PORTLAND PILOTS (7-4)
WEEK 3 SERIES NOTES
vs. Washington Huskies (9-2)
Date: Tuesday, March 7
Location: Portland, Ore.
Ballpark: Joe Etzel Field
Video: PortlandPilots.com
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: UW Leads 96-54-1
Last: @POR 3, UW 7 (3/28/2023)
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Portland Pilots host the Washington Huskies on Tuesday, March 7 at 4 p.m. for the first of two games against them.
• Check PortlandPilots.com for a live stream and stats as well.
NEXT UP IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• Portland hosts the Niagara Purple Eagles in a four-game series this weekend at Joe Etzel Field.
• The two teams play Friday through Monday with each game starting at 3 p.m.
• Check PortlandPilots.com for live streams and stats as well.
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots split their four-game series against the Utah Valley Wolverines this past weekend, taking Games 2 and 4 but dropping Games 1 and 3.
• The 2-2 split means the Pilots have not dropped a series yet this season.
• Portland currently has the most wins in the WCC with seven on the year.
• Jake Holcroft impressed at the plate this weekend, batting .438 with seven total hits, two RBI's and eight total bases.
• Holcroft was one of three Pilots to bat over .300 for the weekend in 10 or more at-bats, with Nich Klemp and Jake Tsukada being the other two at .333.
• Portland currently lead the conference in hits (119), runs (77), slugging percentage (.471) and runs per game (7.0).
• Klemp has been one of the best bats in the nation, hitting .500 on the year with two home runs and 10 RBI's.
• Conference-wise, Klemp leads the WCC in hits (23) and runs (16), ranks third in batting average and hits per game (2.09) and fourth in total bases (33) and on-base percentage (.540).
• Nationally, Klemp is fifth in total hits, seventh in hits per game and 16th in batting average.
• Among other conference leaders, Jacob Dobmeier leads the WCC in saves (two), Brock Gillis ranks third in total strikeotus (21) and fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (12.06) and Briley Knight is third in doubles (five).
• The Pilots have four qualified batters (at least 2 PA/G and 75% of games played) batting over .300: Klemp (.581), Knight (.372), Tristan Gomes (.333) and Holcroft (.319).
• On the mound, Brock Gillis and Ryan Rembisz each earned their first wins of the year for Portland.
• Gillis was electric on Saturday, throwing 10 strikeouts over seven innings and allowing just four hits and one run. His 10 strikeouts are the most by any Pilot pitcher this season as well as a career high.
• The Pilots were picked to finish fourth in the WCC this season, which is their highest slotting ever and their highest under head coach Geoff Loomis.
• D1 Baseball picked the Pilots to finish third in the conference with an outside shot to make the NCAA Regional.
• In their annual prospect rankings, DI Baseball had Christian Cooney, Brock Gillis and Jake Holcroft as the 20th, 21st and 30th ranked WCC prospects respectively for the 2023 MLB Draft. Pitcher Joey Gartrell was also second among prospects for the 2024 draft.
• The Pilots return 28 players in total while adding 10 newcomers.
• Three returning Pilots made the All-WCC Preseason team this season: Jake Holcroft, Brock Gillis and Peter Allegro.
• Of the Pilots' 10 All-WCC honorees from last year, six return, including Holcroft, Allegro and Brock Gillis.
• 2023 marks the eighth year at the helm for head coach Geoff Loomis.
• With 148 career wins as Portland's skipper, Loomis already ranks fourth all-time for total 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).
LAST SEASON IN PILOT BASEBALL
• The Portland Pilots enter the 2023 season after a highly successful 2022 campaign.
• The Pilots finished last year second in the WCC with a 32-23 record overall and a 17-10 record in WCC play. It was their best overall record since the 2010 season and their best WCC record ever.
• Portland's second-place finish, also their best ever, helped them qualify for the WCC Tournament for the first time in program history. They finished third in the tournament.
• The Pilots had 10 players earn All-WCC honors last season, a program record. The honorees for Portland were Brett Gillis, Jake Holcroft, Peter Allegro, Sam Brown, Brock Gillis, Eli Morse, Ben Patacsil, Trace Tammaro, Jake Tsukada and Joey Gartrell.
• Brett Gillis and Holcroft were the Pilots' two first team selections, with Gillis being the first Pilot to ever win WCC Pitcher of the year after an incredible year on the mound.
• Gillis, an All-American for both Collegiate Baseball News and the ABCA/Rawlings, posted a 2.24 ERA with a 9-2 record overall. He led the WCC in ERA and ranked second nationally among pitchers with 70 or more innings pitched.
• The Washington native was also first in the WCC in hits allowed per nine innings (6.51), second in wins, third in strikeouts (115), fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (12.27) and fifth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.59). Nationally, he was 21st in strikeouts, 23rd in wins, 27th in strikeouts per nine and 29th in hits allowed per nine.
• Gillis was one of two Pilots taken in the 2022 MLB Draft, being taken in the ninth round by the Houston Astros. Southpaw pitcher Caleb Franzen was also taken in the 12th round by the Colorado Rockies.
• Holcroft was the top batter for the Pilots last season, batting .343 with four home runs, 26 RBI's and a combined .893 on-base and slugging percentage (OPS).
• Holcroft was third in the conference in batting average, fifth in total hits (71), tied for eighth in doubles (15) and ninth in on-base percentage (.420).
• Allegro was one of the best relief pitchers in the nation last year. He was an All-WCC Second Team selection and an ABCA/Rawlings All-West Region Second Team selection -- the first All-Region selection for the Pilots along with Brett Gillis since 1992 -- after posting a 2.76 ERA in 24 appearances.
• Allegro was first in the WCC and ninth nationally in saves at 13 last year. He is a preseason All-American as well, having made the first team for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and the second team for Collegiate Baseball News.
• Brett's brother, Brock, posted a 4-4 record with a 4.61 ERA in 18 appearances (13 starts) in his first year at Portland.
• In WCC play, the Washington transfer posted a 2-1 record with a 2.93 ERA. He is the only returning pitcher for Portland who posted 10 or more starts last season.
• Among other All-WCC returners for Portland, Trace Tammaro provides a strong bat after hitting .323 at the plate with seven home runs, 27 RBI's and an OPS of 1.019.
• Ben Patacsil, who earned All-WCC Honorable Mention last year, was a solid third baseman for the Pilots, batting a career-best .290 with a home run and 21 RBI's.
• Patacsil earned five hits in the season opener against the Creighton Bluejays. He was just one shy of matching the single-game record for the Pilots in that category.
• A player who did hit that coveted six-hit mark was Jake Tsukada, the Pilots' returning second baseman who did so back in 2021 against the Pacific Tigers.
• Tsukada batted .274 with 20 RBI's and seven stolen bases.
• Gartrell rounds out the returning All-WCC players for the Pilots, having made the freshman team last season.
• The Oregon native had the most appearances of any Pilot pitcher with 26 (three starts). He posted a 4-1 record as well as a 4.46 ERA.
• Morse, now a volunteer assistant cooach for Portland, is the all-time leader in strikeouts for the Pilots at 297. He went 8-2 in 16 appearances for Portland last year, posting a 3.91 ERA with 96 strikeouts.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
• The Washington Huskies are 9-2 on the season.
• They hit .303 as a team and have a 3.90 staff ERA.
• Last year, the Pilots split their two games against the Huskies.
• Head coach Jason Kelly is in his first season with Washington.
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