PORTLAND PILOTS (8-32-1, 4-14 WCC)
WEEK 11 GAME NOTES
 
at PACIFIC TIGERS (13-25, 2-16 WCC)
Date: Friday-Sunday, April 28-30, 2017
Location: Stockton, Calif.
Ballpark: Klein Family Field (2,500)
Video: TheW.tv
Stats: PacificTigers.com
Series: Pacific leads 20-15
2016: PAC 3-0, PAC 10-6, PAC 3-2 (10) - April 15-17 at Portland
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)
Friday • April 28 • 6 PM
POR: RHP Tate Budnick (1-8, 4.97)
PAC: RHP Ryan Shreve (1-3, 5.59)
 
Saturday • April 29 • 6 PM
POR: LHP Grady Miller (1-6, 5.01)
PAC: TBA
 
Sunday • April 30 • 12 PM
POR: RHP Kevin Baker (3-4, 3.40)
PAC: LHP Ricky Reynoso (3-5, 4.56)
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots stay on the road this week when they travel to Stockton, Calif., for a three-game West Coast Conference series with the Pacific Tigers at Klein Family Field.
• First pitch on Friday and Saturday is set for 6 p.m., while Sunday's finale will begin at 12 p.m.
 
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots dropped both games of a quick two-game set at UNLV on Tuesday and Wednesday by scores of 5-1 and 4-1, respectively.
• Tate Budnick homered for the Pilots on Tuesday, while Mike Hicks provided a long fly on Wednesday.
• Only four of UNLV's nine runs were earned as the Pilots were hurt by five errors.
• Last weekend the Gonzaga Bulldogs escaped Joe Etzel Field with wins on Saturday and Sunday to sweep a three-game WCC series from the Pilots.
• After the Bulldogs claimed Friday's opener 13-0, the two teams needed extra innings to decide Saturday's contest, which was ultimately won 7-4 by Gonzaga in 10.
• Cody Hawken hit a solo homer in the second inning, and the Pilots rallied to tie it with two runs in the seventh and another in the eighth, courtesy a two-run single by Matt Kelly and an RBI single by Jason Rosen; but GU prevailed with a three-run 10th.
• On Sunday the Bulldogs edged the Pilots 3-2, after the Pilots previously led 2-0; Mike Hicks and Ryan Hoogerwerf both produced RBI singles in the bottom of the second.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• All three of Portland's triples this season came in the same game, which was at Air Force on March 15; the three triples are tied for the most in a game by a WCC team.
• The 16-inning game against Pepperdine at Joe Etzel Field on April 9 was the longest game for the Pilots since also playing a 16-inning contest in 2008 vs. Northern Illinois.
• Portland's 10-10 tie at Seattle U on April 5 was the first tie for the Pilots since 2003.
• 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 11.3 K's per 9.0 innings, which is second in the WCC and 38th nationally; Baker fanned 11 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 March 9, freshman left-hander Grady Miller struck out 12 in 7.0 innings as the Pilots topped 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 20th in the nation in sacrifice bunts (9).
• Sophomore Matt Kelly is batting a team-best .302, and he's sixth in the WCC in stolen bases (11); against WCC foes Kelly is batting .338.
• Senior reliever Marty Luckenbach is tied for fourth in the WCC in saves (4) and he's just two stops away from cracking Portland's single-season top 10 in that category.
• 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 TIGERS
• The Tigers are 2-13 in their last 15 games and they've lost 12 straight WCC contests.
• Pacific is batting .250 as a team, opponents are hitting .298 and their staff ERA is 5.79.
• Freshman James Free leads the team offensively with a .313 average, eight home runs and 33 RBI's.
• Mike Neu is in his second years as head coach of the Tigers.