MONMOUTH, Ore. – Coming off of a bye week, the Western Oregon University baseball team is set to host MSU Billings this Friday and Saturday for a four game Great Northwest Athletic Conference series.
WOU is 3-3 and 2-2 in conference play so far in the early season having split with Central Washington last time out in Ellensburg to open GNAC play.
Brothers Derek Maiben and Jacob Maiben are each hitting over .400 to start the season with Derek leading the way with a .478 average. Jacob is right behind at .444. Derek has 11 hits, two doubles and six RBI, while Jacob has eight hits and four RBI. Hunter Johnson has the top average overall on the team hitting .833 in six plate appearances going 5-6 with two doubles, a home run and three RBI in two starts. Blayze Arcano and Justyn Herzog are both hitting .333 with Herzog leading the team with two home runs. Ryan Witt is hitting .429 in three starts and Anthony Zellner also holds a .429 average in two starts. As a team, WOU hits .328 with 63 hits, six doubles, three triples, three home runs and 31 RBI. Opponents are hitting .247 with 42 hits, nine doubles, a triple and 25 RBI.
On the mound, Trae Perkins and Ryan Shipley have a perfect 0.00 ERA. Perkins has tossed three innings with a pair of strikeouts, while Shipley has thrown 1.2 innings and has a strikeout. Logan Hatley has logged the most innings tossing 10 and has a 2.70 ERA in two starts going 1-0 with 12 strikeouts to just three walks. Mike Peterson holds a 3.00 ERA in two starts and nine innings of work, going 1-0 with seven strikeouts to just two walks. Joe Kinsky (four innings, 2.25 ERA), Seth Kuykendall (three innings, 3.00 ERA) and Nick Parr (three innings, 3.00 ERA) gives the Wolves seven pitchers in the early going with a 3.00 ERA or lower. As a staff, the Wolves hold a 4.50 ERA in 46 innings, posting 51 strikeouts to just 21 walks. Opponents have a 5.06 ERA in 48 innings, walking 22 and tallying 37 strikeouts.
WOU leads the GNAC and ranks high nationally in several categories including 28th nationally in batting average (.328), leading the GNAC and 30th nationally in double plays turned per game (0.83), leading the GNAC and 63rd nationally in ERA (4.50), leading the GNAC and 56th nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (8.22), 42nd nationally in on-base percentage (.416), leading the GNAC and 45th nationally in sacrifice flies (6), 58th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.43), leading the GNAC and 61st nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.0), 62nd nationally in triples (3), 26th nationally in triples per game (0.50), leading the GNAC and 41st nationally in WHIP (1.37) and 61st nationally in walks allowed per nine innings (4.11).
Individually, Derek Maiben ranks 70th nationally in batting average (.478). Hatley is second in the GNAC in ERA (2.70). Jacob Maiben is second in the nation and first in the GNAC in hit-by-pitch per game (1.17). Overall on the season, Jacob has been hit seven times which ranks 16th nationally and leads the conference. Jacob also ranks 41st nationally and leads the GNAC in on-base percentage (.615). Derek Maiben is 45th nationally in hits per game (1.83). Herzog ranks 65th nationally in home runs per game (0.40). Connor McCord is tied for 26th nationally in sacrifice flies (2). Perkins and Nathan Bonck are tied for 57th nationally in saves (1). Matthew Dunaway is 16th nationally and leads the GNAC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (11.0) and is 65th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (14.14). Derek Maiben is 39th nationally and leads the GNAC in toughest to strikeout (23.0), 16th nationally and leads the GNAC in triples (2) and 12th nationally and leads the GNAC in triples per game (0.33).
WOU will host MSU Billings for more GNAC games this week as the Yellowjackets are off to a 3-13 overall record and 3-5 mark in GNAC play. They recently took three of four from Saint Martin's after opening the conference slate being swept at Northwest Nazarene. MSU Billings has played 12 of the first 16 games on the road, going 0-10 in true road contests and 0-2 in neutral site games. The series this past weekend against Saint Martin's were the first home games of the year for the 'Jackets.
Daniel Cipriano is off to a blistering start in back-to-back NCBWA and GNAC Player of the Week awards. Overall for the season the slugger is hitting .407 with 11 home runs, six doubles and 30 RBI. Will Riley leads the team with a .438 average, along with five home runs and 14 RBI. Chris Arpan gives the team three regulars in the lineup hitting over .400 sitting a .429 with five home runs and 11 RBI. As a team, the 'Jackets are hitting .311 with 132 hits, 41 home runs, 32 doubles, six triples and 126 RBI.
On the mound, Braelen Pippin holds a 1.42 ERA in 6.1 innings of work. Blake Tritch is next with a 3.37 ERA in 2.2 innings. The best starter ERA of at least two starts is Connor Redmond at 5.50 in four starts and 18 innings. As a staff, MSU Billings has a 11.01 ERA in 117.2 innings.
Last year, the teams played one of the last series of the season before play was suspended meeting up in Monmouth on Feb. 29-Mar. 1, 2020 with the teams splitting the four-game series. WOU rolled to a 11-1 win in the opener and after MSU Billings came back with a 3-1 win, the Wolves took the third game (3-2), before the 'Jackets won the series finale (8-5). Since 2008, WOU has dominated the series holding a 77-33 record, going 35-14 at home and 33-16 on the road. MSU Billings holds a 6-4 record over the last 10 games.
WOU and MSU Billings will begin their four-game series on Friday. The teams will play doubleheaders both Friday and Saturday starting at 1 p.m. each day. Follow along with live video found here and live stats found here.
