I have no dog in this hunt, having had a son play for UPS the past 4 years who graduates this weekend.  But having seen every one of the teams in this in-region debate play (Linfield, Pacific, PLU, P-P) I think it is ludicrous that Linfield in even included in the discussion. Perhaps it's because of their reputation, but the Cats finished 4th in the NWC. Pacific should be in the discussion - they tied for the conference championship, after all. If Linfield is chosen, the rest of the league will be justifiably outraged.

A Rauh - Dittrick (Pacific's ace) matchup would be terrific.

The bottom -feeders in the NWC are light years ahead of Caltech, IMO.

I sincerely hope that justice is done in this situation.

Strange season for UPS. Absolutely awful stretch when they were swept by Whitworth, PLU, and Linfield. Then, after waking up late in the first game vs. Fox and losing 7-4, they win consecutive 2-1 games against the Bruins, beat Concordia, and win the first two against LC in dramatic fashion, with a walkoff grand slam and a late rally, only to look horrible yesterday in a 13-10 loss. To play with Pacific, the team that beat Fox twice will have to show up. They have played the Tigers tough the past few years, however.

Well, that was one wild weekend. Whitman and Lewis and Clark get their first wins, Pacific takes two of three from Linfield, and Fox and PLU both lose once against teams they should beat. Looks like the conference race is up in the air.

Most interesting weekend coming up - hope the weather holds off just a bit.

Willamette at Linfield - The Cats should recover from their weekend in Forest Grove
Pacific at George Fox  - An important series - Pacific's starting pitching is tough.
Whitman at PLU - perhaps the Missionaries can keep winning? They played very well last weekend.
Whitworth at UPS - Will the Loggers' hitting, pitching ever recover?

Anecdotally, the Whitman student section was awful on Saturday in Walla Walla, shouting player names and making crude remarks from next to the Whitman bench. On Sunday the Missionaries' coach blew a gasket and got himself tossed when the umpires requested that Whitman's bench tone it down. Embarrassing for the college and the team.

Well, the Missionaries will get their chance this weekend at home against UPS. I am shocked by how poorly the Loggers have played coming out of the gate. Batting average under .240, poor starting and relief pitching. In just about every phase of the game, they have been struggled. I guess they have walked a lot. :-) This is a team for which we had high expectations. There is still time, but things will have to change quickly.

The conference really appears to be down; maybe it's the competition, but the non-conference record thus far is 25-58. Ouch.

Oh my gosh. That is awful. Our family will be praying for him as well.

Me too, 11. I came to the Linfield football game this year and tried to find you guys, but never did. Wandered around with my UPS gear, then hid when you guys hung 70 on us. My son was #53, and he actually played well against the Cats, but it was hard to tell.

He's a senior now, so I am hoping for a good season. Glad we have the Cats at home and hoping for a mild spring.

The Loggers start this weekend and it's supposed to be 55 in Pasco and sunny.

I was surprised that UPS did not get more respect from the coaches; that 3-6 record against the Lutes, Bruins, and Wildcats weighed heavily, I'm sure. However, the Loggers bring back two top starting pitchers, an excellent closer, and eight defensive starters. We shall see. I think Pacific will be a huge factor again, especially if they can get some bats this year. Their pitching is excellent.

UPS starts off in Pasco next weekend. Their non-conference record was not good last year, so I'll be interested as to how they start out. March features a southern California trip and games against Cal Lu and Pomona.

Oh, I get it. Sorry DOC, could not figure out what you were talking about!

Early flight from Boise gets to PDX at 6:50 (!). Lots of time to get to McMinnville and see the town and the campus.

Folks do appear to be bored with this week already, and looking forward to the LC-Linfield matchup. Probably justified. I'll just hope we can be competitive for a while.

ida

Don't get what you're talking about there, DOC. No indoor plumbing at your house?

I went up for the Loggers-Lutes game yesterday (as usual). UPS' defense played a great game, after the awful performance at Whittier. PLU could not run through the line, so Westering adjusted and ran laterally in the 2nd half. The two freshman corners for the Loggers played better, and the d-line was terrific. UPS' offense could not move the ball at all on the ground, and Ka'ai, the huge Logger qb, was inconsistent at best.

I think UPS is improving. They had the ball in the red zone 4 times yesterday courtesy of the D, but scored only once. The next two weeks will probably be ugly, but this team does play hard. The lack of any semblance of a running game allows teams to tee off from the opening whistle, and the o-line wears down as the game goes on. Not a good sign when you are facing 2 excellent defenses the next 2 weekends.

I am heading to McMinnville next weekend for the game - have been there for baseball twice, but this will be the first football trip. Looking forward to seeing the atmosphere.

ida

Hey BCP-

What is it that makes you think so many upsets might be in the making this year, and that there's more parity. Seems to me that Willamette and Linfield are far and away the favorites, and that everyone else is playing for third. What do you see?

Thanks gentlemen-

The summer league was a great experience for Casey. Several of his high school teammates (Boise High '08 state champs) are still playing college ball at Northwest Nazarene, so he got to hang with them and also met a number of pretty talented players from all over the country. All of the games were in Nampa at NNU's field.

Most of the players in the league were D2, NAIA, and JC, with a sprinkling of D1 kids. I believe he was one of 3 D3 players who participated. I can say after watching all summer that the NWC plays a quality brand of baseball.

On Friday I'll be driving up to Tacoma with my boy for his senior season(s). Time flies - just yesterday, it seems, he was a freshman.

How's life in Salem, 509 Kittie?

Noticed that the Loggers out of conference schedule includes Oxy home, Whittier away, and Sewanee home. First time I had heard of Sewanee, which is in Tennessee, and plays in the SCAC. Looks like a good match for the Loggers, tho.

Loggers came back from an 8-1 deficit after 2 innings yesterday to win 13-8, scoring the go-ahead runs on a grand slam. Columbia Basin's field is well-maintained, nice place to play a series.

The conference appears to be much more wide open than in previous years, though Linfield still seems to have the inside track on the crown. Pacific's pitching appears tough - still, I was surprised that they took the first 2 from George Fox. And Willamette would seem to be much more of a factor than they have been the past several years.

UPS is in SoCal this week, but there are a couple of good conference matchups, what with Willamette facing George Fox and Pacific in Tacoma to take on PLU.

Linfield's loss in game 3 of the Pacific series surprised me, but I think Pacific is considerably improved from last year. I notice that they're starting a couple of lefties, though it was their ace righty that got the win in game 3.

Willamette has looked very good so far. This is a critical early season series. The Bearcats can hit, but I agree with 11 that Vaughn and Larson will be tough to handle. Who pitches game 3 this week for the Cats?

The UPS-Whitworth series has been moved from Spokane to Pasco (at CBCC). I understand it's something to do with the ice and snow on the field. In Spokane? Noooo...