SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth baseball is riding high off nine straight wins to start the season, they will look to stay unbeaten as they host Eastern Oregon in a three-game series this weekend.

Check baseball's scheduling page for live links to stats, scores, and streaming services.

The Pirates: Whitworth (9-0, 2-0 NWC) could have its best start to a season in recent memory if they were to sweep the Mounties this weekend. The Pirates started 2016 11-0 before losing, but this 2024 team is on the heels of that record.

After the first two games of the Pacific Lutheran series were canceled due to snow on Saturday, weather improved and the Pirates swept PLU (1-8, 0-2 NWC) in Sunday's doubleheader, winning 14-1 and 7-4. Hunter Dryden was dominant once again, pitching seven shutout innings and striking out ten batters for his third win of the season. The offense was dominant as well, going up 11-0 after five innings. Aidan Morrison doubled in the second to drive in a pair of runs and then Elijah Tanner belted a three-run shot in the same inning to put the Bucs up 5-0. Spencer Shipman homered in the third before Tanner doubled to score Morrison in the fourth. Shipman hit a two-run home run in the seventh which put Whitworth up 14-0. In game two, Shipman doubled to right to score Henry Zaske, and Ty Quiggle traded places with Shipman in the following at bat to put the Bucs up 3-0. The Lutes got two runs back in the fifth to get within one run, but Shipman came to life again with a three-run blast in the following frame to break it open for the Pirates. The Lutes tacked on a run in the eighth and ninth inning but fell short 7-4.

Series' Top Performers: Shipman and Tanner were magnificent in Whitworth's conference openers. Shipman was 4-8 at the plate with three home runs, eight RBIs and five runs, while Tanner hit 6-9 including one home run, five RBIs and a four runs. On the mound, Dryden won his third start, struck out ten batters and kept his ERA at triple zeros this season through a record 18-innings.

It's been nothing but fireworks for the Pirates' bats in 2024; Whitworth leads the NWC in batting average (.328), runs (92), doubles (24), home runs (13), slugging percentage (.521), and even hit by pitch (26). They've also struck out just 45 times, which is second fewest in the conference. On the mound, the Bucs' staff has a league-low 2.54 ERA, allowing just 23 runs over 78 innings and an allowed-batting average of .214. So far, it looks like the turnaround is on for Whitworth.

The Opponent: Eastern Oregon (8-11) is trending the opposite direction of Whitworth as of late. The Mounties have lost six straight heading into this weekend after being swept by Western Oregon, Corban, and Oregon Tech.

Through 19 games, EO is batting .273, they've scored 134 runs on 165 hits, knocked 23 home runs and have a .442 slugging percentage. The Mounties' pitching staff has an ERA of 8.01 through 151 innings, they've given up 198 hits and 135 earned runs, 27 home runs and a .316 batting average. The Mounties are led by Mario Landeros who leads the team in average (.344), slugging percentage (.623), RBIs (22), and home runs (5). On the bump, junior Will Seslar is 2-1 with 23 innings pitched, an ERA of 4.63 and 18 strikeouts. Eastern Oregon is coached by Kyle Treadway who took over last season, he's the second coach since the program's reinstatement in 2021.

Dryden's Dominance: The senior ace continues to impress, as he's now racked up 18 shutout innings to begin his 2024 campaign. He's allowed one extra base hit, struck out 21 and walked only two. Dryden leads the NWC in ERA along with Willamette's Layton Wagner, he's third in strikeouts and first in average allowed (.153) and record (3-0).

Wear it: The Pirates continued to turn wild pitches into bases this weekend, as they were hit four more times, bringing their season total to 26 (10 more than anyone else in the NWC). They are tied for fifth in the country in that category, but the Pirates have been hit an average of 2.88 times per game which is third in the nation (some of the leaders have played six more games than Whitworth).

Pirate Power: The Pirates lineup has been a bomb squad to this point, raking 13 home runs to lead the Northwest Conference. Seven different Pirates have homered so far and Shipman, Morrison, Zaske, Corder, and Clogston have hit multiple. Shipman leads the team with three after his outburst last weekend. Whitworth has already surpassed its total for all of 2023.

Other NWC Leaders: Aside from Dryden, Elijah Tanner leads the conference in batting average (.462) and hits (18), Jacob Doughty leads the conference in hit by pitches (5), and Spencer Shipman is tied for first with 15 RBIs and is second in slugging percentage (.781).

Getting a head start: Fast starts have been a factor in the Pirates' early season run. Whitworth has trailed just once in 2024 (a 3-1 third inning deficit against Occidental), and they've outscored their opponents a combined 19-1 in the first two innings of games this season.

The Coach: CJ Perry is in his sixth season as the Pirates head baseball coach, he began his tenure in 2018 and was named Northwest Conference Coach of the Year in 2019. Perry is a Spokane native and graduated from Whitworth University in 2012. Perry enters 2024 with a 68-68 record but led the Pirates to a conference title in 2019 with a 19-5 NWC record.