Game Time... Northwestern College closes regular season play with a GPAC doubleheader against rival Dordt College this afternoon in Orange City. With one win, the Red Raiders clinch their first GPAC regular season championship since 1980. They are 24-13 overall, 17-5 in the GPAC. Dordt enters the game with an 11-20 overall mark, 8-12 and in 11th place in the GPAC. The Defenders, however, are just two games in back in the win column of seventh place Doane with four games left to play. Game one can be heard via the Dordt College web-cast and game two can be heard via the Northwestern College web-cast:
Dordt Web-cast Game One
Northwestern Web-cast Game Two
Scouting Report... The Defenders and interim Head Coach Jeff Zomer are 11-20 overall, 8-12 in the GPAC with four games left to play in the regular season. After today's games, Dordt will host USF to close the season. They are in 11th place but trail Doane by just two games in the win column for seventh place and are fighting for one of the final spots in the eight-team postseason tournament.
The Defenders are 3-3 in their last six games as they have split their last three GPAC doubleheaders against Mount Marty, Midland Lutheran and Concordia. As a team, they are batting .299 this season and scoring 4.9 runs per game. Defensively, Dordt is seventh in the league with a fielding percentage of .936 (65 errors). The pitching staff sports a 5.95 ERA this season, seventh best in the GPAC. As a staff, they are giving up 6.6 runs per game.
Individually, Dordt is led by sophomore outfielder Travis Feekes who is batting .372 with 22 runs and 14 RBIs. He also leads the team with nine stolen bases. Travis DeJong and Dillon Peters rank second and third on the team, respectively, in batting average and both have over 100 hits in their career. DeJong, a senior catcher, is hitting .361 with 20 RBIs while Peters, a junior outfielder, is batting .350 with 18 runs scored. Senior third baseman Bobby Lutke is batting .327 with 20 RBIs while Evan Pheneger is batting .312 this season. The pitching staff is led by freshman Patrick Sinnema with a 2-3 record and 3.82 ERA. In 37 2/3 innings, Sinnema has 24 strikeouts and opponents are batting .285 against him this season. Alex Jansen, a senior from Tucson, Ariz., is 2-3 with a 5.63 ERA in eight starts this season. Daryl Visser, a senior from Washington, is 3-1 with a 4.58 ERA in 35 1/3 innings pitched.
2008 Media Guide
