PORTLAND PILOTS (2-16)
WEEK 6 GAME NOTES
 
vs. Seattle Redhawks (7-11)
Dates: Tuesday/Wednesday, March 21/22, 2017
Times: 3 PM/3 PM
Location: Portland, Ore.
Ballpark: Joe Etzel Field (1,300)
Video: TheW.tv
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: POR leads 76-72
2016: @SU 4, POR 3 (10) - 3/29; POR 4, SU 3 - @Tacoma, 4/20
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)
Tuesday • March 21 • 3 PM
POR: RHP Kevin Baker (0-3, 6.17)
SU: TBA
 
Wednesday • March 22 • 3 PM
POR: RHP Tate Budnick (0-4, 5.94)
SU: RHP Zach Wolf (0-4, 3.92)
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots return to The Bluff this week to play at home for only the second time this season when the Seattle Redhawks visit for two non-conference games.
• The Pilots and Redhawks are scheduled to play at 3 p.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday at Joe Etzel Field.
• Tuesday's contest was originally scheduled for 6 p.m. but was moved up three hours due to a wet forecast.
 
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The No. 25 San Diego Toreros escaped with wins over the Pilots last Friday and Saturday at Fowler Park before taking Sunday's finale and the three-game WCC series.
• On Friday, Portland freshman starting pitcher Grady Miller was masterful, allowing just one run on three hits, while fanning nine in 7.1 innings.
• The Pilots scored a run in the top of the ninth to take a 2-1 lead, but USD opened the bottom of the frame with consecutive solo home runs to walk off with the win.
• In the top of the ninth inning on Saturday, the Pilots loaded the bases and scored one, but for the second straight game the Toreros escaped with the win, this time defeating Portland 2-1.
• USD claimed the finale 8-2.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• On Friday, March 9, Portland freshman left-handed starter Grady Miller struck out 12 in 7.0 innings of work as the Pilots defeated Northwestern 5-2; the 12 K's are tied for the fourth most in a game ever for the Pilots, and it's the most strikeouts since Travis Radke fanned 14 in 2013.
• Miller fanned nine more in 7.1 innings at San Diego last Friday, giving him 21 strikeouts during his last 14.1 innings, and he ranks fifth in the WCC in overall strikeouts (32, 10.29 per 9.0 IP).
• The Pilots opened the 2017 season with 11 straight road games before finally playing at the friendly confines of Joe Etzel Field last Friday; 16 of Portland's first 19 games are on the road.
• The Pilots began the season with three consecutive trips to California, playing at CSUN (Feb. 18-19), at CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 23-25) and at UC Irvine (March 3-5).
• Statistically, sophomore Cody Hawken leads the Pilots in batting average (.290) among everyday players, and he has team-bests of three home runs and 12 RBI's.
• Ryan Hoogerwerf, a junior transfer who recently had a seven-game hitting streak, has a team-best five doubles is tied for the team high with three homers and he ranks second with 10 RBI's; he's ninth in the WCC with a .533 slugging percentage.
• Sophomore shortstop Matt Kelly went 6-for-12 during the weekend against Northwestern, with a home run, two doubles, three RBI's and three runs scored.
• On Feb. 24 at CSU Bakersfield, Hoogerwerf and Hawken went back-to-back with home runs in the first inning.
• The new-look Pilots entered the season with 14 returning letterwinners, only two position starters and three starting pitchers.
• New to The Bluff is a sizable group of newcomers as the Pilots welcomed 20 new players to the program; that includes 12 freshmen, two redshirt-freshmen and six JC transfers.
• The crowd of 1,092 for Portland's game with No. 3 Oregon State on March 22, 2016, was the largest in Joe Etzel Field history; the attendance surpassed the previous best of 1,002, which was also against Oregon State back in 2007.
• On March 31 of last season, the Pilots played the 600th game ever at Joe Etzel Field, which opened in 1989.
• On May 10 in Keizer, Ore., the Pilots defeated the No. 24 Oregon State Beavers for Portland's first win over OSU since a 20-13 victory in Corvallis, back in 2006; OSU had won 25 straight against the Pilots.
• It was also Portland's first win over a ranked opponent since opening the 2014 campaign with a victory over No. 12 and reigning national champion UCLA in Los Angeles.
• The Pilots led the WCC last season with 71 stolen bases, which came after swiping only 21 the year before.
• UP Athletics Hall of Famer Geoff Loomis is in his second season as head coach of the Pilots; he spent the previous 13 seasons at the helm of the Pacific Lutheran Lutes, leading the Lutes to 11 winning seasons and two NCAA Regional appearances.
• Loomis (1990-92) still holds the UP program career record for batting average (.376) and he earned Pacific-10 North Division Player of the Year honors in 1992.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
• The Redhawks split their two games with UC Irvine last weekend at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue, Wash.
• Seattle is batting .271 as a team, while the opposition is hitting .279; SU's staff ERA is 5.91.
• Five Redhawk hitters are batting .300 or better, led by junior Jack Reisinger at .373, to go along with two home runs and 11 RBI's; senior Aaron Stroosma has a team-best 19 RBI's and boasts a batting average of .333.
• Donny Harrel is in his eighth year as head coach at Seattle, and he led the Redhawks to the WAC title last season.