The Portland Pilots are set to face their first ranked opponent of the season when they host the No. 17 Oregon State Beavers at Joe Etzel Field on March 17. The game is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start, with tickets and live coverage options available through PortlandPilots.com.
This matchup brings together two teams with strong recent performances. The Pilots recently secured a series win over the UConn Huskies, taking two out of three games and improving their record to eight wins in their last ten outings. Several players contributed notable performances, including Dakota Chun, who hit .333 over the weekend and recorded his first career home run, and Jonas Salk, who reached his twentieth career home run—making him the fifteenth player in program history to achieve that milestone.
Portland currently leads its conference in several pitching categories such as earned run average (ERA), walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP), walks allowed per nine innings, and win-loss percentage. Nationally, the team ranks within the top fifty for ERA, walks allowed per nine innings, and WHIP. Individual standouts include Will Labonte, who holds a 1.44 ERA this season and ranks among national leaders for freshmen pitchers.
Last season, the Pilots finished fifth in their conference with a record of 22-30 overall and made their fourth consecutive appearance in the West Coast Conference Tournament. Six players earned All-WCC honors last year; four of them return this season. Head coach Geoff Loomis enters his eleventh year leading Portland’s baseball program and has accumulated more than 240 career wins as head coach.
The visiting Oregon State Beavers come into Tuesday’s contest with a ten-game winning streak and an overall record of 14-4. Last year they advanced to the College World Series after finishing with a record of 48-16-1 under head coach Mitch Canham.
The game represents an early test for both programs as they look to build momentum heading into conference play.
