Wentzell NWC Player of the Year as 12 Bruins Receive All-NWC Recognition

George Fox posted a 30-9 record during the regular season, its 12th winning season in as many year under head coach Pat Bailey.

Salem-News.com SPORTS

NEWBERG, Ore. - Twelve members of the George Fox University baseball team have received All-Northwest Conference recognition for 2007, including NWC Player of the Year Dan Wentzell and five others who were named to the First Team, in voting by the league’s nine coaches and announced recently by the conference office.

All-NWC First Team Bruins include right fielder Wentzell, center fielder Drew Johnson, second baseman Pat Bailey, catcher Ryan Fobert, starting pitcher Nick Bratney, and utility player Josh Burch.

Second Team honorees are first baseman Bryan Donohue, third baseman Bo Thunell, left fielder Daniel Downs, and starting pitcher Preston Langeliers.

Receiving Honorable Mention are starting pitcher Chris Albrecht and relief pitcher Nick Hedgecock.

George Fox posted a 30-9 record during the regular season, its 12th winning season in as many year under head coach Pat Bailey, and finished second in the conference to Pacific Lutheran University at 19-5.

The Bruins received one of the 14 Pool C at-large bids to the NCAA Division III National Tournament, their sixth post-season appearance in eight seasons of NCAA eligiblity, and will meet the University of Texas-Dallas Wednesday, May 16th, at 9:30 AM in the opening game of the West Regional at Chapman University’s Hart Park in Orange, Calif.

Wentzell, a senior from Tualatin, Ore., has been a key component of yet another outstanding season for the Bruins, ranking first in the conference in slugging pct. (.667), RBI (55), and total bases (98), second in batting (.388), doubles (15, T), home runs (8), hits (57, T), and sacrifice flies (5, T), third in on base pct. (.484) and runs (42), fourth in walks (30) and 10th in stolen bases (10, T). He is seventh nationally in RBI per game (1.41) and 36th in total home runs (8, T).

On the all-time George Fox career lists, he ranks second in doubles (47) and total bases (353), third in RBI (166), walks (82), and hit by pitches (20), fourth in at bats (588), hits (213), triples (7, T), and sacrifice flies (9, T), fifth in home runs (27), seventh in slugging pct. (.600), and eighth in runs (149) and stolen bases (34).

He was First Team All-NWC as well as First Team All-West Region in 2006, and honorable mention All-NWC in 2004. He has also been named to the ESPN The Magazine / CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII First Team two years in a row.

Johnson, a senior from New Plymouth, Idaho, leads the NWC in hits (65), at bats (170), and total at bats (194), while ranking second in stolen bases (27), third in batting (.382), fourth in runs (39, T) and total bases (76), and sixth in RBI (36, T) and sacrifice flies (4, T).

He is 32nd nationally in stolen bases per game (0.69).

He also made eight appearances on the mound this year with a 2.45 ERA and is seventh in the NWC in saves (2, T).

The speedster and defensive whiz is first all-time at George Fox in stolen bases (88) and steal attempts (106), second in at bats (625), sacrifices bunts (26), and sacrifice flies (10, T), and third in runs (165) and hits (224).

He was also First Team All-NWC in 2005, and Second Team in 2004 and 2006. This season, he was also named to the ESPN The Magazine / CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII First Team.

Bailey, a sophomore from Highland, Utah, established a new George Fox single-season record for doubles with 22, breaking the previous mark of 21 by NAIA All-American catcher Mark Tyler in 1999.

He is first in the NWC in doubles and triples (4, T), second in hits (57, T) and total bases (87), third in slugging pct. (.572), fourth in batting (.375) and runs (39, T), and 10th in on base pct. (.439). He is fifth nationally in doubles per game (0.56). He also leads the league in assists (127).

Fobert, a junior switch-hitter from Dallas, Ore., is sixth in the NWC in sacrifice flies (4, T) while batting .348 with nine doubles, two home runs, and 30 RBI.

Possessing one of the strongest arms in the conference, he has thrown out 32.4% of the runners trying to steal on him (11-34). He was an All-NWC Second Team choice in 2006.

Bratney, a sophomore right-hander from Boise, Idaho, ranks second in the NWC in wins (9, T), sixth in ERA (3.00), seventh in starts (11, T), and ninth in innings (75.0).

He is tied for eighth nationally in wins. He has struck out 21 while walking only 21, and leads the staff with two complete games.

Burch, a sophomore shortstop and pitcher from Redding, Calif., ranks fifth in the NWC in stolen bases (17) and sacrifice bunts (8, T), seventh in runs (36, T), and ninth in sacrifice flies (3, T) while batting .333.

Used as both a starter and reliever on the hill, he is second in the league in saves (3, T) and ninth in games finished (6, T) while posting a 4-2 record with a 4.29 ERA and 24 strikeouts. He is already seventh in all-time saves (3, T) for the Bruins.

Donohue, a senior from Gresham, Ore., leads the NWC in batting (.464), on base pct. (.578), and sacrifice bunts (10, T), while ranking fourth in slugging pct. (.527), fifth in walks (29) and hits (51), and ninth in sacrifice flies (3, T).

Nationally, he is 14th in sacrifice bunts (0.30, T), 16th in batting (.464), and 17th in walks (0.88) per game.

He is the all-time leader at George Fox in career batting avg. (.450) and on base pct. (.548). In 2006, he was also a Second Team All-NWC selection and was named Third Team All-West Region.

Thunell, a sophomore from Canyon City, Ore., is batting .328 with 10 doubles, three home runs, and 33 RBI despite being hampered with ankle and shoulder injuries throughout the season.

He is seventh in the NWC in runs (36, T) and ninth in sacrifice flies (3, T). Last year as a freshman, he was named First Team All-NWC, First Team All-West Region, and Third Team All-America while batting .417, leading the NWC in RBI (48), and setting a GFU freshman record for home runs (7).

Downs, a senior from Kirkland, Wash., stands third in the NWC in triples (3, T), fifth in total bases (75), sixth in RBI (36, T) and hits (49, T), seventh in doubles (11, T), and ninth in sacrifice flies (3, T) while batting .316 with three home runs.

He was a Second Team All-NWC and Third Team All-West Region pick in 2005.

On the all-time GFU lists, he is first in triples (8, T), sixth in RBI (124), seventh in sacrifice flies (8, T), eighth in total bases (264), and ninth in home runs (18).

Langeliers, a junior right-hander from Pleasant Hill, Ore., has posted a 6-1 record with 31 strikeouts while ranking fourth in the NWC in ERA (2.98), sixth in opponents' batting avg. (.244), and seventh in wins (6, T). While third on the team in starts (7), he has also made four relief appearances and posted two saves.

Albrecht, a senior southpaw from Woodinville, Wash., leads the NWC in starts (13) and is second in wins (9, T), third in pickoffs (3, T), fourth in strikeouts (55), and seventh in appearances (15, T). He was 9-4 overall and has a 4.48 ERA.

Nationally, he is tied for eighth in wins.

He was a First Team All-NWC pick last year as a relief pitcher after transferring to George Fox from Division I Gonzaga University. On the GFU career charts, he is tied for 10th in wins (14).

Hedgecock, a junior lefty from Portland, Ore., ranks third in the NWC in relief appearances (16) and fifth in total appearances (17), posting a 1-0 record with one save.

He has a 4.35 ERA and has 18 strikeouts with only two walks in 31 innings. He is the all-time leader in saves (9) at George Fox and is second in games pitched (58).

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