PORTLAND PILOTS (6-22-1, 2-7 WCC)
WEEK 8 GAME NOTES
 
vs. PEPPERDINE WAVES (14-14, 3-3 WCC)
Dates: Friday-Sunday, April 7-9, 2017
Location: Portland, Ore.
Ballpark: Joe Etzel Field (1,300)
TV (Sunday): CSN-NW (Ch. 737)
Video: TheW.tv
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: PEPP leads 66-15
2016: PEPP 4-0, POR 3-2, PEPP 5-4 (10) (April 22-24 @Pepperdine)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)
Friday • April 7 • 6 PM
POR: LHP Grady Miller (1-5, 5.11)
PEPP: LHP Ryan Wilson (1-3, 3.52)
 
Saturday • April 8 • 6 PM
POR: LHP Corbin Powers (0-2, 4.98)
PEPP: RHP Jonathan Pendergast (3-2, 3.78)
 
Sunday • April 9 • 1 PM
POR: RHP Kevin Baker (2-4, 5.08)
PEPP: RHP Wil Jensen (2-3, 3.40)
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots return to The Bluff to host the Pepperdine Waves for a three-game West Coast Conference series at Joe Etzel Field.
• First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday nights, while Sunday's series finale will begin at 1 p.m.
• Streams for all three games can be found at TheW.tv, and Sunday's contest will be broadcast live on Comcast SportsNet Northwest (Ch. 737).
 
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots went to Bellevue, Wash., on Wednesday for a make-up game with the Seattle Redhawks, and the non-conference contest ended tied 10-10 after eight innings due to a time limit.
• Portland had built a 10-3 lead with the help two-run singles from Mike Hicks and Dutton Elske in the top of the fifth, but the Redhawks came back to even the score.
• It's the first tie for the Pilots since 2003.
• On Tuesday in front of a packed house at Joe Etzel Field, the No. 1 Oregon State Beavers had to rally for a 4-3 win.
• OSU jumped ahead 2-0 in the second inning, but the Pilots took the lead, courtesy a solo home run from Chris Arpan in the bottom of the second, and an RBI double by Cody Hawken and a bases loaded walk to Michael Forgione in the fourth; the Beavs scored their go-ahead runs in the top of the sixth.
• Last weekend the Pilots notched their first series win of the season when they took two of three from the Santa Clara Broncos at Joe Etzel Field.
• During Friday's 7-5 win, Devin Kopas went 3-for-5 with three RBI's, and the Pilots were solid out of the bullpen as they rallied from an early four-deficit.
• The Broncos prevailed 7-4 on Saturday night, and Kevin Wade drove in all three runs during Sunday's 3-2 series-clinching win.
• Starter Kevin Baker was masterful on Sunday, fanning 11 in 6.1 innings.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Wednesday's 10-10 tie at Seattle U 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 Tuesday was the largest in Joe Etzel Field history; the previous high was 1,092, which also came against Oregon State last season.
• Against Santa Clara last Sunday, Kevin Baker became the second Portland pitcher this year to record double-digit strikeouts when he fanned a career-best 11 in 6.1 innings; unfortunately the sophomore was forced to leave the game in the seventh after he turned his ankle trying to make a play on defense.
• Baker is currently third in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (13.66).
• 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.
• Sophomore Matt Kelly is batting a team-best .324, and he recently had a team-best, 10-game hitting streak snapped.
• 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.
• On Feb. 24 at CSU Bakersfield, Ryan Hoogerwerf and Hawken went back-to-back with home runs in the first inning; Hoogerwerf leads the team with four homers on the year.
• 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 OPPONENT
• The Waves took two of three from Gonzaga at home last weekend before defeating CSUN 16-4 in Northridge, Calif., on Tuesday.
• The Waves are hitting .237 as a team, have a staff ERA of 4.06 and are holding opponents to a .257 batting average.
• Freshman Joe Caparis is batting a team-best .294, junior Ben Rodriguez has driven in a team-high 20 runs, and both Rodriguez and freshman Quincy McAfee have three HR's.
• Pepperdine alum and long-time assistant coach Rick Hirtensteiner is in his second year at the helm of the Waves.