PORTLAND, Ore. – Baseball returns to The Bluff, with the Portland Pilots welcoming the Niagara Purple Eagles for their first home series of the 2026 season. They'll play a three-game series Friday through Sunday, Feb. 27 through March 1.
 
Friday and Sunday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ while Saturday's game will be streamed on YouTube. Saturday's game is also free entry. Check PortlandPilots.com for tickets, live stats and video options.
 
SERIES INFORMATION
Opponent: Niagara Purple Eagles
Dates: Fri-Sun, Feb. 27-March 1
Location: Portland, Ore.
Ballpark: Joe Etzel Field
Video: ESPN+ | YouTube
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Against NU: 3-1
Last vs. NU: @POR 7, NU 15 (2023)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (2026 W-L, ERA)
Friday • Feb. 27 • 6:00 PM
POR: TBD
NU: TBD
 
Saturday • Feb. 28 • 3:00 PM
POR: TBD
NU: TBD
 
Sunday • Mar. 1 • 12:00 PM
POR: TBD
NU: TBD
 
PEEK INTO THE PORT
• The Portland Pilots are 2-5 after winning their midweek game against the CSUN Matadors and dropping their series against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.
• Against CSUN, the Pilots burst out to a 5-0 lead and fended off a late push from the Matadors to earn the win.
• Carter Gaston excelled on the bump, going 5.1 shutout innings with three strikeouts. It's his first appearance with no runs allowed in five or more innings since 2024.
• Leo Cote shined at the plate with a 2-for-4 outing, including a double and two RBI's.
• Dakota Chun recorded a hit for the fourth straight game to start his career, also driving in an RBI.
• Alex Via earned his first save in a Pilot uniform.
• The Pilots struggled to score against the Gauchos but had some stellar pitching performances.
• Kaden Segel went 5.1 innings in relief on Friday, with no runs allowed and just two hits along with five strikeouts.
• Will Labonte also shined for the Pilots in his Sunday start, going 4.1 innings with no runs and seven strikeouts. His seven strikeouts are the most by any Pilot in a single appearance this year.
• Labonte has yet to allow a run this season. He is one of 12 freshman pitchers to have not allowed an earned run yet and one of 10 to have not allowed a run this season.
• Labonte is one of just four qualified WCC pitchers (1.0 innings pitched per team game) to have not allowed an earned run in the first two weeks and one of just two WCC freshmen.
• Labonte, along with Kaden Segel, are two of only four WCC pitchers to not walk any batters in over four innings of work.
• Cole Katayama-Stall hit his third home run of the year over the weekend, which is good for the third in the conference. He sits at 0.43 home runs per game, also good for fourth.
• Katayama-Stall is the first Pilot to hit 12 home runs through their first 55 games since Hunter Montgomery (2018-19). All but one of Katayama-Stall's hits early have been for extra bases.
• Jonas Salk has been hit by four pitches this year, ranking third in the conference in the category.
• Among other statistical leaders, Kaden Segel is fourth in walks allowed per nine innings (0.96), fifth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.00) and seventh in WHIP (0.86).
 
LAST SEASON FOR THE BLUFF BOYS
• The Portland Pilots finished last season 22-30 overall and 13-11 in WCC play to take fifth in the WCC.
• Portland earned 20-plus wins for the fifth season in a row and for the seventh time in the last eight season. It's the first time they've earned at least 20 wins five seasons in a row since a stretch between 2008-12.
• Last year, the Pilots made qualified for the WCC Tournament for the fourth year in a row after previously having never made the tournament. They fell to the LMU Lions in their lone game in the tournament.
• Six players earned All-WCC honors last season, with four of those six player returning this season.
• The Pilots saw six earn All-WCC honors, headlined by Jonas Salk's All-WCC First Team selection. Tyler Howard earned second team honors, Brady Bean, Cody Nitowitz and Ryan Rembisz earned honorable mention and Nitowitz and Trey Swygart made the freshman team.
• Salk makes it seven straight seasons the Pilots have had someone make the All-WCC First Team. This was his first All-WCC selection.
• Jonas Salk's 13 home runs were the most by a Pilot since 2008. Salk is the first Pilot since Matt Scales 1992 to have at least three multi-home run games in a season.
• Salk's .807 slugging percentage ranked first against conference opponents. He was also third in home runs (ninth) and OPS (1.287), fourth in doubles (nine) and runs scored (26) and eighth in batting average (.373).
•Brady Bean was the only Pilot to have played every game. He ranked ninth in the WCC in hits (64) and tied for third in at bats (206).
• Bean's 48 RBI's ranks seventh in the WCC. They are tied for the 11th most in program history, and he's just the fifth Pilot in the 2000s to reach that total.
• Tyler Howard was second in the WCC in batting average (.379) and on-base percentage (.481) and ranked sixth in total walks (29). Howard put together a 32-game on-base streak that was the longest by a Pilot since 1993.
• Cody Nitowitz was tied for eighth in the WCC in batting average against conference opponents at .373, sixth in on-base percentage (.490) and tied for first in walks (18).
• Trey Swygart was a two-way player for the Pilots last season, displaying power at the plate and prowess on the mound.
• Swygart, a 2025 Perfect Game Freshman All-American, posted a slash line of .342/.500/.644 in 73 at bats last year, along with six home runs and four doubles. He was 0-3 on the mound last season with a 6.97 ERA and two saves, one of just two Pilots with multiple.
• As a team, the Pilots led the conference in walks (257), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.05), WHIP (1.52), shutouts (3) and walks allowed per nine innings (3.75). Nationally, they were 38th in double plays per game (0.83) and 46th in walks allowed per nine innings.
 
THE COACHING STAFF
• 2026 marks the 11th year at the helm for head coach Geoff Loomis.
• With 235 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).
• Trey Watt was promoted to associate head coach following the 2024 season and takes over as pitching coach.
• 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 fifth year and Ben Patacsil joining as an assistant coach after spending last season as a graduate assistant.
• Holcroft is Portland's all-time leader in games played (227), hits (319), at bats (941), runs scored (193), doubles (57), walks (112) and total bases (448). He's also third all-time in RBI's (161), tied for fifth in stolen bases (53), sixth in batting average (.339), tied for sixth in triples (eight), tied for eighth in home runs (eight).
• Holcroft earned All-WCC First Team honors last season for the third year in a row and was also named the 2024 WCC Tournament MVP.
• Patacsil thrice earned All-WCC honors, making the first team in his final season in 2024. He led the WCC in batting average (.387) and on-base percentage (.464) and hit .524 against WCC opponents specifically, over 100 points higher than the next closest player.
 
ABOUT THE PURPLE EAGLES
• The Niagara Purple Eagles are 0-6 to start the season, most recently dropping a close series to the Old Dominion Monarchs.
• Last season, they went 19-28 overall and 14-16 in MAAC play. They finished eighth in the conference.
• The Pilots and Purple Eagles have played just one series back in 2023. The Pilots took that series 3-1.
• Niagara was picked to finish eighth in the 2026 Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll. 
• Matt Spatafora is in his 14th season with the Purple Eagles but his second as head coach. He is 19-34 in two seasons.

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