PORTLAND PILOTS (7-8) vs. PACIFIC TIGERS (7-7)
Dates: Fri-Sun, Mar. 19-21
Location: Stockton, Calif.
Ballpark: Klein Family Field
Live Video: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 
Live Stats: PacificTigers.com 
Series: PAC leads 11-6   
Last: PAC 6, POR 5 (May 17, 2019 @PAC)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (2021 W-L, ERA)
Friday • Mar. 19 • 6 PM • Game 1
POR: RHP Christian Peters (2-2, 3.33)
PAC: RHP Hayden Pearce (1-1, 2.35)
 
Saturday • Mar. 20 • 5 PM • Game 2
POR: LHP Bradley McVay (2-0, 1.50)
PAC: RHP Hunter Hayes (0-1, 4.40)
 
Sunday • Mar. 21 • 1 PM • Game 3
POR: RHP Jacob Dobmeier (0-1, 2.57)
PAC: RHP Henrik Reinertsen (1-1, 3.09)

THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots are headed to Stockton, Calif. for a weekend series against the Pacific Tigers.
• The two teams will start the series with a game on Friday, Mar. 19 at 6 PM.
• Following that, they will play on Saturday, Mar. 20 at 5 PM, and will close the series with a Sunday matchup on Mar. 14 at 12 PM.
• A video stream and live stats will be available for all three games, and links can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
 
NEXT WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots will travel to Eugene, Ore, to take on the Oregon Ducks.
• The Pilots and Ducks will play one game on Tuesday, Mar. 23 at 4 PM.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Junior RHP Eli Morse picked up saves in three straight games in Portland's sweep of Utah Valley last weekend. Morse moved from starter to the bullpen this year and has dazzled with 12 scoreless innings of relief. He has 11 strikeouts with just four hits and one walk allowed. His five saves are tied for the most in the nation.
• Portland leads the WCC in ERA (3.46), WHIP (1.13) and shutouts (3).
• The top three Pilots in batting average to this point are all freshmen: Ben Patacsil (.366), Sam Brown (.326) and Jake Tsukada (.298).
• Sophomore LHP Bradley McVay has put together back-to-back quality starts to solidify his spot in the rotation. He tossed seven shutouts innings with just three hits at Gonzaga to pick up the win. McVay then struck out a career-high 11 batters in six innings for another win on Saturday against Utah Valley.
• Senior RHP Christian Peters has 24 strikeouts in 24.1 innings pitched. He recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts in seven shutout innings to defeat Utah Valley last weekend.
• Junior shortstop Chad Stevens' bat has heated up of late. Stevens went 7-for-15 with a homer, five runs and five RBI's in the four-game sweep of Utah Valley last weekend. He also belted a three-run homer against WSU on Wednesday. He now leads the team in RBI's (9), total bases (26) and slugging (.500).
• Peters, Stevens, sophomore first baseman Tracye Tammaro, and redshirt-freshman outfielder Jake Holcroft were all voted to the 2021 All-West Coast Conference Preseason Baseball Team.
• The Pilots tied Pepperdine for the most players on the all-league preseason team, and it's the second straight year to earn the honor for Stevens.
• The Pilots as a team were selected to finish seventh in the annual poll of the league's 10 head coaches.
• Senior closer Connor Knutson entered the year second all-time in program history with 22 career saves; the right-hander is just two stops shy of matching career leader Chris Dennis, who compiled 24 saves from 2010-11.
• Elsewhere on the program's career charts, Morse ranks ninth all-time in K's per 9.0 innings (8.13), and he's 11th in fewest walks per nine (2.42).
• The Pilots lost only five players from last year's roster and return 28 letterwinners, including all nine position starters and almost the entire pitching staff.
• 2021 marks the sixth year at the helm for head coach Geoff Loomis whose 94 career wins ranks third all-time at Portland.
• The 25 wins the Pilots recorded in 2019 are the most in a season since 2012.
• 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).
• Joe Etzel Field, UP's home site since 1966 has undergone some upgrades as the University concluded a three-phase, long-term renovation project.
• The final and most recent phase of the project features the addition of new seating, concourse, press box, ticketing office, dugouts, and a refreshed plaza surrounding the stadium.
• In 2014, updates included the installation of AstroTurf, new fencing, bullpens, a scoreboard, and a grass berm down the right field line, while new lights were added in 2016.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT
• The Pacific Tigers are 7-7 to start the 2021 season.
• They are hitting .270, have a staff ERA of 3.95 and are holding opponents to a .245 batting average.
• James Arakawa is the top batter for the Tigers, leading the club in batting average (.467), sluggin percentage (.556), and on-base percentage (.509).
• Chris Rodriguez is in his second season as Pacific's head coach.
 
LAST SEASON IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots were off to a great start last year with a 12-4 record before the season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• At the end of the abbreviated season, the Pilots were among the nation's leaders in hitting, pitching, and fielding.
• They were seventh in the country in home runs (23) and 25th in slugging percentage (.471).
• On the hill their hits allowed per nine innings (6.7) was 23rd, and the staff ERA (2.62) ranked 27th.
• Individually, Jake Holcroft was one of the best hitters in the country en route to nabbing Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-American recognition; he hit a torrid .484 at the plate, which ranked third in the country, and his 30 hits were third nationally. Holcroft was Portland's first freshman All-American since 2012.
• Christian Peters was nearly flawless on the mound, going 3-1 in four starts with a minuscule 0.63 ERA; he struck out 35 in 28.2 total innings, walked only three, and allowed just three earned runs to rank 24th nationally in ERA.
• Tracye Tammaro was among the nation's leaders in home runs, belting seven dingers in 16 games to rank eighth in the country; his 22 RBI's were good for 16th nationally.