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Brady Bean slides into home for the Pilots.

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Pilot Baseball Welcomes UConn to The Bluff This Weekend

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots resume their homestand with three games against the UConn Huskies of the Big East. The two teams play a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, with the second game set to begin approximately 30-45 minutes after the conclusion of the first. The two teams play on Sunday, March 15 at noon.
 
All games will be broadcast on ESPN+. Check PortlandPilots.com for tickets, live stats and video options.
 
With the OSAA basketball state title games happening on Saturday, parking may be limited. See below for a message on parking from our campus safety:
 
We are also running a shuttle from Franz River Campus to the front of the Beauchamp Recreation and Wellness Center and back.  If you are unable to find parking on the main campus, please feel free to avail yourself of the Franz River Campus and the shuttle.  If you need to get back to your vehicle on the lower campus after the shuttle's hours, Campus Safety is happy to provide an escort.
 
If parking becomes hard to come by, please look at Franz River Campus for potential parking.
 
UConn Huskies
(7-9, 0-0 Big East)
Dates: Sat-Sun, March 14-15
Location: Portland, Ore.
Ballpark: Joe Etzel Field
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Against UConn: 0-0
Last vs. UConn: N/A
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (2026 W-L, ERA)
Saturday • March 14 • 1:00 PM
POR: RHP Trey Newmann (2-1, 3.68)
UCONN: LHP Charlie West (2-1, 3.66)
 
Saturday • March 14 • 4:30 PM
POR: LHP Logan Anderson (1-1, 5.51)
UCONN: LHP Cayden Suchy (0-0, 2.28)
 
Sunday • March 15 • 12:00 PM
POR: Will Labonte (1-0, 0.46)
UCONN: LHP Oliver Pudvar (1-2, 8.15)
 
LAST WEEKEND FOR THE PILOTS
• The Portland Pilots improved to 8-6 on the year with a four-game sweep of the Holy Cross Crusaders this past weekend. It's the first sweep of the year for Portland
• The Pilots scored in double digits in every game last weekend and run-ruled the Crusaders in two of their four games. They hit .349 for the series -- their best over a series this season -- and posted a 2.18 ERA.
• Numerous Pilots shined at the plate, with Cody Nitowitz posting the highest batting average of any Pilot with at least 10 at bats. He hit .500 while slugging .714, adding a team-high nine runs scored and seven RBI's.
• Brady Bean wasn't far behind, batting .471 with a team-high eight hits, seven RBI's and seven runs scored.
• Nolan Miller's eight RBI's were the most by any Pilot over the weekend, including his five-RBI game on Saturday. Miller's the first Pilot to knock home five RBI's in a game this season.
• Dakota Chun's weekend rounds out the stellar performances, as he hit .462 with two doubles and five RBI's.
• Portland had five home runs over the weekend, with Bean, Miller, Trey Swygart, Jonas Salk and Leo Cote all mashing home runs for the Pilots. Swygart and Cote hit their first home runs of the year.
• On the mound, Carter Gaston and Trey Newmann became the first two Pilots to earn multiple wins on the year as both pitched well in their respective starts.
• Gaston went five innings with no runs allowed and just five hits on Thursday, striking out three. Newmann went five innings as well with just three runs conceded and only one earned.
• Kaden Segel threw 5.1 innings over two appearances in relief, allowing one unearned run and just five hits. He earned a save on Friday.
• Will Labonte allowed his first run of the season on Sunday but was still solid, going five innings and earning his first win.
• Labonte remains one of jsut three freshman to have allowed one run or fewer in the entirety of the NCAA.
 
PEEK INTO THE PORT
• The Pilots lead the conference in earned run average (3.78), WHIP (1.30) and walks allowed per nine innings (3.72) and rank second in hits allowed per nine innings (7.96), runs per game (6.3), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.20) and win-loss percentage (.571) Nationally, they are 27th in ERA.
• Labonte leads the way as one of just 19 players to have allowed just one run or fewer and is one of just nine to have done so with more than 19 innings thrown. He's of just three freshmen to have allowed that few, having thrown the most innings of any of the three batters.
• Only 10 qualified pitchers in the NCAA, including Labonte, have allowed just one run in a game, and Labonte is one of just three to have thrown 19 innings or more.
• Dakota Chun's seven doubles currently rank second in the conference, and his 0.5 doubles per game leads the conference and ranks 29th nationally.
• Chun opened the season with a hit in his first five games, the first Pilot true freshman to do that since Sam Brown in 2021.
• Newmann is second in the WCC in saves with two and 57th nationally. He's also fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.67) and third in wins (2).
• Segel has been efficient on the mound, ranking second in the conference in both walks allowed per nine innings (0.96) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.50). He is 27th and 50th nationally in the two categories.
• Salk ranks third in the WCC in hit by pitch, having been beaned by six pitches this year. That's 0.43 per game.
• Salk's four sacrifice flies are tied for first in the conference and fourth nationally.
• Will Labonte was named to National Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List by the College Baseball Foundation, becoming the first Pilot to earn any national pitching honors from CBF since Chris Clements in 2019.
• Trey Swygart was named to the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Watch List for the second year in a row, becoming the only Pilot in program history to do so.
 
 
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 241 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 HUSKIES
• The UConn Huskies are 7-9 on the year, most recently dropping a midweek contest to the Boston College Eagles after beating the Old Dominion Monarchs in two of three games.
• Last season, they went 38-21 overall and 17-4 in the Big East, finishing first in the conference. They lost in the Big East Tournament championship to just miss out on qualifying for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
• UConn was favored to repeat as Big East champions, picked as the title favorites. Sean Finn, Tyler Minck and Rob Rispoli were all named to the 2026 Preseason All-Big East Team.
• Finn has made six appearances, all in relief, with an 0-1 record and a 16.20 ERA. He was 6-1 last season in 21 appearances and four starts, posting a 3.00 ERA.
• Minick hit .355 last season with 22 home runs and 74 RBI's, rank eighth and 19th nationally in the two respective categories. He's played just four games this year with a home run and five RBI's.
• Rispoli hit .324 with four homers and 30 RBI's along with 19 stolen bases. He's batting .255 in 13 games played so far this year.
• Jim Penders is in his 23rd season in charge of the Huskies. He's gone 780-505-5 in his time with UConn, ranking 29th among active Division I coaches in career wins.
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