CONFERENCE SEASON BEGINS: After a week of rest, Seattle University opens its conference schedule this weekend, hosting Utah Valley University at Bannerwood Park. Nine teams will be battling for six spots in the WAC Baseball Tournament in late May, plus Grand Canyon University will be gunning for the regular season conference title. Seattle U will look to maintain its momentum from the doubleheader sweep over Northwestern last week. This weekend ends a stretch in which Seattle U plays 21 of its first 23 games at home, with the two road games coming against Portland and Washington.
THE NORTHWESTERN SERIES: Seattle University won two of three games over Northwestern University last weekend in its final non-conference weekend series of the season. In the first game, Northwestern was able to get off to a quick start and used its early advantage to defeat Seattle University, 6-2. The Wildcats scored two runs in the first inning, two runs in the second inning, and two runs in the fifth inning, all off Redhawk starter Will Dennis. Sheldon Stober got the Redhawks on the board in the sixth inning with a solo home run, and Colin Peterson led off the seventh with a triple and scored Seattle U’s other run of the game. Skyler Genger became the stopper for the Redhawks, pitching a seven-inning complete game in the opener of Friday’s doubleheader to help Seattle U earn a 6-1 victory. Genger struck out 11 batters, the most strikeouts in a single game by a Redhawk pitcher since the return of the program in 2010. In the nightcap, Seattle U jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but Northwestern tied the game with two runs in the fifth inning. Stober led off the sixth inning with a triple and scored the game-winning run on a single by Grant Newton. Ted Hammond pitched four innings of one-hit relief, striking out five batters along the way, to earn the victory.
WEATHER FORECAST: Friday’s forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies, with temperatures falling into the 50s as the game goes along. Showers are possible on Saturday with temperatures remaining in the 50s before the weather clears on Sunday, with sunshine possible and temperatures warming up into the low 60s.
SCOUTING UTAH VALLEY: The Wolverines enter the weekend with a 4-16 overall record after losing at Utah Tuesday, 9-3. As a team, Utah Valley has combined for a .228 batting average, a .952 fielding percentage, and a 6.18 earned run average. At the plate, Kade Andrus is batting .278 with 22 hits, 15 runs scored, two home runs, and 12 runs batted in. Mark Krueger is also batting .278 with 12 RBI, plus he leads the Wolverines with six doubles and 13 walks. On the mound, Saturday starter Jackson Cofer leads the way with a 2.67 earned run average, while Friday starter Danny Beddes is the team leader with 25 strikeouts. Logan Hold has made 11 appearances out of the bullpen, while Kyle Valgardson picked up a save in eight appearances.
SERIES HISTORY: Seattle U and Utah Valley have met nine times since 2010, with the Redhawks holding a 5-4 series advantage. The two teams split a two-game series at Bannerwood Park in 2010, with Seattle U winning the first game, 11-9, before Utah Valley took the second game, 2-1. On May 4, 2011, Seattle U defeated Utah Valley, 14-8, in Orem before continuing its Utah road trip to BYU. In a three-game series at Bannerwood Park to open the 2012 campaign, Seattle U took the first game, 8-2, Utah Valley won the second contest, 15-2, and the Redhawks won the rubber game, 9-7. Last year, the teams faced each other for the first time as conference rivals in Orem. Seattle U won the first game, 10-9, rallying from a 9-7 deficit with single runs in each of the final three innings. Utah Valley recovered and swept a doubleheader the next day, winning 8-2 and 9-4. In the second game, Seattle U scored three in the top of the first, but Utah Valley scored five in the bottom of the first to take the lead for good.