Setting the Scene: It's been a long time coming but the Lutes finally get to enjoy the comforts of a renovated PLU Field, hosting Northwest Conference nemesis George Fox after playing the first 16 games of the season on the road in four different states and two different time zones.
Series History: The Lutes and Bruins have battled 120 times on the diamond since the 1981 campaign with PLU holding an 95-25 edge in the series. PLU swept the regular season series last spring, winning 5-4, 1-0, 11-5, and 11-4 at PLU Field on March 5 but the Bruins got the last laugh, prevailing 3-0 during the NWC Tournament on April 21.
About the Lutes: It's been a long slog for Pacific Lutheran (5-11, 0-4 NWC) to get to its home opener, taking trips to California, Virginia, North Carolina, and Oregon to open the year.
The Lutes closed out the non-conference slate with a bang, blanking SUNY-New Paltz 5-0 in Raleigh, N.C. before crushing Oberlin College 12-1 to close out the trip.
Last weekend the Lutes opened up NWC play against third-ranked Linfield. Casey Wright and Brooke Tilson both hit .500 on the weekend against the nationally-ranked Wildcats but it wasn't enough as undefeated Linfield secured the series sweep with 9-1, 9-3, 10-1, and 5-2 victories.
Casey Wright is the Lutes' leading hitter through the first 16 games of the year with a .421 batting average with nine RBIs, eight runs scored, and six extra base hits. Brooke Tilson is hitting at a .317 clip while Paola Garcia is providing the power, blasting in 10 runs, scoring eight, and crushing six extra base hits.
Inside the circle, Paige Wilson has a 3.03 earned run average with a team-best 31 strikeouts while Rachael Rhinehart boasts 29 strikeouts in 38 innings of work, including throwing three complete games. Rachel Treves is the third pitcher to see significant work inside the circle, tossing 21 innings and making three starts so far.
About the Bruins: George Fox (9-7, 2-2 NWC) opened up conference play last weekend by splitting a pair of doubleheaders at home against Puget Sound. The Bruins surrendered seven runs in the top of the seventh in a 10-9 collapse against the Loggers before scraping out a 6-5 victory in game two. The following day, George Fox mercy ruled the Loggers 9-1 but fell victim to a late Logger run in a 9-8 setback to finish the series tied 2-2.
Tinley Taylor is the leading hitter with a .388 batting average along with 16 RBIs. Sydney Sandifer is hitting at a .385 clip with 15 RBIs and a team-best six home runs while Sharon Tomei has a team-leading 17 RBIs.
Emma Eastman is the workhorse inside the circle, tossing a team-high 44 2/3 innings with a 4.84 earned run average and a team-best 36 strikeouts. Elise Wilkinson has made 11 appearances and dive starts, tossing two complete games with 20 strikeouts.
Lutes' Rodriquez is 'Dynamite'
You've seen him on the diamond and likely seen him on social media after the Lute baseball player went viral this fall.
1 Weekend. 3 Championships.
Check out all the celebration highlights below as PLU volleyball, women's soccer, and men's soccer all clinched league titles on Senior Day weekend on Oct. 28-29.
Fall Sports Recap
NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Summer Lutes
PLU men's soccer student-athlete Elijah Singleton had a busy summer serving as an intern in a lab at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center. Learn more about his daily routine in the video below.
Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace last fall through the department's partnership with Opendorse. But don't stay on the sidelines, get involved and connect with PLU student-athletes on the Luteville Marketplace: LINK
The Luteville Marketplace is the first dedicated NIL marketplace in Division III on the Opendorse platform that directly connects student-athletes with fans, supporters, and business partners in an easy to use website.
This spring PLU became just the second Division III school in the nation and the first school in any division in the State of Washington to partner with Athlete's Thread. Athlete's Thread allows every Lute student-athlete to sell customizable gear and jerseys with their name and number and receive monetary compensation for a portion of each sale. Check out the link above to order your gear today!
Stay connected to your favorite teams by downloading the official mobile app of the Pacific Lutheran University athletic department powered by SIDEARM Sports, available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more, the new PLU Athletics app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
Next Home Games:
Apr. 6 vs. Willamette (DH) at 12 p.m.
PLU Non-Discrimination Policy: Pacific Lutheran University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or age in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Title IX Coordinator Jennifer Childress-White; 253-535-7361; TitleIX@plu.edu