The UP baseball team boasts numerous players who are slated to be stars this upcoming season. They finished last season tied for second and are projected to finish third this season. Whether you’re an avid fan or simply a UP student hoping to get into baseball here’s everything you need to know.
Upcoming games
The pilots hit the road for their first few series. Starting in Utah they take on Utah Tech on Feb. 17. From there they take on Texas A&M on Feb. 24.
Their first home game is on March 1 against Seattle University.
Players to watch
Pitchers:
Peter Allegro, graduate student: The first Pilot to earn all-region honors since 1992. He was on the 2022 all-WCC Second Team and he also was on the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I All-West Region Second Team.
Brock Gillis, junior: 2022 all-WCC honorable mention, with his 13 starts he tallied the second most of any Pilot pitcher in 2022
Infielders:
Ben Patacsil, junior: In the 2022 season he played in a total of 48 games and started in 45 of them, he also earned an all-WCC honorable mention.
Jake Tsukada, junior: earned all-WCC honorable mention in 2022.
Evan Scavotto, junior: In 2022 he was named First Team All-WCC, one of only two Pilots in history to receive the honor. He played in 38 games starting 32, splitting time between infield and outfield.
Spencer Scott, sophomore: Played in a total of 31 games, starting in 27 of them as a shortstop
Ty Saunders, junior: Played in 47 games, starting 45 of them as an infielder.
Outfielders:
Jake Holcroft, redshirt junior: First Pilot in history to make All-WCC Tournament Team.
Briley Knight, senior: In the 2022 season he played in 40 games and had 36 starts before he suffered an injury late in the season.
Catchers:
Nich Klemp, graduate student: Played in 30 games earning 27 starts for the Pilots.
What is UP baseball looking forward to the season?
The baseball team is looking forward to building off of their successes from the year prior.
Peter Allegro specifically discussed how excited he is to see how far the team will make it in the WCC.
“I think our team has more depth this year than last year,” Allegro said. “We had a record-setting season last year. I'm excited to see how far we can get.”
Jake Holcroft also looks forward to building upon last season's successes. He cites the hard work the team has put in both on and off the field.
“I think I'm looking forward to finally seeing all the hard work we put in,” Holcroft said. “Seeing it out on the field … I think we got a really good group of guys who have a lot of experience this year.”
Head coach Goeff Loomis also added that he’s looking forward to building off of last season, combining both returning players' talents and new players.
“I think because of how many returners we have,” Loomis said. “We definitely want to build off of last year.”
Teams to look out for/games to watch
Gonzaga: Apr. 21 at home.
“It's kind of a natural rivalry for us.” Loomis said. “Last year Gonzaga took the WCC title home so this year’s matchup should be an exciting one.”
University of Washington: March 7 at home in a non-conference matchup.
“I mean, the biggest thing is we're putting a really good product on the field and they play the game the right way,” Loomis said. “A home game is a great opportunity to see some great talents on the baseball pitch.
University of Oregon: April 18 at home in a non-conference matchup.
All the other WCC baseball teams lie in California so the proximity and skill of Gonzaga lends itself to a good matchup.
San Diego: April 14 in San Diego. Last year San Diego is the other team who Portland tied with to claim second so this matchup is one you won’t want to miss.
BYU: April 27 in Provo, Utah. Last time they’ll play BYU as they’re changing conferences.
“Not only do they have the best fields but they’re also the toughest competition so you know you're gonna play meaningful games.” Holcroft said.
What the team wants Pilots fans to know
They love the support of their fans:
“One thing I want to say is we do appreciate your support,” Holcroft said. “It does help us especially at home games, so please come out and support.”
They put the student in student-athletes:
“I mean, these kids had a 3.45 GPA this fall,” Loomis said. “It's always about the balance between baseball and academics here … I think we're truly a group of folks that really live what a student athlete is.”
The baseball team puts just as much work on the field as they do off of it and it pays off.
New stadium:
“I would say for pilot fans that haven't had a chance to get out here and see the new stadium, it's a very exciting time for our program,” Loomis said.
Wilder Isom is the sports editor at The Beacon. She can be reached at isomw24@up.edu.
