Cougar Athletics
30 NAIA National Championships
95 GSAC Championships
...and counting

THIS YEAR: Junior center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Baseball America’s 2008 NAIA Preseason Player of the Year, returns after a standout sophomore season to lead the Azusa Pacific offense … Had a breakout summer campaign in which he earned Alaska Baseball League MVP honors … Will be the centerpiece and hit in the middle of the Cougar lineup … Possesses a dangerous power/speed combination … Will make a run at several program career records.

2007: Batted .399 (87-for-218) in 59 games to help lead Azusa Pacific to its fourth NAIA World Series appearance in program history and its first since 1984 … Was 1 of 5 players with double-digit home runs, with 10 of his 37 extra-base hits clearing the fence … Finished in the GSAC top 5 in batting average (.399), hits (87), runs (66), doubles (22), triples (5), total bases (149) and stolen bases (18) … Hit safely in 11 of the Cougars’ 12 playoff games, including 9 multi-hit games, and batted .479 (23-for-48) with 5 doubles, 4 home runs, 15 RBIs and 13 runs in the postseason … Opened the season with an 8-game hitting streak and hit safely in a career-high 11 straight games … Had 3 4-hit games, including a 4-for-4 performance in a 16-5 win over Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) in the NAIA West Coast Super Regional … Went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run in a 5-1 defeat to Houston Baptist in Azusa Pacific’s NAIA World Series finale … Drove in a career-high 6 runs in a 14-2 win over Point Loma Nazarene in the NAIA Region II Playoffs.

2006: Started 43 games, primarily at first base, in a solid freshman campaign … Finished in the team’s top five in virtually every offensive category … Had team’s fourth-best batting average at .296 (45-for-152) … Added 40 runs, 27 walks and 11 doubles, all good for second on the team … Posted a team-best 1.71 ERA, going 2-2 in 9 appearances totaling 31.2 innings … Registered 29 strikeouts and held opponents to a .233 batting average … Reached base safely in 24 of the Cougars’ final 25 games, generating 5 multi-hit games during the season-ending stretch … Went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, 4 RBIs and a walk to help the Cougars win the first game of a doubleheader sweep over Fisher (Mass.) … Struck out a season-high 7 batters in a 6-inning start and hit a solo home run in a 4-2 loss to California Baptist … Went 3-for-5 with a double and a game-winning 3-run home run to lead the Cougars to a 16-5 victory in the first game of a doubleheader sweep over Westmont.

HIGH SCHOOL: Prepped 3 varsity seasons under head coach Bill Postma at Denver Christian High in Highlands Ranch, Colo. … Was a 3-time All-Metro League pick as well as a 2-time all-state selection … Led the Crusaders to a combined 51-14 record and 2 Metro League titles … As a senior, led his team to the regional championship game … Selected by the Colorado Rockies to participate in the Rockies’ Senior Top 40 All Star game at Coors Field, a game that showcases the best 40 high school players in the state … Batted .500 with 2 home runs and 21 RBIs in 21 games as a 2005 senior … Ranked second in the state with a 1.03 ERA, going 5-0 with 46 strikeouts in 34 innings … Also played 3 seasons of varsity football and 1 season of varsity basketball.

PERSONAL: Born Aug. 7, 1987, in Santa Maria, Calif., to Bob and Joan Nieuwenhuis … Has 1 sister (Krista) … Majoring in accounting.