Sam Westendorf is a senior outfielder for the Pilots, who are currently in Bellevue, Wash., for a three-game, season-ending series against the Seattle Redhawks. The non-conference series begins today with a game at 1 p.m. at Bannerwood Park before shifting to BCC's Courter Field for games on Saturday and Sunday.
ENTRY #5
Friday, May 26, 2012
I know it's been a while since I've written to you all, but now that we are heading into our last series of the season, I figured there was no better time to give you all a send off into the summer. Your Pilots have battled hard since mid-February when we started the season in Beaumont, Texas, up until this final series against Seattle U. For those of you who have followed along with us for most of the year you know about our close losses to UW, Gonzaga, and Top 5 ranked Oregon over the last two weeks. But for those of you who get your Pilot updates through this blog, our season has been filled with moments worthy of praise. The first one being in February when Tuner Gill hit a game tying 2-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the 9th against Creighton, with senior Kris Kauppila ending the game just one inning later with an RBI line drive to left. We then came up with a crucial sweep of the reigning WCC Champion San Francisco Dons and their hard throwing ace, Kyle Zimmer.
Other shining moments that stand out to me this season took place on the mound for 3 of the best pitchers to ever throw at the University of Portland. Seniors Kyle Kraus, Owen Jones, and Keeler Brynteson all set records of their own this season. Kraus became the winningest pitcher in UP history when he notched his 26th career W and counting during conference play. Jones broke former All-American closer Chris Dennis' single season saves record, when he recorded his 15th save of the season a couple weeks ago, with some more on the way. Now just before Kraus and Jones put their names in the Pilots record books, Keeler Brynteson became the all-time appearance leader in Pilot history. All three of these guys have paved the way for the younger players on our roster and shown them what it takes to get the job done day in and day out for 4 years.
Each one of these pitchers, along with Kris Kauppila, has given 4 great years into rebuilding the Pilot Baseball Program. Though I have only spent 2 years on the Bluff, I did everything I could to contribute to the rebuilding process. All 5 of us seniors are entering our last games as a Portland Pilot here in Seattle. For some us, these are the last games we will ever play. The last games of our lives; a game we have spent our entire life training and practicing for. For others, it's just another chapter completed in their baseball life, which allows them to continue the dream of playing in the big leagues. So on behalf of my fellow seniors, and the rest of my teammates, we would like to thank you all for supporting us this season and throughout our careers. New faces will wear our numbers, and occupy our positions on the field, but we will always remember the 2012 season we spent wearing the Pilot name across our chest.
Remember Pilot Fans....
Stay G'ed Up From the Feet Up,
Westy
PREVIOUS ENTRIES
• Entry #1 (Feb. 1, 2012)
• Entry #2 (Feb. 21, 2012)
• Entry #3 (March 13, 2012)
• Entry #4 w/ guest blogger Chet Thompson (April 5, 2012)
