SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth University is set to host the University of Puget Sound this weekend in the initial Northwest Conference baseball series for both schools. Action will begin at 11:00 am both days at Merkel Field, with Saturday a doubleheader and Sunday a single game.
Check the Whitworth baseball schedule for live links to his week's games.
The Pirates: Whitworth went 3-2 during last week's trip to California. The Pirates are now 5-3 overall this season.
Whitworth opened the trip with a 9-7 win at Bethesda University in Anaheim. The Pirates took a 9-1 lead in the seventh inning, but a defensive error and three bases-loaded walks allowed the Lion Angels to inch back into the game with four runs in the eighth. Connor Ashworth threw a scoreless ninth to pick up his first save. He was the seventh pitcher of the game for the Bucs as head coach CJ Perry spread the innings out among pitchers who would appear later in the weekend. Quentin O'Connor started and allowed one hit in two innings. Shortstop Spencer Shipman went 3-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.
The Pirates began the four-game series at the University of Redlands with a 23-8 victory on Friday afternoon. Shipman, Carson Coffield, Caleb Gray and Ty Quiggle all had three hits in the game. Coffield and Quiggle drove in three runs each. Dylan Huntsman started on the mound and allowed five runs on six hits in three innings. Ashworth followed with one inning before Rylen Blair finished up with the final three frames, allowing two runs on two hits.
Whitworth bats were somewhat bottled up in the next two contests, both losses. The Bucs rallied from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game 4-4 in the eighth before Redlands scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to win 6-4. AJ Woodward pitched five solid innings, allowing one earned run on six hits. Seth Mahler threw the final three innings and took the loss after giving up three runs on six hits. Kyle Memarian went 2-3 with three RBIs.
The Bulldogs scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth in Saturday's second game on the way to an 11-5 victory over the Pirates. Logan Stutesman gave up six runs on 10 hits in 3.2 innings. Three relievers followed. Kevin Corder went 2-3 with two runs scored. Memarian also had two hits.
Whitworth closed the series with another 23-run outburst, defeating Redlands 23-4 in the series finale. Brock Molenda went 4-5 with two triples and a double to drive in seven runs. Cole Weiland got on base four times and scored four times. Gray and Ty Komoda each hit home runs. O'Connor started and allowed four runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings to improve to 2-0 this season.
The Opponents: Puget Sound comes into the weekend 5-1, the Loggers' best start in several seasons. UPS went 4-0 on a season-opening trip to California, including a three-game sweep at Occidental and an 8-2 win over Redlands. The Loggers lost 4-3 at Linfield and defeated Whitman 5-3 in a non-conference round-robin last Friday.
Makana Murashige (Gr., IF) and Kahiau Teruya (Jr., IF) are the only two position players to start all six contests. Murashige is hitting .370 with 10 hits and 10 runs, going 3-3 on stolen bases. Teruya is batting .429 with and on-base percentage of .586 and four RBIs. Brett Harvey (Sr., P) is the only UPS pitcher with more than one start. He is 0-1 with a 4.82 ERA.
Puget Sound won two of three games against Whitworth in Tacoma in 2024.
Strength in Numbers: The Pirates have a big 2025 roster packed with 45 players. Twelve freshman and 13 transfers have joined the team, and each one may have an impact this season. Through the first three games of the season, 18 position players have made at least two starts, 16 have at least two hits, 18 have scored at least two runs, and 15 have at least two RBIs. Whitworth's depth with be a significant strength throughout the season as impact plays could come from up and down the roster.
The Coach: CJ Perry is now in his eighth season as the Pirates head coach and has a record of 123-136 in his tenure. He's led Whitworth to the NWC Tournament in three of his seven seasons and has a tournament record of 5-6. In 2019, coach Perry was named NWC Coach of the Year after guiding the Pirates to a 19-5 conference record (27-15 overall) and NWC regular season title. Perry is a Spokane native and graduated from Whitworth University in 2012.
Looking ahead: The Pirates will host NCAA Division II Saint Martin's in a four-game series on March 7-8 at Paul Merkel Field.
