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at #20 OREGON STATE BEAVERS (32-17, 13-11 Pac-12)
Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
First Pitch: 5:35 PM
Location: Corvallis, Ore.
Field: Goss Stadium (3,248)
Live Video ($): OSUBeavers.com
Live Stats: OSUBeavers.com
Series: OSU leads 139-56-1
Last: OSU 5, POR 0 (April 16, 2012 @ Portland)
 
PORTLAND PILOTS (25-18, 12-9 WCC)
at WASHINGTON HUSKIES (26-21, 11-13 Pac-12)
Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2012
First Pitch: 5:00 PM
Location: Seattle, Wash.
Field: Husky Ballpark (2,212)
Live Video/Stats: GoHuskies.com
Series: UW leads 91-46
Last:  UW 6, POR 4 (April 24, 2012 @ Portland)
 
Probable Starters
Tuesday • May 15 • 5:35 PM
POR: TBA
OSU: TBA
 
Wednesday • May 16 • 5 PM
POR: TBA
UW: TBA
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Portland Pilots play a pair of their former Pac-10 North rivals this week as they visit the Oregon State Beavers on Tuesday and the Washington Huskies on Wednesday.
• Tuesday’s game is set for 5:35 p.m. at Goss Stadium in Corvallis, Ore., while first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Husky Ballpark in Seattle, Wash.
• UP returns to West Coast Conference play this weekend with three games at Gonzaga.
 
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots won two of three against WCC foe Saint Mary’s last weekend at Joe Etzel Field; the Gaels won Friday’s series opener 4-1, but Portland bounced back to win 5-1 on Saturday and 7-5 on Sunday.
• Left-hander Travis Radke continued his outstanding freshman campaign with a complete-game W on Saturday; he allowed just one unearned run in the first inning and retired 19 of the final 20 batters he faced; he fanned 10.
• Turner Gill went 6-for-12 during the series with 3 doubles, a triple and four RBI’s, and Chris Johnson pitched 6.0 strong innings to get the win on Sunday.
 
AN ALL-STAR IN THE CLASSROOM
• Senior reliever Keeler Brynteson, who is the UP program leader with 94 career appearances, was selected to the 2011-12 Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 Baseball Team.
• Brynteson is currently in graduate school and has a 3.90 cumulative GPA; he has a 1.66 ERA, is holding opposing hitters to a .214 average and has K’d 17 in 21.2 innings of work.
 
#300
• Portland’s 6-3 win at LMU on April 21 was career win No. 300 for head coach Chris Sperry, who is in his 15th year at the helm of the Pilots.
• Sperry, a former standout catcher/infielder for the Pilots, trails only long-time UP coach Joe Etzel, who compiled 378 career wins in 21 seasons (1966-86).
 
ON THE RADAR
• Starting pitchers Kyle Kraus and Travis Radke have both been named to the initial national Pitcher of the Year Watch List, presented by the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Portland is the only school from the WCC to place two pitchers on the list, which includes 51 pitchers from across the country.
• The winner will be announced on June 30 in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the annual College Baseball Night of Champions.
 
OJO
• Portland senior closer Owen Jones is one of 45 pitchers to be named to the mid-season watch list for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, which is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
• Jones, who is in his first full season as Portland’s closer, set a new program single-season record with his 15th save last Saturday; he topped the previous record of 14, which was set two years ago by Chris Dennis.
• Jones also has a 1.40 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 25.2 innings.
 
COMPILING THE W’S
• With his win against San Francisco on April 27, senior right-hander Kyle Kraus became Portland’s all-time winningest pitcher with career win No. 26; Kraus surpassed Wes Smith (1978-81) for the most career wins in the history of the 89-year history of the UP program.
• Kraus, who was named a preseason All-American and landed on the preseason all-conference team, is 6-4 this spring and ranks second in the WCC with a 1.62 ERA, while his 1.08 ERA in WCC games is a league best.
• Kraus also shares the program’s single-season wins mark, which came during his sophomore year when he was 10-3.
 
AMONG THE NATION’S ELITE
• Portland’s pitching staff continues to rank among the nation’s leaders, entering the week third nationally with a 2.58 ERA; UP is 10th in WHIP (1.16), 12th in hits allowed per 9.0 innings (7.77) and 19th in walks allowed (2.65).
• Closer Owen Jones is fifth nationally in saves (15), Travis Radke is ninth in hits allowed (5.6) per 9.0 innings, 14th in ERA (1.62) and 22nd in WHIP (0.94), and Kyle Kraus is 15th in ERA (1.63), 19th in walks allowed (1.15) and 33rd in WHIP (0.98).
• UP’s ERA of 1.84 during WCC games is more than a full run better than the next best ERA, which is Gonzaga at 2.94.
 
HIT OF THE YEAR & THEN SOME
• Sophomore Turner Gill provided perhaps the hit of the year so far, which came with Portland trailing Creighton 2-0 and down to its out on Feb. 24.
• Gill belted a game-tying two-run home run, sending the game to extra innings, where Kris Kauppila won it with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 10th.
• Gill is hitting .365 during conference play, which ranks sixth, and is batting .314 overall; he also has four home runs and leads the team with 10 doubles, 24 RBI’s, 72 total bases and a .471 slugging percentage.
 
CONFERENCE HONORS 
• Travis Radke was named the WCC Pitcher of the Month for March after going 4-1 during the month with an ERA of 0.93; he held opposing hitters to a .124 batting average.
• In 29.0 innings, Radke allowed just three earned runs and 12 hits, while fanning 29.
• Senior closer Owen Jones nabbed the WCC’s Pitcher of the Week Award on Mar. 12.
• Jones pitched in all four wins that week, fanning seven of the 11 batters he faced; he didn’t allow a hitter to reach base and he saved all three W’s over Air Force.
• Kris Kauppila was named the WCC Player of the Week on Feb. 20; he went 5-for-9 (.556) at the plate during opening weekend with four RBI’s, a double, a homer and six runs scored.
 
THE SOUTHPAW
• Freshman left-handed starter Travis Radke wasted little time getting acclimated to collegiate baseball.
• He’s currently 7-3 with a 1.62 ERA and a opponents batting average of .185; he currently ranks ninth in hits allowed (5.6), is 14th in ERA (1.62) and 22nd in WHIP (0.94).
• Radke is second in the WCC in both opponents batting average and ERA and he’s seventh in strikeouts (72).
 
WELCOME TO THE BLUFF
• Freshman Caleb Whalen has settled in at the plate and currently leads the Pilots in HR’s (5), RBI’s (24), 3B’s (3) and runs (24).
• Whalen has spent time in the outfield and at third base this spring, and he was taken by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 42nd round of last year’s MLB Draft.
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
• Portland’s 12-2 start to the season matched the second best start to a season in program history; only the 1958 squad began a season better, jumping out to a 16-2 record.
 
THE FRIENDLY CONFINES
• Despite playing “home” games at three different locations this year, the Pilots set a program record by winning 11 straight home games, dating back to last season.
• Cal State Northridge ended Portland’s successful run at home during the second game of a double header on March 16.