Coming off of a 23-30 season in 2012, the Seattle University baseball team will look to improve as it moves into the Western Athletic Conference in 2013. That improvement starts in the summer, as more than three-quarters of the team is playing in various summer leagues throughout the West Coast.
A majority of the players have joined teams in the West Coast League, a nine-team league throughout the Northwest and Canada. A few other players hitched up with teams in the Far West League and the Western Major Baseball League. The teams with the most Redhawks are the Kitsap Blue Jackets and Bend Elks of the Western Division of the West Coast League, who both boast four SU players apiece.
Jake Chutney (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) has shined on the mound for the Neptune Beach Pearl of the Far West League. His 0.84 ERA in 21 1/3 innings pitched (mostly in relief) leads his squad and all SU summer league pitchers. He also has 16 strikeouts against just three walks in eight games.
Garrett Anderson (Kennewick, Wash.) and Andrew Olson (Enumclaw, Wash.) have proven to be formidable starters for their summer league teams as well. Anderson has logged 33 innings for the Swift Current Indians of the Western Major Baseball League, boasting a 3-1 record with a 2.73 ERA. He also has 24 strikeouts against just nine walks. Olson has thrown 40 innings in seven starts for the Bellingham Bells of the West Coast League, carrying a 4-2 record with an ERA of 3.83 and 15 strikeouts.
Nick Latta (Tacoma, Wash.) and Grant Newton (Bend, Ore.) have been the offensive stars in the summer for SU baseball. Latta, playing for the juggernaut of the Far West League, the Humboldt Crabs, has posted a .250 average in 22 games with two home runs and eight RBIs to go along with six stolen bases. He has also scored 12 runs and drawn a staggering 16 walks. Newton leads his Redhawk teammates in games played and at bats over the summer, with 27 games and 68 at bats respectively for the Elks. He also carries a .250 batting average to go along with one home run, seven RBIs and eight runs scored.
Other notable SU performances include Kyle Doyle (Covington, Wash. - 1-0 record, 2.33 ERA, 12 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings for the Elks), Nate Roberts (Silverdale, Wash. - 7 RBIs, 9 runs, 9 walks in 16 games for the Corvallis Knights of the WCL), and Eric Yardley (Richland, Wash. - 1-0 record and 17 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings for the Klamath Falls Gems of the WCL).
The Seattle University baseball team will play in the Western Athletic Conference starting in the 2013 season. The top eight teams out of 10 will advance to the WAC Tournament May 22-26, 2013, at QuikTrip Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.