Bearcats will play Baseball Series with Whitman in McMinnville this Weekend

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University will host Whitman College in a four-game baseball series in McMinnville, Oregon, this weekend, starting with three Northwest Conference games. The series has been moved from Willamette's John Lewis Field due to wet field conditions. The Bearcats and the Blues will play on the artificial turf at Roy Helser Field in two doubleheaders, starting at 12 p.m. (PST) on Saturday, March 11 and at 12 p.m. (PDT) on Sunday, March 12.

Roy Helser Field is located on the Linfield College campus. Linfield's baseball team will be playing at University of Puget Sound this weekend.

The Bearcats bring an 11-5 overall record, including 7-2 in the NWC, into their series with Whitman. Willamette is tied for first place in the NWC standings with Pacific Lutheran University. The Blues are 8-6 overall, 3-2 in the NWC, and are currently third in the NWC race, percentage points in front of Linfield, which is 5-4 in conference play.

Top hitters this season for Willamette are Cameron Igarashi (Jr., OF, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) at .357 and Jack Brett (Jr., C, Aurora, CO/Regis Jesuit HS) at .355. Brett hit a three-run homer to lead the Bearcats in the third game of a three-game sweep over Whitworth University last weekend.

Matt Steindorf (So., RHP, Granite Bay, CA/Granite Bay HS) of Willamette was chosen NWC Baseball Pitcher Student-Athlete of the Week after pitching eight inning and allowing only four hits and an unearned run in the first game against Whitworth. Steindorf leads the NWC with a 5-0 record. He has a 3.18 earned run averaged with 22 strikeouts in 34 innings.