SPRING BREAK: For the first time since the season-opening series at Cal State Northridge, Seattle University hits the road for a significant road trip, spending Spring Break in Oregon. The Redhawks will first face nationally-ranked Oregon State in Corvallis Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a rematch against the University of Portland Friday and Saturday. Dan Giuliani will broadcast all games on the trip on GoSeattleU.com, and there will be links to live stats and live video on the Seattle U baseball schedule page.
THE SAN JOSE STATE SERIES: It took over 42 hours to complete the first game of the weekend series, but only a little more than five hours to play the next two games as Seattle U and San Jose State dealt with rain, a wet outfield, and a change of venue last weekend. The series started Friday at Bannerwood Park with a seesaw battle that saw each team gain momentum as the rain began to fall. The Redhawks came back to tie the game at 5-5 after seven innings before the field was deemed unplayable, suspending the contest. After not being able to find a playable field Saturday, the teams resumed the series Sunday morning at Bellevue College's Courter Field, with San Jose State scoring once in the top of the ninth inning to secure a 6-5 victory. In the first full game of the day Sunday, the Spartans earned five consecutive hits in the first inning, chasing Redhawk starter Brandon Kizer after only 1/3rd of an inning. San Jose State extended the lead, thanks in part to poor defense from Seattle U, to 9-1 before the Redhawks scored four runs in the ninth inning. Seattle U actually brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but a tired Roberto Padilla did enough to hold on for the 9-5 Spartan win. After San Jose State scored once in the first inning of the second game, Doug Kincaid hit a three-run home run in the third to give Seattle U the lead for good. Seafth Howe put together another quality start, and the Redhawks scored three more runs in the fifth inning on their way to a 6-2 victory. Seattle U leadoff hitter Trent Oleszczuk had an outstanding series, going 8-for-12 in the three games, driving in three runs in the first game of the weekend.
SCOUTING OREGON STATE: The Beavers come into Tuesday's game with a 15-4 overall record after winning two of three games at Long Beach State last weekend. Oregon State had won 12 games in a row before Saturday's 2-1 extra-innings loss. The Beavers are a perfect 8-0 at home so far this season. As a team, Oregon State has posted a .268 batting average, a .980 fielding percentage, and a 2.11 earned run average. Andrew Susac is the team's leading hitter, batting .397 with 25 hits, 21 runs scored, seven doubles, four home runs, 20 RBI, 14 walks, a .506 on-base percentage, a .698 slugging percentage, and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 121 chances. On the mound, Sam Gaviglio, coming off a one-hitter against Long Beach State Friday, leads the team with a 4-0 record, a 0.00 ERA, and 40 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings of work. Tony Bryant has made eight relief appearances for the Beavers, posting a 2-1 record with a 1.21 ERA, two saves, and 21 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings of work.
SERIES HISTORY: Seattle University and Oregon State have met ten times previously, with the Beavers holding a 6-3-1 series advantage. Seattle U won the first two meetings by identical 8-6 scores, once in 1952 and again in 1953. Oregon State won two games each in 1962 and 1963 as well as a neutral-site meeting in 1971. The next year, also on a neutral site, Seattle U earned an 8-6 victory, and the two teams tied in 1973, 2-2. That would be the last meeting until May 18, 2010, when Oregon State scored three runs in the first inning, two runs in the second inning, and four runs in the seventh inning on its way to a 12-2 victory over the Redhawks. The two teams were scheduled to play the next day, but that game was cancelled due to rain.
SCOUTING PORTLAND: The Pilots enter the week with an 8-10 overall record after being swept by Air Force over the weekend. Portland will host Concordia Tuesday before welcoming Seattle U to town over the weekend. Portland has played just three home games so far this season, defeating George Fox and losing two games to BYU. As a team, the Pilots have posted a .277 batting average, a .973 fielding percentage, and a 5.16 earned run average. Kevin Armijo leads the team with a .340 batting average, while Matt Mardesich leads the way with 21 hits and 14 runs scored. Riley Henricks and Ben Grubb share the team lead with three home runs apiece, with Grubb driving in 13 runs. Kyle Kraus leads the Pilots' starting rotation with a 2-1 record and a 4.78 ERA. Chris Dennis is one of the best closers in the country, earning six saves with a 0.60 ERA in 10 appearances.
EARLIER THIS SEASON: Seattle U hosted Portland in a three-game series March 5-6, with the Redhawks winning two of three games. The first game went 13 innings before Portland was able to push a run across for the 2-1 victory. Ben Grubb hit a three-run home run to give Portland the early lead in game two of the series, but the Redhawks chipped away, first with a two-run home run by Nick Latta in the bottom of the second inning, and then with two runs in the sixth inning to take the lead. The Seattle U bullpen did the rest, holding off the Pilots for the victory. In the rubber game of the series, Seafth Howe gave a solid starting performance, and the Seattle U offense was consistent in a 12-2 victory.
BROADCASTING LIVE: Dan Giuliani will broadcast all home games and selected road contests on GoSeattleU.com, with a pregame show commencing about 25-30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Seattle U director of baseball operations Drew Samuelson or former Redhawk Doug Buser will join Giuliani on most broadcasts. Giuliani and Samuelson will also put together a weekly podcast that accompanies the weekly preview on GoSeattleU.com.
WEATHER FORECAST: As of Monday, March 21, it's a typical forecast for the Pacific Northwest, with a chance of rain all week long. In Corvallis, the forecast is for partly cloudy skies with a chance of showers and temperatures in the mid-50s Tuesday. More clouds are expected Wednesday with showers possible and temperatures again in the mid-50s. For Portland Friday, a 40% chance of precipitation with temperatures in the low 50s. That increases to a 60% chance of rain on Saturday, with temperatures improving slightly to the mid-50s.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: The improvement of the Seattle University baseball team has been immediate as the 2011 season enters its second month. The Redhawks never had a winning record at any time last season, but this year they are two games over .500 after 14 games. Seattle U only won a two-game set over BYU last season and split a four-game series against Saint Mary's at the end of the year, losing all other three- and four-game series it played. This year, the Redhawks split a four-game series with Cal State Northridge and won two of three games over both Notre Dame and Portland. The improvement can been seen mostly in the pitching and defense, two areas the coaching staff emphasized since the end of the 2010 campaign. Last season the Redhawks finished with a .956 fielding percentage and a 6.80 earned run average. So far this season, Seattle U has earned a .973 fielding percentage and a 3.12 earned run average.