Baseball 2016

The baseball season and Coach Loomis are off to a good start with a 12-0 win over UC Davis. I love college baseball season.

I'm really looking forward to night games on The Bluff... for us working types, it can be really hard to make weekday games. Lets hope that night games (and Coach Loomis) will do for UP Baseball what night games did for WSOC.

I think we are all excited to get the new era of UP Baseball underway....but we also need to have realistic expectations about the first year or two under UP HOF player, now coach, Geoff Loomis.

Coach Loomis didn't necessarily arrive too late to recruit, but he had virtually no money/scholarships to offer as a means of rebuilding for the future.....I think he had the equivalent of about one scholarship. 

Last year's 12-42 team batted .238 and had an ERA of 5.52.....and no one who knows baseball, including the WCC coaches, expects the Pilots to do much better this season.  But if they do, a lot of the credit will have to go to the new coaching staff and the maturity and leadership on the field.

I remember watching the Pilots drop their fourth game of four in a row in three days in Riverside, CA to start the season last year....today's 12-0 win at UCD has got to be a boost to all the fine student-athletes who endured last year but never gave up.

Headline:  Pilots finally lose! After winning one on Friday and two yesterday, the Pilots were undefeated for 2016, but today UC-Davis prevailed 4-3.

After starting out 0-4 in the first weekend last year, this year's 3-1 start to the season is certainly a quick turnaround in the Pilots' fortunes to the this point.  If nothing else, it's got to give the team, coaches, and fans confidence/hope going forward.

Remember, first home game of the season and first-ever night game at Joe Etzel Field will be next Friday (2/26) at 6PM against Oakland University (I guess the weather in Portland will be balmy compared to that in Michigan). If you don't like the dark, the Pilots and Golden Grizzlies will play one day game on Saturday and two on Sunday.

DoubleDipper wrote:Remember, first home game of the season and first-ever night game at Joe Etzel Field will be next Friday (2/26) at 6PM against Oakland University (I guess the weather in Portland will be balmy compared to that in Michigan). If you don't like the dark, the Pilots and Golden Grizzlies will play one day game on Saturday and two on Sunday.

The weather tomorrow evening is looking wet... how much more tolerance is there for rain with the artificial surface? I haven't followed college baseball that closely... Saturday is looking better, though!

As long as the ump can see the ball the game will go on.

Yea, I've seen UP baseball played in some pretty deplorable conditions, but it's generally been over at Concordia where they have artificial turf.

The new Joe Etzel field turf is FAR superior to anything I've seen before, so yes, the game will go on unless conditions become dangerous.  Dangerous for me is usually when the pitcher can't get a good grip on the ball and batter is having a hard time seeing because of all the water coming off his helmet.  

The fans may not like a little rain, but I can't imagine teams from Oregon and Michigan canceling as long as conditions are safe.

Did we know this game was on TV? Not only is there a web stream on the UP site, the game is being aired live on CSNNW (Comcast Channel 737). 3-1 Pilots, bottom of the 2nd.



GO PILOTS!!

Ran across it channel surfing. Schedule said Serie A soccer. Color commentary by some guy named Bill Krueger. Final was 10-7 Pilots.

Just had to be there for the first night game, but not many stayed until 9:35 when the final out was made.

It rained pretty hard at times, so it was no wonder there were a number of errors and wild pitches. My next night game will be on a warm spring evening.

Felt badly for the three umps as they didn't have the luxury of time in the dugout like the players did.

No problem using an umbrella in the stands because there was really no one's view to block.  Not that cold, but the hot tub really felt good upon arrival back home.

I could only make it six innings without rain gear. Not ashamed to say I took a bath when I got home!

Yeah, that was the worst display of live baseball I've seen at anything above high school level. I get how it's nice to play more often, but man does playing in that kind of rain ever suck.

Sometimes a program may just need a change of leadership to acquire winning habits and a winning attitude.

After winning 3 of 4 rain soaked games from UC Riverside over the weekend, the Pilots are a much improved 8-4 heading into Tuesday's 4 o'clock game at Joe Etzel Field against Seattle  U.

WCC play begins on the road at LMU on March 18, let's hope Coach Loomis can keep the magic alive and is able to turn the team's success into a program success in just a few years.

At the dawn the WCC baseball season starting, the team is 10-5 so far, which has me excited. Considering they were 12-42 last year, I am hopeful for the future. They have won or drawn every series so far.

Took in a little baseball at Joe Etzel Field yesterday, but had to wait around until the 9th before seeing any real Pilot fireworks, as the Pilots brought across 4 runs and won 6-5.

Don't look now, but the Pilots (12-10) have equaled their win total from last year.  

Didn't stick around for the 2nd game of yesterday's double-header, but the Pilots lost 2-1 in 15 innings.  Hopefully no one had early morning classes.

Pilots exceeded last year's total number of wins today, getting there 13th win in beating CSUN 7-3 in the series finale that ended at 2 games apiece.

Next home games are against BYU this coming Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Here's a nice article from the Portland Tribune about Coach Loomis and the building of the UP Baseball program:

http://portlandtribune.com/pt/12-sports/299134-176747-building-plan-continues-for-coach-loomis-pilots-baseball-

Like the new baseball energy. Like last season's new volleyball energy. Like early reports on the new men's soccer energy.

Looks like Coach Loomis has been off to a good start.

Hasn't been much written on PN about Pilots baseball after a 3-18 record in WCC to this point, but it should not go unnoticed the Pilots finally beat the OSU Beavers last night after 10 years and 25 futile attempts.

http://portlandpilots.com/news/2016/5/10/bsb_vOSU_recap.aspx

After a road trip to Santa Clara and a single game in Eugene, the Pilots return to Joe Etzel Field to go against St. Mary's in the last three games of the season.....2 games on Friday the May 20 at 2 and 5, and the finale on Sunday at 1 (televised on CSN-NW).

(There is a three day WCC Tournament in Stockton beginning May 26, but only the top 4 teams in the WCC participate.)

DoubleDipper wrote:Hasn't been much written on PN about Pilots baseball after a 3-18 record in WCC to this point, but it should not go unnoticed the Pilots finally beat the OSU Beavers last night after 10 years and 25 futile attempts.

http://portlandpilots.com/news/2016/5/10/bsb_vOSU_recap.aspx

After a road trip to Santa Clara and a single game in Eugene, the Pilots return to Joe Etzel Field to go against St. Mary's in the last three games of the season.....2 games on Friday the May 20 at 2 and 5, and the finale on Sunday at 1 (televised on CSN-NW).

(There is a three day WCC Tournament in Stockton beginning May 26, but only the top 4 teams in the WCC participate.)

Glad to see they got an upturn to the season. After a great start, the coach got a taste of reality. I hope the season focuses both the coaching staff and the players next year.

I'll be at the double header trying the new Pilot Club section out. It'd be great to go out on a good note and win the final conference series of the year.