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WHAT’S BRUIN - Baseball Weekly News & Notes 4/21
Links: Quick Facts / Roster / Schedule & Results / Statistics / Press Releases
Multimedia: Live Stats / Video / KFOX Radio
Overall Record: 23-9 (Home 9-4, Road 5-5, Neutral 9-0)
NWC Record: 13-8, 3rd (Home 8-3, Road 5-4)
* HIGHLIGHTS:
* Coming Up: Bruins Visit No. 5 Linfield for Final NWC Series of Season
* Gantenbein and Ranta Honorable Mention for NWC Weekly Honors
* Bruins Remain Among “Others Receiving Votes” in National Polls
* Bruins Clinch 16th Consecutive Winning Season and 23rd in 24 Years
* NCAA Stats: Ranta Ranked High in Walks Per 9, Wins, Strikeouts
* NWC Team Stats: Bruins No. 1 in Batting, Fielding, No. 2 in ERA
* NWC Batting Stats: Winterstein Leads in Runs, At Bats, Stolen Bases
* NWC Pitching Stats: Ranta Tied for League Lead in Wins, Strikeouts
* NWC Fielding Stats: Gantenbein Best in NWC at Catching Runners
* Coming Up: Bruins Visit No. 5 Linfield for Final NWC Series of Season
- Fri., Apr. 22, 1:00 pm - at Linfield College (2), McMinnville, Ore.
- Sat., Apr. 23, 12:00 pm - at Linfield College, McMinnville, Ore.
NEWBERG, Ore. - Still harboring a mathematical shot at the Northwest Conference championship, the George Fox Bruins travel to McMinnville, Ore., to close out conference play against their arch-rivals and the No. 5-ranked team in the country, the Linfield Wildcats, with a doubleheader Friday at 1:00 p.m. and a single game Saturday at 12:00 noon.
George Fox (23-9, NWC 13-8) currently rests in third place in the league, trailing Linfield (24-7, NWC 15-3) by three-and-a-half games and second-place Pacific (21-12-2, NWC 14-7) by a game. To have any shot at the title, the Bruins must, at the very least, take two of three in this series, then get help the next weekend when the Wildcats go to Pacific Lutheran. Pacific closes its conference season this weekend at Puget Sound, and the Bruins cannot afford a tie with the Boxers, who swept the Bruins in the second NWC series of the season.
The last time the Bruins played the Wildcats in McMinnville was in 2008 (George Fox hosted Linfield the last two seasons), and they won three in a row from the Wildcats before losing the finale (when NWC series were four-games) to finish one game out of first. George Fox leads the conference in batting and fielding and is second to Linfield in pitching, and the Bruins will need to put all three elements together to have a shot at the Wildcats, who are coming off a momentum-building series against national power Chapman in which they took three of four games.
Projected starting pitchers for the Bruins against the Wildcats include RHP Brian Ranta (8-2, 1.87, 59 K’s, 77.0 ip), RHP Clay Gartner (2-3, 3.17, 32 K’s, 54.0 ip), and RHP Brian Davis (2-0, 4.19, 32 K’s, 34.1 ip). The Wildcats will likely counter with Ryan Larson (6-2, 1.86, 51 K’s, 72.2 ip), Evan Hilberg (4-1, 1.25, 36 K’s, 36.0 ip), and either Zach Brandon (2-0, 2.25, 12 K’s, 20.0 ip) or Zach Manley (2-0, 2.08, 12 K;s, 17.1 ip) in lieu of the injured Robert Vaughan (6-1, 0.82, 55 K’s, 55.1 ip), all right-handers.
George Fox will provide live stats for all games in the Linfield series, and campus radio station KFOX will webcast the second game of the series at about 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Links for the live stats and the webcast are provided above.
BRUIN BITS:
* Gantenbein and Ranta Honorable Mention for NWC Weekly Honors
A .500 week at the plate by catcher Eric Gantenbein and the eighth win of the season by right-hander Brian Ranta have earned them honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Offensive/Fielding and Pitching Student-Athletes of the Week respectively for Apr. 11-17 as the Bruins went 3-1 during the week.
Gantenbein, a senior from Warrenton, Ore., batted .500 (8-16) with two doubles, a home run, a .813 slugging pct., a .500 on base pct., five RBIs, and five runs scored. He also handled 19 chances behind the plate flawlessly. In a 10-2 non-conference win over Corban at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, Ore., on Apr. 13, he went 4-5 with a double, a run, and two RBIs. In the first game of a twinbill with Lewis & Clark on Apr. 16, a 15-1 win at West Linn (Ore.) High School, he was 2-4 with a home run, two runs and three RBIs, then went 1-4 with a run in a 6-3 second-game loss. In a 4-1 win over the Pioneers on Apr. 17, he was 1-3 with a double and a run.
In conference statistics, Gantenbein is 4th in hits (46), doubles (11, T), 5th in at bats (130, T), 6th in total at bats (152, T), 7th in total bases (66), RBIs (26, T), 10th in runs (28), home runs (3, T). This is his first time this season to be a candidate for NWC weekly honors.
Ranta, a junior from Clackamas, Ore., threw one scoreless relief inning in the Bruins’ 10-2 win vs. Corban at Volcanoes Stadium on Apr. 13, then improved to 8-2 with a win in a 15-1 romp over Lewis & Clark in the first game of a conference doubleheader at West Linn High Scholl on Apr. 16. He worked 7.0 innings vs. the Pios, allowing four hits and one earned run while striking out three and walking none.
In conference statistics, Ranta is 1st in wins (8, T), strikeouts (59, T), 2nd in starts (10, T), innings (77.0), 5th in ERA (1.87), 6th in opponents’ batting avg. (.223). Nationally, he is 4th in fewest walks per 9 innings (0.70), 5th in wins (8,T), 28th in strikeouts (59, T). He has been named the NWC Pitcher of the Week three times this season and been honorable mention four times.
* 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); Mar. 28-Apr. 3 (HM); Apr. 11-17 (HM)
Dan Winterstein ---
- Northwest Conference Offensive/Fielding Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 21-27 (HM); Mar. 14-20 (HM); Mar. 28-Apr. 3 (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), Apr. 4-10 (HM)
Clay Gartner ---
- Northwest Conference Pitching Student-Athlete of the Week - Apr. 4-10 (HM)
Eric Gantenbin ---
- Northwest Conference Offensive/Fielding Student-Athlete of the Week - Apr. 11-17 (HM)
* Bruins Remain Among “Others Receiving Votes” in National Polls
After a 3-1 week, George Fox at 23-9 continues to be listed among “others receiving votes” in both NCAA Division III national polls. In the D3baseball.com poll of April 18, the Bruins received 49 points, third among the “others”, while in the American Baseball Coaches Association / Collegiate Baseball poll of April 19, they were again listed among “others” but no votes totals are given ... Christopher Newport (35-4) replaced Shenandoah atop both polls.
D3baseball.com /NCBWA Poll: http://www.d3baseball.com/landing/index
ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Poll: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/abcapoll.html
* Bruins Clinch 16th Consecutive Winning Season and 23rd in 24 Years
With their 10-2 victory over Corban on Apr. 13 at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, Ore., George Fox improved to 21-8 on the season and secured a 16th consecutive winning season. The Bruins posted 12 winning seasons under Pat Bailey from 1996-2007 and will now have four straight seasons above .500 under Marty Hunter since 2008. The Bruins also had seven straight winning seasons under Pat Casey from 1988-94, giving them winning records in 23 of the past 24 years.
* Records Set or Tied in 2011:
- Most Stolen Bases, Game, Player - 5 by Nate Hickok at Whitman, 3/26/11, 2nd game (broke record of 4 held by five others)
- Most At Bats, Game, Player - 7 by Sam Stahl at Whitman, 3/26/11, first game (tied record done by 13 players 15 times)
* NCAA Stats (4/17): Ranta Ranked High in Walks Per 9, Wins, Strikeouts
- Batting: George Fox is 5th in sacrifice bunts (43), 9th in hit by pitches (55, T), 22nd in sacrifice flies (20, T), 24th in hits (360), 35th in runs (233, T), 36th in doubles (68, T), 42nd in stolen bases (62, T) ...
- Pitching: George Fox is 26th in fewest walks per 9 innings (2.77), 30th in ERA (3.21) ...
- Fielding: George Fox is 4th in fielding avg. (.974) …
- SS Taylor Hunter is 14th in sacrifice bunts (8, T), 38th in sacrifice bunts per game (0.25, T) ...
- 3B Sam Stahl is 18th in sacrifice flies (5, T), 38th in RBIs (36, T), 42nd in hits (51, T) ...
- RF Dan Winterstein is 8th in runs (46, T), 12th in runs per game (1.44) ...
- 1B John Mountz is 8th in sacrifice bunts (9, T) ...
- RHP Brian Ranta is 4th in fewest walks per 9 innings (0.70), 5th in wins (8,T), 28th in strikeouts (59, T) ...
* NWC Team Stats: Bruins No. 1 in Batting, Fielding, No. 2 in ERA
- Batting: George Fox is 1st in batting avg. (.319), on base pct. (.400), runs (233), hits (360), total at bats (1,359), RBIs (206), hit by pitches (55), sacrifice bunts (43), stolen bases (62), 2nd in sacrifice flies (20), 3rd in slugging pct. (.420), doubles (68), home runs (14), total bases (474), at bats (1,129), 4th in walks (112), 6th in strikeouts (176), 7th in triple (2) …
- Pitching: George Fox is 2nd in ERA (3.21), wins (23), innings (286.0), saves (9), opponents’ batting avg. (.261), 3rd in fewest walks (88, T), pickoffs (9), 4th in strikeouts (196), 6th in wild pitches (20), 9th in hit batters (21) ...
- Fielding: George Fox is 1st in fielding avg. (.974), assists (396), fewest errors (33), caught stealing (19, T), 2nd in putouts (858), double plays (24), 3rd in chances (1,287), 9th in passed balls (3) …
* NWC Batting Stats (4/17): Winterstein Leads in Runs, At Bats, Stolen Bases
- RF Dan Winterstein is 1st in runs (46), total at bats (160), stolen bases (16), 3rd in hits (47), at bats (133), 4th in total bases (73, T), walks (18, T), 5th in home runs (5, T), sacrifice flies (3, T), 6th in triples (1, T), 7th in slugging pct. (.549), 10th in batting avg.(.353), on base pct. (.440) …
- DH Taylor Hunter is 2nd in sacrifices (8, T), 6th in total at bats (152, T), 7th in hit by pitches (8, T), 9th in hits (42, T), stolen bases (9, T) ...
- 3B Sam Stahl is 1st in hits (51), RBIs (36), sacrifice flies (5, T), at bats (137, T), 2nd in total at bats (156, T), 6th in batting avg. (.372), 8th in total bases (62) …
- C Eric Gantenbein is 4th in hits (46), doubles (11, T), 5th in at bats (130, T), 6th in total at bats (152, T), 7th in total bases (66), RBIs (26, T), 10th in runs (28), home runs (3, T) ...
- LF Derek Aldrich is 4th in hit by pitches (10, T), 5th in sacrifice flies (3, T) …
- CF Nate Hickok is 3rd in on base pct. (.484), 4th in runs (33, T), hit by pitches (10, T), 6th in triples (1, T), stolen bases (13, T), 8th in walks (16, T),...
- 1B John Mountz is 1st in sacrifices (9), 7th in hit by pitches (8, T) …
* NWC Pitching Stats (4/17): Ranta Tied for League Lead in Wins, Strikeouts
- RHP Brian Ranta is 1st in wins (8, T), strikeouts (59, T), 2nd in starts (10, T), innings (77.0), 5th in ERA (1.87), 6th in opponents’ batting avg. (.223) …
- RHP Andrew Snyder is 7th in appearances (13, T) …
- RHP Brian Davis is 6th in wild pitches (6, T) …
- RHP Clay Gartner is 10th in ERA (3.17) …
- RHP Joey Clancy is 10th in opponents’ batting avg. (.246) …
- RHP Jacob Brown is 1st in games finished (13), 2nd in appearances (16), saves (4, T) …
- RHP Dan Winterstein is 8th in saves (2, T) ...
* NWC Fielding Stats (4/17): Gantenbein Best in NWC at Catching Runners
- LF Derek Aldrich is 1st in fielding avg. (1.000, T) …
- OF Todd Nagamine is 1st in fielding avg. (1.000, T) …
- C Eric Gantenbein is 1st in caught stealing (15), 3rd in chances (276), putouts (239), 9th in fielding (.996) …
- SS Derek Blankenship is 7th in assists (82, T), 10th in double plays (14, T) ...
- 2B Zac Israel is 10th in double plays (14, T) ...
* Head Coach MARTY HUNTER
Marty Hunter (Linfield ’84) is 110-45 (.710, 48-17 home, 47-21 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 (2008, 2009) in his first three seasons … He became the third coach in George Fox 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 Willamette on March 20. The game was played in Salem, Ore., due to unplayable conditions at the Bruins’ Morse Field, but George Fox batted as the home team. He joined 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, 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) ... Against Linfield, he is 6-5 (3-4 home, 3-1 road) ...
