Baseball versus Linfield Changes to One Game on Saturday, Two on Sunday

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- The schedule for this weekend's three-game baseball series between Willamette University and Linfield College has been changed due to the threat of rain on Saturday. Instead of opening the weekend with a doubleheader, the Bearcats and Wildcats will start the Northwest Conference series with one game on Saturday, March 7 at 12 p.m. (PST). The teams will complete the series with a doubleheader on Sunday, March 8 beginning at 11 a.m. (PDT).

Willamette enters the series with a 7-6 overall record and a 4-2 mark in the NWC. Linfield is 5-8 on the season, 1-5 in the NWC.

Nick Di Fiori (Jr., 1B/RHP, Monrovia, CA/Bishop Amat HS) tops the Willamette offense with a .500 batting average and a .750 slugging percentage. Luke Werkmeister-Martin (Fy., DH/UT, Louisville, CO/Monarch HS) is batting .448 for the Bearcats. Layton Wagner (Fy., 3B/RHP, Boise, ID/Timberline HS) is hitting .358 with a team-high six doubles plus one homer. Justin Scanlon (Sr., 2B, San Jose, CA/Leigh HS/West Valley College) has produced a .354 batting average with four doubles, one triple and one home run. Eric Waldichuk (So., 1B, San Diego, CA/University City HS) leads WU with four home urns.

Wagner and Joey Faudskar (Sr., OF, Phoenix, AZ/Pinnacle HS) both have scored 14 runs for Willamette. Ethan Fischel (So., SS, Eureka, CA/Eureka HS) has scored 12 runs, while Tyler Vandemark (Jr., LF, Modesto, CA/Joseph A. Gregori HS) has provided 11 runs, and Scanlon has scored 10 runs. Fischel ranks first on the team with 14 RBIs and is followed by Di Fiori and Wagner, each with 11 RBIs.

Pitcher Benjamin Whitten (Sr., RHP, Danville, CA/San Ramon Valley HS) is 4-0 with a 3.63 earned run average and 17 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings pitched. Justin Miller (Jr./So., RHP, Poway, CA/Poway HS/Palomar CC) is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA and eight strikeouts, while allowing only four walks in 26 innings.