Willamette Baseball Series at Linfield is Moved to Friday and Saturday

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- The Northwest Conference baseball series for Willamette University at Linfield University has been moved because of the weather to a single game on Friday, April 14 and a doubleheader on Saturday, April 15, with all three games played at Roy Helser Field in McMinnville, Oregon. The game on Friday will begin at 4 p.m. (PDT) and the doubleheader on Saturday will start at 12 p.m. Willamette and the Wildcats were previously scheduled to play two games on Saturday and one game on Sunday.

Willamette is 19-9 overall and 14-7 in the NWC. The Bearcats, who are in second place in the NWC standings, have clinched a berth in the 2023 NWC Baseball Tournament, set for April 21-23 in Forest Grove, Oregon. Linfield enters the series at 10-23 on the season, 6-15 in the NWC.

Jonny Suchor (Sr., OF, Boulder, CO/Boulder HS) tops the Willamette offensive chart with a .386 batting average. He is third on the team with 25 runs scored. Luke Werkmeister-Martin (Sr., 1B, Louisville, CO/Monarch HS) is batting .327 on the season and is tied for the team lead with 23 RBIs. Jeff Hoffman (Jr., 3B, Salida, CA/Joseph A. Grigori HS) ranks first on the team with 31 runs scored and seven home runs, and is tied for the lead with six doubles.

On the pitching staff, Logan Haslam (Jr., RHP, San Ramon, CA/California HS) leads the Bearcats with a 3.10 earned run average in 12 relief appearances. Pruitt Spritzer (Sr., RHP, Missouri City, TX/Strake Jesuit College Prep) is 6-0 on the season with 17 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched. Brady Joyner (Jr., RHP, Las Vegas, NV/Shadow Ridge HS) tops the nation in NCAA Division III with eight saves. He has registered 25 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings pitched.