George Fox Picked to Take Over the Top of NWC Baseball Standings
Spokane, Wash. — George Fox University, which has won or shared the last four Northwest Conference baseball titles, is a strong favorite to repeat as league champions in 2005, according to a preseason poll of conference coaches.
The Bruins picked up six out of nine first place votes to total 83 out of 90 possible poll points. George Fox returns three First Team All-Northwest Conference selections from 2005, including Co-NWC pitcher of the year Derrick Jones, second baseman CR Braniff and outfielder Drew Johnson. George Fox tied Linfield College for the Northwest Conference title in 2005, but did not receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament based on head to head results against the Wildcats. Fox was not awarded an at-large spot in the tournament, despite winning the NCAA Division III Championship in 2004.
Linfield picked up two first place votes to finish with 74 points in the poll. The two-time NWC co-champions with George Fox, the Wildcats must replace NWC player of the year Tommy Paterson, as well as Co-NWC pitcher of the year Alex Justus. But the Wildcats do return all-conference DH John Dailey.
Pacific Lutheran University was third in the poll with one first place vote and 63 points. The Lutes, who finished only one game out of first place last year, will rely on All-NWC catcher David Fox.
Whitworth College (49 points), Pacific University (46), and Willamette University (43) finished fourth through sixth in the poll, respectively, separated by only six points. Whitworth has Second Team All-NWC pitcher Cody Person back again, while Pacific returns All-NWC first baseman Matt McCord.
The University of Puget Sound was sixth in the poll with 34 points, followed by Whitman College (14) and Lewis & Clark College (13).
here's the link.
http://www.nwcsports.com/sports/Baseball/06BBpoll.htm
