Willamette to Take on Pacific in NWC Series at John Lewis Field

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

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University will host Pacific University in three Northwest Conference baseball games this weekend. The teams are scheduled to play one game on Friday, April 3 at 3 p.m. (PDT), followed by a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 4. All three games will be played at John Lewis Field.

The Bearcats are 18-7 on the season, including 10-6 (3rd place tie) in the NWC. Pacific is 9-16 overall, 5-10 in the NWC (7th place).

Willamette returns to NWC action after defeating crosstown rival Corban University, 5-2, on Tuesday, March 31. Rolenn Himuro (Sr., CF, Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) hit a triple, while Tiras Koon (Sr., 1B, Honolulu, HI/Iolani School) and Gordie Clary (Jr., RF/RHP, Vacaville, CA/Vacaville HS) each smacked a double for the Bearcats.

In WU's last conference game, the Bearcats defeated archrival Linfield College, 4-2, in McMinnville, Oregon. Jackson Watt (Jr., RHP, Rocklin, CA/Whitney HS) pitched a complete game, allowing just six hits and two walks, while striking out two batters. Koon provided the big hit of the game, a three-run homer in the sixth inning that gave Willamette a 4-0 lead.

Koon is Willamette's leading hitter for the season with a .359 batting average (28 of 78). He also ranks first on the roster with 23 RBIs, 14 walks, five home runs and a .615 slugging percentage. He is tied for the team lead with 19 runs.

Mason Fessler (Fr., INF, Woodburn, OR/Blanchet Catholic School) has surged up the offensive chart and is currently hitting .333 (17 of 51). He has walked 10 times and has driven in 10 runs. Fessler owns a team-leading .423 batting average (11 of 26) in NWC games.

Also hitting above .300 for the Bearcats are Troy Conway (Fr., 2B, Moorpark, CA/Moorpark HS), Hunter Gallant (Sr., 3B, Rescue, CA/Ponderosa HS) and Himuro. Conway's batting average is .329, with 15 runs and nine RBIs. He is 6 for 6 on stolen bases. Gallant is hitting .326 with 19 runs, six doubles and 21 RBIs. Himuro has batted .316 with 18 runs, 10 walks, five doubles and 12 RBIs.

Clary holds a .294 average. He leads WU with seven doubles and has scored 10 runs.

Willamette's primary starters have earned a combined record of 11-5 this season. Connor Loar (Fr., RHP, Danville, CA/San Ramon Valley HS) is 4-2 with a 2.72 earned run average in 43 innings, while Peter Hoffman (Sr., RHP, Hayden, ID/Lake City HS) is 3-1 and owns a 2.81 ERA in 41 2/3 innings. Watt has achieved a 4.2 record and a 3.09 ERA while throwing 55 1/3 innings.

Watt leads Willamette and is tied for third in the NWC with 44 strikeouts. Hoffman has struck out 32 batters and Loar has fanned 27. Overall, Bearcats pitchers have registered 162 strikeouts and give up only 59 walks in 224 innings. WU has attained a 3.17 ERA, which ranks third in the NWC.

Reliever Andrew Koumelis (Jr., LHP, Roseville, CA/Jesuit HS/Sacramento City College) has a team-low 1.12 ERA and has provided WU with a 2-0 record and three saves in nine appearances. He has struck out 10 batters in 16 innings.

Pacific has achieved a team batting average of .254, while the Boxers' opponents have hit .300 for the season. Josh Keithly (So., 1B) leads the Boxers with a .320 average (16 of 50). He has recorded a team-high 135 putouts on defense at first base. Ben Duerr (Jr., OF) is batting .309 (29 of 94) and has scored 15 runs to go along with 16 RBIs.

Cole Kanazawa (FR., IP/P) provides a .296 batting average and has scored six runs, while supplying six RBIs. Donnie Bradley (Sr., IF/OF) is hitting .291 and leads the team with 16 runs scored. He has driven in 11 runs. Walker Olis (Jr., OF/P) is hitting .289 with 15 runs and a team-high 17 RBIs. he also leads Pacific with six doubles and three homers.

Nathan Suyematsu (Jr., SS/RHP) owns a .281 batting average with 11 runs and seven RBIs. He leads the defense with 73 assists.

Suyematsu also tops the Boxers' pitching staff with a 2.86 ERA. He has made six appearances and four starts, while contributing a 2-2 record. He has earned 16 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings. Suyematsu pitched all nine innings in Pacific's 3-2 win over Linfield on March 22, as the Boxers avoided a seep after losing 5-2 and 8-3 on March 21.

Kyle Treadway (Sr., RHP) has a 3.40 ERA and a 3-4 record in seven appearances covering 50 1/3 innings. He leads the team with 23 strikeouts. He took the loss in the first game against Linfield despite pitching all nine innings.

Joey Angyus (Fr., RHP) is 1-1 with a 1.88 ERA in 24 innings pitched. He has struck out 15 batters and has held opponents to a .193 batting average. Another freshman, Cody Ahlgrimm (RHP) has allowed opponents a stingy .176 batting average. Ahlbrimm has walked 11 batters and registered a 5.23 ERA in eight appearances spanning 10 1/3 innings.

Other top pitchers are Tyler Kotchik (Sr., LHP) and Colin McCusker (Sr., LHP). Kotchik has provided a 5.50 ERA, four saves and a 0-1 record in 10 trips to the mound. McCusker is 1-2 with a 6.57 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings.