PORTLAND PILOTS (8-27-1, 4-11 WCC)
WEEK 10 GAME NOTES
 
vs. No. 25 OREGON DUCKS (23-10, 6-6 PAC-12)
Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2017
First Pitch: 6:00 PM
Location: Portland, Ore.
Ballpark: Joe Etzel Field (1,300)
Video: TheW.tv
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: ORE leads 91-27
Last: No. 22 Oregon 6, Portland 1 (April 11, 2017 @ Oregon)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)
Wednesday • April 19 • 6 PM
POR: LHP Corbin Powers (0-4, 6.34)
ORE: LHP Cole Stringer (3-1, 3.92)
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots begin a four-game homestand this week when they welcome the No. 25 Oregon Ducks to Joe Etzel Field on Wednesday night.
• First pitch for the Pilots and Ducks is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on TheW.tv.
• The weekend brings a three-game West Coast Conference series with the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Joe Etzel Field.
• Friday's opener is set for 6 p.m., Saturday's game is also scheduled for 6 p.m., and Sunday's finale will begin at 1 p.m.
• All three games will be broadcast on TheW.tv.
 
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots salvaged a win last Saturday at San Francisco's Benedetti Field, capping a three-game West Coast Conference series with a 4-1 victory.
• Starter Kevin Baker earned his third win of the year with another quality start, and relievers Jordan Horak and Marty Luckenbach were nearly flawless during the final 4.0 innings.
• Tate Budnick belted a solo home run in the top of the second, and the Pilots added the three go-ahead runs in the top of the third inning with RBI's coming from Devin Kopas, Kevin Wade and Cody Hawken.
• The Dons cruised to a 12-2 win on Friday after previously opening the series by blanking the Pilots 4-0 on Thursday.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The 16-inning game against Pepperdine at Joe Etzel Field on Sunday, April 9 was the longest game for the Pilots since also playing a 16-inning contest in 2008 against Northern Illinois; Portland won that game 9-6 in Tempe, Ariz.
• Portland's 10-10 tie at Seattle U on Wednesday, April 5 was the first tie for the Pilots since 2003, when a game at Saint Mary's ended even at 9-9.
• The capacity crowd of 1,300 to watch the Pilots and No. 1 Oregon State on April 4 was the largest in Joe Etzel Field history; the previous high was 1,092, which also came against Oregon State last season.
• Sophomore Kevin Baker struck out a career-best 11 during two recent starts and is averaging 11.42 K's per 9.0 innings, which is tops in the WCC; Baker fanned 11 Broncos in 6.1 innings against Santa Clara (April 2), and he struck out 11 more in 10.0 scoreless innings vs. Pepperdine on April 9.
• On Friday, March 9, freshman left-hander Grady Miller struck out 12 in 7.0 innings 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.
• Redshirt-freshman Beau Brundage is ninth in the nation in sacrifice bunts (9).
• Sophomore Matt Kelly is batting a team-best .319, which ranks ninth in the WCC; he's also fourth in the league in stolen bases (11) and fifth in hits (44).
• Against WCC foes Kelly is batting .344.
• Portland's game against Seattle on March 22 was the 600th in the coaching career of skipper Geoff Loomis; the UP alum and Athletics Hall of Fame member is in his second season at the helm of the Pilots after 13 seasons as head coach at Pacific Lutheran, where he led 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.
• The Pilots opened the season with 11 straight road games before finally playing at Joe Etzel Field on March 10; 15 of Portland's first 20 games are on the road.
• The new-look Pilots entered the season with 14 returning letterwinners, only two position starters and three starting pitchers.
• Portland welcomed 20 new players to the program this year, which includes 12 freshmen, two redshirt-freshmen and six JC transfers.
 
ABOUT THE DUCKS
• The Ducks are ranked 25th in the Baseball America Poll and sit just out of the NCBWA and USA Today rankings; they won one of three at No. 7 Arizona last weekend.
• The pitching staff has posted the seventh most shutouts (6) in the country, and they're seventh in fewest walks per 9.0 innings (2.57); they're No. 5 nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.45)
• The team ERA is 3.49, the team batting average is .263, and opponents are hitting .249; Kyle Kasser is batting a team-best .302.
• George Horton is in his ninth year as head coach at Oregon and he's led the Ducks to five NCAA post-season appearances.
 
BY THE NUMBERS - A LOOK INSIDE THE 16-INNING GAME
• 9: Years since the Pilots last played a game that went 16 innings; it came in 2008, and it was a 9-6 win over Northern Illinois in Tempe, Ariz.
• 389: The total amount of pitches thrown by both teams combined.
• 4: Walks allowed during the entire game, with all four issued by Pepperdine in the bottom of the 16th inning.
• 3: Runs scored, which were all scored in the 16th inning.
• 11: Strikeouts recorded by Portland starter Kevin Baker in 10.0 innings.
• 0: Walks allowed by Portland starter Kevin Baker in 10.0 innings.
• 2: Number of seventh inning stretches.
 
UPDATING THE ETZ
• Last season on Feb. 26, the Pilots played the first night game in the history of Joe Etzel Field, which was a 10-7 win over Oakland.
• The lights were phase two of a long-term upgrade to Portland's home ballpark, and phase one in 2014 included the installation of AstroTurf, new fencing, bullpens, a scoreboard and a grass berm for seating down the right field line.
• The improvements are part of a planned three-phase renovation project, which will also eventually include a new press box, new dugouts, and a new grandstand.
• UP is currently offering seat sponsorship for the new grandstands for $250 per seat; each $250 donation will feature a personalized nameplate on your sponsored seat for the life of the soon-to-be renovated Joe Etzel Field, with all funds going straight to the grandstand renovation fund.
• Go to giving.up.edu/takeaseat to leave your legacy today, or contact Nick Wood at woodn@up.edu or 503-943-8558.