The Portland Pilots will host the Northwestern Wildcats in a nonconference baseball game at Joe Etzel Field on March 23. The contest is set to begin at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
This matchup comes as the Pilots look to continue their strong run, having recently secured a significant win over the then-No. 17 Oregon State Beavers and sweeping the Loyola Marymount Lions to open conference play. These results have contributed to a six-game winning streak for Portland, who have won 12 of their last 14 games.
Last week, Portland’s pitching and defense were key factors, holding Oregon State to just one run—the fewest allowed against them since 2019—and matching their season high with five stolen bases. Carter Gaston earned his third win of the season during that stretch, while Morgan Codron and Kaden Segel helped close out games, with Segel recording his second save this year.
Offensively, Trey Swygart led the way with seven hits across three games against LMU, including two home runs on Friday when he also pitched nearly four innings without allowing a run and struck out seven batters. Alex Via recorded saves on both Friday and Sunday and now leads the team with four saves this season.
Statistically, the Pilots currently lead their conference in earned run average (3.01), total earned runs (61), WHIP (1.26), and win-loss percentage (.667). Will Labonte ranks first in ERA among conference pitchers at 1.77, while several other players are among league leaders in doubles, sacrifice flies, strikeouts per nine innings, and batting average.
The coaching staff is led by Geoff Loomis in his eleventh year as head coach; Loomis is fourth all-time for wins at Portland with 244 victories. Other staff members include associate head coach Trey Watt—recently promoted after serving as pitching coach—and returning Director for Player Development Jarvis Gomes.
Northwestern enters Monday’s game with an overall record of 8-11-1 after taking one of three games from Oregon last weekend. Three Wildcats—Sam Hiboki, Ryan Kucherak, and Jack Lausch—were named preseason players to watch in the Big Ten Conference.
