PORTLAND PILOTS (0-0)
WEEK 1 GAME NOTES

vs. Creighton Bluejays (0-0)
Dates: Fri-Sun, Feb. 18-20
Location: Portland, Ore.
Ballpark: Joe Etzel Field
Video: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4
Series: Tied 4-4-0
Last: POR 4, CU 3 (March 8, 2020 @CU)

PROBABLE STARTERS (2021 W-L, ERA) 
Friday • Feb. 18 • 3 PM
POR: RHP Eli Morse(1-2, 3.96)
CU: RHP Dylan Tebrakel (8-0, 2.72)

Saturday • Feb. 19 • 11 AM • Game 1
POR: RHP Brock Gillis (0-0, 0.00)
CU: LHP Cade Lommel (3-3, 4.11)

Saturday • Feb. 19 • 2 PM • Game 2
POR: RHP Brett Gillis (2-1, 4.26)
CU: RHP Hudson Leach (0-0, 4.09)

Sunday • Feb. 20 • 12 PM
POR: LHP Caleb Franzen (2-1, 4.26)
CU: RHP Dominic Canellieri (0-0, 6.60)

THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots will open the 2022 season this weekend when they host the Creighton Bluejays for a four-game non-conference home series.
• The two teams open things up on Friday at 3 p.m. followed by a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 11 a.m. Both Saturday games will be only seven innings. Sunday's game at 12 p.m. will be the series finale.
• A video stream and live stats will be available for all four games, and links can be found at PortlandPilots.com.

NEXT WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots will be on the road for the rest of February and the first half of March, with their first road series coming against the San Jose State Spartans.
• The two teams will play a four-game series starting on Friday with their 3:05 p.m. first pitch. They'll play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 2:05 p.m. and will close with their Sunday matchup starting at 12:05 p.m.
• Check PortlandPilots.com for live streams and stats.

LAST SEASON IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots went 24-26 overall last season with a 14-13 record in WCC play.
• Their fifth-place finish in the WCC was their best full-season finish since head coach Geoff Loomis took over the Pilots and their best since 2011. Their 14 wins in WCC player were also the most for the team since 2010.
• The Pilots had nine players earn All-WCC recognition, with shortstop Chad Stevens most notably earning first team recognition. First baseman Sam Brown and starting pitcher Christian Peters both named to the All-WCC Second Team.
• Stevens batted a team-high .333 with with 67 hits, eight home runs, 19 doubles and 29 RBI's. His total hits and doubles both were tops in the WCC and he was also second in extra-base hits (27) and total bases (110).
• Stevens was subsequently drafted in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. The last Pilot to get drafted was Beau Brundage in 2018.
• Brown put together one of the best seasons by a freshman in the conference, batting .315 with five home runs, 16 doubles and a triple. Among freshman, he was first in doubles (fifth overall), second in extra-base hits (22), third in slugging percentage (.495) and fifth in batting average.
• Brown made the Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-American baseball team as well, becoming the third Pilot to do so since 2012.
• Peters was among the top hurlers, with the second best ERA in the WCC at 2.63. He was also fourth in WHIP (1.12) and strikeouts (78). He was one of only three pitchers to earn WCC Pitcher of the Week honors multiple times last year.
• The other six players to earn All-WCC recognition were pitcher Peter Allegro, two-way player Brett Gillis, left fielder Jake Holcroft, center fielder Briley Knight, pitcher Eli Morse and second baseman Jake Tsukada. Brown, Holcroft and Tsukada all made the All-WCC Freshman Team.
• As a whole, the team ranked second in the WCC in strikeouts per nine innings (9.6), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.93), WHIP (1.31) and walks allowed per nine innings (3.28). Their four shutouts also ranked third in the WCC.

ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Now sophomore Sam Brown and senior Eli Morse were both named to the All-WCC Preseason Team this season. The Pilots as a team were picked to finish sixth in the conference in the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll.
• The Pilots were one of five teams with two or more players selected to the team.
• The sixth-place ranking marks the first time since 2003 that the Pilots were slated to finish in the top six. It's the first time since the conference also expanded to 10 teams in 2013.
• The Pilots return 28 players while adding 10 newcomers from last year's squad, including seven players who earned All-WCC honors last year. Seven position starters return along with 11 pitchers.
• Morse returns after leading the WCC in saves last season with eight. He was among the nation's leaders in the category as well for most of the year.
• Morse is ninth all-time in program history in strikeouts per nine innings (8.30), total strikeouts (201) and 10th in saves (eight).
• Brett Gillis brings versatility to the Pilots both at the plate and on the mound. Gillis was second in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings with 12.10 and also batted .259 on the year.
• Jake Tsukada, Ben Patacsil and Jake Holcroft were among the top batters for the Pilots, batting .282, .263 and .262 as freshmen.
• Tsukada also tied the school record for hits in a games last season against the Pacific Tigers with six. He is the first Pilot who played Division I baseball to do so.
• Holcroft batted an astounding .484 in a shortened 2020 season and was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-American.
• Caleb Franzen is another hurler poised for a breakout season with the Pilots. Last season, he was third in the WCC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.82) and fourth in walks allowed per nine innings (1.65).
• The Pilots also return Trace Tammaro, who sat out almost all of last season due to a back injury. The redshirt sophomore batted .333 with a team-leading seven home runs in 2020.
• 2022 marks the seventh year at the helm for head coach Geoff Loomis.
• With 111 career wins, Loomis already ranks fourth all-time for coaching wins at Portland.
• 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 Creighton Bluejays were a solid 24-15 last season with a 15-6 record in Big East play. 
• They hit .263 as a team with a staff ERA of 3.93. That was good for third and second respectively in their conference.
• Alan Roden returns for Creighton after batting an impressive .378 with 17 doubles.
• Ed Servais begins his 19th season in charge of the Bluejays in 2022.