May 5, 2009 • Portland, Ore. • Joe Etzel Field (1,000)
Series: OSU leads 131-56-1
Live Audio/Stats: portlandpilots.com
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
POR - Scott Burris (L, So., 4-3, 4.47)
OSU - Sam Gaviglio (R, Fr., 6-1, 3.74)
*(R/L, Yr., W-L, ERA)
This Week in Pilots Baseball...
The Portland Pilots (22-20) open a four-game homestand with a non-conference tilt against the 18th-ranked Oregon State Beavers (27-12) on Tuesday at Joe Etzel Field. First pitch for the only meeting between UP and OSU this season is set for 3:00 p.m.
The Pilots (5-10 WCC) then return to the West Coast Conference with a three-game set this weekend against the Pepperdine Waves (24-19, 7-8 WCC) at Joe Etzel Field. The series opener is scheduled for Friday at 3:00 p.m.
Catch All of the Action at Home Live
A free audio broadcast for all baseball home games this season is available at portlandpilots.com. Simply click on the “Multimedia” tab at the top of UP’s main athletics website, or visit the baseball schedule on portlandpilots.com to access audio for every Pilot home game in 2009. In addition, UP provides live, in-game statistics for all home games, which can also be accessed on portlandpilots.com.
A Brief Look Back
Portland stepped out of conference last week to defeat the Concordia Cavaliers 7-3 on Friday at Joe Etzel Field. Senior Bryant Kraus had three hits and blasted a home run through the wind during the win. The Pilots used nine pitchers on the day, with sophomore Ben Pressler picking up his first collegiate win. The sophomore right-hander, who gave up an unearned run in the top of the first inning, allowed just one hit and a walk, while striking out two in 2.0 innings of work.
The Pilots took the first game of a three-game series at 28th-ranked San Diego during the weekend of April 24-26. During Portland’s 12-4 win on Friday, April 24, seniors Bryant Kraus and Cort Carpenter both had three hits and three RBI’s. UP got another solid performance from freshman starter Kyle Kraus, who worked 7.1 innings to pick up the win. Sophomore Kevin Armijo hit his third home run of the season to help the Pilots to an 18-14 edge in hits.
San Diego then took both games during the weekend, winning 13-3 on Saturday and 17-7 on Sunday.
About Oregon State
The Beavers won two of three games last weekend against No. 3 Arizona State in Corvallis, Ore. ASU won the series opener on Friday, but the Beavs rallied to claim both games during the weekend.
Oregon State is batting .280 as a team and is led by junior catcher Ryan Ortiz, who is batting .362 with 16 doubles, a homer and 28 RBI’s. Sophomore 3B Stefen Romero has team highs of four home runs and 38 RBI’s, while batting .296. Oregon State’s team ERA is 3.63 and OSU hurlers are holding opposing hitters to a .241 batting average. Freshman RHP Sam Gaviglio has a staff-high six wins.
Pat Casey, a member of the University of Portland Hall of Fame, is in his 15th season at the helm of the Beavers. 23 letterwinners and three position starters returned from a team that was 28-24 overall last season.
The Pilots/Beavers Series
Oregon State won all three games against Portland last season and claims a 131-56-1 lead in the all-time series. UP’s last win against OSU came in Corvallis in 2006. OSU has also won four straight against the Pilots in Portland, a streak that dates back to the 2005 season.
A Brief Look Ahead
The Pilots host the Pepperdine Waves for a three-game West Coast Conference series this weekend at Joe Etzel Field. The Pilots and Waves are set to play at 3:00 p.m. on Friday and at 1:00 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. The Pilots then have a pair of non-conference games at Washington State next week before closing the regular season at home against the San Francisco Dons. The Pilots play at Wazzu at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12 and at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13. The WCC series opener between UP and USF is set for Friday, May 15.
That’s Offensive
The Pilots are enjoying success at the plate this season and rank third in the WCC with a .300 team batting average. The Pilots have seven players batting .300 or better, with senior OF Bryant Kraus and sophomore 2B Riley Henricks leading the way at .361. Kraus and Henricks rank sixth in the WCC, while senior 1B Cort Carpenter is 10th at .349 and freshman SS Kris Kauppila is 14th at .348. Last season, Portland combined to hit .256 as a team. The highest team batting average for UP this decade was .295 during the 2000 season.
In addition, UP is stealing bases at an unprecedented rate. Portland, which had only 16 stolen bases last season, has already swiped 33 bases in 2009. Sophomore OF Craig Smith has stolen a team-high nine bases.
Here’s the Pitch
While Portland’s offensive is rolling, it’s pitching has been just as solid. The Pilots have team ERA of 5.13, which ranks fourth in the WCC. The Pilots feature five pitchers that boast an ERA of less than 4.00, led by freshman RHP Kyle Kraus’ ERA of 3.28. Kraus, who has taken over Portland’s top spot in the rotation, is 4-4, ranks fourth in the conference in ERA, has tossed a staff-high 71.1 innings and has UP’s only complete game this season.
Sophomore RHP Zach Varce has an ERA of 3.54 and ranks second in the league with seven saves. Fellow sophomore Scott Burris, a lefty, is 4-3 with a 4.47 ERA, while holding opposing hitters to a measly .252 batting average.
Redshirt-freshman Keeler Brynteson, also a lefty, has made the most of his time on the hill this season. He leads the team with 22 appearances, is 2-0 with a save, has a 3.57 ERA and is holding opposing hitters to a .236 average.
Sibling Rivalry
Senior OF Bryant Kraus and younger brother Kyle, who is a freshman right-handed pitcher, have emerged as two of Portland’s leaders at the plate and on the hill. The elder Kraus is batting .361 with team highs of nine home runs, two triples, 39 RBI’s, 96 total bases, 23 walks, a .667 slugging percentage and a .487 on-base percentage. He also has 35 runs, 52 hits, 13 doubles and has two games with four RBI’s. Kraus, who is 10 for his last 16, had a career-long 12-game hitting streak earlier this season.
The younger Kraus has matched Bryant every step up the way, emerging as one of Portland’s most consistent starters during his first season on The Bluff. Kraus is fourth in the WCC with a 3.28 ERA and leads the team with 71.1 innings pitched. He’s 4-4 overall and has worked at least seven innings during seven of his nine collegiate starts. On March 12, Kraus picked up his first complete game as the Pilots defeated reigning national champion and 24th-ranked Fresno State 4-2 in Fresno. He allowed two runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out five.
Joining the family reunion is junior OF Austin Pearce, who is a cousin of the Krauses. Pearce has made 33 starts this season and is batting .289 with seven doubles, two triples, a home run and 15 RBI’s.
Hit Me with Your Best Shot
Bryant Kraus has been hit by a pitch 16 times this season, which is the third most in a single season in program history and ranks 10th in the country. He needs to get hit just three more times to break the single-season program record of 18. His 28 career hit-by-pitch’s ranks fourth on UP’s all-time charts.
Run at Your Own Risk
Junior catcher Rocky Gale, who has led the WCC the last two seasons in throwing out would-be base stealers, is back at it again this year. So far, Gale is mowing down attempted base stealers at a 38 percent clip. He leads the conference once again by throwing out 16 would-be base stealers this spring, while only allowing 26 stolen bases.
Life of Riley
Sophomore 2B Riley Henricks has been a steady presence at the plate this season and is batting a team-high .361. He also leads the team with nine multi-RBI games and ranks second in hits (53) and RBI’s (29). He also has 10 doubles and three homers, while playing wicked defense in the field. Henricks has made only five errors in 185 chances and leads the team with 116 assists. Earlier this season, the native of Mukilteo, Wash., knocked in all four runs during Portland’s 4-2 win at No. 24 Fresno State. He has seven games this season with three hits.
As a freshman last season, Henricks led the Pilots in most offensive categories. He was named to the All-WCC Team, the WCC All-Freshman Team and the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team.
Leading Off
Freshman SS Kris Kauppila wasted little time getting acclimated to NCAA DI baseball, going yard in his first collegiate at-bat. After the Pilots retired the Utah Valley Wolverines in order in the top half of their season opener on Feb. 20, Kauppila led off the bottom half of the inning with a blast that hit the scoreboard beyond the left field fence. The Glendale, Calif., native finished the weekend 5-for-11 (.455) with two RBI’s, a home run, a double and three runs scored as the Pilots took two of three from the Wolverines.
He hasn’t slowed down and currently leads the team in a plethora of offensive categories. Kauppila leads the squad with 43 runs, 62 hits, 18 doubles, 20 multi-hit games and nine sacrifices bunts, which ranks 24th in the country. He’s also batting .348 with three home runs and 19 RBI’s. He has five games with three hits this season and one game with four. He also knocked in four runs during a game.
