Complete Release (pdf)  I  Live Video  I  Live Stats:  Game One  Game Two  Game Three  I  Promotions

PORTLAND PILOTS (13-28, 5-10 WCC)
vs. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS (21-19, 9-6 WCC)
Dates: Friday-Sunday, April 26-28, 2013
Location: Portland, Ore.
Field: Joe Etzel Field (1,000)
Video/Audio: PilotsVideo.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: LMU leads 43-25
2012: LMU 3-5, POR 6-3, LMU 0-5 (April 20-22 @LMU)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)
Friday • April 26 • 3 PM
POR: RHP Billy Sahlinger (2-2, 3.14)
LMU: RHP Colin Welmon (5-2, 1.75)
 
Saturday • April 27 • 1 PM
POR: RHP Kurt Yinger (2-4, 3.47)
LMU: RHP Aaron Griffin (3-4, 2.60)
 
Sunday • April 28 • 1 PM
POR: RHP Matt McCallister (1-4, 6.00)
LMU: RHP Patrick McGrath (3-1, 2.77)
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots host the Loyola Marymount Lions this weekend for a three-game West Coast Conference series at Joe Etzel Field.
• Friday’s series opener is set to begin at 3 p.m., while first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
• It’s Military Appreciation Weekend at the ballpark and all active and retired military personnel will receive free admission all weekend long.
 
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The No. 13 Oregon Ducks needed three home runs to overcome five errors and the Portland Pilots 11-7 in a non-conference baseball game played in breezy conditions on Tuesday afternoon at Joe Etzel Field.
• Ben Grubb homered for the Pilots, who led 2-0 after the first inning; Jeff Melby had three hits and has reached base safely in 20 straight games.
• The Saint Mary’s Gaels claimed all three games against the Pilots in a WCC series played last weekend in Moraga, Calif.
• Saint Mary’s won Friday’s opener 4-3 in 10 innings before winning on Saturday and Sunday by margins of 5-0 and 14-2, respectively.
• During Friday’s opener, the Pilots scored once in the top of the seventh and again in the top of the eighth to tie the game and send it to extra innings.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Senior third baseman Jeff Melby, who had a 15-game hitting streak come to an end against the Ducks on April 16, has registered at least one hit during 19 of his last 20 games; he’s also reached base safely in 20 straight games.
• Sophomore right-hander Kurt Yinger nabbed WCC Pitcher of the Week honors on March 18 after tossing his first career complete game shutout.
• Yinger had a string of 27.0 consecutive scoreless innings earlier this season.
• Sophomore lefty Travis Radke, who K’d 14 during a win over UC Riverside on March 15, ranks second nationally in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (13.8) and is first in the WCC in overall strikeouts (68) despite missing his last few starts due to an injury.
• Radke’s 14 strikeouts against UCR are tied for the 14th most in a single game nationally this season.
• Freshman right-hander Billy Sahlinger ranks third the WCC in fewest hits allowed (34) and is fourth in opponents batting average (.222).
• Sophomore OF/INF Caleb Whalen is tied for sixth nationally with five triples and he’s tied for the lead in the WCC.
• Nine of Portland’s first 13 games of 2013 were 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.
• 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 LA on April 21.
• Sperry, who has 319 career wins in 15+ years at the helm of the Pilots, trails only long-time Portland coach Joe Etzel, who compiled 378 career wins in 21 seasons (1966-86).
• Sperry coached his 800th career game as head coach at UP at UC Irvine on March 2.
 
BUSY WEEKEND ON THE BLUFF
• The Pilots have several promotions going on at Joe Etzel Field this weekend, including Military Appreciation Weekend, which will allow all active and retired military personnel to receive free admission to all three games against LMU.
• Friday is UP Day, which means all University Faculty and Staff will get into the game for free and prizes will be handed out at the end of every half inning.
• Saturday is First Responder’s Day with all first responders receiving free admission to the 1 p.m. game; members of the Portland Fire Station No. 26 will also be present to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
• Sunday is Youth Baseball Day presented by Oregon College Savings Plan and all kids wearing their youth baseball jersey will receive free admission; kids can also run the bases following the game, there will be a post-game autograph zone with the team and there will be free ice cream sundaes courtesy the Pilot Club.
 
KKKKKKKKKKKKKK
• Sophomore left-hander Travis Radke had a career outing on March 15 when he struck out 14 in just 7.0 innings during a win over UC Riverside.
• Radke became the 11th pitcher in the 90-year history of the UP baseball program to record at least 14 K’s in a game.
• The native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., currently ranks second in the nation in K’s per nine innings (13.8) and he leads the WCC in overall strike outs (68).
• Last season, he was named the WCC’s 2012 Freshman of the Year, while also garnering Freshman All-American honors.
• He ended last season 11th nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (5.97), 26th in WHIP (1.0) and 30th in ERA (2.09).
 
WCC RAWLINGS PITCHER OF THE WEEK
• Sophomore right-hander Kurt Yinger was named the WCC Rawlings Pitcher of the Week (March 18) after hurling his first career complete game shutout as the Pilots blanked UC Riverside 2-0 on March 16 at Joe Etzel Field.
• Yinger registered a career-high 12 strikeouts and didn’t walk a single batter, while scattering six hits.
THE STREAK
• Sophomore righty Kurt Yinger ran his consecutive scoreless inning streak to 27.0 innings before the San Francisco Dons scored in the eighth inning of a 5-1 Portland win on March 23.
• He began the streak against No. 21 UC Irvine on March 2 and he had back-to-back 9.0 scoreless inning outings against Seattle (March 9) and UC Riverside (March 16).
• Against the Redhawks, Yinger allowed just three hits and fanned eight in the no-decision, while he registered his first career complete game shutout against the Highlanders.
• During his complete game, he struck out a career-high 12, didn’t issue a walk and allowed just six hits.
 
THE “OTHER” STREAK
• Senior third baseman Jeff Melby had his career-best and team season-high 15 game hitting streak come to an end on April 16 against Oregon at Joe Etzel Field.
• Melby has registered at least one hit during 19 of his last 20 games, and he has reached base safely in 20 straight games.
• He leads the Pilots in batting average (.342) and hits (50), is tied for the team high in RBI’s (16) and is second in doubles (8).
 
THREE BAGGERS
• Caleb Whalen already has five triples this season, more than doubling his career total.
• His five triples are tied for first in the WCC, he’s tied for third nationally and he’s just two triples shy of matching UP’s all-time single-season record, which is currently held by Riley Henricks (2010), Nate Hare (2000) and Larry Farrell (1960).
• His eight career triples are the ninth most all-time at UP and are just six shy of matching Farrell’s (1958-61) career mark of 14.