For the first time since the 2022 season, the Linfield Wildcats are headed back to the Northwest Conference Tournament. In its last conference appearance, Linfield came one win away from securing the conference championship and looks to get over the hump after a three-year hiatus from the tournament. Pacific takes the top seed and hosting rights for the tournament after winning 16 conference games while Whitworth secured the second seed and Puget Sound takes the third seed. Linfield begins play in the first round on Thursday at 2 p.m. at Chuck Bafaro Stadium against the top-seeded Boxers.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, MAY 8
Game 1: Pacific 5, Linfield 4
Game 2: Puget Sound 7, Whitworth 6, 11 innings
FRIDAY, MAY 9
Game 3: Linfield vs. Whitworth, 10 a.m., loser out
Game 4: Pacific vs. Puget Sound, 1 p.m.
Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 4 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 10
Game 6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5, Noon
LIVE COVERAGE
Pacific is providing live video coverage of all games throughout the tournament. The Boxers are also providing live statistics on their website.
NO. 4 LINFIELD (24-16, 13-11 NWC)
Linfield entered the final weekend of the regular season needing to win its series against Lewis & Clark to secure a spot in the conference tournament. The Wildcats won two-out-of-three over the Pioneers and played themselves into the tournament. The Wildcats have an electric offense that has put up 284 runs this season, third most in the NWC to go along with 382 hits and 43 home runs. Linfield rosters the NWC's best pitching staff with a conference-leading 4.58 ERA and 327 strikeouts. Jake Swenson leads the pitchers with a .200 opposing batting average across 72 innings pitched and broke the single season program record for strikeouts in a single game with 17, contributing to his 92 on the season which ranks eighth nationally. Camden Oram comes in with 72.2 innings pitched with a 3.84 ERA, 53 strikeouts and four wins on the season. Luke Porter has developed into an offensive revelation for the Wildcats, leading the team with 12 home runs and 78 total bases. Trent Wainfeld remains a reliable threat with a .351 average and 40 hits on the season, Linfield looks to his offense to provide stability throughout the series.
NO. 1 PACIFIC (17-18, 16-8 NWC)
The Boxers swept George Fox in their final conference series to lock up the top seed and hosting privileges in the tournament. Pacific features one of the most impressive turnarounds in all of Division III this season. After starting the season with nine straight losses, the Boxers won nine of their next 11 games and tore through the Northwest Conference on their way to a fourth NWC regular season title in five years. Pitcher Chance Wallace leads the way on the mound with a 4.11 ERA and 52 strikeouts. Nicholas Saelens holds a 5-3 record on the season and leads the team with 54 strikeouts. At the plate, Benjamin Lewis holds a .304 batting average to go along with his 42 hits and 16 RBI. Matt Gibbs' eight home runs top the team's leaderboard and Javin Hamura racked up 25 runs over the course of the season.
NO. 2 WHITWORTH (25-15, 15-9 NWC)
Whitworth ended the season with two straight wins over rival Whitman to lock up the second seed in the tournament. Caleb Gray and Carson Coffield have been dangerous at the plate for the pirates launching 12 and 10 home runs respectively this season. Coffield leads the team with 47 RBI and Kyle Memarian's .421 batting average tops the conference by a wide margin. Kevin Corder (.396) and Gray (.389) also rank in the conference's top four. The Pirates' NWC-leading offense averages 9.05 runs per contest and boasts a .416 on base percentage. With 49 homers on the season, Whitworth has the 14th most in the country and nearly every at-bat has a chance to explode for a big play. Quentin O'Connor has racked up 13 starts on the mound, good for second in the country and stands with a 7-3 record. O'Connor combined with Dylan Huntsman and AJ Woodward combine for 201 innings pitched with Woodward's 3.99 ERA leading the way.
NO. 3 PUGET SOUND (24-15, 14-10 NWC)
The Loggers won three of their final four series to rocket up the NWC standings and secure a spot in the conference tournament. Defense is the name of the game for Puget Sound as it ranks eighth nationally and first in the NWC with a .973 fielding percentage. The Loggers' defense is assisted by high quality pitching from the likes of Charlie Decker and Brett Harvey. Decker registers a 4.35 ERA along with 42 strikeouts across 60 innings pitched. Harvey has pitched 57 innings and put up 48 strikeouts with a 4.42 ERA. Zach Robman has been a go-to closer with eight saves on the season, good for seventh most nationally. At the plate, Ryan Spero's .325 batting average leads the team but Matt Churchill has been electric with five home runs and 21 RBI. Makana Murashige's 44 hits provide reliability for the Loggers' offense while Drew Kamihara has proven to be a threat, drawing 22 walks.
