Werkmeister-Martin, Fischel, and Miller are Chosen Second Team All-NWC
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Three Willamette University baseball players have been selected Second Team All-Northwest Conference for the 2022 season as voted on by the NWC head coaches. An additional five Bearcats were chosen Honorable Mention All-NWC.
A total of 54 student-athletes were included on the 2022 All-NWC Baseball Team. Fifteen players were named First Team All-NWC, with 15 players on the Second Team, and 24 players on the Honorable Mention list. Players chosen First Team All-NWC from Willamette were Luke Werkmeister-Martin (Jr., 1B, Louisville, CO/Monarch HS), Ethan Fischel (Sr., SS, Eureka, CA/Eureka HS), and Justin Miller (Sr., RHP, Poway, CA/Poway HS/Palomar CC). Honorable Mention selections for the Bearcats were Trey Topping (Fy., C, Valencia, CA/West Ranch HS), Ryan Whithorn (Grad., 2B, Claremont, CA/The Webb School/Chaffey College), Ethan Dunnam (Jr., C/DH, El Cajon, CA/Valhalla HS), Layton Wagner (Jr., RHP/UT, Boise, ID/Timberline HS), and Brady Joyner (So., RHP, Las Vegas, NV/Shadow Ridge HS).
Willamette is 17-16 on the season, including 12-12 in the NWC. The Bearcats will close out the season with three non-conference games this weekend against NWC teams. On Saturday, April 30, Willamette will take on Pacific Lutheran University at 3:30 p.m. (PDT) in Tacoma, Washington. On Sunday, May 1, the Bearcats will play two games at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. Willamette will battle Pacific University at 11 a.m. before playing Puget Sound at 2 p.m.
Third baseman Jack Thompson from Lewis & Clark College was NWC Baseball Player of the Year. Colton Meyer of Linfield University was NWC Baseball Pitcher of the Year. Noah Meffert, an outfielder from George Fox University was NWC Baseball Freshman of the Year. Head Coach Dan Spencer of Linfield was voted NWC Baseball Coach of the Year.
Second Team All-Northwest Conference
Luke Werkmeister-Martin (Jr., 1B) was named Second Team All-NWC for the second year in a row. This spring, he batted .355 and led the Bearcats with 138 at bats, 49 hits, and 28 runs. He registered 26 RBIs, while pounding out 10 doubles and five home runs on his way to a .536 slugging percentage. He was 17 of 18 on stolen bases. On defense, he provided Willamette with a team-high 248 putouts at first base and a .988 fielding percentage. In a doubleheader against Lewis & Clark College on March 13, he was 7 for 11 (.636) at the plate with a double, six runs scored, and two RBIs, as the Bearcats won 12-11 and 12-5.
As a sophomore in 2021, Werkmeister-Martin was chosen Third Team All-America by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and was named Third Team CoSIDA Academic All-America. He was chosen First Team All-Region by the ABCA and D3baseball.com. During 2021, he batted .379 with 46 runs and 36 RBIs. He led WU with 64 hits, including 13 doubles and 10 homers. He was 7 for 7 on stolen bases. He led the Bearcats with a .400 batting average in NWC regular season play.
Werkmeister-Martin's career stats include a .371 batting average, 83 runs, 71 RBIs, 27 doubles, and 15 home runs. He has registered 129 hits in 91 games (85 stats). He owns a .578 career slugging percentage and a .419 career on-base percentage. He is 26 for 27 on stolen bases. His career defensive stats feature 609 putouts and a .990 fielding percentage.
"Luke was excellent in all phases of the game all season," Willamette Head Baseball Coach Aaron Swick noted. "He provided a good spark at the top of the lineup."
Ethan Fischel (Sr., SS) earned Second Team All-NWC honors for the second consecutive season. In 2022, he hit .311 and led the Bearcats with a .549 slugging percentage and 33 RBIs. He also topped the WU offensive chart with 11 doubles, six homers, and 19 walks. He tied for second on the team with 25 runs scored. Fischel was 5 for 5 on stolen bases. In WU's doubleheader sweep against Lewis & Clark on March 13, he contributed nine RBIs. During the three-game series, he blasted two doubles and three home runs. On defense, he recorded 33 putouts, 75 assists, and a .939 fielding percentage during the season.
Fischel was chosen Third Team All-West Region by D3baseball.com in 2021, when he batted .277 and started all 45 games while providing 48 RBIs, 36 runs and 10 homers. He achieved a .523 slugging percentage. During his career, Fischel has played in 119 games with 115 starts. He owns a .277 career batting average with 117 hits, 113 RBIs, and 93 runs scored. He is tied for seventh all-time at WU with 20 career home runs and has accumulated 23 doubles and one triple. He is 19 for 22 on stolen bases. He has registered 141 putouts and 262 assists on defense.
"Ethan had big at bats all year. He was consistently driving in runs," Swick said.
Justin Miller (Sr., RHP) was named Second Team All-NWC for the first time. He provided Willamette with a 4.75 earned run average this spring while pitching 53 innings. He led the team with 48 strikeouts and allowed just 14 walks. He has a 2-5 record that includes four losses in which he pitched at least six innings and allowed three or fewer earned runs, including a seven-inning performance in a 1-0 loss to eventual NWC champion Pacific University. He struck out 12 batters against Centenary College (La.) on Feb. 6 and had 10 strikeouts against the University of Puget Sound on March 6.
In 2021, Miller registered 47 strikeouts to go along with a 5.69 ERA and a 4-2 record. He pitched 68 innings and gave up only 15 walks. Miller's career totals at Willamette include a 5.14 ERA, 152 1/3 innings pitched, and 105 strikeouts, with just 37 walks. He has pitched in 25 games -- all starts -- including three complete-games in 2021. While on the mound, he has contributed 35 assists.
"Justin was an innings eater and a competitor," Swick noted. "He gave us a chance to win every time he pitched."
Honorable Mention All-Northwest Conference
Trey Topping (Fy., C) received Honorable Mention All-NWC recognition for the first time. He has played in 30 games with 20 starts and leads the Bearcats with a .365 batting average. He has been solid as a catcher, earning 134 putouts, 14 assists, and a .987 fielding percentage. In addition to his exceptional batting average, he has provided Willamette with 18 runs, 11 RBIs, five doubles, one triple, and one home run. He owns a .430 on-base percentage.
He went 5 for 5 on offense against Whitman College in the first game of a doubleheader on March 27. He registered two or more hits a total of seven times. He produced at least one hit in 21 games.
"Trey gave us great energy on the field and found ways to get on base," Swick said. "It was fun to see how well he performed as a first-year player."
Ryan Whithorn (Grad., 2B) was selected Honorable Mention All-NWC for the first time. He batted .297 this spring with 20 runs scored in 24 games played (20 starts). He hit five doubles, one triple, and one homer. He supplied WU with a .453 slugging percentage and a .418 on-base percentage. He tied for second on the team with 13 walks. He recorded 15 of his 19 hits in his last 16 games. He achieved 27 putouts and 31 assists on defense.
In three seasons since transferring to Willamette, Whithorn has contributed a .278 career batting average while scoring 26 runs and hitting seven doubles. He has 32 career putouts to go along with 39 assists. He hit .385 while playing in 12 games in 2021.
"Ryan was a steady veteran presence on the field and he sparked some innings for us on offense," Swick recalled.
Ethan Dunnam (Jr., C/DH) gained Honorable Mention All-NWC status at designated hitter for the first time. He achieved a .299 batting average in 2022 with 12 runs and 11 RBIs. He also played catcher. On defense, he registered 101 putouts, 13 assists, and a .974 fielding percentage. On offense, he belted five doubles, went 4 for 4 on stolen bases, and walked 10 times. He was hit by pitches a team-leading seven times. He was credited with a .440 on-base percentage.
His career stats at Willamette include a .273 batting average, 19 runs, 20 RBIs, and seven sacrifice bunt in 41 games (33 starts). He has made 184 putouts to go along with 15 assists. He has supplied a .980 career fielding percentage for the Bearcats.
"Ethan produced quality at bats all the time," Swick commented. "His ability to do different things with the bat helped us score runs."
Layton Wagner (Jr., RHP/UT) was named Honorable Mention All-NWC as a utility player this year after being chosen First Team All-NWC as a starting pitcher in 2021. This year, he hit .303 with 36 hits in 119 at bats. He connected on seven doubles, one triple, and five home runs. He scored 21 times, drove in 27 runs, and walked 13 times. He had a .504 slugging percentage. He pitched in seven games with six starts and struck out 30 batters in 25 2/3 innings. He also saw action as a designated hitter and outfielder. On defense, he recorded 29 putouts and 10 assists.
In 2021, Wagner was chosen Third Team All-West Region by the ABCA and D3baseball.com. He provided WU with a 7-1 pitching record to go with a 2.79 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings. He batted .282 with 27 runs, eight doubles, and two homers. Wagner's career includes a .302 batting average, 64 runs, and 54 RBIs. He has hit 21 doubles and eight homers with 34 walks and 14 stolen bases. He is 7-4 as a pitcher with a 4.29 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 100 2/3 innings.
"Layton is a grinder," Swick said. "His athleticism and commitment are big ingredients in our team's success."
Brady Joyner (So., RHP) received Honorable Mention All-NWC as relief pitcher for the second year in a row. He has contributed a 4.38 ERA, four saves and a 2-3 record this spring. He has struck out 37 batters in 24 2/3 innings, while limiting opponents to a .207 batting average.
Last year, in his first collegiate season, Joyner was 6-1 on the mound with a 1.74 ERA and five saves. Opposing batters hit just .135 while he was pitching. He was selected Second Team All-West Region by D3baseball.com and was named Third Team All-West Region by the ABCA. Joyner has a 2.91 career ERA and an 8-4 record with nine saves in 55 2/3 innings pitched. He has recorded 67 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of .135 in 28 appearances.
"Brady continued to grow into a very good pitcher," Swick noted. "His combination of stuff and grit were huge this season."