PORTLAND PILOTS (35-17, 19-5 WCC)
WEEK 15: WCC Tournament -- Saint Mary's Gaels
 
vs. Saint Mary's Gaels
(34-20, 16-8 WCC)
Dates: Thursday, May 23
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
Ballpark: Las Vegas Ballpark
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Against SMC: 40-62-2
Last vs. SMC: POR 7, SMC 5 (2024)
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Portland Pilots are set for a rematch against the Saint Mary's Gaels in a rematch in the 2024 WCC Tournament down in Las Vegas.
• They play on Thursday, May 23 at 7:05 p.m.
• Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Pilots have won 11 games in a row and 12 of their last 13 following a sweep of the Saint Mary's Gaels this past weekend. Their 11-game win streak is tied with UC Santa Barbara for the longest in streak in the nation.
• It's the fifth time the Pilots have swept a WCC team this year, the most WCC sweeps they've had in a single season.
• With a 35-17 record, the Pilots have posted their highest win total since 1980. Their 19 WCC wins are the most they've ever had since joining the conference for baseball in 1996 and also their highest conference win total across any conference since 1980.
• Carter Gaston set a program record for wins in a season with 11 after throwing a complete-game shutout on Saturday. He is the second Pilot to throw a complete game this year and the third WCC pitcher.
• Gaston's effort earned him WCC Pitcher of the Week honors for the first time this season.
• Brink now has 117 strikeouts on the year after throwing 13 last Friday, which is the second most of any Pilot pitcher ever.
 
AWARDS SEASON
• The Pilots had 10 players earn All-WCC honors this year, with Carter Gaston winning WCC Pitcher of the Year.
• Gaston is just the fourth Pilot to win a major conference award and the second to win WCC Pitcher of the Year in the last three seasons.
• Gaston made the All-WCC First Team along with Nick Brink, Jake Holcroft. Sam Stuhr made the All-WCC Second Team, Tanner Douglas, Tyler Howard, Spencer Scott and Jack Thomson earned honorable mention and Morgan Codron made the freshman team.
• Gaston posted an 11-1 record with a 2.38 ERA, both of which ranked first in the conference. He ranked third nationally in wins and 10th in ERA, and conference-wise he was also second in walks allowed per nine innings (2.14) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.50) and fourth in WHIP (1.10).
• Brink threw 117 strikeouts, which leads the conference by a wide margin and is seventh nationally. Brink, who posted a 3.35 ERA with a 9-4 record, led the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.16, 13th nationally), walks allowed per nine innings (1.82) and complete games (two, 11th nationally), being the only WCC pitcher to throw multiple complete games in a season sine 2015.
• Holcroft led the conference heading into the tournament in total hits (72), runs (56), stolen bases (21) and stolen bases per game (0.40). His 21 stolen bases are the most by a Pilot since 2016.
• Patacsil batted a WCC-leading .380 on the season with 60 hits, six home runs and 43 RBI's. In conference play alone, Patacsil batted an astounding .524 -- over 100 points better than the next closest WCC batter -- while posting the most hits (44), the best on-base percentage (.587) and the second-most RBI's (35).
• Stuhr threw 94 strikeouts with a 3-1 record and a 4.52 ERA. His 94 strikeouts ranked second in the WCC, and he leads the conference in strikeouts per nine innings at 11.48.
• Douglas led the WCC in saves and ranked ninth nationally at 10 and posted a perfect 4-0 record with a 3.25 ERA. He was also named to the watch list for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year, an award that goes to the top reliever in college baseball
• Howard batted .325 on the year with 39 hits, nine doubles, three home runs and 19 RBI's. He's the only Pilot to post at least three games of four hits or more and has nine multi-hit games as well as five multi-RBI games.
• Scott enters the tournament batting .296 this season with 42 hits, 10 doubles, three home runs and 25 RBI's in 42 games (40 starts). All those totals are career highs for Scott.
• In 37 games, Thomson batted 200 with 21 hits, five home runs and 19 RBI's. Four of those home runs and 15 of those RBI's came against WCC opponents, and his on-base percentage of .482 against conference opponents ranked fifth.
• Codron, a redshirt freshman, made 16 appearances with three starts for Portland, posting a 1-1 record with a 4.31 ERA and three saves.
 
OTHER STATISTICS
• The Pilots lead the WCC in doubles (107) and walks allowed per nine innings (3.77) and ranks in the to p30 nationally in ERA (4.24, 17th), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.57, 20th), shutouts (4, 22nd), WHIP (1.39, 26th) and win-loss percentage (.673, 28th).
• Holcroft's hitting prowess is present all over the Pilot record books.
• He has the most hits (310), at-bats (922), games played (223), runs scored (187), walks (112) and total bases (448) of any Pilot ever and is also third in doubles (55) and RBI's (145) and sixth in batting average (.336) and fifth in stolen bases (53).
• Holcroft also has the moved to third on the WCC's all-time hits list at 310.
 
LAST SEASON FOR THE BLUFF BOYS
• The Portland Pilots finished last season 31-23 overall and 17-10 in WCC play
• Their conference win total matched a program record for WCC wins in a single season, a record they set in 2022. Their overall win total marks the seventh time they've reached 30 wins in a season and the first they have ever done so in back-to-back seasons.
• Last year, the Pilots made qualified for the WCC Tournament for the second year in a row and made the WCC Championship for the first time in program history. They fell to the Santa Clara Broncos in the championship game.
• Five players made the All-WCC First Team and three making honorable mention. Five first team honorees are the most the Pilots have ever had in a single season.
• The five first-team honorees were Nick Brink, Nich Klemp, Jake Holcroft, Evan Scavotto and Zach Toglia. Peter Allegro, Briley Knight and Ben Patacsil all earned honorable mention.
• Brink was dominant on the mound this year, with a 2.02 ERA and a 6-0 record across  14 appearances and nine starts. He led the WCC in ERA last year and ranked seventh nationally.
• Klemp set the school record for doubles in a season with 25, ranking first in the WCC and fourth nationally in the category. He batted .390 on the year, which was third in the WCC and also the best mark by any Pilot since 1991. His 83 hits were also a school record, one that was held by Geoff Loomis since 1992
• Holcroft hit .343 on the season with 83 hits as well as seven home runs and 43 RBI's, all career-highs. He is the first Pilot since Turner Gill to earn multiple first team appearances, and his 83 hits also broke the old hits in a season record.
• Scavotto and Toglia each provided power for the Pilots, becoming the first Pilot teammates since 1992 to post 10 home runs each in a single season.
• Along with that, Scavotto was the first Pilot since Danny Meier in 2008 to reach 10 home runs and 40 RBI's in a season.
• Toglia is the first Pilot since Turner Gill in 2011 to make the All-WCC first team in their first season.
• Allegro received WCC honors for the third time in his career after making 17 appearances with 12 starts. Allegro set career highs in innings pitched (77.2) and strikeouts (79) and was crucial in Portland's semifinal showdown in the WCC Tournament, throwing eight innings with a career-high 10 strikeouts.
• Knight earned honorable mention and batted .322 with four home runs and 43 RBI's. He is just the fifth Pilot in program history to record at least 20 doubles in a season, sitting with a solid 21.
• Patacsil hit .280 on the season and set career highs in runs scored (42), doubles (12), slugging percentage (.381), on-base percentage (.402) and RBI's (27) He was also hit by 19 pitches this year, which was second in the WCC and just one shy of breaking the school record.
• The Pilots broke several single season school records as a team, including runs scored (390), hits (595), doubles (125), RBI's (362), total bases (889) and at-bats (1,960).
• Portland led the WCC in batting average (.304) and total hits (595) and ranked second in doubles (125), doubles per game (2.31), hits allowed per nine innings (9.11) and on-base percentage (.388) and third in runs (390) and runs per game (7.2).
• Among other conference leaders, Jacob Dobmeier led the WCC in saves (8), Klemp and Holcroft were both first in hits, and Patacsil ranked second in hit by pitch (19).
• The Pilots had nine qualified batters (at least 2 PA/G and 75% of games played) batting over .300: Klemp (.390), Holcroft (.343), Christian Cooney (.329), Knight (.322), Tyler Howard (.318), Toglia (.315), Scavotto (.310), Henry Muench (.303) and Jake Tsukada (.301).
 
PRESEASON HONORS
• The Portland Pilots were picked tied for second in the annual WCC Preseason Poll, receiving one first place vote. It is the highest they've ever been ranked in the preseason poll under head coach Geoff Loomis.
• Four Pilots were picked to the All-WCC Preseason Team: outfielders Jake Holcroft and Evan Scavotto; infielder Zach Toglia; and pitcher Nick Brink. All four Pilots made the All-WCC First Team last year.
• In the D1 Baseball Season Preview for the WCC, Portland was picked to finish third in the conference with a chance to push for the NCAA Regional.
• Brink was picked as D1 Baseball's favorite for WCC Pitcher of the Year after his stellar year last season.
• Four Pilots were listed in D1 Baseball's top 30 WCC prospects for the 2024 MLB Draft, with Brink (3rd), RHP Sam Stuhr (5th), RHP Joey Gartrell (11th) and Toglia (13th) all making the list.
 
KEY RETURNERS
• The Pilots return 25 players from last year's squad. Five of those returners earned All-WCC honors last year and four made the All-WCC First Team.
• Brink, Holcroft, Scavotto and Toglia all return after stellar years last season. Ben Patacsil is also back after earning All-WCC Honorable Mention.
• Six regular position starters return for the Pilots as well as nine pitchers from last year.
• Christian Cooney and Henry Muench are both expected to play big roles in the outfield for Portland. Cooney and Muench batted .329 and .303 respectively, both career marks.
• Cooney added four home runs, 29 RBI's and an OPS of .878 (.479 slugging, .399 on-base). Muench was the only outfielder to post a perfect fielding percentage last year.
• Behind the plate, both Tyler Howard and Riley McCarthy will feature prominently. Howard played in 15 games, batting .318 in 22 at bats while Riley McCarthy batted .214 in 24 appearances and 42 at bats.
• Tristan Gomes played in 32 games with 24 starts as both a DH and at first base. He batted .228 with five home runs, 18 RBI's and a slugging percentage of .481.
• After an injury kept him out int the latter half of last season, Spencer Scott returns after batting .206 in 28 games. He was the WCC co-Player of the Week the second week of the year after helping Portland upset then-No. 5 Texas A&M by batting .500 over three games.
• Pitching-wise, highlighted by Brink, several Pilots return after double-digit appearances for the Pilots.
• Joey Gartrell, the 11th best WCC prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft per D1 Baseball, returns after making 16 appearances with 14 starts for Portland. He posted a 5.17 ERA across 78.1 innings pitched, recording 66 strikeouts and a 5-5 record. His 2.52 walks per nine innings ranked 10th  in the conference.
• Brock Gillis also returns after appearing in 16 games with 11 starts. He pitched 64 innings with 64 strikeouts, posting a 3-3 record with a 5.63 ERA.
• Kaden Segel was one of the top relievers for Portland last year, appearing in a team-high 24 games with a 3-2 record and a 3.96 ERA. He pitched 36.1 innings and had two saves.
• Jack Folkins also returns after a solid year in relief, throwing in 28 innings across 16 games for a 3.54 ERA.
 
THE NEWCOMERS
• 12 newcomers join the Pilots this year, including several impactful transfers.
• Third baseman Jack Thomson highlights the newcomers after an incredible career at Division III Lewis & Clark College. He was the NCAA Division III Player of the Year after batting .382 in 45 games with 23 home runs, 55 RBI's, 10 stolen bases and an OPS of 1.510.
• Thomson was a consensus first team All-American across several outlets, the D3baseball.com Region 10 Player of the Year, the Northwest Conference Player of the Year and a 2022-23 Northwest Conference Scholar-Athlete. He ranked in the top five nationally in home runs per game (1st, 0.51), slugging percentage (2nd, .934)), home runs (3rd), on-base percentage (4th, .576) and walks (4th, 50).
• The Pilots also bolster their lineup with the addition of Brady Bean, who was the GNAC Freshman of the Year over at St. Martins. He batted .384 with 56 hits, 22 RBI's, an OPS of 1.026 and 19 stolen bases off 21 attempts.
• Bean's OBP of .505 and 19 stolen bases both led the GNAC, and he was also second in the conference in walks (33) and batting average.
• Justin Ramirez rounds out the impact transfers, coming to Portland from NAIA's Arizona Christian. Ramirez batted .332 with 74 hits, 18 doubles and 32 RBI's. He only struck out 20 times in 223 at-bats.
• Sam Stuhr will slot in to the rotation immediately for Portland. A transfer from Oregon State, Stuhr last pitched in game action at Lower Columbia College, starting six games and posting a 2.36 ERA.
• Other transfers include pitchers Tanner Douglas and Ky Hoskinson
• Six of the Pilots newcomers are freshmen: Pitchers Kaden Starr, Logan Anderson and Caiden Thomsen; infielders George Holt and Austin Takahashi; and two-way player Broden Palmer.
 
THE COACHING STAFF
• 2024 marks the ninth year at the helm for head coach Geoff Loomis.
• With 206 career wins as Portland's skipper, Loomis already ranks fourth all-time for total wins at Portland. He is also just the fourth Pilot coach to reach 200 wins.
• 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).
• Connor Lambert is the associate head coach as well as the recruiting coordinator and pitching coach for the Pilots.
• Trey Watt, who works with the defense, is in his second year as a full-time assistant and fourth year overall with the Pilots.
• Watt was a pitcher under Loomis at Pacific Lutheran, becoming the second Lute to ever sign a free agent contract.
• Jarvis Gomes returns as the Director for Player Development for his third year and Brian Pollard joins the Pilots for his first year this season.
• Matt Kelly and Beau Brundage are the graduate assistants for Portland, with it being Kelly's second year and Brundage's first. Brundage was taken in the 33rd round by the Tampa Bay Rays back in the 2018 MLB Draft.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
• The Saint Mary's Gaels are 34-20 on the year and finished third behind the Pilots, who swept them in Portland earlier this year.
• Eric Valenzuela is in his seventh year overall as head coach of the Gaels and first of his second stint.