TACOMA, Washington – Six members of the Puget Sound baseball team earned All-Northwest Conference honors, the NWC announced this week.
 
Shane Himeda, Dylan Joyce, and Kyle Strash were named to the All-NWC First Team, while Makana Murashige, Jacoba Ota, and Clayton Waltz earned All-NWC Honorable Mention.
 
Himeda finished the NWC season as the conference's second-leading overall hitter. He has a .408 batting average through his 31 games, and his .523 on-base percentage also ranks second in the NWC. One of Himeda's most memorable hits this season was a walk-off single against NWC Champion Pacific (Feb. 26).
 
Joyce belted 12 home runs in 2021, and he has 13 home runs this season with three games remaining. He ranks second in the NWC for home runs, third in runs score (40), and fourth in slugging (.662). On the mound, Joyce holds a 1.37 ERA through 26.1 innings, and he has struck out 32 batters.
 
Kyle Strash earned his third-career All-NWC nod in a season where he became Puget Sound's No. 3 all-time leading hitter. He also set the program standard for career starts and walks. This spring Strash ranks second in the NWC with 42 runs scored, and his .506 on-base percentage ranks third.
 
Murashige is 17-for-18 in stolen base attempts. That total ranks fifth in the NWC, and his .324 batting average ranks among the top-25.
 
Jacob Ota provided solid depth in the Puget Sound lineup, as he is hitting .292 with four home runs this season. At one point this, Ota had a 13-game hitting streak.
 
Waltz, Puget Sound's primary backstop, is hitting .270 at the plate. Behind the dish, he has a .991 fielding percentage.
 
Puget Sound had the NWC's best offense in conference games this season. The Loggers averaged 7.8 runs per game while hitting .295.
 
Puget Sound the Tacoma Rainiers host Pacific Lutheran in Cheney Stadium Thursday, April 28, at 6 p.m.
 
The Loggers return to Logger Field to host Pacific Saturday, April 30, at 3 p.m.
 
Senior Day is Sunday, May 1, when Puget Sound takes on Willamette.