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2025 NWC Baseball Tournament Preview

2025 NWC Baseball Tournament
The 2025 Northwest Conference (NWC) Baseball Tournament, set for May 8-10 in Forest Grove, Oregon, will feature a double-elimination competition hosted by Pacific University at Chuck Bafaro Stadium. The top four teams by regular-season win percentage—#1 Pacific (17-18, 16-8 NWC), #2 Whitworth (25-15, 15-9 NWC), #3 Puget Sound (24-15, 14-10 NWC), and #4 Linfield (24-16, 13-11 NWC)—will compete for the conference championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III postseason. With power hitters like Caleb Gray, Matt Gibbs, and Nick Holm, and pitchers like Jake Swenson and AJ Woodward, the tournament promises intense matchups as teams vie for a national stage.

Pacific Boxers (17-18, 16-8 NWC)

The #1-seeded Boxers, with a .267 team batting average and 5.32 runs allowed per game, benefit from hosting at their home field. They went 2-1 against Whitworth, 2-1 against Puget Sound, and 2-1 against Linfield in the regular season.

Key Hitters

  • Benjamin Lewis: .304 AVG, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 7 2B
  • Javin Hamura: .294 AVG, 0 HR, 19 RBI, 13 SB
  • Hunter Nishina: .292 AVG, 0 HR, 12 RBI, 7 SB
  • Davis Koester: .274 AVG, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 4 SB
  • Matt Gibbs: .252 AVG, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 13 SB
Lewis and Hamura provide consistent contact and speed, with 5 and 13 stolen bases, respectively. Nishina and Koester add on-base reliability, while Gibbs leads in power and RBIs, ideal for high-scoring games.

Key Pitchers

  • SP Nicholas Saelens: 5-3, 5.40 ERA, 70.0 IP, 54 SO
  • SP Governor Aufranc: 3-5, 5.81 ERA, 62.0 IP, 43 SO
  • RP William Merriott: 2-0, 2.02 ERA, 26.2 IP, 26 SO, 2 SV
  • RP Hunter Edwards: 2-2, 2.82 ERA, 22.1 IP, 23 SO, 3 SV
Saelens and Aufranc anchor the rotation with significant innings. Merriott and Edwards provide reliable relief with sub-3.00 ERAs, crucial for late-game situations.

Whitworth Pirates (25-15, 15-9 NWC)

The #2-seeded Pirates boast a .320 team batting average and allow 5.83 runs per game. They went 1-2 against Pacific, 1-2 against Puget Sound, and 2-1 against Linfield.

Key Hitters

  • Kyle Memarian: .421 AVG, 5 HR, 28 RBI, 8 SB
  • Kevin Corder: .400 AVG, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 5 SB
  • Caleb Gray: .389 AVG, 12 HR, 46 RBI, 9 2B
  • Dominic Giusti: .313 AVG, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 5 SB
  • Carson Coffield: .285 AVG, 10 HR, 47 RBI, 9 2B
Memarian and Corder lead with elite averages, while Gray and Coffield provide significant power, combining for 22 home runs. Giusti’s speed and on-base skills complement the lineup’s depth.

Key Pitchers

  • SP AJ Woodward: 5-3, 3.99 ERA, 70.0 IP, 41 SO
  • SP Quentin O’Connor: 7-3, 5.53 ERA, 70.0 IP, 51 SO
  • RP Tyler Disch: 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 5 SO, 0 SV
  • RP Seth Mahler: 2-2, 5.25 ERA, 24.0 IP, 25 SO, 2 SV
Woodward’s sub-4.00 ERA leads the rotation, with O’Connor matching his innings. Disch’s elite 1.50 ERA in limited innings and Mahler’s saves provide bullpen depth.

Puget Sound Loggers (24-15, 14-10 NWC)

The #3-seeded Loggers have a .280 team batting average (estimated from hitter data) and allow 5.14 runs per game. They went 1-2 against Pacific, 2-1 against Whitworth, and 2-1 against Linfield.

Key Hitters

  • Ryan Spero: .325 AVG, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 10 SB
  • Makana Murashige: .321 AVG, 0 HR, 18 RBI, 14 SB
  • Kellen Krebs: .267 AVG, 0 HR, 19 RBI, 9 2B
  • Preston Crockett: .266 AVG, 0 HR, 12 RBI, 2 SB
  • Drew Kamihara: .218 AVG, 0 HR, 15 RBI, 16 SB
Spero and Murashige lead with strong averages and speed, combining for 24 stolen bases. Krebs and Crockett add extra-base hits, while Kamihara’s base-stealing ability pressures defenses.

Key Pitchers

  • SP Charlie Decker: 3-4, 4.35 ERA, 60.0 IP, 42 SO
  • SP Brett Harvey: 4-1, 4.42 ERA, 57.0 IP, 48 SO
  • RP Zach Robman: 1-2, 3.86 ERA, 28.0 IP, 30 SO, 8 SV
  • RP Harley Eschliman: 4-1, 3.14 ERA, 14.1 IP, 19 SO, 0 SV
Decker and Harvey provide rotation stability with significant innings and strikeouts. Robman’s eight saves and Eschliman’s sub-3.14 ERA offer strong bullpen support.

Linfield Wildcats (24-16, 13-11 NWC)

The #4-seeded Wildcats have a .285 team batting average and allow 4.58 runs per game. They went 1-2 against Pacific, 1-2 against Whitworth, and 1-2 against Puget Sound in conference play.

Key Hitters

  • Trent Wainfeld: .351 AVG, 2 HR, 26 RBI, 7 2B
  • Luke Porter: .302 AVG, 2 HR, 27 RBI, 2 3B
  • Nick Holm: .301 AVG, 6 HR, 37 RBI, 8 2B
  • Josh Mansur: .301 AVG, 5 HR, 46 RBI, 6 2B
  • Matthew Lewis: .287 AVG, 1 HR, 34 RBI, 3 SB
Wainfeld’s .351 average and Holm’s power (6 HR) lead a balanced lineup. Mansur’s 46 RBIs and Porter’s versatility add depth, ready to capitalize on scoring opportunities.

Key Pitchers

  • SP Jake Swenson: 6-4, 3.25 ERA, 72.0 IP, 92 SO
  • SP Camden Oram: 4-3, 3.84 ERA, 72.2 IP, 53 SO
  • RP Zack Hampson: 2-0, 2.84 ERA, 25.1 IP, 23 SO, 2 SV
  • RP Cooper Justice: 2-0, 1.08 ERA, 8.1 IP, 6 SO, 0 SV
Swenson’s 92 strikeouts and sub-3.25 ERA anchor the rotation, with Oram providing innings. Justice’s 1.08 ERA and Hampson’s saves offer elite bullpen support.

Tournament Format and Schedule

Format Overview

The NWC Baseball Tournament is a double-elimination format involving the top four teams based on regular-season win percentage. Day one (May 8) features two opening games, followed by three games on day two (May 9), including an elimination game and a winners’ bracket game. Day three (May 10) includes the championship game and a potential second game if necessary to complete the double-elimination structure.

Schedule

Thursday, May 8
  • Game 1: 2:00 PM PT – #4 Linfield vs. #1 Pacific
  • Game 2: 5:00 PM PT – #3 Puget Sound vs. #2 Whitworth
Friday, May 9
  • Game 3: 10:00 AM PT – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2
  • Game 4: 1:00 PM PT – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
  • Game 5: 4:00 PM PT – Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4
Saturday, May 10
  • Game 6: 12:00 PM PT – Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5
  • Game 7: 3:00 PM PT (if necessary) – Same teams as Game 6

How To Follow

The 2025 NWC Baseball Tournament at Chuck Bafaro Stadium in Forest Grove will showcase competitive matchups, with Pacific’s home-field advantage, Whitworth’s offensive firepower, Puget Sound’s speed, and Linfield’s balanced attack vying for the NCAA Division III automatic bid. Follow the action from May 8-10 to see who advances to the national stage.

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2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Paul Harvey

    May 7, 2025 at 3:37 pm

    UPS was 2-1 against Whitworth.

    Reply

    • David (@pnw_cbr)

      May 7, 2025 at 3:53 pm

      Thanks for reaching out Paul. It has been corrected.

      Reply

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