Baseball Weekly Notebook
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THIS WEEK IN PACIFIC BASEBALL
PACIFIC VS. OREGON TECH
Game No. 8/Neutral Site Game No. 1
Fri., Feb. 24, 2 p.m., Hilken Community Stadium, Portland
Live Stats:
http://bit.ly/z6MXTG
Live Video:
gocugo.nmtvsports.com
PACIFIC VS. PUGET SOUND
Game No. 9/Neutral Site Game No. 2
Sat., Feb. 25, 10 a.m., Hilken Community Stadium, Portland
Live Stats:
http://bit.ly/z6MXTG
Live Video:
gocugo.nmtvsports.com
PACIFIC AT CONCORDIA
Games No. 10 & 11/Away Games No. 8 & 9
Sun., Feb. 26, 1 p.m., Hilken Community Stadium, Portland
Live Stats:
http://bit.ly/z6MXTG
Live Video:
gocugo.nmtvsports.com
PACIFIC RETURNS TO MAINLAND FOR ANOTHER LONG SERIES
After spending a week in Hawaii and playing seven games against Hawaii Hilo and Hawaii Pacific to open the 2012 season, the Pacific baseball team returns to the Northwest and looks ahead to four games over three days this weekend. The Boxers will play in the Northwest-Cascade Challenge with single games against Oregon Tech on Friday and Puget Sound on Saturday before playing a doubleheader with Concordia (Ore.) on Sunday.
BOXER BYTES
• Pacific went 1-6 on it's seven game road trip to the Big Island and Oahu, going 1-3 against Hawaii Hilo before dropping all three games to an undefeated Hawaii Pacific squad. Both teams are NCAA Division II programs.
•
Chad Fahey earned Pacific's lone win on the trip and finished just one out short of a complete game in the Boxers' 8-6 first game win over Hawaii Hilo on Thursday. In 8.2 innings, Fahey allowed six runs on eight hits with five walks and three stikeouts.
•
Kevin Schwartz led the way for the Boxers at the plate in the seven-game set, batting .400 and going 10 for 25 with two doubles, a triple, six runs batted in and three runs scored. His effort was topped by a 3 for 4 day against Hawaii Hilo on Thursday with a double, a run and three RBI. Schwartz also went 3 for 5 with a RBI and a run in the final game against Hawaii Pacific on Sunday.
•
Jason Sawyer compiled a 1.12 earned run average in eight innings and two games pitched in Hawaii. In his one start in Wednesday's 1-0 second game loss to Hawaii Hilo, Saywer allowed one unearned run on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He appeared in two innings of relief on Sunday against Hawaii Pacific, allowing one earned run on two hits with a strikeout.
•
Logan Moen finished with a .385 batting average in four games, going 5 for 13. His line includes a 2 for 3 effort in the second game against Hawaii Hilo on Wednesday and a 2 for 4 performance against Hawaii Pacific on Sunday with a run and a run batted in.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
OREGON TECH
The Hustlin' Owls, NAIA members of the Cascade Conference, enter the week with a 2-7 record and with a five-game losing streak. Oregon Tech played two games at Westmont on Saturday. They dropped a 5-4 decision in the opener thanks to a three-run eighth inning that brought Westmont back from down 3-2 to taking the lead for good. Kory Locken and Ryan Hayden each had two hits to lead the Owls. Westmont limited Oregon Tech to four hits in a 9-2 victory in the nightcap. Westmont rolled OIT starter Dylan Bedortha for seven runs on 11 hits in 3.2 innings. Four OIT batters each had the hits in the game. Hayden leads Oregon Tech in batting with a .286 average with 10 hits, five runs scored and three RBI. Zack Earle leads the starting pitching staff with a 0-2 record and a 1.59 earned run average. Oregon Tech enters the week with a .209 batting average and the staff boasts a 6.01 earned run average. Matt Miles is in his fifth season as Oregon Tech head coach.
AGAINST BRADLEY: Oregon Tech leads 3-2
LAST MEETING: Pacific won 3-1 in Wilsonville on Feb. 19, 2011
PUGET SOUND
The rival Loggers enter the week with a 2-3-1 record after taking a loss and a tie in a pair of non-conference games with Whitworth on Sunday. The Pirates rolled to a 14-2 victory in the opener, limiting the Loggers to just five hits. Whitworth put the game away late, scoring six runs in both the eighth and ninth innings. Five Puget Sound players registered hits, with Andrew Yu picking up a pair of runs batted in. The Loggers led 7-2 in the sixth inning of the nightcap when Whitworth came back to score two runs in the seventh and three runs in the ninth to force extra innings. The game was called after the 10th inning due to darkness. Will Mentor led the Loggers by going 3 for 5 with two runs and two RBI. Casey Coberly and Christian Carter each had two hits. Mentor leads the Loggers in hitting with a .444 batting average in two games, Lucas Stone is averaging .333 in six games. Nathan Aguilar leads the starting pitching staff with a 2.63 earned run average, allowing just one run in 13.2 innings. As a team, Puget Sound is hitting .219 as a team with a 4.57 earned run average.
Brian Billings is in his 10th year as Puget Sound head coach.
AGAINST BRADLEY: Pacific leads 31-19
LAST MEETING: Puget Sound won 4-1 in Tacoma, Wash., on Apr. 23, 2011
CONCORDIA (ORE.)
The Cavaliers, NAIA members of the Cascade Conference and hosts of this weekend's Northwest-Cascade Challenge, enter the week with a 3-3 record. Concordia last played on Feb. 12, winning a 5-4, 11-inning decision over George Fox at the Lewis-Clark State Tournament. The Cavaliers rallied from a 4-3 deficit to score the tying run in the bottom of the ninth when Mike Dickman singled and then parlayed an error into a run. Dickman also accounted for the winning run when he walked and then scored on a single by Sean Myrom. Jordan Keeker went 5 for 6 to lead Concordia at the plate while Oliver Wange earned the win with four innings of scoreless relief. Concordia's games last weekend against Whitworth and Puget Sound were both rained out. Mike Cero leads the Concordia offense with a .500 average, going 10 for 20 with two doubles, five runs and three RBI. Larsen Kohler leads the starting pitching staff with a 2.08 earned run average and a 1-0 record, allowing three earned runs and 13 hits in 13 innings with six strikeouts. As a team, Concordia is hitting .250 and the staff has a 5.89 earned run average. Former Pacific player and assistant coach Rob Vance is in his 13th season as Concordia head coach. Sunday's games, along with all of the Northwest-Cascade Challenge games, will be played at Concordia's brand new Hilken Community Stadium on the Concordia campus.
AGAINST BRADLEY: Series tied 14-14
LAST MEETING: Pacific lost 8-5 in Portland on Apr. 20, 2011
PACIFIC NEWS & NOTES
MAY THE SCHWARTZ BE WITH YOU: While the Pacific offense struggled in its first seven games of the season,
Kevin Schwartz (Sr., Milwaukie, Ore.) did not have a problem producing. Schwartz led the Boxers with a .400 batting average in seven games, going 10 for 25 with three runs, two doubles, a triple and six runs batted in. In Thursday's first game against Hawaii Hilo, Schwartz went 3 for 4 with a run, a double and three RBI to led the Boxers to their 8-6 win. He capped the week on Sunday with a 3 for 5 effort against Hawaii Pacific, adding a run and a RBI. Schwartz joined
Jared Van Hoon (Sr., Lake Oswego, Ore.) to as the only players to start all seven games in the Islands. He was the only Boxer to start all seven games at the same position, anchoring the team in center field. An Honorable Mention All-NWC selection in 2011, Schwartz led the Boxers with a .343 batting average. He was also a ABCA Rawlings Division III West Region Gold Glove selection, going without an error in 38 games played.
GETTING THE JOB DONE: In his first outing of the 2012 season,
Chad Fahey (Sr., Keizer, Ore.) gave the Boxers the solid outing they needed to pick up their first win of the season. Leading Pacific to their 8-6 win over Hawaii Hilo on Thursday, Fahey allowed six runs on eight hits with five walks and three strikeouts in 8.2 innings of work. He yielded to closer
Nate Rasmussen (Sr., Sandy, Utah) to get the final out and earn Pacific's first save of the year. Fahey also contributed to the Boxers' efforts at the plate, hitting .300 in four games with a double and a run scored. A Second Team All-NWC selection as a starting pitcher last year, Fahey was a key part of the Boxers' solid three-man starting rotation. He finished 4-2 with a 3.07 earned run average with 66 strikeouts in 76.1 innings.
SOPHOMORE SIZZLE: While not picking up the win in a close 1-0 loss to Hawaii Hilo in the second game on Wednesday,
Jason Sawyer (So., Scappoose, Ore.) gave a glimpse of how much growth he has had between his freshman and sophomore seasons. Sawyer allowed just one unearned run on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts in six innings of work, earning credit for the Boxers' first complete game performance of the season. The only run of the game scored in the fourth when the Vulcans' Johnathan James scored on an error. In two appearances in the seven-game Hawaii trip, Sawyer compiled a 1.12 earned run average, allowing one earned run on seven hits in eight innings of work. Sawyer spent much of the 2011 season as the Boxers' No. 2 starter, finishing with a 3-5 record and a 5.79 earned run average.
MOEN THEM DOWN: Seeing action in just four of the seven games in Hawaii did little to keep
Logan Moen (Jr., Brier, Wash.) from showing his potential at the plate. Moen finished with a .385 average in the four games, going 5 for 13 with one run and one run batted in. His first game was the best as Moen went 2 for 3 in the second game against Hawaii Hilo on Wednesday. On Sunday at Hawaii Pacific, Moen went 2 for 4 with a run and a run batted in. Moen finished 2011 as one of the Boxers' top offensive performers, going .280 with 21 hits, 11 runs and 10 RBI.
HOMECOMING: Last week's trip to Hawaii was homecoming for eight players on the Pacific roster who hail from the Islands. Hawaii has been a traditional recruiting ground for Pacific, both on the athletic fields and as part of the general student population. Nearly a third of the undergraduate student body at Pacific is from Hawaii. The list of Pacific baseball players includes NWC Pitcher of the Year
Rob Dittrick (Jr., Mililani, Hawaii),
Anson Arakaki (Jr., Hilo, Hawaii),
Michael Arakaki (Jr., Mililani, Hawaii),
Grant Gabriel (So., Honolulu, Hawaii),
Mike Nagamine (Sr., Aiea, Hawaii),
Brett Nakasone (Jr., Wahiawa, Hawaii),
Nick Tasaka (Jr., Hawaii Kai, Hawaii) and
Rylan Tomita (Jr., Honolulu, Hawaii).
NEWCOMERS: The Hawaii trip also served as a proving ground for the Pacific coaching staff to find the right combination of players before they enter the Northwest Conference schedule. Seven of the Boxers' nine newcomers saw action in at least one game during the seven-game stretch.
Donnie Bradley (Fr., Beaverton, Ore.) saw the most action, playin in five games with four starts at outfield and second base.
Jordan Siu (Jr., Redmond, Wash.) started four games at catcher, splitting time with
Conor Clark (Jr., Tigard, Ore.).
SEASON PREVIEW: The complete 2012 Pacific baseball season preview can be
Found Here.
PACIFIC PICKED FOURTH IN PRESEASON POLL: After their breakout season in 2011, Northwest Conference coaches have picked the Boxers to finish four in 2012 according to the preseason poll released in January. Pacific picked up 42 of a possible 80 points in the poll. The Boxers finished tied for third last year with Pacific Lutheran, who is picked to finish third once again. Linfield, which advanced to the NCAA Division III World Series, is picked to repeat as NWC champion in 2012, collecting 72 points and eight of nine first place votes. Perennial NWC power George Fox is picked second with 52 points.
View Complete Poll
