PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots have a quick turnaround with a nonconference contest against the Northwestern Wildcats this Monday, March 23. Broadcast will begin on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for tickets, live stats and video options.
GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: Northwestern Wildcats (8-11-1, 2-4 Big Ten)
Date: Monday, March 23
Location: Portland, Ore.
Ballpark: Joe Etzel Field
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Against NU: 3-3
Last vs. NU: POR 5, NU 9 ('17)
PROBABLE STARTERS (2026 W-L, ERA)
Monday • March 23 • 6:00 PM
POR: TBD
NU: TBD
LAST WEEK FOR PORTLAND
• Last week, the Pilots were stellar all around, earning a big win over the then-No. 17 Oregon State Beavers before sweeping the LMU Lions on the road to open conference play.
• Against Oregon State, the Pilots were stellar defensively, holding them to just one run for the first time in a game between the two teams since 2019. It's tied for the fewest runs they've allowed in a game this year.
• Portland's win was their first over the Beavers since 2024 and first over the Beavers at Joe Etzel Field since 2021.
• Carter Gaston earned the win to become the first Pilot to three wins this season. He went five innings with just one run allowed and five strikeouts.
• Morgan Codron and Kaden Segel closed it out for the Pilots, with Segel earning the save. It's Segel's second save this season.
• Cote went 2-for-2 on the day with an RBI against his former team. He was the only Pilot to record multiple hits.
• The Pilots recorded five stolen bases on the day, matching a season high.
• Against the Lions, the Pilots pulled off big wins on Friday and Sunday and dominated the conference foe on Saturday, winning 5-3 and 4-3 on Friday and Sunday respectively and 13-4 on Saturday.
• Trey Swygart led the way at the plate, accruing seven hits with two 3-hit appearances on Friday and Saturday.
• Friday was particularly dominant for Swygart, who went 3-for-3 with two home runs and also pitched 3.2 innings with no runs allowed and seven strikeouts. His seven strikeouts are tied for the most by a Pilot this season.
• Swygart's win was his third of the year, tied for the most on the Pilots.
• On Friday, Trey Newmann also punched out seven batters, making him the third Pilot to have that many strikeouts in a game. Portland's 15 strikeouts total were the most they've had in a game this season.
• On Saturday, Portland's 17 hits proved to be a season high, with six batters recording multiple hits on the day.
• Sunday saw the Pilots trailing by one run entering the ninth, but two runs in the top frame helped push the Pilots past the Lions to complete the sweep.
• Alex Via recorded saves on both Friday and Sunday and now sits at four on the year. That's good for first on the team
• The Pilots have now won 12 of their last 14 games and six in a row. It's their longest win streak of the season.
• Portland has taken the last four weekend series.
PEEK INTO THE PORT
• The Pilots lead the conference currently in ERA (3.01), total earned runs (61), WHIP (1.26) and win-loss percentage (.667) and rank second in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.07), runs per game (6.0) and third in slugging percentage (.400).
• Will Labonte ranks first in the conference in ERA at 1.77. He entered the weekend ranked second nationally among freshmen.
• Kaden Segel has also been consistent on the mound, ranking fifth in the WCC in walks allowed per nine (2.08). His two saves rank third as well.
• Trey Newmann is eighth at the moment in strikeouts per nine innings (10.22).
• Gaston and Swygart's three victories are good for second in the conference.
• Dakota Chun is tied for second in the WCC in doubles (8) and is first among all freshmen.
• Jonas Salk's six sacrifice flies ranks first in the conference and is among the best in the nation.
• Salk has 20 home runs for his career, good for 14
th all-time in program history.
• Brady Bean's .318 average leads the Pilots. He currently leads all qualified batters in hits (27), RBI's (17), OPS (.878), and stolen bases (six).
• Four Pilots have hit at least three home runs this year: Bean, Salk, Cole Katayama-Stall and Swygart.
• Three Pilots are currently batting above .300: Bean (.318), Cody Nitowitz (.306) and Gage Bruce (.304).
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 244 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 WILDCATS
• The Northwestern Wildcats are 8-11-1 overall and 2-4 in Big Ten play after taking just one of three games against the Oregon Ducks.
• Last season, the Wildcats went 25-27 overall and 13-17 in Big Ten play to take 13
th in the conference.
• Three Wildcats were named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List this preseason: Sam Hiboki, Ryan Kucherak and Jack Lausch.
• Hiboki has pitched in seven games this season, posting a 13.50 ERA and a 2-2 record.
• Kucherak and Lausch are batting .273 and .260 respectively, with Kucharek adding two homers and Lausch five.
• Ben Greenspan is in his third season as head coach of the Wildcats. He is 51-72 in three seasons so far with Northwestern.
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