BB: NWC: Northwest Conference

[wildcat11]

Let's go 'Cats!  Just take it one inning at a time.

[D O.C.]

3pm PDT and it's getting close folks. 

2-3 bottom of the 7th inning stretch.



....and then there's the "Oh, well."
Exciting to the last pitch though.

[coco]

Congrats to our boys for making it to the World Series! That's an amazing accomplishment.

They fought hard and did us proud.

[Browneagle64]

Thanks for representing the West Cat's. You guys will have plenty of success with this program and your great Coach staff. Again, thanks for showing the east that West coast baseball is alive and well. 

[cawcdad]

Great Season Cats! NWC Champions! Central Region Playoff Champions!
Good luck to Coach Brosius and the returners next season. To the seniors, you have great memories to carry with you as you move on to the next stage of life. Good job by all.

[D O.C.]

Pretty cool watching the Championships on web cast.

(through the Trinity home site)

BUT! even though it's a weekday afternoon there are virtually no bodies in the stands. A Championship game! Shame.

[Bearcat Press]

Coaching change here at Willamette.

http://www.willamettecollegian.com/2008/09/17/coaching-change-a-shock-for-baseball-team/

[wildcat11]

Congrats on Linfield hosting a 2009 regional.  Now I hope the 'Cats have the goods to make a return trip and actual play in the regional.  The 'Cats have an outstanding facility and I'm sure the college will go all out to make it a fantastic event.

Linfield's Roy Helser Field

[CalCat]

Congrats on Linfield hosting a 2009 regional.  Now I hope the 'Cats have the goods to make a return trip and actual play in the regional.  The 'Cats have an outstanding facility and I'm sure the college will go all out to make it a fantastic event.

Linfield's Roy Helser Field

And some pretty solid coaching

[swede]

WOW! The 'cats holding the west regional at Helser field is awesome. I have a original (11x17) 1949 team picture with Roy Helser on it when he pitched for the Portland "Lucky" Beavers. I also was given a Linfield baseball jersey to br framed and put on the wall with my collection. Another recent addition is a pennant from Beloit college.

What is your take on the NWC this year? Brosius lost quite a bit last year but is returning a solid pitching staff with a outstanding catcher and some fine young talent thats ready to make their mark. George Fox appears to be loaded and former Wilcat Marty Hunter is a very fine coach who always gets the most out of his kids. PLU will be good and should make things interesting.

[BILLY CHAPEL]

somebody please enlighten me! There is not any posts on the nwc, i got to see some rankings for the league! who is first, whos last, anybody going to suprise the league this year??

[swede]

somebody please enlighten me! There is not any posts on the nwc, i got to see some rankings for the league! who is first, whos last, anybody going to suprise the league this year??

Linfield
George Fox
PLU

I think these three will be the ones to watch and with Linfield playing George Fox the final week I wouldn't be surprised to see PLU end out on the top.

[Browneagle64]

Geeze,

We are just weeks away from hearing about the Cats playing their 1st game of the 2009 season I don't see any Cat' faithful cheering their boys on. Are you guys still hung over after football season or waterpolo  ?

Anywho's, as pointed out already by a poster Coach Bro. did lose some key players, however, I am sure all the players that rode along the cats magical season last year will definately step up their game. Looks like the Cats will be mostly up north this year to play their games and not out in the desert playing in tourney's.

Here's some more info on the Cats: (from the Cats athletic site)
p.s. I hope Coach Torre has great stuff (good things that is) about Coach Bro during his days with the Yankee's. I have to read his book before my Dodgers start their season, but definately want to hear how A-rod apparently was obesessed (sorry for the spelling) with Derek Cheaters. Even more, how A-rod was called A fraud and hated Kevin Brown.
Linfield tabbed as preseason favorite  January 30th Update 
   


SPOKANE, Wash. - Defending champion Linfield is a slight favorite to win the Northwest Conference baseball title once again in 2009, edging George Fox and Pacific Lutheran in a preseason poll of the NWC's nine coaches.

The Wildcats received four of nine first-place votes to total 79 total poll points. Linfield must overcome the graduation of five starters who were either first or second team all-NWC selections in 2008, including NWC Pitcher of the Year Brian Clark. But the Wildcats welcome back starting pitchers Cameron Larson, Reese McCulley and Garrett Dorn, all of whom were second team all-NWC honorees, along with first team relief pitcher Robert Vaughn. Linfield advanced to the NCAA Division III Finals last season.

George Fox, which won or shared five straight NWC titles from 2002 to 2006, is second in the poll with 75 total points and three first-place votes. The Bruins have three all-NWC pitchers back as well, including first team pick Mark Putney. First baseman Matt Wyckoff and outfielders Kyle Kuenzi and Dan Winterstein, all second team selections in 2008, lead a potent offense.

Pacific Lutheran, which won its first-ever NWC baseball title in 2007, is third in the poll with 71 points and picked up the remaining two first-place votes. The Lutes return first team all-NWC outfielders Geoff Gabler and Ryan Aratani, as well as first team all-NWC starting pitcher Trey Watt. Relief pitcher Hunter Simpson was a second team choice last spring.

Willamette is fourth in the poll with 49 points. Kyle Stalker, the 2008 NWC Player of the Year who led the NWC in home runs (22) and runs batted in (63), returns to lead the Bearcats along with first team all-NWC shortstop Doug Bloom.

Whitworth picked up 40 points for fifth place in the poll. Chad Flett, a first team all-NWC utility player, returns to pitch and play first base for the Pirates.

Puget Sound (36 points) and Pacific (35) follow in sixth and seventh place, respectively. The Loggers welcome back all-NWC reliever Ryan Gustafson, while the Boxers return second team all-NWC designated hitter Kaeo Lee Hee.

Lewis & Clark was eighth with 20 points. Tucker Laurence earned first team all-NWC honors as a freshman starting pitcher for the Pioneers in 2008.

Whitman rounds out the poll in ninth place with 10 points. The Missionaries have the honor of opening up the 2009 schedule with a series at Occidental on February 6-8.

For the second year in a row, the NWC will use a four-game series for in-conference play. The first weekend of NWC games is scheduled for Feb. 28 and March 1.

[wildcat11]

BE64,

I'm looking forward to seeing if the 'Cats can go back-to-back NWC this season.  For what I hear is that recruiting went really well and the 'Cats should be in the thick of it again.

BTW, Linfield has added a new scoreboard and a new batter's eye screen to the field.  I swear that facility keeps getting better and better.  Besides U of O and OSU, I don't think there is a better college facility in the state.

[wildcat11]

The 'Cats open tonight to kick off the Jim Dorn Auto Classic at Linfield.  Here is the schedule:

2009 JIM DORAN AUTO CLASSIC SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, FEB. 19
Linfield vs. Concordia(NAIA)               6 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEB. 20
Whitman vs. Oregon Tech (NAIA)      11 a.m.
Linfield vs. Pacific Lutheran                2:30 p.m.
Puget Sound vs. Concordia                 6 p.m.

SATURDAY, FEB. 21
Linfield vs. Puget Sound                     11 a.m.
Pacific Lutheran vs. Oregon Tech        2:30 p.m.
Concordia vs. Whitman                      6 p.m.

SUNDAY, FEB. 22
Whitman vs. Puget Sound            11 a.m.
Pacific Lutheran vs. Concordia      2:30 p.m.
Linfield vs. Oregon Tech               6 p.m

The weather is looking pretty good over the next four days so I think they should be able to get all the games in.