PORTLAND PILOTS (24-25, 6-18 WCC)
WEEK 14 GAME NOTES
 
at #11 Oregon State Beavers (33-15-1, 19-5 Pac-12)
Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2019
First Pitch: 5:35 PM
Location: Corvallis, Ore.
Ballpark: Goss Stadium
Video: PortlandPilots.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: OSU leads 155-57-1
2019: POR 5, OSU 1 (March 26 at Ron Tonkin Field)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)
Tuesday • May 14 • 5:35 PM
POR: TBA
OSU: TBA
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots play their final games of the season this week, first traveling to Corvallis, Ore., for a non-conference contest with the No. 11 Oregon State Beavers on Tuesday.
• First pitch for the Pilots and Beavers at Goss Stadium is set for 5:35 p.m.
• The Pilots then conclude the 2019 campaign with a three-game West Coast Conference series against the Pacific Tigers this weekend in Stockton, Calif.
• Links for live streams and live stats for all four games can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots won the series finale against the Pepperdine Waves 2-1 last Sunday at Joe Etzel Field when Matt Kelly provided a walk-off, RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning.
• Chris Clements went 9.0 solid innings, striking out nine, while only allowing one run on three hits.
• Connor Knutson tossed a scoreless top of the 10th to register the win.
• Previously the Waves overcame the Pilots 4-3 on Friday night before holding off Portland for a 12-7 win on Saturday.
• During the opener, Chad Stevens had three hits and the Pilots tied the score with two runs in the fifth, but a bases loaded walk in the top of the seventh forced in what would prove to be the game-winning run for Pepperdine.
• On Saturday the Pilots tried to rally from a sizable early deficit with home runs from Cody Hawken and Dutton Elske, but the Waves held on.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Portland closer Connor Knutson and sophomore shortstop Chad Stevens were both named to watch lists for awards that honor the top player in the nation at their respective positions.
• Knutson was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year midseason watch list; Knutson has 10 saves this season with a 2.06 ERA, and his 18 career saves are tied for second most in program history.
• Knutson ranks 24th nationally and second in the WCC in saves.
• Stevens, who was placed on the initial Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, leads the team with a .294 batting average, 60 hits, 12 doubles, and 44 runs; he's also belted four home runs, collected 26 RBI's, has a triple, and he's stolen 12 bases.
• Cody Hawken was tabbed the WCC Player of the Week on March 22 after batting .417 with a home run, two doubles, and eight RBI's during a series at USD.
• During a 20-0 win over the Toreros on March 20, Hawken hit a grand slam, collected a pair of doubles, and drove in seven runs, which ties the third most RBI's in a game in program history.
• The 20-0 win is believed to be a program record for the largest margin of victory during a shutout over a DI opponent.
• The 20 runs are also the second largest margin of victory overall against a DI opponent in program history; in 1958 the Pilots won 28-4 at Portland State.
• The Pilots have scored 20 runs in a game twice this season, winning 20-0 at San Diego (April 20) and 20-2 at San Francisco (March 16); it's the first time in program history (at least since 1935) to score 20 runs twice in the same year.
• Redshirt-senior right-hander Chris Clements was the Rawlings WCC Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season on April 1 after collecting a pair of W's against No. 8 Oregon State and LMU.
• In 10.0 total innings against the Beavers and Lions, Clements surrendered just two earned runs, gave up only three hits, K'd eight, and walked one.
• Clements previously nabbed back-to-back league pitcher of the week awards after tossing consecutive complete games (March 2 & 10).
• Clements' complete-game shutout against Northern Colorado on March 10 was the first shutout by a Pilot pitcher since 2015.
• Clements, a transfer who's in his first and only year with the Pilots, is 7-1 with a 1.69 ERA, he has 76 K's in 85.1 innings, and he's holding the opposition to a .180 batting average; he ranks eighth nationally in WHIP (0.89), he's 10th in ERA, and 18th in hits allowed per 9.0 innings (5.7).
• He's also first in the WCC in WHIP and ERA, and he's second in hits per 9.0.
• Portland opened the year 15-5, which equaled the program's second best record ever after 20 games; Portland's 1958 squad holds the record with an 17-3 mark, and the Pilots also went 15-5 in 1969.
• Portland's seven-game winning streak earlier this season was the longest stretch without a loss for the Pilots since 2010.
• Cody Hawken is the second Pilot with seven RBI's in a game this season after Matt Kelly made history on March 16 when he drove in seven runs at USF; it was the most RBI's by a Pilot since Kory Casto also collected seven RBI's during a game in 2003.
• Earlier this year, freshman Tracye Tammaro homered in four straight games (March 13-17).
• Portland's home sweep vs. Northern Colorado (Mar. 8-10) was the first four-game series sweep for the Pilots since taking four from Eastern Oregon in 1982, and it's the first against a DI opponent since winning four against Seattle in 1980.
• Cody Hawken was plunked at San Diego (April 18) for the 44th time in his career, which matches Cory Lunde (1999-2002) for the program's all-time record; Hawken ranks ninth nationally in hit-by-pitches (16).
• The Pilots lead the WCC in home runs (48).
• Fourth-year head coach Geoff Loomis is a Portland baseball alum and UP Athletics Hall of Fame member who still holds the UP program career record for batting average (.376).
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
• The No. 11 Oregon State Beavers swept the Oregon Ducks last weekend in Eugene.
• OSU ranks third in the country in ERA (3.03), they're seventh in hits allowed (7.32), eighth in WHIP (1.19), 12th in fielding percentage (.980), and 19th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.79).
• The Beavs are batting .269 as a team, and they're holding opposing hitters to a .223 average.
• Senior Adley Rutschman is among the nation's leaders in most offensive categories, including walks (1.31, 1st), on-base percentage (.582, 1st), batting average (.433, 3rd), slugging percentage (.793, 5th), and home runs (16, 19th).
• Pat Bailey was named OSU's interim head coach in September after 11 years as an assistant and associate head coach.