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Baseball | Tuesday, April 1, 2003

Baseball News Release

THIS WEEK: Bearcats (12-7, 8-1 NWC) return to the road to face WBC, NWC foe Linfield Willamette will take its seven-game winning streak to the road this week, playing a non-conference game at Western Baptist on Wednesday, before playing a three-game Northwest Conference series at Linfield over the weekend.

-----Wednesday, April 2 Western Baptist, 3:00

-----Saturday, April 5 Linfield* (2), 1:00

-----Sunday, April 6 Linfield*, 1:00

-----Tuesday, April 8 Western Oregon, 3:00

* Northwest Conference opponent

LAST WEEK: Bearcats sweep Whitworth, take over sole possession of first place in NWC

-----Saturday, March 29: at Willamette 4-7, Whitworth 3-6
Willamette’s David Wong became the school’s all-time winningest baseball coach after his Bearcats swept Whitworth in a Northwest Conference doubleheader at John Lewis Field. Wong surpassed former coach John Lewis, who won 276 games from 1948-72. Wong is 277-215-3 in his 13th season at his alma mater. Saturday’s first game was a pitcher’s duel, as Willamette RHP Zach Vande Griend (So., Salem Academy HS) outgunned Whitworth’s Dan Lundeberg. Vande Griend, last week’s NWC Pitcher of the Week, struck out 14 Pirates and did not issue a walk. He allowed seven hits over nine innings and the three runs he allowed were on solo homers. WU tallied the tying and go-ahead runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. CF Drew Ecklund (Sr., San Luis Obispo HS, Calif.) tied the game at 3-3 with a one-out single, plating RF Matt Drahn (Jr., Taft HS). Ecklund later scored the winning run on a single to left field by 1B Jason Chatterton (Gr., Clackamas HS). Chatterton had three singles in four at-bats for Willamette. The second game started off as a close battle between Whitworth starter Josh Mills and Willamette RHP Jeff Jensen (So., North Salem HS). But after both pitchers were taken out in the eighth inning, the game turned offensive. Whitworth scored three runs in the top of the eighth. But the Bearcats scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 7-5 advantage. LF Mike Allen (Fr., Ashland HS) had a two-run single as WU sent nine men to the plate in the inning. Willamette outhit Whitworth 14-6 in the second game but committed six errors. C Travis Shull (Jr., Westview HS) led WU at the plate by going 3 for 4 with an RBI and run scored. Allen was 2 for 4 with three RBI. Chatterton also had two hits in the nightcap, making him 5 for 7 on the day.

-----Sunday, March 30: at Willamette 11, Whitworth 10
RF Matt Drahn’s (Jr., Taft HS) two-out, two-run double to center field in the bottom of the eighth inning capped a four-run rally, lifting Willamette to an 11-10 victory over Whitworth at John Lewis Field. The victory capped a three-game Northwest Conference sweep for the Bearcats over the Pirates and extended Willamette’s win streak to seven games. Willamette took a 6-1 lead over Whitworth through six innings before the visitors erupted for eight runs in the top of the seventh to take a 9-6 lead. The score was 10-7 before Willamette put together its game-winning rally. PH Matt Johnson (Fr., Port Angeles HS) scored on a wild pitch and CF Drew Ecklund (Sr., San Luis Obispo HS, Wash.) raced home on a throwing error to make the score 10-9, setting the stage for Drahn’s game-winning hit that plated 3B Andy Bartels (Jr., Phoenix HS) and SS Colin Griffin (Jr., Jesuit HS). The comeback victory made a winner out of LHP Jeff Ross (Fr., Sprague HS), who gave up one run in two innings. RHP Zach Vande Griend (So., Salem Academy HS), who pitched a complete-game victory on Saturday, got the final two outs in the top of the ninth inning to pick up his first save of the year. Willamette was led offensively by Drahn, who went 4 for 5 with four RBI.

NWC HONORS VANDE GRIEND — AGAIN:
Zach Vande Griend (So., Salem Academy HS) was named the Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week on Monday. Vande Griend pitched a complete game in the 4-3 win over Whitworth on Saturday, then got the final two outs in Sunday’s contest to earn his first save of the season. In the 9 2/3 innings he pitched, he allowed eight hits, no walks, three earned runs and struck out 15.

HOME GROWN PITCHING: W
illamette’s pitching staff is being led this year by four former Salem-area high school players: RHP Jeff Jensen (So., North Salem HS); Zach Vande Griend (So., Salem Academy HS); LHP Jeff Ross (Fr., Sprague HS); and RHP Brian Gilmore (So., McNary HS). The four have combined for 110 2/3 of the Bearcat staff’s 173 innings pitched. Together, they are 7-5 with four saves and an ERA of 2.93. They have also struck out 100 batters and issued only 28 walks.

NOTES:
The Bearcats are 7-0 this season in 1-run games and are 2-0 in extra-inning games … four players have started all 19 games for WU this season: RF Matt Drahn (Jr., Taft HS); CF Drew Ecklund (Sr., San Luis Obispo HS, Calif.); LF/DH Mike Allen (Fr., Ashland HS); and SS Colin Griffin (Jr., Jesuit HS).

STATISTICS:
As of April 1, Willamette was ranked second in the Northwest Conference in team pitching (4.45), fourth in team batting (.312) and ninth in team fielding (.921). Individually, 1B/DH Jason Chatterton (Gr., Clackamas HS) is third in the conference in batting at .419. RHP Jeff Jensen (So., North Salem HS) and Zach Vande Griend (So., Salem Academy HS) were third and ninth, respectively, in NWC ERA at 2.41 and 3.31. Jensen also shares the NWC strikeout lead at 47 with George Fox’s Scott Hyde.
WU STATS: /www.willamette.edu/athletics/baseball/records.htm

BEARCAT STATISTICAL LEADERS (through March 30)
AVE: .419, Jason Chatterton
HITS: 31, Drew Ecklund
HOME RUNS: 3, Mike Allen
RBI: 23, Mike Allen
STOLEN BASES: 8, Drew Ecklund
WINS: 3, Zach Vande Griend
SAVES: 2, Jeff Ross
ERA: 2.41, Jeff Jensen
INN. PITCHED: 51.2, Zach Vande Griend
STRIKEOUTS: 47, Jeff Jensen

2003 WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY BASEBALL ROSTER

NO PLAYER POS B/T HT WT YR/EL HOMETOWN (HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE)
2 Dane Woldseth INF R/R 5-10 165 So./So. Bellevue, Wash. (Issaquah)
3 Zach Vande Griend P/INF R/R 5-9 170 So./So. Salem, Ore. (Salem Academy, Dordt)
4 Jeff Jensen P RHP 5-10 185 So./So. Salem, Ore. (North Salem)
6 Brian Gilmore INF/P S/R 6-0 185 Jr./So. Salem, Ore. (McNary)
7 Drew Ecklund OF R/R 6-0 180 Sr./Sr. San Luis Obispo, Calif. (San Luis Obispo,
Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo)
8 Matt Johnson INF R/R 5-11 185 Fr./Fr. Port Angeles, Wash. (Port Angeles)
9 Adam Holden OF L/L 6-0 185 Fr./Fr. Milton-Freewater, Ore. (McLoughlin)
10 B.J. Dobrkovsky INF R/R 6-3 190 Sr./Sr. Lebanon, Ore. (Lebanon)
11 Tyler Hunnex P RHP 5-9 190 Sr./Sr. Seattle, Wash. (The Bush School)
12 Colin Griffin INF S/R 6-0 187 Jr./Jr. Hillsboro, Ore. (Jesuit, Clackamas CC)
13 Anton Chiono P RHP 6-0 160 Fr./Fr. Summer Lake, Ore. (Paisley)
14 Travis Shull C R/R 6-1 190 Sr./Jr. Portland, Ore. (Westview, Lower Columbia CC)
15 Pat Everitt P LHP 6-0 165 Jr./So. Salem, Ore. (North Salem)
16 Steve Marchisio C R/R 6-0 205 Fr./Fr. Santa Cruz, Calif. (Santa Cruz)
17 Jeff Ross P/INF L/L 6-1 165 So./Fr. Salem, Ore. (Sprague)
18 Ken Halpin C R/R 6-1 200 Jr./So. Medford, Ore. (North Medford, Univ. of San Diego)
19 Mike Allen P/OF R/R 6-5 205 Fr./Fr. Ashland, Ore. (Ashland)
20 Matt Drahn OF R/R 6-0 205 Jr./Jr. Lincoln City, Ore. (Taft)
22 Nic Nottingham OF R/R 6-1 210 Fr./Fr. Hailey, Idaho (Wood River)
23 Chris Murrell P RHP 6-1 195 So./So. San Diego, Calif. (Serra)
24 John Cox INF L/L 6-2 220 So./So. Spokane, Wash. (University)
26 Andy Bartels INF/P R/R 6-3 205 Jr./Jr. Medford, Ore. (Phoenix)
27 Jason Chatterton C R/R 5-10 225 Gr./Sr. Portland, Ore. (Clackamas)
28 Greg Goodenough C/OF R/R 6-1 190 Fr./Fr. Baker City, Ore. (Baker)

HEAD COACH: [25] David Wong (13th year)
ASSISTANT COACHES: [1] Tom Bush (13th year); [21] John Horner (7th year)
SCOREKEEPER: Pam Bush (11th year)

NORTHWEST CONFERENCE STANDINGS (through March 30)
W L PCT
WILLAMETTE (12-7) 8 1 .889
Pacific (15-6) 7 2 .778
George Fox (16-7) 9 3 .750
Whitworth (7-12-1) 5 6 .455
Pacific Lutheran (5-15) 4 5 .444
Linfield (9-13) 5 7 .417
Lewis & Clark (7-15) 5 7 .417
Puget Sound (9-13) 3 8 .273
Whitman (3-14) 1 8 .111

THE DAVID WONG YEARS AT WILLAMETTE
Head coach David Wong became Willamette’s all-time winningest baseball coach on Saturday following Willamette’s sweep of Whitworth (see below).
OVERALL NWC PL.
1991 13-23-1 10-8 3rd
1992 22-20 11-7 3rd(t)
1993 24-13-1 11-6 2nd
1994 24-17 12-6 2nd(t)
1995 15-22-1 11-7 2nd
1996 22-17 13-8 3rd
1997 28-13 18-6 2nd(t)
1998 31-12 20-4 1st
1999 21-17 16-8 3rd
2000 24-17 15-9 3rd
2001 29-16 18-6 1st
2002 13-21 9-15 6th
2003 12-7 8-1
TOTAL 278-215-3 172-91

NOTE: The all-time school record for wins by a Willamette head coach was held by the late John Lewis until Saturday, March 29, when David Wong logged win No. 277. From 1948-72 (25 seasons), Lewis’ teams went 276-264 and won three Northwest Conference titles. Lewis also coached basketball at WU and served as athletic director. On Feb. 22, 2003, WU basketball coach Gordie James surpassed Lewis as Willamette’s all-time winningest basketball coach.

HOW TO CONTACT HEAD COACH DAVID WONG:
Office: (503) 370-6011
Email: dwong@willamette.edu

MORE INFORMATION ON THE WEB:
WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY: /www.willamette.edu/athletics/baseball
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE: http://www.nwcsports.com