PORTLAND, Ore. – As February is quickly approaching and first pitch is getting closer, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Poll was released Friday with the Western Oregon University baseball team selected to finish second.
WOU tallied 19 points to come in second, with Northwest Nazarene the pick to repeat as conference champions with 24 points and four first-place votes. Central Washington followed WOU in third with 15 points and the other first-place vote. Montana State Billings ended up fourth with 10 points and Saint Martin's in fifth with seven points.
It was a tight battle to the end in 2021 with Northwest Nazarene and Western Oregon going 1-2 throughout the season. The Nighthawks held off the Wolves to win the conference title by two games as the teams weren't able to play their final regular season series in Monmouth due to COVID protocols.
That later setup an epic NCAA Division II West Regional that was hosted by NNU in Nampa. NNU, WOU and Azusa Pacific were the three teams selected to participate in the postseason tournament. WOU and NNU opened the regional against each other and a pitcher's duel followed with the Wolves plating two runs in the ninth to take the 2-1 victory. WOU then rolled to a 16-5 win over Azusa Pacific to advance to face Northwest Nazarene again. The Nighthawks rallied in the ninth this time to take the 7-5 win to force the teams to a winner-take-all finale the next day. NNU started early and held off the Wolves for the 12-6 win in the regional championship game.
Connor McCord and Mike Peterson each were named All-Region by the NCBWA and ABCA. McCord finished the year and his career in style leading WOU in multiple categories including batting average (.418), OPS (1.449), doubles (12), home runs (11), RBI (41), slugging percentage (.912), walks (22), on-base percentage (.537) and struck out just 10 times in 91 at-bats. He was also named the GNAC Player of the Year.
Peterson helped anchor a strong pitching staff as he led the Wolves in wins going 6-0, innings (49), starts (8), and tied for the team lead in appearances (9). Peterson held a 3.31 ERA and had 35 strikeouts to just 13 walks. He was also named the GNAC Pitcher of the Year.
Offensively, WOU returns several players from the 2021 season. Derek Maiben was second on the team with a .400 batting average and will be back for the Wolves. He also added a team-high 50 hits, 34 runs scored and drove in 20 runs. He struck out just four times in 125 at-bats. He also led the team in steals with seven. Derek was named to the All-GNAC First Team. Twin brother Jacob Maiben will be back for the coming season after hitting .337 with 35 hits, seven doubles and 16 RBI. Jacob was named to the All-GNAC Second Team. Justyn Herzog returns for the Wolves after collecting 24 hits, four home runs and 17 RBI in 2021. Anthony Zellner posted a .320 average in 18 games in 2021 and will be back behind the plate for the Wolves. He added five doubles and drove in 17.
Josh Berman and Blayze Arcano capped their careers with strong 2021 seasons with Berman hitting .354 with eight home runs and 26 RBI, while Arcano added a .342 average with seven home runs and 39 RBI. Arcano was also named the NCBWA National Player of the Week on May 5 for this performance on the road at Montana State Billings. Several others closed their WOU careers strong with Hunter Johnson hitting .344, David Gibons at .341, Sam Jones holding a .324 average, Jayden Hanna and Spencer Weston at .286, Tyler Brandenburg a .265 and Hank Forrest at .261. Ryan Santa Cruz played in 13 games behind the plate.
In addition to Peterson on the mound, WOU will have Matthew Dunaway back after he put together a big 2021 season as well. The right-hander led the starting staff in ERA (3.06) and strikeouts (49), tossing 32.1 innings and going 3-1 in eight total appearances with seven starts. He held opponents to a .175 batting average. Dunaway was named All-GNAC Second Team. Michael Moore had the top ERA out of the bullpen at 1.42 in 6.1 innings of work. Seth Kuykendall will be back as well for the Wolves after going 3-0 spending time as a reliever and starter. He tossed 20 innings and posted 20 strikeouts to just five walks. Joe Kinsky is back as well for the Wolves after pitching in seven games and 12.1 innings. He went 1-0 on the season.
Nick Parr, Nathan Bonck, Ryan Shipley, Alan Vasquez and Logan Hatley all capped their careers in 2021. Parr went 4-0 in 33.1 innings of work. Bonck added three saves in eight appearances. Shipley went 2-0 with a save in six appearances that included a start. Vasquez posted three saves as well in nine appearances that included a start. Hatley pitched in eight games that included six starts, logging 27.2 innings going 2-2 on the season.
WOU will open the 2022 season in California at the beginning of February at Fresno Pacific on Feb. 3-5. Another trip to California will follow on Feb. 11-13 to face Stanislaus State. The first home games of the 2022 season will arrive on Feb. 19-20 when the Wolves host Eastern Oregon. A non-conference doubleheader at Central Washington will close February before WOU opens GNAC play on Mar. 4-5 against Montana State Billings in Monmouth. Following a single game at George Fox a few days later, WOU will host Central Washington in more GNAC action on Mar. 12-13. WOU will face Northwest Nazarene in Nampa on Mar. 18-19 before coming back home to host Bushnell on Mar. 22. The start of April will welcome Saint Martin's to Monmouth for a pair of conference doubleheaders on Apr. 2-3. A single home game with George Fox will arrive a few days later on Apr. 5 before a road stretch will follow. WOU will play at Montana State Billings on Apr. 8-9 and then at Central Washington on Apr. 15-16 before closing the road trip with a single game at Bushnell on Apr. 19. Senior weekend arrives on Apr. 22-23 when WOU hosts Northwest Nazarene and the regular season wraps up on May 5-6 at Saint Martin's. WOU will host the GNAC Championships this year in Monmouth that will take place May 12-13.
