BB: NWC: Northwest Conference

Started by Tezbaseball, December 30, 2005, 06:53:46 PM

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NWBaseballFan10

Cats hitting .252 as a team and the bullpen has a 4.42 ERA in league play...not championship-quality numbers. On the bright side, we are still in the mix :o

On a different note, the conference player of the year award is wide-open as well. Favorites here at the halfway point should include:

Josh Davis (Whitworth) - .447 avg, 3 HR's, 12 RBI's
Zach Rapacz (Fox) - .426 avg, 3 HR's, 14 RBI's
Conor Savage (UPS) - .418 avg, 10 RBI's, 18 runs
Tiras Koon (Willamette) - .395 avg, 4 HR's, 10 RBI's

Pitcher of the Year-

Garret Brown (PLU) - 3-0, 1.27 ERA, 10.55 K/G
Dan Scheibe (Whitworth) - 3-1, 2.60 ERA, 9.76 K/G
Chris Haddeland (Linfield) - 3-0, 2.25 ERA, 2 CG's, 6.47 K/G
Taylor Dunn (Fox) - 1-0, 1.59 ERA, 2 CG's, 7.31 K/G

WestisBest

4 weeks left and it promises to be a wild ride to the finish line. It's kinda hard to figure out which of the six teams currently bunched atop the conference will make the postseason tourney. Based on what I've seen so far, here are my thoughts.

1. Linfield is not very good.  Call them young. Call them inexperienced.  But I them average. They lost to Pacific and Lewis & Clark after all.  Big series next weekend against Willamette.
2. PLU has very good pitching.  The offense is pretty good as well.  This team seems like the most balanced of the group and, for my money, is most likely to emerge as the regular season champ and host the tourney.
3.  UPS is still a mystery.  Whitworth shut down their offense and the pitching was decidedly sub-par.  I think the offense hit a bump in the road and will return. But the pitching is the key to the Loggers' postseason hopes.
4.  Whitworth seems to be playing consistent baseball.  Hitting it well, pitching it well and they seem to be getting more confident each weekend.
5.  Willamette has been unimpressive so far. Of the teams they've played this year, only PLU has a winning record.  The other 5 teams? A combined 30-81.  Their schedule is backloaded with the better teams and that's where we'll see if the Bearcats are a contender or pretender.
6.  George Fox I haven't seen this year so I can't offer an opinion. Looking at their stats, the offense is very much middle of the road, while the pitching looks to be average,  They lost 2 of 3 to both Whitworth and Willamette.  Crucial series this weekend vs. PLU

So, based on those observations, I'm guessing that PLU and Whitworth are good bets for the tourney, with the other four teams fighting for the last two spots.   

WestisBest

Fan10, I like your list of potential award candidates, and I'd add these comments.

For POY, any of the three PLU starters could emerge and claim the award. All are solid and all have very good conference numbers - Rossman, Brown and Bishop.

As for hitters, I think this is a race between Davis, Savage and Rapacz; although Condreay of Whitworth could also be a viable candidate before too long. What I like about Condreay and Savage is that between them, they only have 3 strikeouts in conference play.

wildcat11

Great Saturday sweep for Linfield today vs Willamette.  Now let's see if the 'Cats can come out of their game 3 blues tomorrow.

Westside

How about Puget Sound today? Walk off inside-the-park, two-run home run to win game one against Whitman. They follow it up with an extra inning, walk off solo bomb in the second game. Clutch.

Whitworth all of a sudden the front runner... They still have Willamette and Linfield on the schedule, but they look pretty solid.

Tomorrow is a big day, as is every day going forward.
NWC Baseball

WestisBest

We still don't know what to make of the league race with three weekends left. But, here's what we do know:

Whitworth controls its own destiny. With remaining series against Linfield and Willamette sandwiched around a series vs. Pacific, the Pirates will play a major factor in determining who the final 4 teams are for the conference tourney. But, because they lost the series against PLU, Whitworth doesn't have much margin for error if it wants to host the tournament. If it finishes in a tie with PLU atop the conference, presumably PLU would host based on its series win.

Actually, PLU may be in the best position to claim the conference crown.  It has won every series to date and has only UPS and L&C remaining. The way the season has gone, all those series victories may be the difference between hosting the tournament and travelling somewhere. But, even though PLU is playing well right now, they cannot afford a letdown; they are only one loss out of the no. 5 spot.

If Puget Sound makes it to the tournament, it will have earned its way in. The Loggers finish with George Fox and PLU, with a mid-week doubleheader against Willamette in between the two series.  Those are the make up games from the rain out two weeks ago.  Like Whitworth, UPS will play a significant role in determining the tournament participants - even if the Loggers aren't one of the final 4.

Linfield and George Fox are on the outside looking in right now, and both control their own fates.  But, neither can afford to drop a game in each remaining series and hope to reach postseason play. These two teams finish conference play against one another and it's possible - even likely - that for one of those teams to reach the tournament, it'll need to sweep that series.

NWBaseballFan10

Weekend Preview/Predictions:

Whitworth vs. Linfield (Cats take 2 of 3) - Critical weekend for Linfield as a series loss will likely pull the plug on their postseason chances. Game 1 will feature IMO the top conference pitcher of the year candidates in Scheibe and Haddeland. I think the Cats sweep this afternoon, but the game 3 woes will continue. I don't see either team getting a full sweep this weekend.

Pacific vs. Willamette (Bearcats take 2 of 3) - Pacific is a feisty group that is more than capable of stealing a game against Willamette. The Bearcats will need to win the series to keep their postseason hopes alive, especially considering they won't hold the tiebreaker over Linfield following their series loss last weekend.

UPS vs. Fox (Fox takes 2 of 3) - This series was a complete toss up. You have UPS who is 2-6 in their last 8 games and Fox is 3-7 over their last 10 games. I like Fox's starting pitching, but UPS boasts the top offense in the NWC statistically. I'm biased towards pitching and defense so Fox got the nod from me.

Whitman vs. L&C (Whitman sweeps) - I wouldn't be surprised if the Pios snag a game, but Whitman appears to be playing well of late following a win and two close losses to UPS. Last place cellar on the line, sorry Pios, but this will likely not be your year to make it out of there (Pios have finished last in conference every year since 2010).

PLU off

WestisBest

Ok, can't stand it; I've got to weigh in with my weekend predictions.

Whitworth takes 2 from linfield. The Pirates are playing with confidence and linfield has been too inconsistent.

I don't believe I'm pacific. Willamette takes all 3.

Loggers have a much better offense than Bruins. And fox's pitching doesn't awe me. UPS takes 2 of 3.

Whitman is playing solid ball right now. But because they've traveled this weekend, I don't think they sweep. Missionaries win 2 of 3.

Regardless of these predictions, the conference race will still be very exciting these last 3 weeks.

Westside

Linfield takes game one over Whitworth, 4-0. Haddeland goes complete game; seven strikeouts, no walks, just four singles allowed.

Haddeland now has complete game shutouts against Whitworth, PLU, and Willamette (the top 3 teams in the standings). Not bad.
NWC Baseball

NWBaseballFan10

Quote from: Westside on April 03, 2015, 04:57:10 PM
Linfield takes game one over Whitworth, 4-0. Haddeland goes complete game; seven strikeouts, no walks, just four singles allowed.

Haddeland now has complete game shutouts against Whitworth, PLU, and Willamette (the top 3 teams in the standings). Not bad.

Haddeland's performance this afternoon should push him back to the top of the NWC Pitcher of the Year conversation. 6 starts, 4 CG's, 5-0 record, 1.44 ERA, and a 35:4 K/BB ratio. His only competition will come from Rossman and Bishop from PLU and the fact that Linfield is sitting in 5th place, but still 2 weeks left of conference play for that to change.

wildcat11

'Cats now up 7-0 on Whitworth in game two in the top of the 7th.

WestisBest

Unbelievable. McMinnville and newberg are only 12 miles apart and Fox-UPS in game 1 rain delay top of first

Westside

Quote from: WestisBest on April 03, 2015, 06:43:14 PM
Unbelievable. McMinnville and newberg are only 12 miles apart and Fox-UPS in game 1 rain delay top of first

Linfield is playing in Spokane in case you thought they were in McMinnville this weekend.
NWC Baseball

WestisBest

HAHAHA well that explains the fast pace of the whit/linfield games!!

Westside

Thomassen follows up with his own complete game shutout, Cats win 9-0. And the conference race is even more muddled now!

Huge day for the two senior pitchers.

Haddeland:9 IP, 7 K, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 H
Thomassen: 9 IP, 9 K, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 H
NWC Baseball