Koon Earns NWC Honor as Baseball Hitter Student-Athlete of the Week

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University catcher Tiras Koon (Jr., Honolulu, HI/Iolani School) has been selected as the Northwest Conference Baseball Hitter Student-Athlete of the Week for his efforts in the Bearcats' three-game series against #1-ranked Linfield College, March 7-8 in McMinnville, Ore.

Koon hit .429 (3 for 7) against the Wildcats, including a three-run homer in Willamette's 7-3 win in the second game of the series. In the first game of the weekend on Friday, March 7, Koon provided the Bearcats with a pinch-hit walk.

During the second game, which opened a doubleheader on Saturday, March 8, he went 2 for 3 for the Bearcats. He smacked his three-run homer to right field with two outs in the top of the eighth inning to give Willamette a 4-1 lead. In the third game, Koon was 1 for 4 at the plate.

Overall, he achieved an .857 slugging percentage and a .556 on-base percentage against Linfield, while earning three RBIs and scoring one run.

Koon is Willamette's top hitter this season with a .313 batting average and a team-high 12 RBIs. He has pounded out 55 hits during his career, including nine doubles, three triples and four home runs.

Linfield, ranked #1 in the D3baseball.com Top 25, won two of three games in the series. The Wildcats took the first game and the third game by identical scores of 5-2.

Willamette is 7-8 on the season, including 1-4 in the NWC. The Bearcats will host NWC rival George Fox University on Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 16 at John Lewis Field. The series will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 12 p.m. (PDT). Willamette and GFU will complete the series with a single game on Sunday at 12 p.m.