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PORTLAND PILOTS (9-33, 4-14 WCC) vs. LMU LIONS (25-16, 11-7 WCC)
Dates: Fri-Sun, April 24-26, 2015
Times: 3 p.m./1 p.m./1 p.m.
Location: Portland, Ore.
Field: Joe Etzel Field (1,300)
Audio/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: LMU leads 46-28
2014: LMU 5-2, LMU 10-8, LMU 8-7 (March 14-16 @LMU)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)
Friday • April 24 • 3 PM
POR: LHP Brandon Snyder (0-3, 6.23)
LMU: RHP Colin Welmon (3-5, 3.06)
 
Saturday • April 25 • 1 PM
POR: RHP Kurt Yinger (2-6, 5.20)
LMU: RHP Trevor Megill (5-3, 4.22)
 
Sunday • April 26 • 1 PM
POR: TBA
LMU: RHP Sean Watkins (4-0, 1.24)
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots continue their 11-game homestand with a three-game West Coast Conference series against the Loyola Marymount Lions this weekend at Joe Etzel Field.
• Friday's series opener will begin at 3 p.m., while first pitch is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
 
FRIEDREICH'S ATAXIA AWARENESS WEEKEND
• The Pilots will be taking donations while helping raise awareness of Friedreich's Ataxia this weekend at Joe Etzel Field.
• Former UP baseball student manager Sam Bridgman, who is afflicted with Friedreich's Ataxia, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Friday's game.
• UP will be accepting donations at the concession stand and on the grass berm down the right field line, and half of every ticket purchased will go towards FA research.
• 600 bracelets promoting FA research will also be handed out to fans as they enter the ballpark, and both teams will be wearing the bracelets during all three games.
• Fans unable to attend this weekend's series are encouraged to visit www.curefa.org where donations can also be made.
 
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots won their first weekend series of the season and won consecutive games for the first time by winning two of three games vs. Gonzaga at Joe Etzel Field.
• On Friday, the Bulldogs scored all of their runs during the second inning en route to a 5-3 win; Brandon Snyder was masterful in relief for the Pilots, tossing 7.0 scoreless innings of one-hit ball.
• Portland began Saturday's game with a five-run first inning which led to a 10-6 win; Kevin Wade was 3-for-5 with an RBI and Eric Sapp went 2-for-3 with three RBI's.
• The Pilots then claimed the series by rallying for a 6-5 come-from-behind win on Saturday; Turner Gill drove in a run in the bottom of the seventh before knocking in the tying and go-ahead runs with a bases-loaded double in the eighth.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Turner Gill, who had an 11-game hitting streak earlier this season, is 12 for his last 22 (.545) and has a home run, two doubles, eight RBI's and three runs scored during that span (six games).
• Gill now ranks third all-time at UP with 50 career doubles, which is tied for 12th nationally among active players.
• Fellow senior Caleb Whalen ranks ninth among active players nationally with 13 career triples; Whalen, who is currently unavailable due to an injury, ranks second all-time at UP in career triples, and he is just one triple shy of Larry Farrell's (1958-61) all-time program career record of 14 triples.
• Gill is tied for the conference lead with eight home runs.
• Portland's game against Seattle on Feb. 17 was the 3,000th game in the history of the University of Portland baseball program, which dates back to 1923.
• That Seattle game was also the 900th game at the helm of the Pilots for head coach Chris Sperry, who began his coaching career in 1998.
• Portland's 15 hits in the 9-7 loss at UC Riverside on Feb. 15 were the most hits for the Pilots in a game since April 3, 2013; the Pilots followed that performance with 15 more hits during a 9-0 win over Seattle at Joe Etzel Field on Feb. 17 and they collected 15 hits again on March 1 against UC Davis.
• The Pilots went 11-41 last season and posted a 5-22 record in the West Coast Conference; four of Portland's 11 wins last season came on walk-offs.
• Joe Etzel Field, Portland's home ballpark, received a new surface during the off-season, switching from natural grass to artificial AstroTurf; the Etz also received new fencing, bullpens and a scoreboard and the improvements mark the beginning of a three-phase, long-term upgrade to the facility.
• Sperry, a former standout catcher/infielder for the Pilots, has compiled 344 career wins in 17+ years at the helm; he trails only long-time Portland coach Joe Etzel, who collected 378 career wins in 21 seasons (1966-86).
• Joining Sperry on the bench are assistants Larry Casian (9th year), Tucker Brack (7th year) and Jeremy Beard (2nd year).
• Casian, a pitcher, spent parts of nine years in the big leagues with the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
• The Lions have won five of their last six games, won two out of three against Pacific last weekend and defeated Long Beach State on Tuesday.
• LMU is batting .268 as a team, is holding the opposition to a .254 average and boats a staff ERA of 3.73.
• Senior David Edwards is one of four regulars batting better than .300 and leads the team with a .328 average; senior Tanner Donnels has team-bests of five HR's and 26 RBI's.
• Jason Gill is in his seventh season as head coach.