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Western Oregon
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Anytime a team returns only seven lettermen
from the previous year, many would say they are in for a long
year...a rebuilding year. Things are a little different, however,
for the Western Oregon Wolves in 2008.  The
Wolves enter the season as the odds on favorite by the experts
and coaches to win their eighth straight conference title.
Of course, after winning 115 games against only 29 losses
in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference since it was formed
in 2002, the Wolves are a safe bet.
Third-year head coach Jeremiah Robbins is
looking to get WOU back to its third NCAA tournament in the
past five years where they have enjoyed much success, finishing
second in 2005 and third in 2006. To accomplish this, he will
have to overcome only returning two position starters. A strong
group of veteran pitchers might just be the answer. And so
far so good, as the pitching staff has stepped up early this
season only giving up four or less runs in three of their
four games against a tough UC San Diego team (#25 in this
weeks poll) to start the season.
The Wolves now enter the second week of the
young season ranked #24 in our Ping!Baseball rankings after
splitting a four game set with the Tritons. Catcher Tony Jones
(.268 4 HR 28 RBI) and 3B Randy Summers (.323 1 HR 8 RBI)
will look to provide experience and leadership to an inexperienced
group of position players. Coach Robbins addressed this inexperience
during the off season by adding three DI transfers and a number
of proven junior college transfers. Look for 2B Tyler Moore
(.266 6 HR 27 RBI), a transfer from Illinois-Chicago and JC
 transfers
Dan Ulrich (.390 4 HR 34 RBI) and Tyson Nelson (.387 3 HR
24 RBI) to have an immediate impact for the Wolves.
On the mound, the Wolves look solid as ever.
Mike Eisenhower (6-5 4.29 ERA) and Mike Cusick (3-1 2.79 ERA)
combined for twenty starts last year and will likely be aces
of the staff. Cusick held opposing hitters to a league low
.194 average in 2007. Mike Ward (3-1, 1.93 ERA, 8 app) and
Ben Shivers (4-1, 5.83 ERA, 16 app) will be the horses in
the bullpen. Robbins also saw fit to bolster his pitching
staff with five JC transfers and three freshman. The newcomers
will be led by JC transfers Matt Hilgers (9-3 3.10 ERA) and
Greg Bob nick (6-0 2.61 ERA).
WOU opened their season with a much anticipated
California trip, which included a series win against UC-San
Diego the first weekend of the year. The Wolves beat Stanislaus
mid week, but only managed to go 1-3 against an excellent
Chico State team to drop (just temporally perhaps) out of
the Ping! Division II rankings.
PREVIOUS DII SPOTLIGHTS
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