MONMOUTH, Ore. – Coming off of a series win, the Western Oregon University baseball team will look to keep the momentum going this week when they host Saint Martin's in a four-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference series Friday and Saturday.
WOU (6-4, 5-3 GNAC) put together a solid series this past week at home winning the series 3-1 over Montana State Billings. The Wolves swept the doubleheader on Friday by scores of 9-2 and 5-1 and then won the series finale, 7-1. Mike Peterson, Matthew Dunaway and Nick Parr combined to throw 16 innings and allowed just three earned runs in their starts with each picking up the win.
As a staff, the Wolves have both Ryan Shipley and Alan Vasquez with 0.00 ERA as Shipley has worked 3.2 innings and Vasquez at 1.0. Trae Perkins adds a 1.50 ERA in six innings, having recorded two saves. Parr checks in with a 2.25 ERA in eight innings, collecting 11 strikeouts and is 1-0. Peterson is at 2.40 with a 2-0 record in 15 innings of work. Dunaway adds a 3.75 ERA in 12 innings of work, going 1-1 with a team-best 21 strikeouts. Logan Hatley is right behind in the strikeout category posting 18 punchouts. As a staff, WOU has a 4.96 ERA in 78 innings of work, tallying 83 strikeouts to just 34 walks.
The offense came through with several key hits as Connor McCord had six hits and six RBI in the series, including a three-hit game in the opener. Derek Maiben leads the way with a .457 batting average, coming away with 16 hits, two triples, a double and seven RBI. He has just one strikeout in 35 at-bats this year to five walks. McCord is up to a .400 average with eight hits, three doubles, a home run and eight RBI. Blayze Arcano adds a .361 average with 13 hits, two doubles and five RBI. Jacob Maiben is at .357 with 10 hits and five RBI. David Gibbons holds a .344 average with 11 hits, four doubles and three RBI. Justyn Herzog is at .300 with nine hits, three home runs and eight RBI. Hunter Johnson (.375), Anthony Zellner (.333) and Ryan Witt (.308) all are hitting over .300 this season. As a team, WOU has a .317 average with 96 hits, 14 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 49 RBI.
WOU ranks in the top-two in the GNAC and high nationally in several categories including second in the GNAC and 32nd nationally in batting average (.317), second in the GNAC and 82nd nationally in ERA (4.96), second in the GNAC and 89th nationally in fielding percentage (.964), leading the GNAC and 33rd nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (7.73), second in the GNAC and 52nd nationally in on-base percentage (.406), leading the GNAC and 64th nationally in sacrifice bunts (7), second in the GNAC and 73rd nationally in sacrifice flies (7), second in the GNAC in stolen bases (10), second in the GNAC in stolen bases per game (1.0), second in the GNAC and 50th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.44), 69th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (9.6), second in the GNAC and 28th nationally in WHIP (1.29), second in the GNAC and 73rd nationally in won-loss percentage (.600) and second in the GNAC and 48th nationally in walks allowed per nine innings (3.92).
Individually, Derek Maiben ranks second in the GNAC and 31st nationally in batting average (.457), Gibons is third in the GNAC and 89th nationally in doubles per game (0.44), Peterson is second in the GNAC in ERA (2.40), Jacob Maiben is first in the GNAC and seventh nationally in hit-by-pitch per game (0.70) and is second in the GNAC and 35th nationally in overall hit-by-pitch (7), Dunaway is second in the GNAC in hits allowed per nine innings (7.50), Derek Maiben is third in the GNAC and 58th nationally in hits per game (1.60), Herzog is third in the GNAC and 69th nationally in home runs per game (0.33), Jacob Maiben is second in the GNAC and 51st nationally in on-base percentage (.550), Herzog and McCord are tied for second in the GNAC and tied for 70th nationally in sacrifice flies (2), Perkins is second in the GNAc and 43rd nationally in saves (2), Dunaway is first in the GNAC and 46th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.00), he is also second in the GNAC and ninth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (15.75), Derek Maiben is first in the GNAC and 16th nationally in toughest to strikeout and is third in the GNAC and 48th nationally in triples (2) and first in the GNAC and 26th nationally in triples per game (0.20), Peterson is second in the GNAC and Dunaway is third in the GNAC in WHIP with Peterson at 1.07 and Dunaway at 1.08, Peterson is first in the GNAC and 95th nationally in walks allowed per nine innings (1.80), while Dunaway is second in the GNAC in the same category (2.25).
WOU will face Saint Martin's for the second time this season as the teams played two games in Monmouth back on Mar. 4 with SMU taking the first game, 7-6, and WOU coming back for the 18-2 win in the nightcap.
The Saints are 4-10 overall and 1-7 in GNAC play as they dropped all four games this past weekend at home to Northwest Nazarene. They currently are on a six-game losing streak having dropped the final two games of the series before to Montana State Billings.
Aaron Renaud leads the team with a .366 average, collecting 15 hits, four home runs and eight RBI. The next regular in the lineup hitting over .300 is Reid Little at .308 with three doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI. As a team, the Saints are hitting just .210 with 85 hits, 19 doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 59 RBI.
Justice Yamashita has the top ERA on the team at 1.50 in six innings of work and is 1-0 on the season. Of the starters, Tanner Inouye leads the way with a 4.66 ERA in 19.1 innings of work and is 1-1 on the season. As a staff, SMU has a 9.17 ERA in 105 innings.
WOU holds a 128-28 record in the series since 2002, going 6-4 in the last 10 games. The Wolves are 59-11 at home in the series.
In order to ensure the health and safety of the student-athletes, coaches, officials and staff, and to provide the best opportunity to complete the spring seasons, spectators will not be allowed for regular-season home events at GNAC institutions for the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year. Additionally, spectators will not be allowed at the GNAC's spring championships. Live video and stats will be available for the games.
WOU and SMU will open their four-game series on Friday afternoon with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The teams will play another doubleheader on Saturday also beginning at 1 p.m. Live video can be found here and live stats can be found here.
