SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth University returns to Northwest Conference play this week with a three-game series at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Because of anticipated wet weather throughout the weekend, Saturday's scheduled doubleheader and Sunday's scheduled single game have moved up to starting times of 11:00 am.
Check the Whitworth baseball schedule for live links to his week's games.
The Pirates: Whitworth swept a four-game series against Saint Martin's University at Mekel Field last weekend. The Pirates scored 44 runs against the NCAA Division II Saints, who are going through a rebuilding year.
Whitworth won Saturday's opener 16-6, scoring runs in four of the first five innings. The Bucs pulled away with four in the third then added five in the fifth for a 13-3 lead. Kevin Corder hit his first home run of the season, while Kyle Memarian went 3-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Ty Quiggle also had three runs-batted-in. AJ Woodward settled down after allowing three runs in the first two innings to go 8.1 innings-pitched in his first victory as a Pirate pitcher.
Saturday's second game was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth when Austin Paul's two-run infield single provided the winning runs. Caleb Gray added his conference-leading seventh home run of the season in the sixth for the final score of 5-2 in seven innings. Dylan Huntsman was solid through 4.0 innings as the starter, allowing only two runs on three hits. Seth Mahler dominated the final three frames, retiring all nine batters he faced with four strikeouts, to earn the win in relief.
The Pirates' most dramatic win of the series came in Sunday's first game when a four-run rally after two were out in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Bucs to a 7-6 win. Aidan Morrison tied the game with a three-run double. After the bases were loaded again, Carson Coffield got hit by a pitch for the walk-off RBI. Morrison finished the game 3-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Quentin O'Connor started on the mount and allowed four runs through six innings. Connor Ashworth pitched the seventh and allowed two runs but still got the victory in relief.
Whitworth won the finale 16-3 by scoring six runs in the third, four more in the fifth and six in the sixth of the scheduled seven-inning contest. Henry Douglas went 3-4 with five RBIs and a run scored in his first career start in right field. Brock Molenda hit a three-run home run, his second of the spring. Jett Lewallen hit his first career home run in his first career at-bat. Luke Stutesman allowed three runs in 4.0 innings. Jared Hardie, Tyler VanCise and Dylan McCardle each threw one inning of scoreless relief with Hardie (2-0) getting the decision.
Getting it done at the plate: Whitworth leads the NWC, or ranks second, in several key offensive categories. The Pirates lead the conference in runs scored (143), home runs (17), doubles (28), bases on balls (73) and on-base percentage (.442). The team is second in batting average (.322), slugging percentage (.512) and scoring (9.5 runs per game).
Individually, Caleb Gray leads the NWC in home runs (7) and total bases (42). He is second in RBIs (21).
The Opponents: Lewis & Clark comes into the weekend 5-4 overall and 1-2 in the NWC. The Pioneers have not played since they dropped three of four games at Pacific Lutheran on March 1-2. The first three games counted as league contests and the fourth was a non-conference affair.
Lewis & Clark leads the NWC in team batting average (.330) and ranks third in team fielding (.972). The Pioneers are eighth in team ERA (6.90). Sophomore infielder Michael Aikawa leads the conference in batting average (.500) with 18 hits and in on-base percentage (.600). Senior first baseman Will Heron (.394) provides much of the power, leading the team in home runs (4), RBIs (14) and runs scored (13). Sophomore RHP Caden Hodina is 3-0 with a 6.60 ERA. He leads the Pios in innings (15.0) and strikeouts (12).
Last season L&C won two of three games against the Pirates in Portland. The Pioneers pulled out the opener 6-5 and won Saturday's second game 10-3 before Whitworth salvaged the finale 8-2.
Scoring in Bunches: Heading into the 2025 season Whitworth had scored 20 or more runs in a single game only five times since the 2000 season. The Pirates scored 23 runs twice in one series at the University of Redlands on Feb. 21 and Feb. 23.
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 15 games of the season, 17 position players have made at least three starts, 18 have at least four hits, 16 have scored at least four runs, and 14 have at least four RBIs. Whitworth's depth may 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 128-138 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 return home to host George Fox in a Northwest Conference series on March 22-23.
