NCAA Baseball at Volcanoes Stadium This Friday
February 28, 2018 - Northwest League (NWL1)
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes News Release
Western Oregon University Wolves Baseball Team will open Conference play this Friday, March 2, at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer versus the St. Martin's Saints. The Wolves are defending GNAC Champions winning the League Championship 15 out of the last 16 years! The expected starting pitchers for the Wolves are Alex Roth and Gabe Benavides. The Saints will counter Roth in Game 1 with Aaron Shoup and Mickey Walker will throw the nightcap of the twinbill for the Saints. Game time will be 3pm for the first game and approximately 6:00-6:15pm for game two.
A look at the pitching matchups:
Game 1: WOU Alex Roth - RHP, Sophomore, out of Mountain Ridge High School Glendale, Arizona.
SAINTS Aaron Shoup - LHP, Junior. Second team all-conference for the Saints in 2017.
Game 2: WOU Gabe Benavides, LHP, Junior, transfer from Grand Canyon University.
SAINTS Mickey Walker, RHP, Junior. GNAC Freshman of the Year in 2016.
It will be a homecoming for the Saints' Walker as he lives in Keizer and played baseball for McNary High School earning 6A Pitcher of the Year Honors in the Conference. Walker followed his High School success with being voted GNAC Freshman of the Year in 2016.
The Wolves feature senior Jay Leverett and sophomore Connor McCord - both were selected to the 2018 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II West Region Preseason Team. The Wolves are ranked #7 in the NCBWA Preseaon Poll.
Wolves Head Coach, Mike McInerney, feels the double-header will be a good challenge for his team, "St. Martin's is going to be really tough. They throw strikes, play defense, and put quality at bats together through their entire lineup. It will be a great challenge for us." Kelly Gau, Coach for the Saints, respects the Wolves and their past success, "Western Oregon is always a competitive team and always at the top of the conference. We feel like we have a good veteran group, and we are very excited about pursuing a GNAC title this season."
• Discuss this story on the Northwest League message board...
Northwest League Stories from February 28, 2018
- NCAA Baseball at Volcanoes Stadium This Friday - Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
