Thursday, April 25, 2024
by Thomas Lal
PORTLAND, Ore. – Just one postseason place is up for grabs as two teams have already secured their place in the 2024 GNAC Baseball Championships heading into the penultimate week of the regular season schedule.
First-place Northwest Nazarene and second-place Western Oregon already know that they will be playing baseball come the second week of May as they clinched spots in the GNAC Championships by sweeping their series last week. The No. 23 Nighthawks come into the week looking to cement their place as the regular season champion as they travel to face Saint Martin’s for the Saints’ final conference games of the season while the Wolves will have to watch and wait through their bye week before taking the field again in Billings on May 2.
Central Washington leads the charge for the final spot in the conference tournament coming into the week as it prepares to host the Yellowjackets. The Wildcats come into the series on the heels of splitting a pair of non-conference games against Eastern Oregon last week while the ‘Jackets are looking to bounce back from a sweep at the hands of Northwest Nazarene.
GNAC Baseball Schedule - April 26-28
|
Host
|
Opponent |
Day(s)
|
Saint Martin's |
#23 Northwest Nazarene, Pacific Lutheran |
Friday/Saturday, Sunday |
Central Washington |
Montana State Billings |
Friday/Saturday |
View the complete 2024 GNAC baseball schedule online here.
GNAC Baseball Standings As Of Wednesday, April 17
|
Team
|
GNAC Record
|
Overall Record
|
GNAC Win Percentage |
Overall Win Percentage
|
Streak
|
*NNU |
17-7 |
27-10-1 |
.708 |
.727 |
W4 |
*WOU |
18-10 |
24-18 |
.643 |
.571 |
W4 |
CWU |
13-11 |
19-21 |
.542 |
.475 |
L1 |
SMU |
9-19 |
15-30 |
.321 |
.333 |
L4 |
MSUB |
7-17 |
13-29 |
.292 |
.310 |
L5 |
2024 GNAC Baseball Championships
|
The 2024 GNAC Baseball Championships will be held May 9-10 at Dehler Park in Billings Mont., and will be hosted by Montana State University Billings. The top three teams in the final GNAC regular-season standings by win percentage will advance to the tournament. The winner of the event will earn the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA West Region Championships.
GNAC in the National & Regional Rankings
|
This week marks the first NCAA West Region Rankings with teams in the running alphabetically ordered. Both Northwest Nazarene and Western Oregon appear in the initial selections after sweeping their series last week to secure their place in the GNAC Championships. The Nighthawks remain at No. 23 in the NCBWA national rankings and No. 3 in the NCBWA regional rankings while the Wolves moved up one place to No. 8 in the NCBWA west region rankings.
NCAA West Region Rankings
|
Poll |
Team 1 |
Team 2 |
Team 3 |
Team 4 |
April 21 |
NNU |
WOU |
-- |
-- |
Poll |
Team 1 |
Team 2 |
Team 3 |
Team 4 |
Preseason |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Feb. 14 |
RV NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Feb. 21 |
19. NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Feb. 28 |
10. NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
March 6 |
12. NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
March 13 |
14. NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
March 20 |
12. NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
March 27 |
11. NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
April 3 |
10. NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
April 10 |
21. NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
April 17 |
23. NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
April 24 |
23. NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
NCBWA West Region Rankings
|
Poll |
Team 1 |
Team 2 |
Team 3 |
Team 4 |
Preseason |
6. WOU |
9. WWU |
RV MSUB |
-- |
Feb. 12 |
4. NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Feb. 19 |
3. NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Feb. 26 |
2. NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
March 4 |
2. NNU |
-- |
-- |
-- |
March 11 |
2. NNU |
RV CWU |
-- |
-- |
March 18 |
2. NNU |
RV CWU |
-- |
-- |
March 25 |
2. NNU |
RV CWU |
-- |
-- |
April 1 |
2. NNU |
RV CWU |
-- |
-- |
April 8 |
3. NNU |
9. WOU |
-- |
-- |
April 15 |
3. NNU |
9. WOU |
-- |
-- |
April 22 |
3. NNU |
8. WOU |
-- |
-- |
GNAC Baseball in the NCAA Statistical Rankings
|
Through games on April 24.
Team Rankings (Top-30)
Complete Games: 3. SMU, 8; 8. CWU, 7
Double Plays: 22. MSUB, 36
Double Plays Per Game: 16. MSUB, 0.86; 24. NNU, 0.84
ERA: 18. WOU, 4.16
Fielding Percentage: 21. WOU, .972; 24. NNU, .972
Hits Allowed Per Nine Innings: 13. WOU, 8.08
Sacrifice Bunts: 27. CWU, 33; 30. WOU, 31
Shutouts: 29. CWU, 3; 29. WOU, 3
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio: 11. NNU, 2.63; 27. WOU, 2.29; 30. CWU, 2.26
Triples: 15. WOU, 16; 24. MSUB, 15
Triples Per Game: 15. WOU, 0.38; 22. MSUB, 0.36
WHIP: 7. WOU, 1.26; 14. NNU, 1.33
Win-Loss Percentage: 21. NNU, .724
Walks Allowed Per Nine Innings: 3. NNU, 2.43; 5. CWU, 2.95; 14. WOU, 3.26
Individual Rankings (Top-30)
Complete Games: 3. Daniel Charron, CWU, 5; 7. Justice Yamashita, SMU, 4; 19. Colin Driscoll, SMU, 3
Hit Batters: 2. Cole Hatton, SMU, 22
Hit By Pitch Per Game: 30. Justyn Herzog, WOU, 0.41
Hit By Pitch: 27. Justyn Herzog, WOU, 17
Hits Per Game: 24. Ben Leid, CWU, 1.62
Sacrifice Bunts: 3. Carter Walsh, NNU, 11; 15. Emiliano Alarcon, WOU, 9
Sacrifice Bunts Per Game: 1. Carter Walsh, NNU, 0.29; 26. Emiliano Alarcon, WOU, 0.21
Saves: 17. Wade Duncan, NNU, 7
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio: 6. Kyle Ethridge, NNU, 7.33; 11. Logan Pierce, CWU, 6.67
Triples: 16. Owen Bischoff, WOU, 5; 16. Curran Mitzel, WOU, 5
Triples Per Game: 27. Owen Bischoff, WOU, 0.12; 27. Curran Mitzel, WOU, 0.12
WHIP: 11. Kyle Ethridge, NNU, 0.97; 25. Colin Driscoll, SMU, 1.03
Walks Allowed Per Nine Innings: 1. Logan Pierce, CWU, 0.52; 5. Kyle Ethridge, NNU, 0.93; 17. Kailer Saunders, NNU, 1.31
2024 Baseball Players of the Week
|
Date |
Player of the Week |
Feb. 5 |
Austin Schaler, Saint Martin's |
Feb. 12 |
Jack Nehler, Montana State Billings |
Feb.19 |
Andrew Sharp, Central Washington |
Feb. 26 |
Kaden Kirshenbaum, Montana State Billings |
March 4 |
Austin Ohland, Central Washington |
March 11 |
Justyn Herzog, Western Oregon |
March 18 |
Carter Walsh, Northwest Nazarene |
March 25 |
Trevor Tishenkel, Northwest Nazarene |
April 1 |
Randy Stultz, Western Oregon |
April 8 |
Ryan McCarthy, Central Washington |
April 15 |
Ben Leid, Central Washington |
April 22 |
Duke Pahukoa, Northwest Nazarene |
Player of the Week - Duke Pahukoa, Northwest Nazarene
Third-career player of the week – first this season.
Pahukoa helped the Nighthawks sweep Montana State Billings last week, posting a slash line of .500/.526/.812. He had multiple RBIs in three of his team’s four victories, as he steadily contributed in clutch situations throughout the weekend. Pahukoa totaled six RBIs, seven runs scored, a pair of doubles and his team-leading seventh home run of the season.
“Duke played a big role in each of our wins last weekend,” said NNU head coach Joe Schaefer. “He came up with big at-bats all weekend long. Whether it was driving in runs or just moving runners, he did his job all weekend.”
Also Nominated: Austin Ohland, CWU; Jack Nehler, MSUB; Randy Stultz, WOU.
2024 Baseball Pitchers of the Week
|
Date |
Pitcher of the Week |
Feb. 5 |
Jackson Betancourt, Montana State Billings |
Feb. 12 |
Jonathan Zayas, Northwest Nazarene |
Feb. 19 |
Kailer Saunders, Northwest Nazarene |
Feb. 26 |
Arturo Alvarez, Western Oregon |
March 4 |
Kyle Ethridge, Northwest Nazarene |
March 11 |
Daniel Charron, Central Washington |
March 18 |
Justice Yamashita, Saint Martin's |
March 25 |
Cy Miller, Montana State Billings |
April 1 |
Bryce Bond, Western Oregon |
April 8 |
Jonathan Garza II, Central Washington |
April 15 |
Beau Burnett, Montana State Billings |
April 22 |
Arturo Alvarez, Western Oregon |
Pitcher of the Week - Arturo Alvarez, Western Oregon
Fourth-career player of the week – second this season.
Alvarez put forth a dominant performance in the Wolves’ 8-1 victory over Saint Martin’s, striking out four hitters and walking none across eight stellar innings. The lone run Alvarez allowed was unearned, as he allowed just two Saints to reach scoring position. Alvarez’s defense turned an inning-ending double play in the fourth, sparking a string of 11 consecutive hitters the righty retired towards the end of his outing.
“Arturo had a quality start that helped us clinch a series win,” said WOU head coach Kellen Walker. “It helped keep our bullpen in a good spot going into the fourth game.”
Also Nominated: Jonathan Garza II, CWU; Cole Bertram, MSUB; Kyle Ethridge, NNU
2024 NCBWA Regional Players of the Week
|
Date |
Pitcher of the Week |
Feb. 27 |
Kaden Kirshenbaum, Montana State Billigs |
April 16 |
Ben Leid, Central Washington |
2024 NCBWA Regional Pitchers of the Week
|
Date |
Pitcher of the Week |
Feb. 13 |
Jonathan Zayas, Northwest Nazarene |
March 5 |
Kyle Ethridge, Northwest Nazarene |
March 12 |
Daniel Charron, Central Washington |
April 9 |
Jonathan Garza II, Central Washington |
April 23 |
Arturo Alvarez, Western Oregon |
2024 NCBWA National Pitchers of the Week
|
Date |
Pitcher of the Week |
Feb. 14 |
Jonathan Zayas, Northwest Nazarene |
2023-24 GNAC PRESEASON BASEBALL COACHES POLL
|
Rank |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
2023 |
GNAC Record (Finish) |
Points |
1. |
Western Oregon (2) |
30-15 |
20-9 (1st) |
21 |
2. |
Northwest Nazarene (1) |
24-29 |
17-15 (2nd) |
20 |
T3. |
Central Washington (1) |
22-29 |
16-15 (3rd) |
13 |
T3. |
Montana State Billings (1) |
21-27 |
12-18 (4th) |
13 |
5. |
Saint Martin's |
15-29 |
11-19 (5th) |
8 |
Points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis.