SPOKANE, Wash. – Three Montana State Billings baseball players were named to the 2008 All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference Team, the conference office announced Wednesday. Junior Jonathan Schlender was tabbed a first team selection, while junior Levi Johnson was named to the second team and freshman Jeff Ridgeway was named to the honorable mention team.
Jamie Nilsen of Central Washington and Mike Eisenhauer of Western Oregon were named GNAC Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, to head up the specialty awards. WOU’s Dylan Bruck earned Newcomer of the Year honors, while WOU head coach Jeremiah Robbins was named Coach of the Year. Northwest Nazarene relief pitcher, Nate Slonaker, took home Freshman of the Year honors.
The first team consisted of 16 players including Schlender who led the Jackets with a .339 average in 46 games. He also led the team with 57 hits, 14 doubles, 77 total bases and was a perfect 10 of 10 in stolen bases. Defensively, Schlender committed just four errors in 132 attempts which was good for second on the team among everyday starters.
Johnson was one of 14 named to the second team as he led the team in average for most of the season, finishing second on the team at a .323 clip. Johnson was second on the team in home runs with four and led the team with 28 RBIs. He committed a team-best just one error all year in 80 attempts.
Ridgeway, who came on strong towards the end of the season, earned honorable mention honors as he hit over .300 in his first season as a Yellowjacket. Ridgeway had a .310 average and tied for third on the team with 10 doubles and tied for second with three triples. He had a team-best .504 slugging percentage of everyday starters and was third on the team in walks with 14.
2008 GNAC ALL-CONFERENCE BASEBALL TEAM
FIRST TEAM: Pitchers – +*Mike Eisenhauer, Western Oregon (6-1, 185, Jr., West Linn, OR); +*Tyler Levin, Central Washington (6-4, 230, Sr., Everett, WA); *Mike Ward, Western Oregon (6-4, 200, So., Eugene, OR); Michael McCanna, Central Washington (6-5, 185, So., Addy, WA). Relief Pitcher - Nate Slonaker, Northwest Nazarene (5-10, 215, Fr., Nampa, ID). Catcher - +*Zach Aakhus, Northwest Nazarene (6-1, 205, Sr., Bakersfield, CA). First Base - *Jimmy VanBeek, Northwest Nazarene (6-0, 235, Jr., Yakima, WA). Second Base - Andy Cole, Saint Martin's (5-10, 165, So., Kennewick, WA). Shortstop - +++*Jamie Nilsen, Central Washington (6-0, 185, Sr., Federal Way, WA). Third Base - *Shane Schoeneberg, Saint Martin's (6-0, 190, Sr., Kennewick, WA). Infielder - Cesar Lopez, Western Oregon (5-10, 185, Jr., Walla Walla, WA). Designated Hitter - Nate Rylaarsdam, Central Washington (6-5, 230, Sr., Mount Vernon, WA). Outfielders - *Dylan Bruck, Western Oregon (5-10, 180, Sr., Wilsonville, WA), ++*Nate Baker, Saint Martin's (6-0, 185, Sr., Bothell, WA); *Brandon Kuykendall, Saint Martin's (6-2, 195, Sr., Bonney Lake, WA); Jonathan Schlender, Montana State Billings (6-2, 200, Jr., Bozeman, MT).
*Unanimous +Repeater +Two-Time Repeater +++Three-Time Repeater
SECOND TEAM: Pitchers - Jordan Moore, Central Washington (6-3, 200, Sr., Nine Mile Falls, WA); Chris Mahelona, Northwest Nazarene (6-1, 215, Sr., Kailua, HI). Relief Pitcher - Jared Neyens, Western Oregon (6-0, 200, Sr., Bothell, WA). Catcher - Taylor Mieras, Western Oregon (5-11, 205, Jr., Reno, NV). First Base - Levi Johnson, Montana State Billings (6-0, 180, Jr., Great Falls, MT). Second Base - Ryne Phillips, Northwest Nazarene (5-9, 165, Sr., Brewster, WA). Shortstop - Severo Rodriguez, Northwest Nazarene (6-1, 180, Sr., Othello, WA). Third Base - Frank Donangelo, Central Washington (5-11, 205, Sr., Monterey, CA). Designated Hitter - Luke Abbott, Saint Martin's (6-0, 220, So., Centralia, WA). Outfielders - Craig Yuhas, Saint Martin's (6-0, 185, Sr., Phoenix, AZ); A.J. Gosney, Central Washington (5-10, 185, Jr., Spokane, WA); Drew Humphrey, Western Oregon (6-0, 200, Jr., Pleasant Hill, OR); Cole Smith, Northwest Nazarene (5-8, 185, Sr., Pasco, WA); Ryan Bailey, Northwest Nazarene (5-10, 185, Jr., Richland, WA).
HONORABLE MENTION: Pitchers – Andrew Neisinger, Saint Martin’s (5-10, 180, Sr., Bothell, WA); Nick Bolthouse, Saint Martin’s (5-10, 185, Sr., Eagle, ID); Derek Shoemaker, Central Washington (6-0, 190, Jr., Moses Lake, WA); Mike Cusick, Western Oregon (6-2, 185, So., Salem, OR); Ben Shivers, Western Oregon (5-10, 175, Sr., Silverton, OR); Tyler Liebelt, Saint Martin’s (5-9, 165, Sr., Washougal, WA); Alex VanOeveren, Northwest Nazarene (6-2, 205, Sr., Fall City, WA). Second Base – Tyler Moore, Western Oregon (5-10, 185, Sr., Portland, OR); Kevin Walkenhauer, Central Washington (6-1, 170, So., Yakima, WA). Third Base – Eric Renander, Western Oregon (6-0, 175, Jr., Forest Grove, OR). Designated Hitter - Tim Puckett, Northwest Nazarene (5-11, 200, Sr., Hillsboro, OR). Outfielders - Tyler Scoggin, Central Washington (6-2, 190, Sr., Lacey, WA); Jeff Ridgeway, Montana State Billings (6-0, 190, Fr., Billings, MT).
