PORTLAND PILOTS (8-30-1, 4-14 WCC)
WEEK 11 GAME NOTES
 
at UNLV REBELS (14-28, 7-14 MWC)
Date: Tuesday-Wednesday, April 25-26, 2017
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
Ballpark: Wilson Stadium (3,000)
Video: UNLVRebels.com
Stats: UNLVRebels.com
Series: UNLV 1-0
Last: UNLV 7, POR 6 (March 14, 1995 at Fresno, Calif.)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)
Tuesday • April 25 • 6 PM
POR: LHP Corbin Powers (0-4, 6.28)
UNLV: LHP Corey Wilson (0-0, 5.71)
 
Wednesday • April 26 • 2 PM
POR: RHP Christian Peters (0-0, 8.50)
UNLV: RHP Paul Richy (1-3, 7.24)
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots step out of conference this week to face the UNLV Rebels for two games in Las Vegas, Nev.
• The Pilots and Rebels are first scheduled to play on Tuesday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium at 6 p.m.
• The brief two-game series then concludes on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
• The weekend brings a three-game West Coast Conference series at Pacific.
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Gonzaga Bulldogs escaped Joe Etzel Field with wins last Saturday and Sunday to sweep a three-game WCC series from the Pilots.
• After the Bulldogs claimed Friday's opener 13-0, the two teams needed extra innings to decide Saturday's contest, which was ultimately won 7-4 by Gonzaga in 10.
• Cody Hawken hit a solo homer in the second inning, his team-best fifth of the year, to give the Pilots an early lead, but GU later surged ahead 4-1.
• The Pilots rallied to tie it with two runs in the seventh and another in the eighth, courtesy a two-run single by Matt Kelly and an RBI single by Jason Rosen.
• On Sunday the Bulldogs edged the Pilots 3-2, with the winning run coming on somewhat of a fluke play in the top of the eighth; with the score tied the Pilots had GU's Jake Roberts picked off at second, but the throw from Portland catcher Tate Budnick hit the base, sending the ball into the outfield and easily allowing Roberts to score.
• The Pilots previously led 2-0 as Mike Hicks and Ryan Hoogerwerf both produced RBI singles in the bottom of the second.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The 16-inning game against Pepperdine at Joe Etzel Field on Sunday, April 9 was the longest game for the Pilots since also playing a 16-inning contest in 2008 against Northern Illinois; Portland won that game 9-6 in Tempe, Ariz.
• Portland's 10-10 tie at Seattle U on Wednesday, April 5 was the first tie for the Pilots since 2003, when a game at Saint Mary's ended even at 9-9.
• The capacity crowd of 1,300 to watch the Pilots and No. 1 Oregon State on April 4 was the largest in Joe Etzel Field history; the previous high was 1,092, which also came against Oregon State last season.
• Sophomore Kevin Baker struck out a career-best 11 during two recent starts and is averaging 11.3 K's per 9.0 innings, which is second in the WCC; Baker fanned 11 Broncos in 6.1 innings against Santa Clara (April 2), and he struck out 11 more in 10.0 scoreless innings vs. Pepperdine on April 9.
• On March 9, freshman left-hander Grady Miller struck out 12 in 7.0 innings as the Pilots topped Northwestern 5-2; the 12 K's are tied for the fourth most in a game ever for the Pilots, and it's the most strikeouts since Travis Radke fanned 14 in 2013.
• Redshirt-freshman Beau Brundage is 17th in the nation in sacrifice bunts (9).
• Sophomore Matt Kelly is batting a team-best .318, which ranks ninth in the WCC; he's also fourth in the league in stolen bases (11) and fifth in hits (48).
• Against WCC foes Kelly is batting .338.
• Portland's game against Seattle on March 22 was the 600th in the coaching career of skipper Geoff Loomis; the UP alum and Athletics Hall of Fame member is in his second season at the helm of the Pilots after 13 seasons as head coach at Pacific Lutheran, where he led the Lutes to 11 winning seasons and two NCAA Regional appearances.
• Loomis (1990-92) still holds the UP program career record for batting average (.376) and he earned Pacific-10 North Division Player of the Year honors in 1992.
• The Pilots opened the season with 11 straight road games before finally playing at Joe Etzel Field on March 10; 15 of Portland's first 20 games are on the road.
• The new-look Pilots entered the season with 14 returning letterwinners, only two position starters and three starting pitchers.
• Portland welcomed 20 new players to the program this year, which includes 12 freshmen, two redshirt-freshmen and six JC transfers.
 
ABOUT THE REBELS
• Nationally, the Rebels rank 10th in hits (465), 16th in triples (15), 19th in doubles (86), and 23rd in batting average (.307).
• Eight Rebels are batting .290 or better, led by sophomore Ernie De La Trinidad, who is hitting .382; sophomore Nick Ames has team highs of seven home runs and 37 RBI's, while also hitting .321.
• Payton Squier is the eighth toughest hitter to strike out in the country, as the junior is averaging only one K per every 18.8 at-bats.
• UNLV has a staff ERA of 7.15, and opponents are batting .313.
• Stan Stolte is in his second year as head coach of the Rebels after previously serving as UNLV's associate head coach for five years.