It is a position that is unfamiliar, but certainly one to which the Pacific Lutheran baseball program would like to become accustomed.

That position? Defending Northwest Conference champions. The 2007 PLU squad did something that hasn’t been done around these parts since 1954, and that is to win a conference baseball crown. The Lutes won 20 of their last 21 games to finish first in the NWC with a 21-3 record. They were 35-9 overall and eventually lost the West Region title game to Chapman, thus ending up one game short of the Division III College World Series. In addition, the Lutes led all of Division III baseball in fielding percentage (.975).

Jordan Post

So now the Lutes are in the position of being the target of the remaining eight conference teams, and they will defend their title with an almost entirely new lineup and a reworked pitching staff. That’s because six of the eight position starters and two of the top three starting pitchers graduated from last year’s championship team. Among those who graduated are first team all-conference centerfielder Ryan Thorne, who set a PLU single-season stolen base record with 38 swipes, all-conference third baseman Jared Simon, record-setting rightfielder Justin Whitehall, and two-time Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Year Joe DiPietro.

“It’s an interesting position for us to be the target that people are going to be shooting at,” said head coach Geoff Loomis, who starts his sixth year at PLU. “Our seniors came together last year and ended their career with a championship. We’re going to try to build on that but without any expectations, because at this point we have so many new faces.”

Loomis, in his sixth year at PLU, will build his new lineup around a pair of first team all-conference performers in first baseman Jordan Post (.358, 4 homers, 38 RBI) and catcher Brandon Sales (.412, 4 homers, 32 RBI). Post earned West Region all-tournament honors and Sales was a second team All-America selection by D3baseball.com.

“He’ll hit in the three hole all year for us,” Loomis said of Post, who will also see some duty as a pitcher. “At the end of the day he may make a run at Player of the Year in our conference as a two-way guy.”

Brandon Sales

Brett Brunner

Hunter Simpson

Loomis said that Sales had a “breakout year last year both offensively and defensively, and I think his offensive success made him relax a little behind the plate as a catcher. It’s been a huge plus in anchoring the defense, that’s for sure.” Playing during the summer with an Athletes in Action team in New York also helped Sales refine his skills.

Also back as a left-handed designated hitter is Kris Hansen (.337, 14 RBI in 24 starts), a 2007 honorable mention all-conference pick. Sales, Post and Hansen compiled the team's best batting averages last year, but only one other position player – second baseman Matt Akridge – had as many as nine starts, and many of his starts came as a right-handed designated hitter.

Five other position players return this year, and among them only third baseman Chris Bowen (29 at bats) and outfielder Geoff Gabler (12 at bats) reached double figures in plate appearances. Other returnees include outfielders Matt Wolford and Jordan Chargualaf and shortstop Ben Shively. All figure to be in the mix for starting jobs this season.

Coach Loomis is excited about a strong recruiting class, and many of those players will have to play significant roles this year. Top prospects on the infield include Carl Benton, Sammy Davis, Sam Beatty, Ryan Frost and Ryan Boyles. Benton comes to PLU after one season at Skagit Valley CC, while the other four are freshmen. Of that group, Benton and Frost are making strong early season statements for starting jobs. Benton played outfield at Skagit but was able to make the move to the infield during fall practice. “He’s very athletic and he’s made a quick adjustment,” Loomis said. “He can run and can hit and I wanted to find a spot that suited him.”

Newcomers in the outfield include Ryan Aratani, Josh Takayoshi, Greg Rasmussen, Nic Delikat and Tyler Libadia. Of that group, Takayoshi and Libadia both have junior college experience, Takayoshi at Wenatchee Valley and Libadia at Skagit Valley. Aratani has looked good in fall and early spring practices and likely will take over for the departed Thorne in centerfield, while Takayoshi should start in leftfield and give the Lutes an excellent base-stealing threat.

While the Lutes lost all three starting outfielders from a year ago – Thorne, Whitehall and home run leader (7) Tyler Green – this year’s group has excellent depth. “We won’t be able to replace those guys, but our depth out there will give us a whole lot more options than we’ve had,” Loomis said.

Backing up Sales is Andrew Hernandez, a junior transfer from Mt. Hood CC in Gresham, Ore., described by Loomis as “an excellent defensive catcher.” Because the conference series go from three to four games this season, Loomis expects to platoon Sales and Hernandez at catcher, with Sales serving as a right-handed designated hitter against left-handed pitchers.

Pacific Lutheran’s pitching staff is anchored by a left-hander, all-conference first team starter Brett Brunner (7-2, 1.94 ERA), and by a right-hander, all-conference first team reliever Hunter Simpson (3-2, 3.86 ERA). Brunner averaged almost seven innings per start last year, and Simpson will make the move to a starting role after splitting between starting and relieving in 2007.

Other candidates for starting roles include sophomores Robert Bleecker and Trey Watt, both of whom showed good ability while pitching limited innings last year. Junior Ian Opsal, who missed all of last season due to injury, also figures to be one of the Lutes’ starters. Freshman left-hander Bret Handy, who comes to the Lutes with American Legion World Series experience, could be the No. 2 left-handed starter behind Brunner. As mentioned earlier, Post also could work into the rotation as a left-handed starter.

The Lutes have good depth in the bullpen in a large group of returnees that includes Matt Keller, Jeff Danforth, Paul DiPietro and Jeremy Ellison, in addition to freshman Scott Wall. At this stage, Ellison will likely be the team’s closer.

“A strength of this team is the experience that these guys were able to gain through last year on our title run,” Loomis said. “There are a lot of returning guys who were part of that regional team that finished second, and after having that experience all of us want to go back.”