Willamette to Start NWC Schedule with Home Games against Whitman

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

SALEM, ORE. -- After starting the season with seven consecutive non-conference wins, the Willamette University baseball team will open the 2015 Northwest Conference schedule by hosting Whitman College in a three-game series at John Lewis Field on Saturday, Feb. 21 and Sunday, Feb. 22.

Willamette and Whitman will open the series with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 11 a.m. (PST). The teams will conclude the series with a single game on Sunday starting at 12 p.m.

The Bearcats, 7-0, have received strong pitching so far this season for a 2.71 team earned run average. Likely starters on the mound for Willamette this weekend are Jackson Watt (Jr., RHP, Rocklin, CA/Whitney HS), Connor Loar (Fr., RHP, Danville, CA/San Ramon Valley HS) and Peter Hoffman (Sr., RHP, Hayden, ID/Lake City HS).

Watt owns a 0.56 ERA with 19 strikeouts and just two walks in 16 innings pitched. He threw a complete game with nine strikeouts in WU's 2-1 win over Lewis & Clark College at Wilsonville High School on Feb. 14. Hoffman holds a 1.50 ERA and has struck out 14 batters in 12 innings. Loar has a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings to go along with seven strikeouts.

Earlier this week, Watt was named NWC Baseball Pitcher Student-Athlete of the Week and was named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week.

Relief pitcher Lucas Still (Fr., RHP, Sacramento, CA/Christian Brothers HS) has a 0.00 ERA with two saves in three innings pitched. He earned one save against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) and one save against L&C.

Gordie Clary (Jr., UT, Vacaville, CA/Vacaville HS) is at the top of WU's batting chart with a .409 average (9 for 22). He has scored five runs and recorded five RBIs, while hitting three doubles and one triple. Troy Conway (Fr., INF, Moorpark, CA/Moorpark HS) follows with a .357 batting average and six runs scored.

Tiras Koon (Sr., 1B, Honolulu, HI/Iolani School) is hitting .346 with six runs and a team-high four doubles. He leads the Bearcats with seven walks and is second on the roster with nine RBIs. Austin Hagarty (Jr., 2B, Roseville, CA/Woodcreek HS) and Aaron Fong (Fr., INF, Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) are both batting .333.

Also hitting over .300 is Rolenn Himuro (Sr., OF, Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) at .304. Himuro has scored five runs and driven in five runs. Hunter Gallant (Sr., 3B/SS, Rescue, CA/Ponderosa HS) is batting .296 and leads the team with seven runs scored and 10 RBIs.

Willamette has outscored its opponents 52-26 and owns a 25-11 advantage in extra-base hits. The Bearcats have pounded out 19 doubles, five triples and one home run while playing in two very large ballparks.

Whitman is 1-3 on the season. The Missionaries lost to the University of Texas at Dallas, split two games against the University of Dallas, and fell to Hardin-Simmons University (Texas).

Adrian Vela (Fr., IF) leads Whitman on offense with a .375 batting average. He is 6 for 16 at the plate with three doubles and three RBIs. Paul Heywood (Jr., IF) is hitting .353, while Joseph Zimmer (Fr., IF) is batting .308.

The Missionaries are hitting just .238 as a team, but have limited opponents to a .257 batting average. Whitman has been outscored 22-9. Jonny Chow (Sr., OF) and Anthony Lim (Fr., IF/OF) are tied for the team lead with two runs each.

Robert Maislin (Jr., RHP) is 1-0 on the mound with a 1.12 ERA. He leads the pitching staff with eight innings pitched. Will Thompson (Sr., RHP) has not recorded a decision, but pitched the first seven innings in a 2-1 loss to Hardin-Simmons, while giving up just one run and six hits. He has a 1.29 ERA with 11 strikeouts.

John Lyon (Fr., LHP/1B) tops the squad with a 0.00 ERA in three innings pitched. Opponents are hitting just .179 against Maislin and .182 versus Lyon.

In other NWC action this weekend, George Fox University is at Pacific University, University of Puget Sound is playing at Lewis & Clark, and Pacific Lutheran University is at Linfield College. Each series is scheduled for three games. Whitworth University is playing a three-game non-conference series at Schreiner University (Texas).