Predictions – NW Conference

I will be doing a prediction post each day this week.  Here is the order for the week:

• Monday – ASC

• Tuesday – Northwest Conference

• Wednesday – SCAC

• Thursday – SCIAC

• Friday – West Regional Rankings

Northwest Conference

1. Whitworth

2. Pacific Lutheran

3. Puget Sound

4. Pacific

5. Linfield

6. Whitman

7. George Fox

8. Lewis & Clark

9. Willamette

Conference Tournament – Not held

I really don’t see much change from 2016 in the Northwest Conference this season.  Whitworth looks to make it 4 straight years as the conference champion and I think they have enough returning to hold off a good Pacific Lutheran team.  Whitworth will also be getting a transfer OH that had good success in the NWAACC but they are already pretty strong on the pins so it will be interesting to see how she gets integrated into the rotation.  This will come down to the wire and it won’t surprise me to see either team at the top at the end of the year.  I will say that the more I look into these teams, the more I like Pacific Lutheran but I just can’t pull the trigger and move them up that one spot.  Puget Sound is always tough and could move into the top 2 with a good freshman class.  None of these three teams were really hurt significantly by senior graduation so a repeat of last year’s finish seems in the cards.  Pacific, Linfield and Whitman were really in the second tier of teams in this conference last year and that looks to repeat.  I think Pacific, assuming they can overcome the loss of their setter, has the best chance at the #4 spot.  I was all ready to move Lewis & Clark up the ranking order but it appears they have lost their top hitter from last year.  The pitfalls of trying to predict conference finishes before all of the rosters are released by the schools.  Willamette dropped down the standings last year and it looks like a further fall is in order due to their senior graduation loss.  This third tier of teams – George Fox, Lewis & Clark and Willamette – all suffered enough losses that I just don’t see them moving into the middle grouping of teams this year.

UPDATE – It appears that Pac Lu has a tall middle as part of their freshman class that could make an impact and will probably make that gap with Whitworth even smaller.

UPDATE – Looks like Pacific has lost their best hitter from last year.  This will probably alter the standings in that 4 to 6 group negatively for them.