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PORTLAND PILOTS (2-6, 0-0 WCC)
at #6 OREGON DUCKS (6-1, 0-0 PAC-12)
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013
Location: Eugene, Ore.
Field: PK Park (4,000)
Live Video/Audio ($): GoDucks.com
Live Stats: GoDucks.com
Series: ORE leads 78-26
2012: ORE 3-0 (4/18 @Salem); ORE 2-1 (5/23 @Eugene)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)
Tuesday • Feb. 26 • 6 PM
POR: RHP Kody Watts (0-0, 9.00)
ORE: LHP Christian Jones (0-0, 0.00)
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Portland Pilots take a trip south on Tuesday to Eugene, Ore., to face the No. 6 Oregon Ducks in a non-conference baseball game at PK Park at 6 p.m.
• This will be the fifth game this season against a ranked opponent for the Pilots, who opened the season with a four-game series at No. 5 Mississippi State.
• Oregon leads the all-time series against the Pilots 78-26, which dates back to at least 1935, but the two teams have split 12 meetings since the Ducks reinstated their baseball program in 2009.
 
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Utah Valley Wolverines edged Portland in both games of a double header last Saturday at Joe Etzel Field before the Pilots claimed the series finale on Sunday.
• On Saturday, the Wolverines rallied to win the first game 7-6 in 10 innings before holding on to take the second 3-1.
• Sophomore Cody Lenahan went 3-for-5 in the first game with an RBI and a run scored.
• Left-handed sophomore starter Travis Radke didn’t factor into the decision despite fanning 10 in 6.0 innings.
• The Pilots left a combined 22 runners on base during Saturday’s two games.
• On Sunday, the Pilots used a five-run seventh inning to rally for a 7-3 win.
• Eight different Pilots recorded a hit, while junior Colin Sowers had two.
• During that five-run fifth, junior Chet Thompson tied the game with an RBI infield single, while senior Kramer Scott knocked in what would prove to be the game-winner on a fielder’s choice.
• Sophomore starter Kurt Yinger allowed three runs in 6.2 innings, while striking out five.
 
NEXT WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots continue their challenging slate of non-conference games next weekend when they travel to Irvine, Calif., for a four-game series against the No. 21 UC Irvine Anteaters.
• UP and UCI open with a 6:30 p.m. game on Friday night, play two on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. and conclude with the finale at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
• The Pilots then return home to host the No. 5 Oregon State Beavers next Tuesday at Joe Etzel Field.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• 10 of Portland’s first 14 games of 2013 are against ranked opponents.
• Portland went 27-25 last year to register the second winning season in the past three years, a feat that has not been accomplished since 1992.
• The Pilots have compiled 85 wins during the past three years (2010-12), which is the most W’s during a three-year span since 1990-92; Portland’s 110 wins during the past four years (2009-12) are also the most since that same time (1989-92).
• UP was 12-12 in the WCC last year, good for a sixth-place finish, marking the third straight year with a conference record of .500 or better, which is a first in the history of the program.
• Portland joined the WCC for baseball in 1996 after previously competing in the Pac-10 North Division.
• The Pilots returned 24 letterwinners this season from 2012, which includes nine position starters.
• 11 newcomers join the roster in 2013; freshman infielder Lucas Hunter of Portland’s central Catholic High School was selected in the 31st Round of last year’s MLB Draft by the Miami Marlins
• Junior outfielder Turner Gill and sophomore left-hander Travis Radke were both selected to the Preseason All-West Coast Conference Baseball Team, while the Pilots were picked to finish seventh in a vote of the league’s nine head coaches; the San Diego Toreros were selected to win the 2013 WCC Championship.
• Head coach Chris Sperry, a former standout catcher/infielder for the Pilots, notched career win No. 300 last year when Portland defeated LMU 6-3 in Los Angeles, Calif., on April 21.
• Sperry, who has 308 career wins in 15+ years at the helm of the Pilots, now trails only long-time Portland coach Joe Etzel, who compiled 378 career wins in 21 seasons (1966-86).
• Sperry is only three games away from his 600th game as head coach at UP.
 
BACK FOR AN ENCORE
• Sophomore left-hander Travis Radke had a banner year for the Pilots in 2012, his first year of collegiate ball.
• Radke, a native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., was named the WCC’s 2012 Freshman of the Year, while also garnering Freshman All-American honors.
• He ended the season 11th nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (5.97), 26th in WHIP (1.0) and 30th in ERA (2.09).
• He was 7-4 overall and he ranked second in the WCC in opponents batting average (.197), fourth in ERA and sixth in strikeouts (85).
• Radke was also named the WCC’s 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 two starts this year, Radke has 19 strikeouts in 12.2 innings and he’s holding the opposition to a .265 batting average.
 
BIG BAT
• Junior outfielder Turner Gill, a native of Madras, Ore., is coming off his second straight selection to the All-WCC First Team.
• He was Portland’s top hitter last season, finishing with a .314 overall batting average and a .354 mark during league play.
• The left-handed hitting Gill also posted team highs of five home runs, 30 RBI’s, 13 doubles, 24 runs, 88 bases, a .476 slugging percentage and a .394 on-base percentage.
 
GAMECENTRAL = #THEPLACETOBE
• The Pilots will once again offer a free online audio broadcast for every Portland home game this season.
• Portland will also expand its video streaming to two weekend conference series and a couple of mid-week games.
• Right now the Pilots plan to provide free video for the LMU series (April 26-28), and the Pepperdine series (May 17-19), along with mid-week games against Oregon (April 23) and Washington (May 14).
• Portland may provide video for additional games as the season progresses, so visit PilotsVideo.com to access GameCentral and to view an up-to-date schedule of all streaming options.
 
PRE-SEASON ALL-WCC
• Junior outfielder Turner Gill and sophomore left-hander Travis Radke were both selected to the Preseason All-West Coast Conference Baseball Team, while the Pilots were picked to finish seventh in a vote of the league’s nine head coaches.
• The San Diego Toreros were selected to win the 2013 WCC Championship.
• The Toreros earned six of eight possible first-place votes and 62 overall points in the poll.
• Last year’s WCC champion, Pepperdine, earned 53 points and picked up two first place votes in the annual survey, while Gonzaga garnered a first place vote and tallied 49 points to finish third in the poll.
• Loyola Marymount captured 47 points to finish fourth, San Francisco was selected fifth with 39 points and BYU was tabbed sixth with 24 points.
• Next came Portland (19 points) in seventh, Santa Clara (16 points) in eighth and Saint Mary’s in ninth with 15 points.