Nik Gable
Reporter
After a loss on April 21 by the University of Puget Sound (UPS) baseball team, Pacific Lutheran (PLU)’s baseball team advanced to the Northwest Conference Tournament.
The tournament consists of four teams and is double-elimination to decide a winner. It’s PLU’s seventh-straight conference tournament appearance. The winner of the tournament moves on to the national Division III tournament.
At the beginning of last week, I sat down with Senior Jack Robinette and he reflected on the season up until this point. Robinette’s favorite moments of the season (so far) were sweeping rivals UPS and taking games from ranked opponent Cal Lutheran in California. Despite the uncertainty hanging over his head at that time, as he didn’t know if his team were going to make the tournament, Robinette was still looking forward to the prospect of playing meaningful games and sending the senior class out on a high note.
Robinette was out of baseball for two years due to a shoulder injury. However, in his comeback season, he’s tied for third on the team in appearances. He credits his teammates for helping him come back and giving him advice when needed. His rehab and staying in a routine has contributed to his high number of appearances and staying healthy all season, he said.
PLU lost their opening game of the tournament on April 22 to Pacific University 8-7 via walk-off. The next day, they staved off elimination by beating George Fox 2-0. Unfortunately, they ended up losing again to Pacific by a score of 4-3. PLU’s close finishes in this tournament highlight how close they were all season long to being NWC champions.
PLU plays three more non-competative games that were scheduled before the season, including at Cheney Stadium this Thursday at 6 p.m. against UPS.
