Baseball | 4/2/2014 10:14:00 PM

MONMOUTH, Ore. – At the midway point of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule, the Western Oregon University baseball team sit atop the conference standings with a four-game lead over this week's opponent, Central Washington University.
 
The Wolves (19-11, 12-4 GNAC) travel to CWU for a four-game series Saturday and Sunday. WOU and the Wildcats played a thrilling four-game series to open conference play Feb. 28 and March 1, in Monmouth. Just as it has against all of the GNAC opponents this season, Western Oregon won three of the four games. Each contest was close and featured exciting finishes. Two of the games were decided by one run, with the fourth game being decided in an extra inning.
 
Western Oregon is seeking its 13th straight GNAC regular season title. The Wolves, which has won every GNAC title, also won the inaugural GNAC baseball tournament last season. The top team in the conference standings will serve as the tournament's host again this season May 8-9.
 
The Wolves' Eric Huson remains the conference's earned run average leader. The junior boasts a 1.00 ERA. He has contributed one of WOU's total six shutouts this season, which ranks the fourth in NCAA Div. II. Kody Stone is currently second all-time in the GNAC with 18 career saves, and is six short of the career record of 24 by NNU's Nick Patee (2003-06).
 
At the plate, Daniel McNabb ranks sixth in the conference in batting average at .340, and he and teammate Matt Taylor are tied for No. 2 in the GNAC with 21 RBI apiece.
 
Central Washington (15-12, 8-8 GNAC) has the longest win streak in the conference at three games. The Wildcats took three of four at Saint Martin's last weekend. On the mound, CWU's top pitchers each logged complete games last week as Brandon Williams and Stuart Fewel each pitched the Wildcats to victory.
 
Williams ranks second in the conference in ERA at 2.11, and has struck out 50 batters in 42.2 innings of work so far this season. Fewel was named Red Lion Pitcher of the Week after allowing one earned run in his second complete game of the season to lower his 2014 ERA to 3.49.
 
Kasey Bielec, who is batting a GNAC second-best .393 on the season, also leads the conference with 22 RBI. With zero strikeouts in 23 plate appearances last week, Bielec's GNAC-leading strikeout rate dropped even further to 5.5 percent (six strikeouts in 107 plate appearances). The junior also ranks third across the NCAA Div. II with six sacrifice flies, and his career total of 10 is tied for No. 9 in GNAC history.
 
The Wolves are four wins away from 100 victories against CWU. Western Oregon has won 96 of the 137 all-time meetings against the Wildcats. WOU closed the 2013 regular season by winning three of four in Ellensburg. The 138th meeting between the programs begins at 1 p.m. Saturday. Live stats will be available on WOUWolves.com.