By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University sophomore Matt Steindorf (RHP, Granite Bay, CA/Granite Bay HS) has been selected as the Northwest Conference Baseball Pitcher Student-Athlete of the Week after recording the opening win in the Bearcats' three-game sweep of Whitworth University this past weekend.

Steindorf pitched the first eight innings in Willamette's 7-1 victory over Whitworth on Saturday, March 4. He allowed just four hits -- three singles and one double -- and limited the Pirates to one unearned run for a 0.00 earned run average. He struck out six batters and gave up two walks.

During the game, Steindorf limited the Pirates to a .138 batting average. He improved to 5-0 for the Bearcats. He leads the NWC in wins.

"Matt has been outstanding this season," Willamette Head Coach Aaron Swick said. "He continues to get better every week. On Saturday, he did a great job of getting ahead in the count and mixing all his pitches to keep the hitters off balance. His ability to pitch late into games has been a big factor for our team's early success."

With three wins over the weekend, Willamette improved to 11-5 on the season and to 7-2 in the NWC. Willamette is tied for first place in the NWC standings with Pacific Lutheran University, which also has a 7-2 record in conference play.

The Bearcats are scheduled to host Whitman College in an three-game NWC series this weekend. On Saturday, March 11, the teams will play a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. (PST). On Sunday, March 12, the Bearcats and the Blues will complete the series with a single game at 11 a.m. (PDT).