seven, which had been done 15 times by 13 players. Stahl is the only Bruin to have done it more than once, and he has now done it four times - at Whitman (3/27/10) in each game of a doubleheader and for a third time at Lewis & Clark (4/25/10) in a 14-inning game. One player who previously batted seven times, C.R. Braniff, also collected seven hits in a game at Willamette (3/26/06), tying the NCAA Division III national record for hits in a game.
* Bruins Fall One Hit Batsman Short of Tying D-III National Record
When Whitman pitchers hit 10 George Fox batters in the Bruins’ 10-2 win at Walla Walla, Wash., on Mar. 27, the total left the Bruins one hit batsman short of tying the NCAA Division III national record for the most hitters plunked in a single game. La Roche hurlers nailed 11 Allegheny batters on April 2, 2009, to establish the D-III record for the most accurate target practice. Allegheny also hit one La Roche player in the game, making 12 the combined record. The Bruins did not hit any Missionary batters in retaliation.
Earning their Purple Hearts as the Bruins nearly tied the national record but set team and (probably) NWC records were Derek Aldrich and John Mountz, who were hit three times apiece (the national record is five by Dan Bocian of Elmhurst by Wheaton IL, April 14, 2004), Taylor Hunter, who got nailed twice, and Derek Blankenship and Dan Winterstein, who were hit once each. Whitman starter Aaron Cohen did the honor seven times, one short of the single-game record by La Roche pitcher Justin Gorgacz vs. Allegheny.
Former George Fox second baseman Ryan Dearinger still holds the national record for getting hit the most times in a season: 33 in 2002. Nick Crawford of Millsaps came the closest to breaking Dearinger’s record when he got hit 32 times in 2006.
* Hunter Picks Up 100th Coaching Win as Son Hits Game-Winning HR
Marty Hunter became the third coach in George Fox baseball history to reach the 100-win plateau when his son Taylor hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Bruins a thrilling 5-4 win over the Willamette Bearcats on March 20. The game was played in Salem, Ore., due to unplayable condition of the outfield at the Bruins’ Morse Field, but George Fox batted as the home team.
Hunter joined Pat Casey (171-113-1, 1988-94), now the head coach at Oregon State University, and Pat Bailey (353-158, 1996-2007), an assistant at Oregon State, as George Fox baseball coaches with 100 wins. He reached the milestone faster than any other Bruin baseball coach, in his 141st game; Bailey got his 100th in his fourth season and 149th game. Hunter’s previous landmark wins include his first (18-2 at McMurry, 2/17/2008) and his 50th (21-2 vs. Whitman, 4/10/2009).
The Bruins are 17-5 this season, giving the 2009 Northwest Conference Co-Coach of the Year a record to date in his fourth season of 104-41 (.717).
* NCAA Stats (3/27): Bruins Ranked 3rd Nationally in Sacrifices, 6th in Fielding
- Batting: George Fox is 3rd in sacrifice bunts (33, T), 5th in hit by pitches (41), 13th in sacrifice flies (14, T), 23rd in stolen bases (49), 37th in hits (234), 39th in runs (147), 40th in doubles (42, T) ...
- Pitching: George Fox is 33rd in fewest walks per 9 innings (2.85), 47th in ERA (3.26) ...
- Fielding: George Fox is 6th in fielding avg. (.975), 50th in double plays (16, T) …
- SS Taylor Hunter is 21st in hit by pitches (8, T), 26th in sacrifice bunts (5, T) ...
- LF Derek Aldrich is 37th in hit by pitches (7, T) ...
- 3B Sam Stahl is 10th in sacrifice files (4, T), 33rd in RBIs (26, T) ...
- RF Dan Winterstein is 18th in runs (30, T, 29th in sacrific flies (3, T), 36th in stolen bases (12, T) ...
- 1B John Mountz is 15th in sacrifice bunts (6, T) ...
- RHP Andrew Snyder is 41st in ERA (1.19) ...
- RHP Brian Ranta is 2nd in wins (6, T), 16th in strikeouts (47, T), 20th in fewest walks per 9 innings (0.68) ...
* NWC Team Stats (3/28): Bruins Lead League in Six Offensive Categories
Batting: George Fox is 1st in on base pct. (.391), runs (147), hits (234), hit by pitches (41), sacrifice bunts (33), stolen bases (49), 2nd in batting avg. (.307), RBIs (127), doubles (42, T), sacrifice flies (14), 3rd in slugging pct. (.396), total bases (301), total at bats (922), walks (74), 4th in home runs (7, T), at bats (761), strikeouts (134), 6th in triple (2, T) …
Pitching: George Fox is 1st in wins (17), 2nd in innings (196.0), strikeouts (144), saves (7), opponents’ batting avg. (.266), 3rd in ERA (3.26), fewest walks (62, T), pickoffs (5, T), 4th in wild pitches (14), 8th in hit batters (16) ...
- Fielding: George Fox is 1st in fielding avg. (.975), assists (261), fewest errors (22), caught stealing (18), 3rd in double plays (16), 2nd in chances (871), putouts (588), 9th in passed balls (2) …
* NWC Batting Stats (3/28): Four Bruins Have League Lead in Seven Stats
- SS Taylor Hunter is 1st in hits (34, T), 2nd in hit by pitches (8), sacrifices (5, T), 3rd in batting avg. (.386), 5th in doubles (8, T), 6th in total bases (45, T), 7th in at bats (88, T), stolen bases (7, T), 8th in total at bats (105), on base pct. (.450), 9th in slugging pct. (.511), 10th in RBIs (16, T) ...
- RF Dan Winterstein is 1st in runs (30), stolen bases (12, T), total at bats (111, T), 3rd in facrifice flies (3, T), 4th in walks (12, T), 5th in triples (1, T), 6th in at bats (92), hits (30, T) …
- CF Nate Hickok is 4th in stolen bases (9), 5th in runs (21, T), triples (1, T), 6th in hit by pitches (6, T), 7th in on base pct. (.451) ...
- C-1B Eric Gantenbein is 6th in hits (30, T), 7th in at bats (88, T), 8th in RBIs (17, T), 9th in sacrifices (3, T), 10th in total at bats (103, T) ...
- 3B Sam Stahl is 1st in hits (34, T), RBIs (26), 2nd in sacrifice flies (4), 3rd in at bats (94, T), 5th in total at bats (107, T), 8th in total bases (43), 9th in sacrifices (3, T), 10th in batting avg. (.362), stolen bases (6, T) …
- LF Derek Aldrich is 3rd in hit by pitches (7, T), 5th in on base pct. (.462), 9th in batting avg. (.364), hits (28, T), 10th in stolen bases (6, T) …
- 1B John Mountz is 1st in sacrifices (6) …
- 2B Derek Blankenship is 9th in sacrifices (3, T) …
- DH Todd Nagamine is 5th in sacrifices (4, T) ...
- C Josh Rapacz is 9th in sacrifices (3, T) …
- 2B Zac Israel is 6th in sacrifice flies (2, T) …
* NWC Pitching Stats (3/28): Ranta Leads League in Wins, Strikeouts, Starts
- RHP Brian Ranta is 1st in wins (6, T), strikeouts (47), starts (7, T), 2nd in innings (53.0), 5th in opponents’ batting avg. (.215), 6th in ERA (1.70), …
- RHP Andrew Snyder is 2nd in ERA (1.19), 4th in appearances (10, T) …
- RHP Clay Gartner is 9th in ERA (2.30) …
- RHP Brian Davis is 1st in starts (7, T), 2nd in wild pitches (6, T), 6th in hit batters (7, T), 10th in strikeouts (26) …
- RHP Kyle Albertson is 7th in wins (3, T) …
- RHP Jacob Brown is 1st in games finished (8), 4th in appearances (10, T), 5th in saves (2, T) …
- RHP Dan Winterstein is 5th in saves (2, T) ...
* NWC Fielding Stats (3/28): Gantenbein Leads NWC in 3 Defensive Stats
- Zac Israel is 1st in fielding avg. (1.000, T) …
- LF Derek Aldrich is 1st in fielding avg. (1.000) …
- 1B-C Eric Gantenbein is 1st in chances (215), putouts (187), caught stealing (14) …
- SS Taylor Hunter is 6th in double plays (11, T) ...
* Head Coach Marty Hunter
Marty Hunter (Linfield ’84) is 104-41 (.717, 44-14 home, 45-20 road, 15-7 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 first three seasons … Against Whitworth, he is 10-1 (4-0 home, 6-1 road) …
