Last Series Recaps - Saint Martin's struggled to slow the Owls' offense, dropping both ends of the series opening doubleheader, 13-0 and 10-5, on Saturday afternoon.
Oregon Tech (13-7) consistently attacked the Saints (5-10), scoring two or more runs in six of the seven innings. Saint Martin's offense had runners in scoring position in two different innings but were unable to come through with the clutch hits.
In the second game, Saint Martin's scored the opening run of the game on an RBI double from Reid Little, bringing home Dakota Hill. However, the led did not hold long as Oregon Tech added six in the bottom of the second inning.
The Saints rallied back to cut the score down to just one by the end of the sixth inning. An RBI sac fly from Austin Schaler in the fourth, and RBIs from Hill, and Jonathan Shimaburkuro in the fifth made it a 6-4 ballgame. Finally, Ryne Oshiro in the sixth drove in Schaler to pull the Saints within one.
But the Owls responded back in the seventh and the eighth with two runs in each frame to pull away for the doubleheader sweep.
Despite the Saints throwing up 14 runs over the two games, Saint Martin's fall in the slugfest to Oregon Tech, 10-8 and 10-6, on Sunday afternoon.
Aaron Renaud kicked off the day with his third home run of the season, a solo shot to put the Saints up early. After Oregon Tech took the lead in the bottom of the first, RBIs from Griffin Williams in the second and the fourth put the Saints back on top.
The Owls opened up a 7-3 lead, Saint Martin's rallied back with five straight runs over three innings. Renaud hit his second home run of the game in the seventh, and Williams drove in his third RBI of the game on a single to center.
However, the Saints were unable to hold the lead in the late innings as Oregon Tech stormed back to win the opener 10-8.
Oregon Tech jumped on the scoreboard first with five runs in the opening three innings before the Saints' bats got going. In the fourth, an error allowed SMU's first run to come across the plate. Later in the inning, Hunter Kosmider drove in two on a single to right to make it a 5-3 game.
Trailing 10-4 entering the ninth inning, the Saints threatened with two runs to make it a four-run game before ultimately falling short.
Saints' Baseball Voted 5th In GNAC Preseason Poll - With a core of their bats returning in 2022, along with a pitching staff eager to prove itself, the Saints were selected fifth in the GNAC Preseason Coaches' Poll on Friday.
Earning four of the five first place votes, Northwest Nazarene was selected as the preseason favorite with 24 points. Western Oregon followed up in second with 19 points, then Central Washington with one first place vote at 15. Montana State Billings, and Saint Martin's rounded out the poll with 10 and seven points respectively.
The Saints will be led by All-Conference bats Aaron Renaud, catchers Bryant Nakagawa and Mark Steward, and outfielder Cody Chavis. Renaud, an honorable mention led the offense with seven home runs, and 17 RBIs with a .315 batting average. In 37 games, Renaud slugged .597 along with a .399 on-base percentage and scored 23 runs.
Nakagawa earned a second team All-Conference selection after collecting a .460 on-base percentage in 23 games. However, Nakagawa proved to be lethal at throwing out would be baserunners, catching eight of 13 attempts. Also, he posted his second straight perfect fielding percentage season, with 65 putouts, and 12 assists.
Freshman catcher/designated hitter Mark Steward quickly made an impact, leading the Saints in batting average at .383, along with two home runs, and 12 RBIs. Steward slugged .521 along with a remarkable .448 on-base percentage.
Centerfielder Cody Chavis was named honorable mention with his .272 season along with one home run, and 15 RBIs. Chavis started all 38 games he saw action in, and managed seven doubles, two triples, and 20 runs scored.
Saint Martin's must replace all-time strikeout leader Tanner Inouye, who was named to three GNAC All-Conference teams in his career. All-Conference honorable mention Zach Alcos looks to lead the young but talented Saints' staff. In nine games, making four starts, Alcos recorded 22 strikeouts in 27 innings along with a 5.33 ERA.
The Saints return five of the top six pitchers who recorded the most innings last season. Cole Hatton was second on the team with 44 innings pitched, along with lefty Ryan Ancheta at 34 innings of work. Finnley Butler posted the team's lowest ERA at 5.29 in 32.1 innings. Justice Yamashita and Troy McCormick also look to step up on the mound with a combined 51 innings of work last season.
Other notable returners in 2022 include infielders Ryne Oshiro, Ty Matsunami, and Braeden McNally, along with outfielders Austin Schaler, Griffin Williams, and Reid Little. Utility players like Dakota Hill, Cody Isa, and Hunter Kosmider provide depth for the Saints.
Saint Martin's welcomes eight new players to the roster in 2022 including senior transfer Brock Wrolstad from Missouri Western State, and sophomore transfer Jonathan Shimabukuro from Edmonds CC. The Saints feature six freshmen on the roster in Colin Driscoll from West Linn, Oregon, DJ Akiyama from Aiea, Hawaii, and Hunter Sasaki from Mililani, Hawaii. Along with Kameron Richards from Lacey, Washington, Aaron Nease from Salem, Oregon, and Sam McCauley from Baker City, Oregon.
