April 26, 2007

BASEBALL: Lutes Ranked No. 1 in Nation in Fielding Percentage

Pacific Lutheran, which needs one win to secure its first conference baseball championship in 53 years, is ranked No. 1 in fielding percentage in this week’s NCAA Division III baseball statistics.

The Lutes have compiled a .976 fielding percentage and rank just ahead of Northwest Conference foe George Fox, which has a .975 fielding percentage. Pacific Lutheran, 29-7 overall, currently leads the conference with an 18-3 record, while George Fox is in second with a 19-5 record. The Lutes host fourth place Puget Sound in a three-game weekend series, while the Bruins have concluded their conference schedule. PLU needs to win just one of its remaining three games to win at least a share of the conference title and with it the NWC’s automatic berth in NCAA Division III postseason play.

Pacific Lutheran is nationally ranked in six team categories and a total of five Lute players are ranked on seven individual lists.

TEAM RANKINGS:
Fielding Percentage: .976, 1st
Winning Percentage: .806 (29-7), 14th
Home Runs per game: 29 (school record) in 36 games, 0.81 per game, tied for 15th
Team Earned Run Average: 3.31, 27th
Scoring: 8.1 runs per game, 42nd
Doubles Per Game: 2.17 (78 in 36 games), tied for 42nd

INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS:
Stolen Bases: Ryan Thorne, 33, 2nd
Stolen Bases Per Game: Ryan Thorne, 0.92 (33 in 36 games), 12th
Walks Per Game: Logan Andrews, 0.91 (32 in 36 games), 19th
Home Runs: Tyler Green, 7, tied for 32nd
Pitching Wins: Joe DiPietro, 9 (9-2), tied for 3rd
Pitching Wins: Brett Brunner, 6 (6-2), tied for 47th
Strikeouts: Joe DiPietro, 57, tied for 37th

- PLU -