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Video Preview PORTLAND PILOTS (3-1) vs. OAKLAND GOLDEN GRIZZLIES (1-4)Dates: Friday-Sunday, February 26-28, 2016
Location: Portland, Ore.
Field: Joe Etzel Field (1,300)
TV (Friday): CSN-NW
Online Video (Fri & Sun): TheW.tvLive Stats: PortlandPilots.comSeries: First Meeting
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)Friday • Feb. 26 • 6 PMPOR: RHP Jordan Wilcox (1-0, 0.00)
OAK: RHP Aaron Dehn (0-0, 2.25)
Saturday • Feb. 27 • 1 PMPOR: RHP Davis Tominaga (1-0, 0.00)
OAK: RHP Jake Lee (1-0, 0.00)
Sunday • Feb. 28 • Game 1 • 11 AMPOR: LHP Jordan Horak (0-0, 6.75)
OAK: RHP Joe Buchalski (0-0, 2.25)
Sunday • Feb. 28 • Game 2 • 2 PMPOR: RHP Kevin Baker (0-0, 20.25)
OAK: RHP Tyler Palm (0-1, 9.00)
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL • The Portland Pilots play their first home games of the season this weekend, including the first night game ever at Joe Etzel Field, when they host the Oakland Golden Grizzlies for a four-game series.
• The weekend begins under the lights Friday night, with first pitch set for 6 p.m.
• The two teams will then play one game on Saturday at 1 p.m. before concluding the series with a double header on Sunday, which is set to begin at 11 a.m.
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL • The Pilots opened the season by winning three of four games last weekend over the UC Davis Aggies in Davis, Calif.; the Pilots out-scored the Aggies 31-14.
• During Friday's opener, the Pilots scored seven runs in the top of the second inning en route to the 12-0 win; starter Jordan Wilcox went 6.0 scoreless inning on the mound, allowing just three hits, while striking out three; Cooper Hummel went 3-for-3 at the plate with a triple, three RBI's and three runs scored.
• Portland then rallied twice to claim both ends of a double header on Saturday; down 6-1 during game one, the Pilots scored eight unanswered runs to win 9-6; Cody Hawken was 2-for-3 with two RBI's, and Davis Tominaga tossed 6.1 scoreless innings of relief.
• Portland trailed early in game two before winning 7-4 behind three more RBI's by Hummel.
• On Sunday, UC Davis capitalized with two unearned runs to prevail 4-3.
ABOUT THE PILOTS • Senior outfielder Caleb Whalen is now tied for the most career triples in program history with 14 after claiming a three-bagger at UC Davis on Feb. 20; Whalen is tied with Larry Farrell (1958-61) and needs just one more triple to become the program leader.
• Cooper Hummel, a career .168 hitter entering the season, was on fire at UC Davis, going 8-for-15 (.533) with two doubles, a triple, seven RBI's and five runs; he opened the season by going 3-for-3 with a triple, three RBI's and three runs during the 12-0 win at UC Davis (Feb. 19).
• Only three Portland pitchers out of 10 to see action on the mound at UC Davis allowed a run; Portland's staff also combined to issue just six walks in 35.0 innings of work.
• University of Portland Athletics Hall of Fame member Geoff Loomis is in his first season as head coach of the Pilots.
• Loomis spent the past 13 seasons at the helm of the Pacific Lutheran Lutes, where he compiled an impressive 327-197-2 (.624) record; he led the Lutes to 11 winning seasons during his tenure, including NCAA Regional appearances in 2007 and 2015 and Northwest Conference Championships in 2007, 2009 and 2015.
• Loomis, who starred on the diamond for the Pilots from 1990-92, still holds the program career record for batting average (.372) and he earned Pacific-10 North Division Player of the Year honors in 1992.
• Joining Loomis on the bench are first-year assistant coaches Gregg Swenson, Jake Valentine and Trey Watt.
• Swenson came to Portland after 10 years at Washington State, Valentine was at Santa Clara last season and Watt played for Loomis at Pacific Lutheran and was an assistant coach at George Fox for the past five years.
• Pilots return 25 letterwinners, including 12 seniors, and six position starters.
• Portland also features a veteran pitching staff as four starters return from last season.
• New to the program are nine newcomers.
• Loomis and the Pilots are looking to improve upon their 12-42 overall record from last season and their 7-20 league mark.
• The Pilots were selected to finish 10th in the West Coast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Last season senior infielder Kevin Farley hit an inside-the-park home run against LMU on April 26 at Joe Etzel Field; it's believed to be the first inside-the-parker at Joe Etzel Field during at least the last 10 years, and the solo HR proved to be the difference in a 3-2 win over LMU.
• Portland's game against Seattle on Feb. 17 of last season was the 3,000th game in the history of the University of Portland baseball program, which dates back to 1923.
• Lights were installed at Joe Etzel Field during the off-season as the second phase of a planned three-phase project to upgrade Portland's home ballpark.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT • The Golden Grizzlies are currently in the middle of an extended west coast road trip and enter the weekend 1-4; they opened the season with a win at Pepperdine before dropping the final two games of the series; Oakland lost 11-10 at Fresno State on Tuesday.
• Oakland is batting .228 as a team and are led by senior Mike Brosseau and sophomore Ben Hart, who are both hitting .400; the staff ERA is 6.55 and opponents are batting .280 against the Golden Grizzlies.
• John Musachio is in his 10th year at Oakland and is the program's all-time winningest coach; the Golden Grizzlies, out of the Horizon League, were 10-39 last season.
