WHAT’S BRUIN: Baseball News & Notes 3/8

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Overall Record: 6-9 (Home 0-0, Road 4-3, Neutral 2-6)

NWC Record: 2-1, 2nd T (Home 0-0, Road 2-1)

* Coming Up: Bruins Move Mar. 10-11 Home Games to Pacific Ballpark

* Dunn Earns BAA Award, HM for NWC Pitching; Greenstein HM as Well

* NWC Poll: Bruins Picked to Finish 2nd in Pre-Season Coaches’ Poll

* NWC Stats: Greenstein Leads or Tied for Lead in 5 Categories

HIGHLIGHTS:

* Coming Up: Bruins Move Mar. 10-11 Home Games to Pacific Ballpark

- Sat., Mar. 10, 11:00 am - vs. Pacific University (5-9. NWC 2-1), Forest Grove, Ore. (DH)

- Sun., Mar. 11, 12:00 pm - vs. Pacific University (5-9. NWC 2-1), Forest Grove, Ore.

NEWBERG, Ore. – Due to unplayable wet conditions in the outfield at George Fox University’s Morse Field, the Bruins’ three-game Northwest Conference baseball series Saturday-Sunday, Mar. 10-11, with the Pacific University Boxers has been moved to the Boxers’ home ballpark, Chuck Bafaro Stadium at Bond Field in Forest Grove, Ore.

The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 11:00 a.m., with a single game on Sunday at 12:00 noon.  George Fox will bat as the home team in all three games.

George Fox is 6-9 overall while Pacific is 5-8.  Both teams are 2-1 in the conference and locked in a four-way tie for second in the early going with Pacific Lutheran University and Whitman College.  All four are half a game behind Linfield College, which is 4-2 in conference play. 

George Fox is coming off a 2-games-to-1 series win at Lewis & Clark College, a series in which the pitching stood out as Bruins hurlers struck out 23 and walked only one in 26 innings.  The Boxers just took two out of three at home from Linfield.  George Fox will be looking to avenge a three-game series sweep by Pacific last year.

Probable starters on the hill for the Bruins will be RHP Brian Ranta (1-0, 2.79, 20 K’s, 29.0 ip), RHP Taylor Dunn (1-1, 0.92, 18 K’s, 29.1 ip), and RHP Tom Zarosinski (1-2, 7.64, 18 K’s, 17.2 ip).  The Bruins’ offense is led by OF David Greenstein (.474-2-10), C Josh Rapacz (.404-0-13), DH Derek Dixon (.375-0-5), and 1B Danny Clifford (.317-2-11). 

Pacific will likely counter with RHP Rob Dittrick (2-1, 3.27, 14 K’s, 22.0 ip), LHP Chad Fahey (1-1, 4.37, 6 K’s, 22.2 ip), and LHP Jason Sawyer (0-1, 5.30, 12 K’s, 18.2 ip).  The Boxers are led at the plate by OF Kevin Schwartz (.308-0-7), OF Nick Tasaka (.297-0-5), DH Greg Tellez (.239-0-7), and 3B Jared Van Hoon (.245-0-10).

* Dunn Earns BAA Award, HM for NWC Pitching; Greenstein HM as Well

A solid seven shutout innings in a 4-0 victory against Lewis & Clark College has earned George Fox right-hander Taylor Dunn the Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week award for Feb. 27-Mar. 4, as well as honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Baseball Pitching Student-Athlete of the Week.

In the second game of a doubleheader in Portland, Ore., on Mar. 3, Dunn worked into the 8th inning against the Pioneers, allowing seven total hits with five strikeouts and no walks.  After giving up two hits to start the 8th, Clay Gartner finished up to preserve the shutout and give Dunn, a sophomore from Lake Oswego, Ore., via Clark College, his first win of the season.  It also enabled the Bruins to capture the doubleheader from the Pios after taking the opener 5-3.  This was Dunn’s first time to receive each honor.

Left fielder David Greenstein  received honorable mention for NWC Hitting Student-Athlete of the Week as he batted .500 (6-12) during the three-game series at Lewis & Clark.  The senior from Oregon City, Ore., went 2-5 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in the Bruins’ 5-3 first-game victory, 3-4 with a double and an RBI in a 4-0 second-game win, and 1-3 in an 8-3 loss on Sunday.  He had a slugging percentage of .667.  He was the BAA Athlete of the Week and NWC Hitter of the Week for Feb. 13-19.

The George Fox 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. 

2011-12 Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athletes of the Week

Sept. 5-11 - Luke Hammer (Soccer)

Sept. 12-18 - Mike Ulstad (Golf)

Sept. 19-25 - Shawn Aldrich (Tennis)

Sept. 26-Oct. 2 - Joseph Pia (Cross Country)

Oct. 3-9 - Chris Lumsden (Golf)

Oct. 10-16 - Luke Hammer (Soccer)

Oct. 17-23 - Aleks Gabrio (Golf)

Oct. 24-30 - Kyle Dreibelbis (Cross Country)

Oct. 31-Nov. 6 - Elliott Davis (Soccer)

Nov. 7-13 - Kyle Dreibelbis (Cross Country)

Nov. 14-20 - Corey Clark (Basketball)

Nov. 21-27 - A.J. Grant (Basketball)

Nov. 28-Dec. 4 - Mike Taylor (Basketball)

Dec. 5-11 - Sean Atkins (Basketball)

Dec. 12-25 - Anthony Sanchez (Basketball)

Dec. 26-Jan. 8 - Mike Taylor (Basketball)

Jan. 9-15 - Sean Atkins (Basketball)

Jan. 16-22 - Mike Taylor (Basketball)

Jan. 23-29 - Sean Atkins (Basketball)

Jan. 30-Feb. 5 - Mike Taylor (Basketball)

Feb. 6-12 - Sean Atkins (Basketball)

Feb. 13-19 - David Greenstein (Baseball)

Feb. 20-26 - Brian Ranta (Baseball)

Feb. 27-Mar. 4 - Taylor Dunn (Baseball)