By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University baseball team is set to open the 2024 Northwest Conference season this weekend with a three-game series at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday, March 2 with games at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. PST. On Sunday, March 3, the Bearcats and Pioneers will complete the series with a game starting at 12 p.m.
The Bearcats are 4-0 on the season under new Head Coach Mike Coduto after sweeping a series at John Lewis Field last weekend against the State University of New York at Oneonta. Willamette defeated the Red Dragons 13-1 on the run rule in seven innings and 13-12 on Feb. 23. The Bearcats added two wins on Feb. 24, with WU outscoring SUNY Oneonta 10-0 on the run rule in seven innings and 8-7.
POSITION PLAYERS
Willamette has five returning position players who are starters. Returning on the infield are Jeff Hoffman (Sr., 3B, Salida, CA/Joseph A. Gregori HS), Joshua Murphy (Sr., C, Everett, WA/Cascade HS/Olympic College), and Drew Baskin (Jr., SS, Eagle, ID/Arroyo Grande HS). Competing in the outfield again this season are Carl Lawson (Sr., OF, Whittier, CA/Lutheran HS/Cal Poly Pomona) and Rocco Granucci (Jr., OF, San Diego, CA/Scripps Ranch HS).
Hoffman batted .30-3 last season with 40 runs scored and 32 RBIs. He belted 10 home runs, seven doubles, and one triple. Including two four-base hits last weekend, Hoffman ranks third all-time at Willamette with 33 career homers.
Murphy joined the Bearcats last season and hit .400 before missing most of the season with an injury. He was 16 for 40 at the plate with three doubles and five RBIs. He also made 82 putouts and produced seven assists. Baskin scored 24 runs and earned 22 RBIs in 36 games played in 2023. He batted .273 and hit six doubles, three triples, and four home runs for the Bearcats.
Lawson and Granucci were strong outfield players last spring. Lawson registered a .312 batting average with 35 runs scored and 17 RBIs, while blasting six doubles and three homers. He was named Honorable Mention All-NWC. Lawson already has two home runs this season. Granucci batted .339 a year ago to go along with 22 runs and 26 RBIs. On defense, Lawson registered 91 putouts and one assist, while Gracucci accumulated 64 putouts and two assists.
PITCHING STAFF
Brady Joyner (Jr., RHP, Las Vegas, NV/Shadow Ridge HS), the team's closer, is back after earning 10 saves in 2023. He finished the season with a 4.55 earned run average and 11.06 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. He was named First Team All-NWC and was chosen Third Team All-Region 10 by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).
Joyner added a win and a save against SUNY Oneonta, giving him a career record of 10-5 with 20 saves. He ranks second on WU's all-time list for saves, trailing only Mike Corey, who accumulated 23 saves from 1994 through 1998.
Other top returning pitchers are Layton Wagner (Grad., RHP/INF, Boise, ID/Timberline HS) and Steven Verespey (So., RHP, San Ramon, CA/California HS). Wagner has been a two-way threat as a starting pitcher and a designated hitter. Verespey worked his way into the lineup as a first-year pitcher last spring and was chosen NWC Rookie of the Year.
Wagner, the team's #1 starter, was 5-4 on the mound with a 4.75 ERA and a team-high 90 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings pitched (10.43 per nine innings) last season. On offense, Wagner hit .255 with 13 runs scored, 18 RBIs, and six stolen bases. Verespey concluded the year with a 5-4 record and one save, while claiming a 3.33 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 54 innings. Wagner and Verespey both earned Honorable Mention All-NWC recognition.
The Bearcats return 290 innings from last year's pitching staff. The Bearcats threw a total of 339 innings in 2023 and struck out 295 batters for 7.83 strikeouts per nine innings.
BATTLE FOR PLAYING TIME AT FIRST BASE
Newcomer Luke Piazza (Jr., 1B/LF, Simi Valley, CA/Royal HS), who transferred from the University of California at Davis, will battle Charlie Ferbet (Sr., INF, St. Louis, MO/De Smet Jesuit HS) and Jackson Garrett (Sr., UT, Carlsbad, CA/Carlsbad HS/Palomar College) for playing time at first base. In 2023, senior Luke Werkmeister-Martin played first base and competed in 35 games with a .290 batting average.
Wermeister-Martin recorded 255 putouts last year and ended his career with 888 putouts to rank fourth all-time at WU. He was named Third Team All-America by the ABCA in 2021.
Garret saw action in 20 games last season and batted .304 with eight runs and 10 RBIs. Ferbet played in eight games in 2023.
TRANSFER STUDENT-ATHLETES
Piazza is one of three transfer students who have joined the Bearcats for the 2024 schedule. The other two experienced newcomers are Wyatt Thames (Jr., OF, Elk Grove, CA/Huntington Beach, CA/Biola University) and Preston Lau (Jr., OF, Burlingame, CA/Burlingame HS/Skyline College).
Last season at Skyline College, Lau batted .400 and scored 31 runs, while providing 21 RBIs and nine stolen bases. He played in 33 games. Piazza competed in 29 games with 26 starts at UC Davis in 2022, but was limited to four games and two starts in 2023. Thames saw limited action at Biola.
SKILLFUL FIRST-YEAR BEARCATS
The Bearcat are fortunate to have several first-year players who will make strong challenges to compete this year. They are Carter Stoltz (C, Davis, CA/Davis HS), Caden Davis (C/1B, Everett, WA/Henry M. Jackson HS), Liam O'Connor (INF, Evergreen, CO/Conifer HS), and Nate Schikore (RHP, Fairfield, CA/Angelo Rodriguez HS). Stoltz showed his abilities last weekend, when he threw out four players on stolen base attempts. Davis will also help out at the plate and can play first base. O'Connor will contribute on the infield and Schikore will join the pitching staff.
BEARCATS LOOK TO CONTINUE TO WIN
Willamette has earned at least a .500 record in 13 of the last 15 seasons, including 11 winning seasons since 2009. Last spring, the Bearcats were 25-14 overall and 15-9 in the NWC. The Bearcats qualified for the NWC Tournament for the fourth time since 2017.
In 2018, Willamette finished the year with a 31-19 record, an NWC Tournament title, and a trip to the championship game of the NCAA West Regional. The 31 wins tied the school record set in 1998.
