PORTLAND PILOTS (10-9) vs. Santa Clara Broncos (7-13) 
Date: Fri-Sun, Mar. 26-28 
Location: Portland, Ore. 
Ballpark: Joe Etzel Field
Live Video: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Series: UP leads 16-14 
Last: POR 13, SCU 9 (Apr. 28, 2019 @POR)

PROBABLE STARTERS (2021 W-L, ERA)
Friday • Mar. 26 • 6 PM • Game 1
POR: TBA
SCU: TBA
 
Saturday • Mar. 27 • 2 PM • Game 2
POR: TBA
SCU: TBA
 
Sunday • Mar. 28 • 12 PM • Game 3
POR: TBA
SCU: TBA

THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots are back at Joe Etzel fi eld for a three-game homestand against the Santa Clara Broncos
• The two teams will start the series with a game on Friday, Mar. 26 at 6 PM.
• Following that, they will play on Saturday, Mar. 27 at 2 PM, and will close the series with a Sunday matchup on Mar. 28 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 have a midweek game against the Oregon State Beavers and a three-game road series against the Saint Mary's Gaels
• The home game against Oregon State is set for Tuesday, Mar. 30 at 6 PM and will be televised on NBC Sports Northwest.
• Portland will then head to Moraga, Calif. to face the Gaels, with the first game taking place on Thursday, Apr. 1 at 3 PM. The two teams will then play on Friday, Apr. 2 at 3 p.m. and on Saturday, Apr. 3 on at 1 PM. Live stats and video will be available at PortlandPilots.com.

FAN ATTENDANCE UPDATE
• There will be no public ticket sales available this weekend or for the upcoming Oregon State game on Tuesday as the 25 percent capacity is being filled with Portland and visiting team ticket obligations. Stay tuned to PortlandPilots.com if tickets for future home events become available to the public.

ABOUT THE PILOTS 
• Junior shortstop Chad Stevens was locked in at the plate last week, earning WCC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance. Last week, Stevens was 10-22 with four doubles, two home runs, six runs scored and nine RBI's.
• Freshman 2B Jake Tsukada tied the single game record for most hits by a Pilot in a single game last Friday against Pacific with six hits and reached a base on 10 straight plate appearances, also thought to be the most in program history. 
• The Pilots had an overall impressive weekend against Pacific at the plate. The Pilots had a season-high 21 hits in Friday's matchup and a season-high 18 runs in their Sunday game. 
• The pitching staff for the Pilots was also strong against the Tigers. They only allowed 10 runs over the course of three games and totaled 30 strikeouts during that span.
• Junior RHP Eli Morse moved from starter to the bullpen this year and has dazzled with only one run allowed in 13 innings of relief. He has 12 strikeouts with just eight hits and one walk allowed. His five saves are tied for fourth in the nation.
• Portland leads the WCC in ERA (3.44), WHIP (1.18) and shutouts (3).
• The top three Pilots in batting average to this point are all freshmen: Ben Patacsil (.373), Sam Brown (.339) and Tsukada (.338). 
• Sophomore LHP Bradley McVay has put together three 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. He also earned his third win of the season and tallied seven strikeouts in his start against Pacific last Saturday.
• Senior RHP Christian Peters has 26 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched. He recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts in seven shutout innings to defeat Utah Valley last weekend. 
• 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 97 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 Santa Clara Broncos are 7-13 to start the season
• They are hitting .237, have a staff ERA of 5.02 and are holding opponents to a .240 batting average. 
• Jake MacNichols has had a powerful year at the plate with seven home runs, good for first in the conference and 23rd in the nation.
• Cole Kitchens has put together a solid year on the mound with a conference-leading four wins. That number is also good for sixth in the nation.
• Rusty Filter is in his fourth season as Santa Clara's head coach.