By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University will play its first game in the 2023 Northwest Conference Baseball Tournament against Lewis & Clark College at 3 p.m. (PDT) on Friday, April 21 at Chuck Bafaro Stadium, on the Pacific University campus in Forest Grove, Oregon. Willamette is the #3 seed and Lewis & Clark is the #2 seed. The Bearcats will bat first.
The NWC Baseball Tournament gets underway with a first round game between Pacific University, seeded #1, and Whitman College, seeded #4, on Friday at 12 p.m. (PDT). Friday's winners will play each other on Saturday, April 22 at 1 p.m. (PDT). Losers on Friday will meet on Saturday at 10 a.m. (PDT). The NWC Tournament continues through Sunday, April 23.
Willamette enters the tournament with a 20-11 overall record and a 15-9 mark in the NWC. Lewis & Clark is 26-11 on the season, 15-9 in the NWC. The Bearcats and the Pioneers tied for second place behind Pacific, with L&C earning the #2 seed in the tournament by winning two of three games against the Bearcats in the regular season. Pacific holds a 21-10 record, including 18-6 in the NWC. Whitman begins the tournament with a 22-14 overall mark and a 13-11 record in the NWC.
"The team is feeling good going into this weekend," Willamette Head Baseball Coach Aaron Swick said. "We believe if we play our best in all three pases of the game that positive results will happen."
Willamette qualified for the NWC Tournament for the third time since 2018. WU won the NWC Tournament title in 2018 and went on to reach the NCAA West Regional Championship game. In 2021, the Bearcats lost in the NWC Tournament Championship game to Pacific. The NWC did not hold a postseason tourmament in 2020 due to COVID-19.
This year's Willamette offense is led by Jonny Suchor (Sr., OF, Boulder, CO/Boulder HS) with a .368 batting average. Suchor also leads the team with a .463 slugging percentage and a .483 on-base percentage. He ranks third with 28 runs scored and is fourth with 18 RBIs. He has hit three doubles and two home runs.
Luke Werkmeister-Martin (Sr., 1B, Louisville, CO/Monarch HS) is hitting .314 for the Bearcats. He is tied for second on the roster with 23 RBI. He has scored 16 runs, while hitting five doubles and one homer. Werkmeister-Martin has earned a team-high 221 putouts at first base to go along with 12 assists and a .996 fielding percentage.
Carl Lawson (Jr., RF, Whittier, CA/Lutheran HS/Cal Poly Pomona) has contributed a .311 batting average, while Rocco Granucci (So., OF, San Diego, CA/Scripps Ranch HS) is batting .309. Lawson is second on the team with 30 runs scored. He is tied for the team lead with six doubles to go along with three home runs. He leads WU's outfielders with 80 putouts. Granucci has driven in 17 runs and has hit four doubles and one homer.
The team's home run leader, Jeff Hoffman (Jr., 3B, Salida, CA/Joseph A. Grigori HS), has hit the ball over the fence eight times this season. He has scored a team-high 34 runs and leads the team with 25 RBIs. He is tied for first with six doubles. In limited at bats, Adam Birt (Fy., INF, Fremont, CA/Washington HS) and Joshua Murphy (Jr., C, Everett, WA/Cascade HS/Olympic College) have been successful at the plate. Birt is hitting .350 and Murphy is batting .333.
Steven Verespey (Fy., RHP, San Ramon, CA/California HS) tops the pitching staff with a 3.32 earned run average and has struck out 24 batters. Pruitt Spritzer (Sr., RHP, Missouri City, TX/Strake Jesuit College Prep) leads the Bearcats with a 6-0 record and has a 3.65 ERA in 24 2/3 innings. Layton Wagner (Sr., RHP/INF, Boise, ID/Timberline HS) has provided a 4.53 ERA to go with a 4-2 record and a team-leading 65 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings. Logan Haslam (Jr., RHP, San Ramon, CA/California HS) owns a 4.13 ERA with 24 stikeouts. Brady Joyner (Jr., RHP, Las Vegas, NV/Shadow Ridge HS) ranks first for WU and is tied for second in NCAA Division III with eight saves and has registered 26 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings.
Lewis & Clark is known for the power hitters in its lineup, as the Pioneers have connected on 64 home runs, which tops NCAA Division III. Jack Thomson leads the way with 19 home runs in 37 games played. He ranks first in Division III in home runs and is second in home runs per game (0.51 avg.). Brennen Davis follows with 10 home runs, while Luke Bass has belted nine homers. Jakob Ghammachi and Dylan Moore each have hit seven homers.
Among pitchers with at least 18 innings pitched, Luke Ritter leads L&C with a 2.95 ERA and a 5-0 record. He has registered 57 strikeouts in 64 innings. Anthony Clerici tops the Pioneers with 17 appearances on the mound and has a 2-1 record, a 4.91 ERA, and seven saves. Clerici has struck out 18 batters in 18 1/3 innings.
