2008 Season Preview

Northwestern College’s baseball team is coming off arguably the most successful season in the program’s 40 year history. Last season, the Raiders set school records for wins (37), hits (504), and runs (349) en route to a 37-18 record and NAIA Region III Championship, the school’s first ever. The Red Raiders lost four starters from last year’s squad and two other letter-winners but return 15 letter-winners including two starting pitchers and seven starting position players.

Leading the way for Northwestern on the mound will be seniors Mihai Burlea and Joe Grady. Last season Burlea was named the GPAC Pitcher-of-the-Year and NAIA Region III Pitcher-of-the-Year posting a 12-1 record and earning NAIA All-American Honorable Mention honors. Burlea set school records with 12 wins, 97 innings pitched, and 113 strikeouts. Grady is coming off a 5-6 campaign, in which he saw his ERA below 4.00 for the second time in three seasons as a starter for the Raiders. He has logged 177 innings in his career including 87 GPAC innings. Trevor Kuiper projects to step back into the starting rotation after serving in that role his freshman season along with freshman Mike Zoellner. Sophomore Brad Payne and freshmen Drew Nonnemacher and Brett Westra will provide middle relief/starter depth while Andrew Engesser will start the season as the Raider closer. Northwestern returns a total of 22 victories from last season’s staff to this season.

Behind the plate calling the signals for the Raider staff will be senior Codie Zeutenhorst and freshman Clint Gingerich. Zeutenhorst is a career .304 hitter and has one of the best arms in the conference. Zeutenhorst has twice earned All-GPAC honorable mention and once earned All-GPAC 2^nd Team honors. Last season Zeutenhorst led the conference with 11 home-runs and 14 runners picked off.

The Northwestern infield features four starters who have consistently proven to be among the top players at their position during their careers. At first base, junior Jake Jansen returns after hitting a league high .452 last season. Jansen set Northwestern records with 75 hits and 19 hit by pitches. Throwing to Jansen will be infield teammates senior Joe Heitritter and juniors Austin Malone and Grant Wall. Heitritter, coming off an All-GPAC second team season in the outfield, will move back into the infield to hold down third base. Heitritter, a career .300 hitter, hit a career best .336 last season. At second base, Malone has twice been named All-GPAC honorable mention and is a key for the Raiders offensively and defensively. Every season he is a GPAC Gold Glove candidate. Rounding out the infield for the Raiders is junior shortstop Grant Wall. Last season Wall was named GPAC Player-of-the Year and was a first team NAIA Region III player. Wall hit .411 and set a Raider record with 19 doubles, despite missing 13 games to injury. Wall and Malone tied for the team lead with 46 runs scored. The four returning infielders combined to hit .381 last season with 163 runs scored and 132 RBI. Senior Scott Mineart and sophomore Brad Payne will provide quality depth in the infield.

Northwestern’s outfield will have two familiar faces in the starting lineup in sophomores Curt Bomgaars and Matt Gray. Gray was last season’s center fielder and will again assume that role while Bomgaars was the starting right fielder last season. Gray hit .333 last season and was an All-GPAC honorable mention while Bomgaars hit .273 and had 33 RBI. Joining them will be freshman Mike Zoellner. Also figuring into the mix in the OF will be junior Justin Boersma and freshman Kent Drickey.

Northwestern will have many options this year for the designated hitter role; Mineart, Boersma, and Payne have GPAC experience and could fill the role as well as any of the starters needing rest.

Northwestern received votes to be ranked in the NAIA pre-season poll and was the GPAC coaches pick to win the conference. The Red Raiders collected seven first place votes and had 134 total points. Dakota Wesleyan was picked as the runner up and had 116 points.

Northwestern opens up their season on Feb. 2^nd in the Metrodome against region VII #3 Mt. Mercy College of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Red Raiders also have road games scheduled against #23 Avila University, Dakota State (receiving votes), and region VII #6 William Penn University. Northwestern will be taking a spring break trip to Clearwater, Fla. to participate in the Clearwater College Invitational and will likely play nine games over break. Northwestern opens at home versus fourth ranked Bellevue University on March 24^th and will face Waldorf on March 25^th before the start of the conference season. The GPAC Tournament will be held in Sioux Falls, S.D. this season and the Region III Tournament will be held at the Dakota Athletic Conference regular season champion’s field.