Setting the Scene: It's the final weekend of season for the Pacific Lutheran University baseball program, hosting a pair of Oregon rivals while honoring the 2022 senior class.
Series History: The Lutes and Boxers have met 136 times on the diamond with the series tilted 80-56 in favor of the Lutes. This spring PLU won two of the three meetings in the regular season but Pacific got the last laugh, winning two during the NWC Tournament.
PLU and Willamette have met on 133 occasions with the Bearcats enjoying a slim 70-63 lead. The Lutes won the season series, winning two of three, including outscoring Willamette 25-12 in those games.
About the Lutes: PLU (21-17, 13-11) was unable to collect its fifth victory over the University of Puget Sound this spring, stumbling 13-3 to the Loggers on Thursday night under the lights at Cheney Stadium.
The opening two innings were scoreless before the Loggers (19-16) posted a steady dose of runs over the next four innings, building an 11-0 lead.
A Noah Claxton Ward single through the left side scored two in the top of the seventh, allowing both Stevan Rodriquez and Ashton Barton to touch home plate before a Logger error allowed Lukas Delisle to safely reach base in the eighth, allowing John Graham to score and closing the gap to 11-3.
Puget Sound added two more runs in the eighth to earn the win, ending PLU's hopes of a season sweep of the Loggers.
PLU (21-17) entered the game having won the previous four meetings this season by a combined 41-20 scoreline.
Garrett Wong finished with two hits while Claxton Ward had two RBIs on the day.
Spencer Howell tossed two scoreless innings to open the game, striking out two, in a game the Lutes utilized nine arms on the hill.
All-League Lutes: On Tuesday the Northwest Conference released its postseason award winners with 10 Lutes securing All-NWC accolades.
Andy Schmitz and Spencer Howell headline the award winners, both securing First Team honors while Jordan Haworth, Tommy Snyder, and Noah Ferguson landed Second Team All-NWC. Cole Trotignon, Braeden Lundberg, Tori Doten, John Graham, and Alex Gregory round out the Lute award winners, all securing Honorable Mention status.
About the Boxers: Pacific (27-14, 14-10 NWC) heads to Tacoma fresh off winning the NWC Tournament title. The Boxers won the NWC regular season and hosted the double elimination tournament last weekend. Pacific fell 5-2 to Linfield last Saturday before rebounding with a 4-3 victory over PLU, setting up a rematch with the Wildcats in the Championship Game.
Pacific won the first game against Linfield 11-4 on Sunday before hoisting the league title and grabbing an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with an 8-5 victory in the nightcap.
Ty Yukumoto is the Boxers' top hitter, boasting a .358 batting average while Ryan Krout is hitting at a .311 clip with a team-best 10 home runs, and 50 RBIs.
Will Clark is the workhorse on the hill, owning a 6-1 record with a team-best 60 2/3 innings pitched and 60 strikeouts.
About the Bearcats: Willamette (17-16, 12-12 NWC) is playing its first game in over two weeks after just missing the NWC Tournament.
The Bearcats were last on the diamond on April 13, crushing Bushnell University 14-5. That came on the heels of dropping two of three against Pacific University, a weekend series that ultimately proved the difference between missing and making the conference tournament.
Ethan Fischel leads the team with 33 RBIs while sporting a .311 batting average. On the mound, Justin Miller has a team-high 48 strikeouts in 53 innings of work.
Thank You Seniors!
Over the last four seasons this group has compiled an impressive 77-58 record on the diamond with a 50-35 mark in Northwest Conference play. That includes making the NWC Tournament every season it was contested.
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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