Baseball Whits Host Lutes Fri-Saturday
WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Two weeks ago, the Linfield Wildcats sat atop the Northwest Conference baseball standings when they came to Borleske Stadium to battle their Whitman College counterparts.
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| Erik Korsmo |
This weekend, it's the Pacific Lutheran Lutes rolling into town after having just grabbed the top rung in the standings.
Weather permitting, Whitman and Pacific Lutheran kick off their three-game series at noon Friday with the third game set for noon on Saturday.
The NWC's normal Saturday-Sunday baseball format was moved up a day because of Easter Sunday.
With a 7-2 NWC record (16-6 overall), the Lutes have a precarious grip on the top spot in conference standings. Linfield sits in second place at 9-3, and three other teams -- George Fox, Puget Sound and Whitworth -- have just four conference losses.
Whitman, hampered by a small, transitional roster under
first-year coach Jared Holowaty, is 3-9 in conference play.
Junior Erik Korsmo continues to pace Whitman's offense with a .346 batting average, .531 slugging percentage, and .448 on-base percentage.
Sophomore Eric Tolleson, who leads the team in home runs with three, is hitting .277. Senior Jason Sease and junior Jay Richards are close behind at .275 and .272, respectively.
Senior Blaine Mercado, who leads the Missionary pitching staff, also tops the team in RBI and plays third base when not on the mound. Joe Rodhouse, another senior, has swatted a pair of home runs while playing error-free ball at first base.
Senior Brian Kitamura, who ranks among the conference leaders in walks, suffered a leg injury last Saturday against George Fox and is doubtful for this weekend.
Pacific Lutheran, which was shut out last Sunday for the first time this season, is hitting .370 as team with three players -- Ryan Aratani, Brock Gates and Dan Johansen -- sporting individual batting averages above the .400 plateau. Gates leads the Lutes in home runs with seven.
Trey Watt heads the Pacific Lutheran pitching staff with a 5-0 record and 2.34 ERA. Watts and starters Scott Wall and Robert Bleecker are a combined 12-2 on the season.
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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu