GNAC Baseball Champions & Award Winners
2015 GNAC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Montana State Billings YELLOWJACKETS
Bishop
Miller
Muller
Overall Record: 27-21 GNAC: 22-10 A 20-5 record in their final 25 games earned the Yellowjackets the GNAC regular-season title and top seed in this week’s conference playoffs. A big reason for the turnaround was the Yellowjackets’ GNAC-leading offense. As a team the offense produced 7.25 runs per game while leading the GNAC in every major offensive category including batting average (.316), RBIs (318) and home runs (40). Luke Reinschmidt and Brody Miller combined to drive in 115 runs, hit 24 home runs and score 93 runs. Reinschmidt hit a team leading .380 and had 10 home runs and 56 RBI. Miller hit .360 and led MSUB with 14 home runs and 59 runs batted in. On the mound, MSUB has been led by senior pitcher Brady Muller. Muller posted a 6-1 record and led the GNAC in strikeouts with 74. Tanner Johnson also won six of seven decisions and led the ‘Jackets with a 3.99 ERA.
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 29 30 32 34
Name Myles Berkram Lee Busto Bret Bitow Conner Holbrook Luke Reinschmidt Trevor Nix Brody Miller Brady Muller Kevin Toon Colter Sternhagen Corey Morris Casey Merritt Griffen Pape Kyle Durbin Dylan Goldsack Lucas Blehm Jacob Foley Drew Christina Cody Cooper Landon Peterson Blake Loran Bret Christina Tanner Johnson Jake Mills Bryon Baker Jake Campeau Adam Cox Wyatt Schlosser
Pos. B/T UTL R/R RHP R/R UT/P R/R C R/R OF R/R C R/R INF R/R LHP L/L INF R/R INF R/R SS/2B R/R OF L/L RHP R/R INF L/R LHP L/L RHP R/R IF/OF R/R LHP L/L RHP R/R C L/R 1B L/R 1B R/R RHP R/R RHP R/R RHP R/R RHP R/R RHP R/R OF/1B L/L
Ht. 5-7 6-1 5-10 5-8 5-11 5-11 5-8 6-1 6-2 6-0 5-9 5-9 6-3 6-1 5-7 6-3 5-10 6-2 6-4 5-9 6-0 6-0 6-3 6-2 6-2 6-5 6-3 6-0
Yr. SO JR SR SR JR SR SR SR JR JR JR SO FR JR JR SR FR SR SO FR SR JR JR SR SO SR FR FR
Exp. 1V 2V 3V 1V 2V 1V 3V 3V 1V 1V TR 1V HS TR TR 3V HS 3V 1V HS 3V 2V TR 1V 1V 3V RS HS
Hometown (Previous School) Billings, Mont. (Billings West) Littleton, Colo. (Heritage) Puyallup, Wash. (Lower Columbia CC) Walla Walla, Wash. (Walla Walla CC) Billings, Mont. (Billings) Tigard, Ore. (Linn-Benton CC) Missoula, Mont. (Sentinel) Billings, Mont. (Billings West) Walla Walla, Wash. (Walla Walla CC) Helena, Mont. (South Mountain CC) Richland, Wash. (Walla Walla CC) Twin Falls, Idaho (Twin Falls) Star, Idaho (Eagle) Idaho Falls, Idaho (Coll. of Eastern Utah) Burbank, Calif. (L.A. Mission Coll.) Billings, Mont. (Billings Central) Boise, Idaho (Capital) Walla Walla, Wash. (Walla Walla CC) Bozeman, Mont. (Bozeman) Boise, Idaho (Capital) Billings, Mont. (Jamestown Coll.) Walla Walla, Wash. (Walla Walla CC) Belgrade, Mont. (Salt Lake CC) Burley, Idaho (Miles CC) Butte, Mont. (Butte) Walla Walla, Wash. (Walla Walla CC) Encino, Calif. (Taft) Saskatoon, Sask. (Vauxhall)
Head Coach - Rob Bishop Assistant Coaches - Parker Krickenberg, Austin Rue Graduate Assistant - Jason Oatman
Tournament Preview A new team will be crowned the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament champion this week as Montana State University Billings hosts the third annual post-season championships at Dehler Park in Billings. Competing for the title will be the regular-season champion Yellowjackets, Western Oregon and Northwest Nazarene. Last year’s champion, Central Washington, did not qualify for the tournament. MSUB (27-21) has already ended WOU’s 13-year regular-season title run by winning 20 of its last 25 games after getting off to a 2-5 conference start. It has also posted its most victories since baseball was brought back as a varsity sport in 2008 and has guaranteed itself its first winning season in that time. The Yellowjackets are the only team in the GNAC to post a .300 batting average this season. Led by center fielder Luke Reinschmidt (10 hr, 56 rbi, .380), second baseman Brody Miller (14 hr, 59 rbi, .360) and shortstop Corey Morris (0 hr, 15 rbi, .358), the Yellowjackets batted .316 under fifth-year coach Rob Bishop. While hitting has carried the ‘Jackets, they come into the tournament off perhaps the most impressive pitching performance in a four-game series in GNAC history. Last weekend, MSUB allowed just one earned run in outscoring Saint Martin’s 21-2 in four victories. Both Brady Muller and Tanner Johnson are 6-1 on the season.
2 • @GNACSports
Western Oregon, which won the GNAC’s first post-season championship in 2013 and advanced to the title game last year, enters the event winning five of its last six games. Jesse Pratt is WOU’s pitching ace and is the GNAC leader in wins (7-1) and ERA (2.62). In 12 appearances, including 11 starts, he has allowed just 48 hits in 68 2/3 innings, just 6.29 per nine-innings pitched which is one of the best hit-to-innings ratios in GNAC history. The record is 5.91 by WOU’s Grady Wood in 2012. Offensively, left fielder Matt Taylor leads WOU in batting with a .377 average. Third baseman Garrett Harpole is the team leader in home runs (8) and RBI (37). Taylor and shortstop Marcus Hinkle provide speed with 10 stolen bases apiece. Northwest Nazarene is making its first post-season appearances in 23 years. The Crusaders are led in hitting by outfielder Josh Hatfield with a .365 average. Second baseman Tyler Davis and third base-catcher Andree Helmstadter each have driven in 35 runs. Davis is also the team leader with nine home runs. Jake Reppert is the conference leader in complete-game shutouts with two and has a 5-4 record and a 3.54 ERA. Colben McGuire is 4-4 and has a 4.32 ERA.
2015 GNAC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Northwest Nazarene CRUSADERS
Musgraves
Hatfield
McGuire
Overall Record: 27-26 GNAC: 15-17 Head coach Rocke Musgraves, in his second season at NNU, has the Crusaders in the playoffs for the first time in 23 years. NNU clinched the third-and-final berth last Saturday with a 7-6 12-inning victory over Western Oregon. Pitching has been NNU’s forte as they rank second in the GNAC with a 4.90 ERA and first in strikeouts with 348. Jake Reppert has a 5-4 record and leads the team with a 3.54 earned run average. He has thrown two shutouts. Colben McGuire has a 4-4 record, a 4.32 ERA and a team-best 72 strikeouts. At the plate, Josh Hatfield has been the catalyst for the Crusader offense. Hitting an outstanding .365, Hatfield leads the conference in runs scored (47) and stolen bases (11) while ranking second in hits (70). Andre Helmstadter takes a .312 batting average to Billings. He has hit 18 doubles, a GNAC-high six triples and has a team-high 35 RBIs. Tyler Davis is batting .306 and leads the GNAC in doubles with 20.
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
Name Pos. Kyle Thomson OF Tyler Marsh RHP Josh Hatfield OF Andrew Groves RHP Kaleb DeHaas C/INF Ben Circeo INF Tucker Campbell INF Tate Glasgow INF Tyler Davis INF Skyler Penrod INF Coltin Brink INF Matt Lightfoot OF Ethan Brandt OF Tim Jones OF Jake Dewey OF Tom Sigrist RHP Blake Mitchell RHP Andrew Helmstadter C/INF Justin Lamb C Colben McGuire RHP Ryan Johnson OF Jake Reppert LHP Brandon Mozzone RHP Jake Ferdinand LHP Colton Loomis RHP Nick Strange RHP Larsson Chapman INF Johnathon Hallman C Justin Pilgrim RHP Ross Clevenger RHP Jesse Hilyard C/OF Noah Starr RHP
G NAC W L 22 10 21 11 15 17 14 18 8 24
All W L 27 21 26 23 27 26 24 25 16 34
Ht. 5-7 5-9 5-10 5-11 6-0 5-11 6-1 6-0 5-11 5-10 5-8 6-3 5-6 6-1 6-1 6-4 6-0 6-0 5-10 5-11 6-1 6-5 6-4 5-11 6-0 6-0 6-4 6-0 6-0 6-0 6-4 6-0
Yr. SR JR JR SR SR SR JR SR JR SO FR FR SO FR FR SO JR SO FR SR SR SR FR SR JR FR FR FR SO FR FR SO
Exp. 1V 2V 2V TR 3V 1V TR 3V TR 1V HS HS 1V HS HS 1V TR 1V HS 1V 1V 1V HS 3V TR HS HS HS TR HS HS 1V
Hometown (Previous School) Enumclaw, Wash. (Yakima Valley CC) Boise, Idaho (Capital) Meridian, Idaho (Mountain View) Mukilteo, Wash. (Bellevue Coll.) Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (Coeur d’Alene) Bothell, Wash. (Tacoma CC) Tigard, Ore. (Lane CC) Portland, Ore. (Westview) Orinda, Calif. (Chabot CC) Nampa, Idaho (Liberty Charter) Erie, Colo. (Erie) Nampa, Idaho (Skyview) Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (Lake City) Meridian, Idaho (Meridian) Boise, Idaho (Centennial) Boise, Idaho (Centennial) Anaheim, Calif. (Cypress CC) Palm Desert, Calif. (Desert Christian) Nampa, Idaho (Whitworth Univ.) Idaho Falls, Idaho (Lane CC) Boise, Idaho (Treasure Valley CC) Monroe, Wash. (Bellevue CC) Auburn, Wash. (Auburn Mountainview) Henderson, Nev. (Foothill) Cashmere, Wash. (Spokane CC) Astoria, Ore. (Astoria) Port Angeles, Wash. (Port Angeles) Sacramento, Calif. (Christian Brothers) Pitt Meadows, B.C. (Prairie Baseball Acad.) Eagle, Idaho (Bishop Kelly) Klamath Falls, Ore. (Henley) Boise, Idaho (Bishop Kelly)
Head Coach - Rocke Musgraves Assistant Coach - Jason Krohn Pitching Coaches - Brian Solemsaas, Easton Kapiontek
2015 Final Standings Montana State Billings Western Oregon Northwest Nazarene Central Washington Saint Martin’s
B/T L/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R L/L R/R L/L R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R L/L R/R L/L R/R R/R L/L L/R R/R R/R R/R R/R
Tournament Schedule H 11-5 14-2 11-12 13-11 6-16
A 13-13 12-20 16-14 11-14 10-18
N 3-3 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0
May 7-8 at Billings, Mont. Thurs., May 7 Game 1: #3 Northwest Nazarene vs. #2 Western Oregon, 1 p.m. Game 2: #3 Northwest Nazarene vs. #1 Montana St. Billings, 4 p.m. Game 3: #2 Western Oregon vs. #1 Montana St. Billings, 7 p.m. Fri., May 8 Game 4: Elimination game, noon Game 5: Championship game, 3 p.m. (if needed) NOTE: If all three teams finish round-robin play with 1-1 records, Game 4 will match Northwest Nazarene and Western Oregon with the winner playing Montana St. Billings in the championship game.
#GNACBaseball • 3
2015 GNAC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Western Oregon WOLVES
Walker
Pratt
Taylor
Overall Record: 26-23 GNAC: 21-11 Third-year head coach Kellen Walker led the Wolves to the conference championships for the third year in a row. Senior right-hander Jesse Pratt has been the ace of the league’s best pitching staff, posting a 7-1 record and a 2.62 earned run average. Both those numbers lead the GNAC. He also ranks second in strikeouts with 72. Out of the bullpen, Shawn Demke has earned four saves and has a 2.76 ERA in 18 appearances. Garrett Alvarez has a 6-2 record and a 4.61 ERA. At the plate, WOU is led by the .377 batting average of senior Matt Taylor. Taylor leads WOU in runs scored with 35 and also has driven in 34 runs. Garret Harpole has been a consistent producer for Western Oregon as well, leading the Wolves with eight home runs and with 37 RBI. Cody Sullivan ranks second in hitting with a .331 average and has driven in 32 runs.
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 30 31 32 33 34 36 37 38 40
Name Jacob Whisler Austin Hamilton Adam Bloom Sam Cameron Tim Rausch Darrien Moran Tyler Bennett Alex Emerson Cody Poznanski Matt Taylor Nathan Etheridge Erick Quesada Garret Harpole Marcus Hinkle Caleb Falck Jesse Pratt Jacob Storedahl Houston Samuel Michael Bennett Eric Huson Michael Sherwin Boog Leach Brandon Oliver Mac Gridley Shawn Domke Cody Sullivan Cody Allison Garrett Alvarez Christian Morrison Clark McKitrick Brenden Shaffer Brady Miller Gary Steindorf Mitch Huff Spencer Trautmann
Pos. INF INF OF INF OF LHP RHP LHP OF OF 1B OF INF INF C RHP RHP RHP RHP RHP C C C/1B 1B RHP OF RHP RHP RHP LHP INF RHP RHP OF LHP
B/T R/R R/R L/L L/R R/R L/L R/R L/L R/R L/L R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R L/L R/R R/R R/R R/L L/L
Ht. 5-8 5-10 5-11 5-10 5-10 6-0 6-1 5-7 5-10 6-1 6-5 6-3 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-5 6-0 6-3 6-0 6-3 6-1 5-11 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-4 6-1 6-0
Yr. SR SR JR JR SR JR JR JR JR SR JR JR SR SR JR SR JR JR JR SR SR SO JR JR JR JR JR JR SR SR JR FR JR SR SR
Exp. 3V 1V TR 2V 3V TR TR TR 1V 1V 2V TR 3V 1V 2V 2V 2V TR TR 1V 1V 1V TR 1V TR 1V TR TR 1V 1V TR HS HS 1V 2V
Hometown (Previous School) Klamath Falls, Ore. (Klamath Union) Salem, Ore. (Linn-Benton CC) Scottsdale, Ariz. (Phoenix CC) Parker, Colo. (Regis Jesuit) Polson, Mont. (Polson) Federal Way, Wash. (Pierce CC) Grants Pass, Ore. (W. Nevada Coll.) Salem, Ore. (Chemeketa CC) Richland, Wash. (Walla Walla CC) Corona, Calif. (Lane CC) Grants Pass, Ore. (Grants Pass) Cottonwood, Ariz. (Chandler-Gilbert CC) Elmira, Ore. (North Eugene) Puyallup, Wash. (Tacoma CC) Eagle, Idaho (Eagle) Monmouth, Ore. (Chemeketa CC) Newberg, Ore. (Newberg) Phoenix, Ariz. (Glendale CC) Bandon, Ore. (Univ. of West Virginia) Forest Grove, Ore. (Mt. Hood CC) Auburn, Wash. (Pierce CC) Roseburg, Ore. (Linn-Benton CC) Corona, Calif. (Cuesta CC) Federal Way,Wash. (Lower Columbia CC) Oak Park, Calif. (Ventura CC) Port Angeles, Wash. (Lower Columbia CC) Salem, Ore. (Chemeketa CC) Madera, Calif. (West Hills CC) Ashland, Ore. (Linn-Benton CC) Idaho Falls, Idaho (Linn-Benton CC) Salem, Ore. (Chemeketa CC) Gilbert, Ariz. (Campo Verde) Portland, Ore. (Liberty) Roseburg, Ore. (Univ. of Oregon) Lynnwood, Wash. (Edmonds CC)
Head Coach - Kellen Walker Assistant Coaches - Miles Kizer, J.J. Mascolo, Ruben Noriega Pitching Coach - Mike McInerney
GNAC Baseball Champions & Award Winners Past GNAC Champions 2002 Western Oregon 2003 Western Oregon 2004 Western Oregon 2005 Western Oregon 2006 Western Oregon 2007 Western Oregon 2008 Western Oregon 2009 Western Oregon 2010 Western Oregon 2011 Western Oregon 2012 Western Oregon 2013 Western Oregon 2014 Western Oregon Past GNAC Tournament Champions 2013 Western Oregon 2014 Central Washington Player of the Year 2002 Chris Ridenour, WOU (2B) 2003 Brian Viafore, CWU (1B) Tim Nickerson, WOU (SS) 2004 Tucker Brack, WOU (2B) 2005 Greg McCarthy, WOU (C) 2006 Boo Christenson, WOU (OF)
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Jamie Nilsen, CWU (SS) Jamie Nilsen, CWU (SS) Travis Fox, WOU (OF) Kyle Boe, WOU (3B) Daniel Dillard, WOU (OF) Bo Folkinga, WOU (1B) Blake Miller, WOU (SS) Kyle Sani, CWU (C) Brody Miller, MSUB (2B)
GNAC Tournament MVP 2013 Matt Nylen, WOU 2014 Joe Castro, CWU Pitcher of the Year 2002 Josh Samter, WOU 2003 Joe Sliva, SMU 2004 Luke Holscher, WOU 2005 Trent Kristjanson, WOU 2006 Nick Waechter, WOU 2007 Tyler Levin, CWU 2008 Mike Eisenhauer, WOU 2009 Blake Keitzman, WOU 2010 Jacob Pettit, WOU 2011 Grady Wood, WOU 2012 Grady Wood, WOU
2013 2014
AJ Burke, WOU Brandon Williams, CWU
Newcomer of the Year 2002 Anthony Rodriguez, CWU (SS) 2003 Tucker Brack, WOU (2B) 2004 Anthony Isabella, WOU (OF) 2005 Josh Small, CWU (of) 2006 Boo Christenson, WOU (OF) 2007 Nick Ray, NNU (OF) 2008 Dylan Bruck, WOU (OF) 2009 Justin Speer, WOU (OF) 2010 Daniel Dillard, WOU (OF) 2011 Colby Robison, MSUB (SS) 2012 Blake Miller, WOU (SS) 2013 Spenser Watkins, WOU (P) 2014 Cory Welch, CWU (P) Freshman of the Year 2002 Greg McCarthy, WOU (C) 2003 Tyson Burkhart, NNU (OF) 2004 Nick Waechter, WOU (P) 2005 Jamie Nilsen, CWU (SS) 2006 Ryan Brilhante, SMU (OF) 2007 Randy Summers, WOU (3B) 2008 Nate Slonaker, NNU (RP)
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Thomas McCarthy, WOU (1B) Zeb Sneed, NNU (P) Logan Parker, NNU (OF) Chandler Tracy, SMU (C) Kramer Ferrell, CWU (OF) Zack Larsen, SMU (SS)
Coach of the Year 2002 Terry Baumgartner, WOU 2003 Terry Baumgartner, WOU 2004 Terry Baumgartner, WOU 2005 Terry Baumgartner, WOU Desi Storey, CWU 2006 Jeremiah Robbins, WOU 2007 Jeremiah Robbins, WOU 2008 Jeremiah Robbins, WOU 2009 Jeremiah Robbins, WOU 2010 Jeremiah Robbins, WOU 2011 Jeremiah Robbins, WOU 2012 Jeremiah Robbins, WOU 2013 Kellen Walker, WOU 2014 Ken Garland, SMU
Montana State Billings YELLOWJACKETS
Bishop
Miller
Muller
Overall Record: 27-21 GNAC: 22-10 A 20-5 record in their final 25 games earned the Yellowjackets the GNAC regular-season title and top seed in this week’s conference playoffs. A big reason for the turnaround was the Yellowjackets’ GNAC-leading offense. As a team the offense produced 7.25 runs per game while leading the GNAC in every major offensive category including batting average (.316), RBIs (318) and home runs (40). Luke Reinschmidt and Brody Miller combined to drive in 115 runs, hit 24 home runs and score 93 runs. Reinschmidt hit a team leading .380 and had 10 home runs and 56 RBI. Miller hit .360 and led MSUB with 14 home runs and 59 runs batted in. On the mound, MSUB has been led by senior pitcher Brady Muller. Muller posted a 6-1 record and led the GNAC in strikeouts with 74. Tanner Johnson also won six of seven decisions and led the ‘Jackets with a 3.99 ERA.
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 29 30 32 34
Name Myles Berkram Lee Busto Bret Bitow Conner Holbrook Luke Reinschmidt Trevor Nix Brody Miller Brady Muller Kevin Toon Colter Sternhagen Corey Morris Casey Merritt Griffen Pape Kyle Durbin Dylan Goldsack Lucas Blehm Jacob Foley Drew Christina Cody Cooper Landon Peterson Blake Loran Bret Christina Tanner Johnson Jake Mills Bryon Baker Jake Campeau Adam Cox Wyatt Schlosser
Pos. B/T UTL R/R RHP R/R UT/P R/R C R/R OF R/R C R/R INF R/R LHP L/L INF R/R INF R/R SS/2B R/R OF L/L RHP R/R INF L/R LHP L/L RHP R/R IF/OF R/R LHP L/L RHP R/R C L/R 1B L/R 1B R/R RHP R/R RHP R/R RHP R/R RHP R/R RHP R/R OF/1B L/L
Ht. 5-7 6-1 5-10 5-8 5-11 5-11 5-8 6-1 6-2 6-0 5-9 5-9 6-3 6-1 5-7 6-3 5-10 6-2 6-4 5-9 6-0 6-0 6-3 6-2 6-2 6-5 6-3 6-0
Yr. SO JR SR SR JR SR SR SR JR JR JR SO FR JR JR SR FR SR SO FR SR JR JR SR SO SR FR FR
Exp. 1V 2V 3V 1V 2V 1V 3V 3V 1V 1V TR 1V HS TR TR 3V HS 3V 1V HS 3V 2V TR 1V 1V 3V RS HS
Hometown (Previous School) Billings, Mont. (Billings West) Littleton, Colo. (Heritage) Puyallup, Wash. (Lower Columbia CC) Walla Walla, Wash. (Walla Walla CC) Billings, Mont. (Billings) Tigard, Ore. (Linn-Benton CC) Missoula, Mont. (Sentinel) Billings, Mont. (Billings West) Walla Walla, Wash. (Walla Walla CC) Helena, Mont. (South Mountain CC) Richland, Wash. (Walla Walla CC) Twin Falls, Idaho (Twin Falls) Star, Idaho (Eagle) Idaho Falls, Idaho (Coll. of Eastern Utah) Burbank, Calif. (L.A. Mission Coll.) Billings, Mont. (Billings Central) Boise, Idaho (Capital) Walla Walla, Wash. (Walla Walla CC) Bozeman, Mont. (Bozeman) Boise, Idaho (Capital) Billings, Mont. (Jamestown Coll.) Walla Walla, Wash. (Walla Walla CC) Belgrade, Mont. (Salt Lake CC) Burley, Idaho (Miles CC) Butte, Mont. (Butte) Walla Walla, Wash. (Walla Walla CC) Encino, Calif. (Taft) Saskatoon, Sask. (Vauxhall)
Head Coach - Rob Bishop Assistant Coaches - Parker Krickenberg, Austin Rue Graduate Assistant - Jason Oatman
Tournament Preview A new team will be crowned the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament champion this week as Montana State University Billings hosts the third annual post-season championships at Dehler Park in Billings. Competing for the title will be the regular-season champion Yellowjackets, Western Oregon and Northwest Nazarene. Last year’s champion, Central Washington, did not qualify for the tournament. MSUB (27-21) has already ended WOU’s 13-year regular-season title run by winning 20 of its last 25 games after getting off to a 2-5 conference start. It has also posted its most victories since baseball was brought back as a varsity sport in 2008 and has guaranteed itself its first winning season in that time. The Yellowjackets are the only team in the GNAC to post a .300 batting average this season. Led by center fielder Luke Reinschmidt (10 hr, 56 rbi, .380), second baseman Brody Miller (14 hr, 59 rbi, .360) and shortstop Corey Morris (0 hr, 15 rbi, .358), the Yellowjackets batted .316 under fifth-year coach Rob Bishop. While hitting has carried the ‘Jackets, they come into the tournament off perhaps the most impressive pitching performance in a four-game series in GNAC history. Last weekend, MSUB allowed just one earned run in outscoring Saint Martin’s 21-2 in four victories. Both Brady Muller and Tanner Johnson are 6-1 on the season.
2 • @GNACSports
Western Oregon, which won the GNAC’s first post-season championship in 2013 and advanced to the title game last year, enters the event winning five of its last six games. Jesse Pratt is WOU’s pitching ace and is the GNAC leader in wins (7-1) and ERA (2.62). In 12 appearances, including 11 starts, he has allowed just 48 hits in 68 2/3 innings, just 6.29 per nine-innings pitched which is one of the best hit-to-innings ratios in GNAC history. The record is 5.91 by WOU’s Grady Wood in 2012. Offensively, left fielder Matt Taylor leads WOU in batting with a .377 average. Third baseman Garrett Harpole is the team leader in home runs (8) and RBI (37). Taylor and shortstop Marcus Hinkle provide speed with 10 stolen bases apiece. Northwest Nazarene is making its first post-season appearances in 23 years. The Crusaders are led in hitting by outfielder Josh Hatfield with a .365 average. Second baseman Tyler Davis and third base-catcher Andree Helmstadter each have driven in 35 runs. Davis is also the team leader with nine home runs. Jake Reppert is the conference leader in complete-game shutouts with two and has a 5-4 record and a 3.54 ERA. Colben McGuire is 4-4 and has a 4.32 ERA.
2015 GNAC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Northwest Nazarene CRUSADERS
Musgraves
Hatfield
McGuire
Overall Record: 27-26 GNAC: 15-17 Head coach Rocke Musgraves, in his second season at NNU, has the Crusaders in the playoffs for the first time in 23 years. NNU clinched the third-and-final berth last Saturday with a 7-6 12-inning victory over Western Oregon. Pitching has been NNU’s forte as they rank second in the GNAC with a 4.90 ERA and first in strikeouts with 348. Jake Reppert has a 5-4 record and leads the team with a 3.54 earned run average. He has thrown two shutouts. Colben McGuire has a 4-4 record, a 4.32 ERA and a team-best 72 strikeouts. At the plate, Josh Hatfield has been the catalyst for the Crusader offense. Hitting an outstanding .365, Hatfield leads the conference in runs scored (47) and stolen bases (11) while ranking second in hits (70). Andre Helmstadter takes a .312 batting average to Billings. He has hit 18 doubles, a GNAC-high six triples and has a team-high 35 RBIs. Tyler Davis is batting .306 and leads the GNAC in doubles with 20.
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
Name Pos. Kyle Thomson OF Tyler Marsh RHP Josh Hatfield OF Andrew Groves RHP Kaleb DeHaas C/INF Ben Circeo INF Tucker Campbell INF Tate Glasgow INF Tyler Davis INF Skyler Penrod INF Coltin Brink INF Matt Lightfoot OF Ethan Brandt OF Tim Jones OF Jake Dewey OF Tom Sigrist RHP Blake Mitchell RHP Andrew Helmstadter C/INF Justin Lamb C Colben McGuire RHP Ryan Johnson OF Jake Reppert LHP Brandon Mozzone RHP Jake Ferdinand LHP Colton Loomis RHP Nick Strange RHP Larsson Chapman INF Johnathon Hallman C Justin Pilgrim RHP Ross Clevenger RHP Jesse Hilyard C/OF Noah Starr RHP
G NAC W L 22 10 21 11 15 17 14 18 8 24
All W L 27 21 26 23 27 26 24 25 16 34
Ht. 5-7 5-9 5-10 5-11 6-0 5-11 6-1 6-0 5-11 5-10 5-8 6-3 5-6 6-1 6-1 6-4 6-0 6-0 5-10 5-11 6-1 6-5 6-4 5-11 6-0 6-0 6-4 6-0 6-0 6-0 6-4 6-0
Yr. SR JR JR SR SR SR JR SR JR SO FR FR SO FR FR SO JR SO FR SR SR SR FR SR JR FR FR FR SO FR FR SO
Exp. 1V 2V 2V TR 3V 1V TR 3V TR 1V HS HS 1V HS HS 1V TR 1V HS 1V 1V 1V HS 3V TR HS HS HS TR HS HS 1V
Hometown (Previous School) Enumclaw, Wash. (Yakima Valley CC) Boise, Idaho (Capital) Meridian, Idaho (Mountain View) Mukilteo, Wash. (Bellevue Coll.) Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (Coeur d’Alene) Bothell, Wash. (Tacoma CC) Tigard, Ore. (Lane CC) Portland, Ore. (Westview) Orinda, Calif. (Chabot CC) Nampa, Idaho (Liberty Charter) Erie, Colo. (Erie) Nampa, Idaho (Skyview) Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (Lake City) Meridian, Idaho (Meridian) Boise, Idaho (Centennial) Boise, Idaho (Centennial) Anaheim, Calif. (Cypress CC) Palm Desert, Calif. (Desert Christian) Nampa, Idaho (Whitworth Univ.) Idaho Falls, Idaho (Lane CC) Boise, Idaho (Treasure Valley CC) Monroe, Wash. (Bellevue CC) Auburn, Wash. (Auburn Mountainview) Henderson, Nev. (Foothill) Cashmere, Wash. (Spokane CC) Astoria, Ore. (Astoria) Port Angeles, Wash. (Port Angeles) Sacramento, Calif. (Christian Brothers) Pitt Meadows, B.C. (Prairie Baseball Acad.) Eagle, Idaho (Bishop Kelly) Klamath Falls, Ore. (Henley) Boise, Idaho (Bishop Kelly)
Head Coach - Rocke Musgraves Assistant Coach - Jason Krohn Pitching Coaches - Brian Solemsaas, Easton Kapiontek
2015 Final Standings Montana State Billings Western Oregon Northwest Nazarene Central Washington Saint Martin’s
B/T L/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R L/L R/R L/L R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R L/L R/R L/L R/R R/R L/L L/R R/R R/R R/R R/R
Tournament Schedule H 11-5 14-2 11-12 13-11 6-16
A 13-13 12-20 16-14 11-14 10-18
N 3-3 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0
May 7-8 at Billings, Mont. Thurs., May 7 Game 1: #3 Northwest Nazarene vs. #2 Western Oregon, 1 p.m. Game 2: #3 Northwest Nazarene vs. #1 Montana St. Billings, 4 p.m. Game 3: #2 Western Oregon vs. #1 Montana St. Billings, 7 p.m. Fri., May 8 Game 4: Elimination game, noon Game 5: Championship game, 3 p.m. (if needed) NOTE: If all three teams finish round-robin play with 1-1 records, Game 4 will match Northwest Nazarene and Western Oregon with the winner playing Montana St. Billings in the championship game.
#GNACBaseball • 3
2015 GNAC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Western Oregon WOLVES
Walker
Pratt
Taylor
Overall Record: 26-23 GNAC: 21-11 Third-year head coach Kellen Walker led the Wolves to the conference championships for the third year in a row. Senior right-hander Jesse Pratt has been the ace of the league’s best pitching staff, posting a 7-1 record and a 2.62 earned run average. Both those numbers lead the GNAC. He also ranks second in strikeouts with 72. Out of the bullpen, Shawn Demke has earned four saves and has a 2.76 ERA in 18 appearances. Garrett Alvarez has a 6-2 record and a 4.61 ERA. At the plate, WOU is led by the .377 batting average of senior Matt Taylor. Taylor leads WOU in runs scored with 35 and also has driven in 34 runs. Garret Harpole has been a consistent producer for Western Oregon as well, leading the Wolves with eight home runs and with 37 RBI. Cody Sullivan ranks second in hitting with a .331 average and has driven in 32 runs.
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 30 31 32 33 34 36 37 38 40
Name Jacob Whisler Austin Hamilton Adam Bloom Sam Cameron Tim Rausch Darrien Moran Tyler Bennett Alex Emerson Cody Poznanski Matt Taylor Nathan Etheridge Erick Quesada Garret Harpole Marcus Hinkle Caleb Falck Jesse Pratt Jacob Storedahl Houston Samuel Michael Bennett Eric Huson Michael Sherwin Boog Leach Brandon Oliver Mac Gridley Shawn Domke Cody Sullivan Cody Allison Garrett Alvarez Christian Morrison Clark McKitrick Brenden Shaffer Brady Miller Gary Steindorf Mitch Huff Spencer Trautmann
Pos. INF INF OF INF OF LHP RHP LHP OF OF 1B OF INF INF C RHP RHP RHP RHP RHP C C C/1B 1B RHP OF RHP RHP RHP LHP INF RHP RHP OF LHP
B/T R/R R/R L/L L/R R/R L/L R/R L/L R/R L/L R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R L/L R/R R/R R/R R/L L/L
Ht. 5-8 5-10 5-11 5-10 5-10 6-0 6-1 5-7 5-10 6-1 6-5 6-3 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-5 6-0 6-3 6-0 6-3 6-1 5-11 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-4 6-1 6-0
Yr. SR SR JR JR SR JR JR JR JR SR JR JR SR SR JR SR JR JR JR SR SR SO JR JR JR JR JR JR SR SR JR FR JR SR SR
Exp. 3V 1V TR 2V 3V TR TR TR 1V 1V 2V TR 3V 1V 2V 2V 2V TR TR 1V 1V 1V TR 1V TR 1V TR TR 1V 1V TR HS HS 1V 2V
Hometown (Previous School) Klamath Falls, Ore. (Klamath Union) Salem, Ore. (Linn-Benton CC) Scottsdale, Ariz. (Phoenix CC) Parker, Colo. (Regis Jesuit) Polson, Mont. (Polson) Federal Way, Wash. (Pierce CC) Grants Pass, Ore. (W. Nevada Coll.) Salem, Ore. (Chemeketa CC) Richland, Wash. (Walla Walla CC) Corona, Calif. (Lane CC) Grants Pass, Ore. (Grants Pass) Cottonwood, Ariz. (Chandler-Gilbert CC) Elmira, Ore. (North Eugene) Puyallup, Wash. (Tacoma CC) Eagle, Idaho (Eagle) Monmouth, Ore. (Chemeketa CC) Newberg, Ore. (Newberg) Phoenix, Ariz. (Glendale CC) Bandon, Ore. (Univ. of West Virginia) Forest Grove, Ore. (Mt. Hood CC) Auburn, Wash. (Pierce CC) Roseburg, Ore. (Linn-Benton CC) Corona, Calif. (Cuesta CC) Federal Way,Wash. (Lower Columbia CC) Oak Park, Calif. (Ventura CC) Port Angeles, Wash. (Lower Columbia CC) Salem, Ore. (Chemeketa CC) Madera, Calif. (West Hills CC) Ashland, Ore. (Linn-Benton CC) Idaho Falls, Idaho (Linn-Benton CC) Salem, Ore. (Chemeketa CC) Gilbert, Ariz. (Campo Verde) Portland, Ore. (Liberty) Roseburg, Ore. (Univ. of Oregon) Lynnwood, Wash. (Edmonds CC)
Head Coach - Kellen Walker Assistant Coaches - Miles Kizer, J.J. Mascolo, Ruben Noriega Pitching Coach - Mike McInerney
GNAC Baseball Champions & Award Winners Past GNAC Champions 2002 Western Oregon 2003 Western Oregon 2004 Western Oregon 2005 Western Oregon 2006 Western Oregon 2007 Western Oregon 2008 Western Oregon 2009 Western Oregon 2010 Western Oregon 2011 Western Oregon 2012 Western Oregon 2013 Western Oregon 2014 Western Oregon Past GNAC Tournament Champions 2013 Western Oregon 2014 Central Washington Player of the Year 2002 Chris Ridenour, WOU (2B) 2003 Brian Viafore, CWU (1B) Tim Nickerson, WOU (SS) 2004 Tucker Brack, WOU (2B) 2005 Greg McCarthy, WOU (C) 2006 Boo Christenson, WOU (OF)
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Jamie Nilsen, CWU (SS) Jamie Nilsen, CWU (SS) Travis Fox, WOU (OF) Kyle Boe, WOU (3B) Daniel Dillard, WOU (OF) Bo Folkinga, WOU (1B) Blake Miller, WOU (SS) Kyle Sani, CWU (C) Brody Miller, MSUB (2B)
GNAC Tournament MVP 2013 Matt Nylen, WOU 2014 Joe Castro, CWU Pitcher of the Year 2002 Josh Samter, WOU 2003 Joe Sliva, SMU 2004 Luke Holscher, WOU 2005 Trent Kristjanson, WOU 2006 Nick Waechter, WOU 2007 Tyler Levin, CWU 2008 Mike Eisenhauer, WOU 2009 Blake Keitzman, WOU 2010 Jacob Pettit, WOU 2011 Grady Wood, WOU 2012 Grady Wood, WOU
2013 2014
AJ Burke, WOU Brandon Williams, CWU
Newcomer of the Year 2002 Anthony Rodriguez, CWU (SS) 2003 Tucker Brack, WOU (2B) 2004 Anthony Isabella, WOU (OF) 2005 Josh Small, CWU (of) 2006 Boo Christenson, WOU (OF) 2007 Nick Ray, NNU (OF) 2008 Dylan Bruck, WOU (OF) 2009 Justin Speer, WOU (OF) 2010 Daniel Dillard, WOU (OF) 2011 Colby Robison, MSUB (SS) 2012 Blake Miller, WOU (SS) 2013 Spenser Watkins, WOU (P) 2014 Cory Welch, CWU (P) Freshman of the Year 2002 Greg McCarthy, WOU (C) 2003 Tyson Burkhart, NNU (OF) 2004 Nick Waechter, WOU (P) 2005 Jamie Nilsen, CWU (SS) 2006 Ryan Brilhante, SMU (OF) 2007 Randy Summers, WOU (3B) 2008 Nate Slonaker, NNU (RP)
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Thomas McCarthy, WOU (1B) Zeb Sneed, NNU (P) Logan Parker, NNU (OF) Chandler Tracy, SMU (C) Kramer Ferrell, CWU (OF) Zack Larsen, SMU (SS)
Coach of the Year 2002 Terry Baumgartner, WOU 2003 Terry Baumgartner, WOU 2004 Terry Baumgartner, WOU 2005 Terry Baumgartner, WOU Desi Storey, CWU 2006 Jeremiah Robbins, WOU 2007 Jeremiah Robbins, WOU 2008 Jeremiah Robbins, WOU 2009 Jeremiah Robbins, WOU 2010 Jeremiah Robbins, WOU 2011 Jeremiah Robbins, WOU 2012 Jeremiah Robbins, WOU 2013 Kellen Walker, WOU 2014 Ken Garland, SMU
