By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University baseball team has put together a 10-6 overall record so far this season, including 4-4 in the Northwest Conference. WU will take on the University of Puget Sound in a four-game NWC series this weekend in Tacoma, Washington, starting with a doubleheader on Friday, March 27 at 12:30 p.m. (PDT) and concluding with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 28 at 12 p.m. The Bearcats enter the weekend with a .311 team batting average.
Willamette's roster features four players batting above the .350 mark, including three players hitting above .400. Samuel Daly (So., RF, El Dorado Hills, CA/Jesuit HS) leads the way with a .434 batting average (13 of 53), which ranks second in the NWC. He has scored 15 runs and earned 14 RBIs. Daly also has hit five doubles, one triple, and three home runs. he owns a .736 slugging percentage and a team-leading .508 on-base percentage.
Sean Little (Sr., INF, Corvallis, OR/Crescent Valley HS) follows with a .419 batting average. Little, who has belted six doubles, has scored 13 runs for Willamette this year. Luke Werkmeister-Martin (So., 1B, Louisville, CO/Monarch HS) owns a .415 batting average to go along with 17 runs and 16 RBIs. He ranks second on the team with five home runs and has hit two doubles. He has contributed a .736 slugging percentage and a .479 on-base percentage.
Tyler Vandemark (Sr., OF, Modesto, CA/Joseph A. Gregori HS) has provided WU with a .360 batting average. He has scored 14 runs and is 3 of 4 on stolen bases. Vandemark has connected for five doubles and one home run.
Two other Bearcats are batting near the .300 mark. Michael Nelsen (Sr., C, Folsom, CA/Vista Del Lago HS) is hitting .298 and leads the NWC with nine home runs, 28 RBIs, and a .915 slugging percentage. He has scored 14 runs and has hit two doubles. Ben Setlak (Sr., OF, Evergreen, CO/Evergreen HS) is batting .296.
As a team, Willamette has scored 118 runs in 16 games, for an average of 7.4 runs per game. The Bearcats have scored eight or more runs eight times and are 7-1 in those games. Willamette has pounded out 30 doubles, two triples, and 22 home runs.
