Setting the Scene: It's the final weekend of the Northwest Conference regular season and plenty is at stake as Pacific Lutheran University hosts Linfield University. Both the Lutes and Wildcats sit in second place in the NWC standings, just one game behind conference-leading Pacific University.
Series History: The Lutes and Wildcats have met 148 times since 1980 with Linfield enjoying a comfortable 93-55 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams met eight times last spring with PLU prevailing in six of the eight encounters. That includes the Lutes outscoring the Wildcats 35-15 in a sweep of the four conference games played.
About the Lutes: PLU's (19-12, 12-9 NWC) second stint atop the NWC standings proved fleeting, dropping to second place after dropping two of three league games last weekend in Walla Walla.
Host Whitman College swept the Lutes to open the series on Saturday, prevailing 13-5 and 6-2. A Connor Lemma home run in the fourth inning of game one gave the Lutes the 5-2 lead before the floodgates opened with the Blues scoring multiple runs in the bottom of the fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth innings to earn the win. A six-run second inning unglued the Lutes in game two, giving the hosts the doubleheader sweep.
Jordan Haworth had three RBIs and three base hits in a 9-6 win the following day before Whitman earned a 6-5 non-conference win to close out the weekend.
Andy Schmitz leads the Lutes with a .360 batting average with 14 extra base hits and 30 runs scored while Cole Trotignon is hitting at a .339 clip with a team-high seven home runs and 34 RBIs. Tori Doten has six homers and a .336 average while John Graham has been a force since entering the lineup midseason, boasting a .395 average with three home runs and 13 RBIs.
On the hill, reliever Noah Ferguson has a team-best 2.63 earned run average with a 4-1 record and three saves. Ferguson had 41 strikeouts while issuing just 10 walks this season. Starter Spencer Howell has a 5-1 record with 46 strikeouts while fellow starter Tommy Snyder has a 5-1 record with 52 punchouts in 58 2/3 innings of action.
About the Wildcats: Linfield (16-14, 12-9 NWC) won its second consecutive NWC series last weekend, taking two of three against George Fox University. The Wildcats bested the Bruins 4-2 and 6-3 on Saturday but weren't able to slam the door on George Fox in the series finale on Sunday with the Bruins slinking away with a 6-4 win.
Jacob Campos leads Linfield with a .327 batting average, the squad's best hitter with at least 50 at-bats this season. Tanner Jacques is hitting at a .306 clip with a team-best 28 RBIs and 25 runs scored while Daniel Kahn has a team-best 10 doubles along with 21 RBIs.
Andrew Del Biaggio is the workhorse on the mound, accumulating a team-high 44 1/3 innings pitched with 44 strikeouts and a 6.90 earned run average. Jackson Koons and John Over have combined for 13 starts with 21 strikeouts and 23 strikeouts, respectively. In the pen, Colton Meyer has made 15 appearances with five saves and 42 punchouts.
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Next Home Game:
Apr. 30: PLU hosts Pacific at 10 a.m. & Willamette at 3 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