Bruins Aim to Continue Winning Ways Under New Coach Hunter

February 13, 2008

- Men's Baseball -

NEWBERG, Ore. - After 12 highly-successful seasons under Pat Bailey, George Fox University opens up a new chapter in its baseball history in 2008 as Marty Hunter assumes the Bruins' head coaching position following five years as an assistant with the program - but don't expect it to read much differently than in the past.

"Our program's philosophy is solid," says Hunter, "with an emphasis on good pitching and defense. Offensively, we will still stress the team game, taking advantage of what people give us. We believe in a strong work ethic, a commitment to excellence, and personal discipline both on and off the field. Those are the foundations which have made this program strong, and believe they will continue to do so."

It doesn't hurt, of course, to have some talent as well, and the Bruins have plenty of it returning from last year's NCAA National Tournament team that went 30-11 overall and finished second in the Northwest Conference at 19-5. A total of 18 letterwinners, including five regulars and three starting pitchers, are back, and the newcomers to the lineup appear talented enough to keep the Bruins on the plus side of the ledger for a 13th consecutive season.

Among the key players the Bruins knew they would have to replace are right fielder Dan Wentzell, a First Team All-American and the NWC Player of the Year who was a 20th-round draft choice of the Oakland Athletics; Second Team All-American first baseman Bryan Donohue, who led the NWC in batting; First Team All-NWC center fielder Drew Johnson, the Bruins' all-time leader in stolen bases; Second Team All-NWC left fielder Daniel Downs; and team strikeout leader Chris Albrecht.

The Bruins had not expected to have to replace Second Team All-NWC third baseman Bo Thunell (Jr., Canyon City, Ore. / Grant Union HS) and projected starting shortstop Taylor Hunter (Fr., Canby, Ore. / Canby HS), the incoming coach's son. Thunell, who hit .328-3-33 as a sophomore despite playing with a bad ankle and left shoulder, had off-season surgery to correct both, and while the ankle has recovered nicely, the shoulder has taken longer to heal than anticipated, leaving him doubtful for 2008. Hunter, who had surgery in the fall to repair anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments that were damaged just after fall baseball, will miss at least the first few weeks of his freshman season, and possibly more.

"Yes, those are some key injuries," admits Hunter, "but we'll adjust. We will have to shift some players around from where we had planned on playing them, and our depth won't be quite what we had hoped, but we're still going to be solid."

Pitching
RHP Josh Burch (Jr., Redding, Calif. / Shasta HS), who went 4-3 with a 4.43 ERA and three saves as both a starter and reliever, had been ticketed for the No. 1 slot in the rotation, but with the injuries to the infielders will likely return to shortstop, where he hit .322-0-14 and earned All-NWC First Team honors in a utility role. "We will use him again in the closer's role", says Hunter.

With that move, RHP Nick Bratney (Jr., Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS) moves up as the staff ace, bringing a 9-3 record with a 3.32 ERA that earned him First Team All-NWC and Third Team All-West Region honors. He will be followed in the rotation by southpaw Brady Rhodes (Sr., Phoenix, Ore. / Phoenix HS), the last remaining member of the Bruins' 2004 national championship team who was 0-0, 3.29 with 15 strikeouts in 13.2 innings. The number three spot will be taken by RHP Preston Langeliers (Sr., Pleasant Hill, Ore. / Pleasant Hill HS), a Second Team All-NWC selection who was 6-1, 2.98, with two saves and 31 strikeouts in 48.1 innings.

"Nick is a control specialist who will give us plenty of innings," says Hunter. "Brady has come back stronger than ever and appears ready to have a fine senior season. Preston has improved his breaking ball and can be one of the best if he is consistent in the strike zone."

With the Northwest Conference going to four-game instead of three-game series this spring, the Bruins will need a fourth starter, and the front-runner for the Bruins' final spot in the order appears to be RHP Mark Putney (So., Kodiak, Alaska / Kodiak HS). "Mark had a fine fall and, as of today, he's the one we'd go with in that final spot," says Hunter.

Another possibility is Nick Hedgecock (Sr., Portland, Ore. / Wilson HS), a crafty left-handed control specialist who has both started and relieved in his career. An honorable mention All-NWC selection, he was 1-0, 4.35 with one save last season, and is the all-time saves leader for the Bruins with eight. "Nick will certainly be in the mix somewhere," notes Hunter. "Right now he's a middle reliever, but he can start or close, and gives us some right/left options with the other pitchers we have."

RHP Brian Davis (Fr., Renton, Wash. / Eastside Catholic HS) has impressed the coaching staff with a lively fastball and is being developed as a two or three-inning middle reliever this year, with an eye toward eventually moving into the rotation. "I think we're really going to like this kid," says Hunter.

Other effective middle relievers Hunter expects to use regularly include returnees RHP Shane Dalgleish (Jr., Sammamish, Wash. / Eastlake HS) and RHP Kyle Johnson (Jr., Spring Valley, Calif. / Steele Canyon HS) and newcomer RHP Travis Schroeder (So., Kelowna, B.C. / Kelowna HS). Dalgleish was 1-0, 4.76 last year, while Johnson went 0-0, 1.69 and only allowed 11 hits in 21.1 innings. Matt Wyckoff (Jr., Olympia, Wash. / Olympia HS), the Bruins' starting first baseman, will be used as a left-handed closer.

Other hurlers available to the new coach include RHP Adam Weber (So., Omak, Wash. / Omak HS), RHP Jay Kirchhofer (Fr., Oregon City, Oer. / Oregon City HS), RHP John Geise (Fr., Sumner, Wash. / Decatur HS), LHP Kevin Keefe (Fr., Gilbert, Ariz. / Higley HS), LHP Mitchell Dame (Fr., Kimberly, Idaho / Kimberly HS), RHP Andrew Snyder (Fr., Oceanside, Calif. / Rancho Buena Vista HS) and RHP Mitch Keller (Fr., Gresham, Ore. / Sam Barlow HS).

"With the pitching depth we have, we should be able to stay healthy and not get arm-weary by using a lot of people," predicts Hunter. "We will have a lot of arms we can go to, and that could make a big difference in the longer conference series."

Catching
Behind the plate, Hunter expects Ryan Fobert (Sr., Dallas, Ore. / Dallas HS) to "provide plenty of senior leadership and catch a lot." The switch-hitting backstop earned First Team All-NWC honors by batting .343-2-31.

Behind Fobert are several relatively-inexperienced backstops, including Seth Monson (So., Lacey, Wash. / Olympia HS), Jason Brown (So., Battle Ground, Wash. / Prairie HS), and Eric Gantenbein (Fr., Warrenton, Ore. / Warrenton HS). Monson, who appears to have the inside track on the top backup position, hit .333, and Brown .200, in very limited action last year.

Infield
Wyckoff takes over at first base for Donahue after batting .317-2-33 last year as the Bruins' primary designated hitter. "Matt had a great summer (batting .331) with the Corvallis Knights in the wooden-bat West Coast Collegiate Baseball League," notes Hunter, "and should be a key component in the heart of our batting order."

Backing up Wyckoff is promising hitter Brett Tallman (So., Olympia, Wash. / Capital HS), who may see significant time in the designated hitter spot. Kirchhofer is another who can take over at first when he is not pitching.

At the hot corner, Pat Bailey (Jr., Highland, Utah / Lone Peak HS) moves over from second base, where he was a First Team All-NWC and Third Team All-West Region selection after batting .373-0-31 and setting a new George Fox single-season record with 22 doubles. "Pat has the glove and arm to play anywhere on the infield, and third is where we happen to need him now with the injury to Bo," says Hunter. "He will be a fine No. 2 hitter in our order as well."

Burch returns to short, with Kyle Seymour (So., Gresham, Ore. / Gersham HS), who hit .409-0-2 in limited duty, taking over at second. "Josh is just a good all-around athlete and gives us solid defense at short," comments Hunter. "He is a definite threat on the bases because of his tremendous speed (17-17 in stolen bases). Kyle has shown steady improvement with the glove at second and gives us another solid bat in the lower part of the order."

When Burch takes the mound, Hunter expects to shift Bailey to short and can slide in returnee Nate Brown (Jr., Kingston, Wash. / North Kitsap HS) or rookie Cody Spencer (Fr., Hayden, Idaho / Coeur d'Alene HS) at third for defensive purposes. Tysin Senestraro (Fr., Ashland, Ore. / Ashland HS) at second, Bryan Martz (So., Redding, Calif. / Foothill HS) at third, and Cody Curtin (Fr., Portland, Ore. / Benson HS), Derek Aldrich (Fr., Fr., North Bend, Wash. / Mt. Si HS), and Jacob Huylar (Fr., East Wenatchee, Wash. / Eastmont HS) at any of the infield positions provide depth for the Bruins.

Outfield
With its all-star outfield gone, the Bruins will have plenty of new faces patrolling the grounds at Morse Field. Kyle Kuenzi (So., Jr., Silverton, Ore. / Silverton HS) will slide into the center field slot, flanked by Todd Siler (Jr., Newberg, Ore. / Newberg HS) in left and highly-touted newcomer Dan Winterstein (Fr., Eugene, Ore. / North Eugene HS) in right. Siler hit .500 and Kuenzi .200 in very limited action as freshmen.

"Dan is a good outfielder who runs well; he is a doubles-type guy with a short stroke who will probably hit lead-off for us," predicts Hunter. "Todd had an outstanding summer and will bring some needed pop to our lineup. Kyle is a solid hitter who has looked good so far."

The Bruins have a productive trio behind them who will also see considerable playing time in Michael Woo (So., Cedar Mill, Ore. / Sunset HS), Joey Bianco (So., Kent, Wash. / Christian Faith HS), and Perry Knudson (So., Port Angeles, Wash. / Port Angeles HS). Woo had the highest average of anyone on the team last year (.571 in seven at bats), while Bianco and Knudson gained valuable experience on the junior varsity squad last year. Brad Durham (Fr., Silverdale, Wash. / Central Kitsap HS) joins Snyder and Curtin as others who can also play the outfield.

Summary
The Bruins went 323-158, won or shared eight conference titles, made two NAIA and six NCAA post-season appearances, and won the NCAA Division III national championship in 2004 in 12 years under Bailey, who left for an assistant position under another former George Fox coach, Pat Casey, with two-time defending Division I champion Oregon State University. Hunter spent five seasons, the last three as associate head coach, with the Bruins, and aims to continue the success established by the program during that time.

"We expect our pitching to be solid and our depth to carry us through the longer conference series we will experience this year," says Hunter. "Although the injuries have hurt us somewhat, our defense should still be all right. We don't have a real basepath burner like we had with Drew Johnson for four years, but we do have pretty decent speed overall and some smart runners. We probably won't hit a lot of home runs, but we do know how to manufacture runs. I think we'll be right in the thick of the conference race once again, along with Linfield, Pacific Lutheran, and probably Whitworth.

"Perhaps the best thing about this year's team is that we are pretty young. We only have four seniors in Fobert, Langeliers, Hedgecock, and Rhodes, and they are all good leaders, so we have a solid foundation for the future. I am eager to get going in my first season."

The Bruins open the 2008 season with a three-game series Feb. 15-16 at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. Friday's single game begins at 12:00 noon Pacific time (2:00 p.m. Central), with a doubleheader on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Pacific (1:00 p.m. Central). The first home game for the Bruins is Saturday, Feb. 23, at 12:00 noon vs. Concordia University-Portland, followed Sunday, Feb. 24, with a 2:00 p.m. at the University of Portland, their only game against NCAA Division I competition this spring.