Setting the Scene: The Lutes are back in Tacoma after playing the previous five games on the road and welcome Oregon rival George Fox to PLU Field.
Series History: The Lutes and Bruins have met 94 times since the series began in 1996 with George Fox holding a 50-44 advantage in the series. GFU won two of the three games during the regular season but the Lutes got the last laugh, winning 2-0 in the NWC Tournament on April 23 in Forest Grove, Oregon.
About the Lutes: PLU (7-11, 2-8 NWC) won its conference opener 9-3 over Lewis & Clark back on Feb. 18 but has struggled since, dropping eight of the last nine.
Last weekend, the Lutes squared off against Willamette with the host Bearcats taking two of three. Willamette took the opener 7-3 before the Lutes leveled the series with a 5-1 win behind a 10-strikeout effort from Spencer Howell. The rubber match was a slugfest with Willamette prevailing 19-12.
On Wednesday, the Lutes faced Linfield, falling 7-3. PLU led 2-0 early before yielding five runs in the third inning.
Andy Schmitz powers the Lute offense with a .384 batting average with 22 runs scored, 17 RBIsm and 13 extra base knocks. Ashton Barton sit hitting .347 at the dish with 11 doubles and 15 RBIs while Braeden Lundberg sports a .333 average in his sophomore campaign.
On the hill, Howell is the ace with a 3-1 record and a 2.76 earned run average with a team-best 32 strikeouts. Cole Trotignon has 10 punch outs while Chris Moreno has 10 relief appearances and two saves on the season.
About the Bruins: George Fox (7-11, 1-6 NWC) resumes conference play after winning two of three last weekend on the road against Division II Saint Martin's.
The Bruins dropped a 5-3 decision to the Saints to open the series but it was all Fox after that, blasting SMU 5-1 and 14-1 to finish the series.
Prior to that, George Fox was swept 7-6, 4-3, and 9-5 by Willamette back on March 4 & 5.
Jonathan Stone is GFU's top hitter with at least 25 at-bats, owning a .410 batting average with 12 RBIs. Jeremy Sangalang has a .355 average with 17 runs scored and 14 RBIs while swiping six bases on the season. As a team, the Bruins are hitting just .258 through the opening 18 games.
Ethan Whitney is the workhorse on the hill with a team-high 30 innings pitched and 29 punch outs. Noah Meffert has two saves to his credit while Alex Abbott is the reliever that has seen the most work with 11 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts and a 2.45 earned run average.
NWC Coaches' Poll
The Northwest Conference released its annual preseason coaches' poll on Jan. 31 with PLU picked to finish third.
The Lutes sit third overall in the preseason poll after collecting 49 points. Defending NWC Champion Pacific University sits atop the poll with 63 points and seven of the nine first-place votes. Linfield University is second in the rankings with 52 points and one first place vote while George Fox University rounds out the top four with 45 points and the remaining first place endorsement.
Willamette University is fifth with 37 points followed by Lewis & Clark College and Whitman College tied for sixth with 24 points. University of Puget Sound was picked eighth with 20 points followed by Whitworth University in ninth (10 points).
Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace on August 31 through the department's partnership with Opendorse. Learn more about the deal here: LINK. But don't stay on the sidelines, get involved and connect with PLU student-athletes on the Luteville Marketplace: LINK
The Luteville Marketplace is the first dedicated NIL marketplace in Division III on the Opendorse platform that directly connects student-athletes with fans, supporters, and business partners in an easy to use website.
New Look Lutemobile for 2023
The new Lutemobile is here! During the first week in January, the Lutes' bus partner Bellair Charters, unveiled its newest PLU branded bus as it took the men's and women's hoops teams to Oregon.
Stay connected to your favorite teams by downloading the official mobile app of the Pacific Lutheran University athletic department powered by SIDEARM Sports, available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more, the new PLU Athletics app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
To download the app to your smartphone or tablet, visit the Apple App Store (DOWNLOAD LINK) or Google Play (DOWNLOAD LINK) and search for "PLU Athletics."
Next Home Games:
Apr. 7: PLU hosts Whitworth at 12 p.m.
PLU Non-Discrimination Policy: Pacific Lutheran University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or age in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Title IX Coordinator Jennifer Childress-White; 253-535-7361; TitleIX@plu.edu