Team: George Fox University Bruins
Conference: NWC
College Level: NCAA D3
2021 Overall Record: 19-20
Location: Newberg, OR
Head Coach: Kevin Kopple
Assistant Coaches: Brandon Rupp, Colby Watilo, Brent Trask, David Dennis
Who are a few returning position players that will have an impact in the spring?
Jeremy Sangalang (So., San Jose, CA) – Jeremy returns for his second year with the Bruins after garnering All-NWC Honorable Mention honors last year as a freshman. He is a steady contributor at the plate and is a great athlete that can play numerous positions on the field.
Matthew Sebolsky (Jr., Lake Oswego, OR) – Matt will return to the Bruins lineup after starting 29 of our 39 games last year in the outfield. He is a solid defender who can put the game in motion with his speed, as well as hit for some power.
Brandon King (Jr., Arlington, WA) – Brandon will be looking to have a great junior year for us and will provide some good experience in the middle infield. He is one of our top returning RBI guys and will have a big role for us both offensively and defensively.
Leon Johnson III (Jr., Bothell, WA) – Leon is an extremely talented outfielder that was a consistent starter for us last year. He led our returners in stolen bases last year and also has the ability to hit with some pop.
Who are a few key returning pitchers that will have an impact?
Sean Wiese (Jr., Canby, OR, LHP) – Sean will be back on the mound in a starting role for us after collecting All-NWC First Team honors last year and having a successful summer as a member of the WCL Champion Corvallis Knights. He is a highly talented left handed arm and continues to develop and get stronger year after year.
Ben Wills (So., Montesano, WA, RHP) – Ben was a great surprise for us as a freshman last year, having a great season and winning All-NWC Second Team honors as a pitcher. He has a ton of upside and we’re really excited to see what another year of maturing and growing will do for him.
Who are some incoming freshmen or transfers that can potentially have an impact in the spring?
Noah Meffert (Fr., Oak Harbor, WA) – Noah will be an exciting player to follow for us this year as he will have the potential to impact the game both on the mound and at the plate.
Tyler Durant (Fr., San Ramon, CA) – Tyler is an athletic, big-framed left handed hitter who will provide some power to our lineup amongst many other pieces.
Caleb Debban (Fr., Tigard, OR) – Caleb is an intriguing left handed arm that was a great addition for us in the 2021 class. He had a great fall and will have a chance to contribute some innings for us in the spring.
What things did you see from the team in the fall?
We had some really impressive falls put together by numerous young arms, so we are really excited to see what they can do come the spring season. Many of our position players are fully beginning to come into their own on the field and have put in a lot of good work in the weightroom over the last year.
What was the focus during the fall for the team?
One of our main focuses for this fall was competing day in and day out. We were able to make practices very competitive with intersquads and other scrimmages and it gave us a great chance to see how our young guys would react when the pressure turned up a little bit. We also put a big emphasis on our strength and conditioning program in hopes that we would be more physical and have a better foundation to work from for the rest of the year.
What are the expectations and goals for the team entering the season?
We continue to have a ton of young talent so we expect many of those returners to show another year’s growth in maturity and for our new guys to gain some valuable experience and have the potential to contribute early. We are going to pitch it better and more consistently than we did last year and we expect to make a return to NWC and NCAA postseason play.