THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD: Seattle University begins a stretch of five consecutive road games this week, first heading back to Portland for the fifth and final game of the season series against the Portland Pilots. The Redhawks will then travel to Las Cruces, N.M., for a four-game series against New Mexico State that will take place Thursday through Saturday so that Seattle U can return home in time to celebrate Easter Sunday. The second game of Friday’s doubleheader will be a seven-inning affair that does not count in the league standings.
THE PREVIOUS WEEK: Seattle University rebounded with a perfect 4-0 week, defeating Concordia University (Ore.) in a midweek contest before sweeping Northern Colorado in a three-game WAC series. Wednesday against Concordia, the Redhawks scored five runs in the third inning, and then the bullpen did the rest in Seattle U’s 5-2 victory. Friday, Mac Acker pitched Seattle U’s first complete game of the season, and Brian Olson drove in all the Redhawk runs with a double and a home run in Seattle U’s 3-1 victory. Saturday’s game was a battle, but Seattle U scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, and then used the relief pitching of Skyler Genger and Garrett Anderson for a 4-3 victory. The Redhawks jumped on top Sunday with four runs in the first inning, and Connor Moore struck out nine batters in six innings as Seattle U completed the sweep with a 6-0 win. Landon Cray led the Seattle U offense with seven hits during the week, while Olson drove in six runs. The Redhawks batted .304 during the week while holding their opponents to a .176 batting average.
WAC LEADERS: Through April 13, Landon Cray leads the team and the league in batting at .394 and in on-base percentage at .482, plus he is sixth in the league in slugging percentage (.500). Meanwhile, Brian Olson is sixth in the conference in batting average (.348), third in slugging percentage (.530), ninth in hits (40), tied for second in runs batted in (29) and doubles (11), and tied for seventh in triples (2). Chase Fields is tied for the league lead with 14 stolen bases, plus he is tied for fourth in walks (21) and eighth in both runs scored (25) and on-base percentage (.422). Connor Moore is third in the WAC with a 2.31 ERA, and Mac Acker is tied for fourth with four wins and 10th in both ERA (3.02) and strikeouts (36).
SCHEDULE CHANGES: Seattle U has added a non-conference seven-inning game to its series at New Mexico State this weekend, with that game taking place Friday, April 18, 30 minutes after the conclusion of the regular nine-inning conference game that will now start at 3 p.m. local time. Also, the season series between Seattle U and Washington will now start on Tuesday, April 22, after the game on April 8 was rained out. The April 22 game was scheduled for Husky Ballpark, but will now take place at Bannerwood Park starting at 6 p.m. The games at Husky Ballpark will happen on April 29 and May 13, both starting at 5 p.m.
SCOUTING PORTLAND: The Pilots are 8-29 overall after winning one game over the weekend against San Diego. As a team, Portland has combined for a .216 batting average, a .966 fielding percentage, and a 4.94 earned run average. Caleb Whalen has emerged as the team’s top hitter, batting .309 with 43 hits, including 10 doubles, three triples, and four home runs, plus he has scored 19 runs and driven in 18 runs. Cody Lenahan leads the team with 19 RBI, but he is batting only .205. Billy Sahlinger will get the start for the Pilots, bringing an 0-3 record with a 4.21 earned run average into the contest.
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO STATE: The Aggies enter the weekend series with a 13-19 overall record, including a 5-4 record within the conference, good enough for seventh place in the league standings. New Mexico State has not played a game since losing to Air Force April 8, as its series at North Dakota last weekend was cancelled due to unplayable field conditions. As a team, the Aggies have compiled a .275 batting average, a .957 fielding percentage, and a 5.63 earned run average. Derek Umphres leads the team with a .350 batting average, followed closely by Kristoffer Koerper at .333. Both players have 41 hits, 27 runs scored, seven doubles, one triple, and three home runs, with Koerper ahead of Umphres in RBI, 28 to 24. Ryan Wagner has contributed four home runs and 21 runs batted in, while Michael Medina and Kent Blackstone have collected nine stolen bases apiece.