Seven Bearcats Earn All-West Region Recognition from D3baseball.com
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Seven Willamette University Bearcats have named to the 2021 All-West Region Baseball Team as selected by D3baseball.com. The Bearcats earned a 30-15 overall record this season, including 21-11 (3rd place) in the Northwest Conference. Willamette reached the NWC Tournament championship game.
The D3baseball.com All-West Region First Team included Luke Werkmeister-Martin (So., 1B, Louisville, CO/Monarch HS). The Second Team featured Samuel Daly (So., RF, El Dorado Hills, CA/Jesuit HS) and Brady Joyner (Fy., RHP, Las Vegas, NV/Shadow Ridge HS). Chosen for the Third Team were Michael Nelsen (Sr., C, Folsom, CA/Vista Del Lago HS), Ethan Fischel (Jr., SS, Eureka, CA/Eureka HS), Jeff Hoffman (Fy., 3B, Salida, CA/Joseph A. Grigori HS), and Layton Wagner (So., RHP/INF, Boise, ID/Timberline HS).
"Anytime you are selected to a postseason honor it means something," Willamette Head Baseball Coach Aaron Swick said. "When you get picked as one of the best players at your position in the Region that is even more special. Each of these players had outstanding seasons and I am thrilled that their performances were recognized by D3baseball.com."
Overall, 43 players received All-West Region honors. Fourteen players were selected for the First Team, with 14 players on the Second Team and 15 players on the Third Team.
Shortstop Chase Anderson (Sr.) from Pacific University was named West Region Player of the Year. Isaiah Alvarenga (So.) of East Texas Baptist University was chosen West Region Pitcher of the Year. First baseman Carsen Thor from Sul Ross State University (Texas) was named West Region Rookie of the Year. Head Coach Brian Billings from Pacific was voted West Region Coach of the Year.
Willamette hit .313 as a team this season with a school record 68 home runs. The Bearcats also set school records with 343 runs and 315 RBIs, and tied a school record with 97 doubles. Willamette pounded 170 extra-base hits. The pitching staff established a Willamette record with 288 strikeouts.
First Team All-West Region
Luke Werkmeister-Martin (So., 1B) topped the Willamette offensive chart with a .379 batting average this year. He also led the team with 64 hits and tied for the team lead with 46 runs. He provided a .633 slugging percentage with 10 home runs and 13 doubles while accumulating 36 RBIs. He achieved a .429 on-base percentage. In addition, Werkmeister-Martin led the team with four sacrifice flies and was 7 for 7 on stolen bases. His 322 putouts led the WU defense, as he registered a .994 fielding percentage. He played in 45 games and made 44 starts. He opened the season with a 16-game hitting streak and recorded at least one hit in 39 games. He was chosen Second Team All-NWC.
During his two years at Willamette, Werkmeister-Martin has contributed a .381 career batting average to go along with 80 hits, 55 runs, and 45 RBIs. His totals include 17 doubles and 27 extra-base hits. He has been credited with 361 putouts on his way to a .992 career fielding percentage.
Second Team All-West Region
Samuel Daly (So., RF) was a key player for WU this season. He hit .359 with a team-leading 29 extra-base hits. He blasted 12 homers, three triples, and 14 doubles. He was second on the squad with 49 RBIs. He finished the year with 40 runs, a .695 slugging percentage, and a .412 on-base percentage. Daly played for the Bearcats in all 45 games and had 44 starts. He was involved in many of WU's biggest innings this spring. He earned hitting streaks of 14 games and 11 games. He was named First Team All-NWC. On defense, he supplied 90 putouts and a .989 fielding percentage.
In two years at WU, Daly has registered a .327 career batting average and a .621 career slugging percentage. He has earned 59 RBIs, 47 runs, 17 doubles, and 13 homers. He has accumulated 110 putouts and a .991 fielding percentage on defense.
Brady Joyner (Fy., RHP) pitched in 15 games this year as the team's closer. He provided the Bearcats with a 1.74 earned run average that ranks fifth all-time at Willamette. He struck out 30 batters in 31 innings pitched. He achieved a 6-1 record and contributed five saves. He held opponents to a .135 batting average. Joyner recorded at least one strikeout in 13 of his 15 appearances, with six strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings against Lewis & Clark College in a 9-8 win on April 3. He was named Honorable Mention All-NWC as a relief pitcher.
Joyner was credited with one-run victories in NWC action against Whitman College, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark, and Whitworth University. In the NWC Tournament, he recorded a 6-2 extra-inning win over Pacific Lutheran University after pitching the last four innings and added a 3-2 win over Pacific University by tossing the final 5 2/3 innings to help force a second championship game.
Third Team All-West Region
Michael Nelsen (Sr., C) led the team with 50 RBIs and pounded out 13 home runs to ranked second in the team. He also blasted 10 doubles. He hit .290 for the season. He was named First Team All-NWC. Nelsen walked 17 times, scored 32 runs, and earned a .628 slugging percentage. He earned two or more hits in 15 games. He smacked a total of nine home runs in his first 13 games this year. He produced a .983 fielding percentage on defense with 208 putouts and 18 assists. He saw action in 44 games and made 42 starts.
During his career with the Bearcats, Nelsen played in 79 games with 63 starts. He belted 16 homers and 13 doubles. He amassed 60 RBIs and scored 43 runs. He walked 29 times. Nelsen registered 292 career putouts and 27 career assists as he attained a .979 career fielding percentage.
Ethan Fischel (Jr., SS) was the only Willamette player to start all 45 games this season. He batted .277 and ranked third on the team with 48 RBIs, just two RBIs behind Nelsen. Fischel scored 36 runs. He hit 10 homers to go along with six doubles and one triple. He earned two or more hits in 14 games, including three games with three hits. He received 15 walks and was hit by 10 pitches, as he registered a .523 slugging percentage. He ranked second on the WU defense with 99 assists. He was chosen Second Team All-NWC.
Fischel's career has included 87 games played and 83 starts in his three seasons with the Bearcats. He holds a .262 career batting average with 80 RBIs and 68 runs scored. He has collected 14 homers, 12 doubles, and one triple. On defense, he has provided WU with 108 putouts and 187 assists.
Jeff Hoffman (Fy., 3B) batted .311 this spring while playing in 41 games with 38 starts. He led the Bearcats with 15 homer runs. He hit nine doubles, scored 34 times, and achieved 33 RBIs. He was selected NWC Freshman of the Year and was named Second Team All-NWC. He topped the WU offensive chart with a .711 slugging percentage. He produced 32 putouts and 65 assists on defense.
Hoffman blasted two home runs in the same game twice, against Whitworth University on April 10 and versus Pacific University on May 1. He went 4 for 5 against Lewis & Clark in a 10-5 win on April 3 and was credited with three hits in three consecutive games against Whitworth.
Layton Wagner (So., RHP/INF) was chosen Third Team All-West Region as a starting pitcher, but also made important contributions to the Willamette offense. On the mound, he started 12 games and claimed a 7-1 record with a 2.79 ERA. He struck out a team-high 66 batters in 67 2/3 innings. He limited opponents to a .243 batting average. He struck out five or more batters eight times, including nine strikeouts against Whitworth on April 10 and Pacific on May 1. He received First Team All-NWC recognition.
Wagner concluded the season with a .282 batting average after playing in 40 games with 36 starts. He scored 27 runs and registered 15 RBIs. He pounded eight doubles, smacked two home runs, and went 6 of 8 on stolen bases. He provided WU with 36 assists on defense. In two years, Wagner has attained a 2.52 career ERA and 72 strikeouts in 75 innings. He owns a .302 career batting average, along with 43 runs, 27 RBIs, 14 doubles, and three homers.