PORTLAND PILOTS (23-21, 5-16 WCC)
WEEK 13 GAME NOTES
 
at Oregon Ducks (23-22, 8-13 Pac-12)
Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2019
First Pitch: 6 PM
Location: Eugene, Ore.
Ballpark: PK Park
Video: PortlandPilots.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: ORE 93-31
2019: POR 5, ORE 3 (March 5 at Portland)
 
at Washington Huskies (23-19, 9-12 Pac-12)
Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2019
First Pitch: 6:05 PM
Location: Seattle, Wash.
Ballpark: Husky Ballpark
Video: PortlandPilots.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: UW leads 95-49-1
2019: UW 8, POR 3 (April 23 at Portland)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)
Tuesday • May 7 • 6 PM
POR: RHP Eli Morse (2-7, 3.39)
ORE: RHP Brett Walker (1-1, 5.79)
 
Wednesday • May 8 • 6:05 PM
POR: RHP Chris Clements (7-1, 1.84)
UW: LHP Diego Barrera (0-0. 5.19)
 
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots had last week off to focus on final exams and graduation.
• Previously, the Pilots won two of three against the Santa Clara Broncos in a WCC series at Joe Etzel Field.
• The Pilots won the opener 5-3 on Friday, April 26, the Broncos recovered to win on Saturday 8-3, and Portland claimed the series with a 13-9 win on Sunday.
• The Pilots rallied from an early 3-0 deficit during the opener, with Jace McKinney providing the big hit in a five-run seventh inning, which was a two-run, go-ahead double.
• On Sunday, Chad Stevens and Cody Hawken both collected three RBI's, and Connor Knutson was masterful out of the bullpen to clinch the series.
• Knutson, Portland's closer, struck out six during 4.0 hitless and scoreless innings to notch his 10th save of the year; he allowed only one batter to reach base, which came on a walk.
 
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 1.15 ERA, and his 18 career saves are tied for second most in program history.
• Knutson ranks 21st 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 .297 batting average, 54 hits, 12 doubles, and 42 runs; he's also belted four home runs, collected 26 RBI's, has a triple, and he's stolen 11 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 1.84 ERA, he has 67 K's in 73.1 innings, and he's holding the opposition to a .188 batting average; he ranks ninth nationally in WHIP (0.86) and is 19th in ERA (1.84).
• He's also second in the WCC in wins, WHIP, complete games, and ERA.
• 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 sweep at home against Northern Colorado (March 8-10) was the first four-game series sweep for the Pilots since taking four from Eastern Oregon in 1982, and it was 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) and he's quickly approaching the program single-season record of 19.
• The Pilots lead the WCC in home runs (44).
• 2019 marks the fourth year for head coach Geoff Loomis, 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 OPPONENTS
• The Oregon Ducks have lost four straight and nine of their last 10.
• The Ducks are batting .270, opponents are hitting .292, and the staff ERA is 6.32.
• Spencer Steer leads the team in average (.351), homers (6), and RBI's (42).
• George Horton is in his 11th year as head coach at Oregon.
• The Washington Huskies are coming off a Pac-12 series win at WSU.
• UW is batting .267, opponents are hitting .239, and their staff ERA is 3.97.
• Nick Kahle is batting a team-high .352 with 42 RBI's, and Connor Blair has belted a team-best eight home runs.
• Head coach Lindsay Meggs is in his 10th year at UW, and he guided the Huskies to the 2018 College World Series.