SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth baseball team will look to bounce back from only its second series loss of the season when the Pirates host defending Northwest Conference tournament champion Willamette this weekend at Merkel Field. Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's single game are both scheduled to start at noon.
Check the Whitworth baseball schedule for live links to his week's games.
The Pirates: Whitworth (15-9 overall, 6-6 NWC) dropped two of three games at Pacific University last weekend. The Bucs fell to sixth place in the tightly-bunched Northwest Conference standings.
Saturday's single game went as hoped. The Pirates used a seven-run second inning to jump ahead quickly on the way to a 13-2 victory. Kyle Memarian went 4-5, while Kevin Corder finished 3-4 and both scored three runs. Carson Coffield hit his fourth home run of the season, while Aidan Morrison had a three-run double. Austin Paul finished 3-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. That was all in support of starter AJ Woodward, who pitched seven strong innings while allowing one run on six hits to improve to 4-1.
Whitworth struggled to regain offensive momentum in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader, losing 6-2. Caleb Gray went 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored, but the Pirates struck out a season-high 17 times in the game. Quentin O'Connor (4-2) took only his second loss of the season after giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits in 6.0 innings.
Whitworth grabbed a 4-0 lead early in Sunday's finale but could not hold it in a 14-7 loss. Pacific broke the game open with seven runs in the fifth inning to go ahead 12-6. Coffield did his part by hitting two more home runs, while Corder had his second 3 for 4 game of the series. Including starter Dylan Huntsman, four Pirate pitchers threw 2.0 innings apiece and each allowed the Boxers to score runs. Connor Ashworth fell to 1-1 as the second pitcher of the day after he gave up six runs on six hits and two walks.
Getting it done at the plate: Whitworth leads the NWC and ranks among the top 25 in NCAA Division III in several key offensive categories. The Pirates lead the conference in batting average (.319), home runs (29 – 8th in Div. III), home runs per game (1.21 – 14th), on-base percentage (.427), runs (224 – 15th), scoring average (9.3) and slugging percentage (.498 – 26th).
Individually, Caleb Gray leads the NWC in home runs (10 – 4th in Div. II) and total bases (70 – 15th). He is also first in runs batted in (31), tied with teammate Carson Coffield. Austin Paul is first in the NWC in walks (23 – 18th in Div. III) and walks per game (1.10 – 15th).
Getting it done on the field: Whitworth is not just lighting it up with the bats. The Pirates lead the NWC and rank sixth in Division III in fielding percentage (.974). The Bucs also top the conference in double plays turned (19).
Individually, Quentin O'Connor leads the NWC in fewest walks per nine innings (0.82 – 19th in Div. III) and in complete games (2 – tied for 8th in Div. III).
The Opponents: Willamette is 8-11 overall but currently tied for first in the NWC at 6-3 with Whitman. The Bearcats, defending NWC tournament champions, won two of three games against Pacific Lutheran last weekend in a series that was moved to Linfield because of wet field conditions. Willamette comes into the series with a team batting average of .268 (7th in the NWC), a team earned run average of 5.21 (3rd) and a fielding percentage of .961 (6th).
Individually, junior outfielder Nate Hamburger leads the team in batting average (.413), walks (12) and stolen bases (11). He has scored 15 runs. Senior 1B Luke Piazza hits .387 with six doubles, three home runs and 17 RBIs. His slugging percentage of .640 leads the squad. On the mound graduate student Jackson Garrett is 2-3 with a 4.23 ERA with six starts. He has 19 strikeouts.
Last season Whitworth won two of three games in a home series in March, but lost twice to Willamette at the NWC tournament, including 8-4 in the championship game.
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 have done it three times this spring. The Bucs scored 23 runs twice in one series at the University of Redlands on Feb. 21 and Feb. 23, then scored 21 against George Fox on March 22.
Strength in Numbers: The Pirates have a big 2025 roster packed with 45 players. Twelve freshman and 13 transfers joined the team, and each one may have an impact this season. Through the first 24 games of the season, 15 position players have made at least four starts, 12 have at least eight hits, 14 have scored at least six runs, and 11 have at least six 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 135-143 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 travel to McMinnville, Oregon to play three games at Linfield on April 12-13.
