May 31, 2007
BASEBALL: Tacoma Rainiers to Honor
2007 PLU Baseball Team
RAINIERS HONOR LUTES: The Tacoma Rainiers
of the Pacific Coast League will honor the 2007 Lutes at
their Friday, June 1 game against the Omaha Royals at Cheney
Stadium. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. PLU
players and coaches will be brought out to the first base
line between the first and second innings.
FINAL NATIONAL POLL: Pacific Lutheran,
ranked ninth in the final regular season American Baseball
Coaches Association / Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division
III Baseball Poll, has stayed in that spot in the last ABCA
poll of the season. The ABCA poll
The Lutes, who received the program's highest-ever national
ranking, finished the season with a 35-9 record. The Lutes
won the Northwest Conference Championships to earn the automatic
bid to the regional tournament. This was the first time
PLU had won a NWC Championships in baseball and the first
conference title of any kind in baseball since 1954 when
the Lutes won the Evergreen Conference title.
Chapman, which beat Pacific Lutheran to win the NCAA West
Region title, dropped from first in the final regular season
poll to fifth following the Division III World Series. The
Panthers were eliminated from the national tournament in
three games. Kean (N.J.), which won the Division III World
Series championship, received all eight first-place votes
and is ranked No. 1 in the final ABCA/Collegiate Baseball
poll.
LOOMIS IS REGION’S TOP COACH: Head
coach Geoff Loomis, who led Pacific Lutheran to its record-setting
2007 season, has earned 2007 American Baseball Coaches Association
West Region Coach of the Year honors. Under Loomis, the
Lutes won their first conference title since 1954 and they
also set a school record with 35 wins, nine more than the
previous record of 26 set by the 1994 PLU team.
THORNE RECEIVES REGION “GOLD GLOVE”:
PLU senior centerfielder Ryan Thorne (Kent, Wash. / Kentwood
HS) has been selected to the American Baseball Coaches Association
(ABCA) Rawlings All-West Region Gold Glove Team. Thorne,
compiled a .992 fielding percentage with just one error
in 114 total chances.
- PLU -