Setting the Scene: Eight games into the Northwest Conference slate and the Pacific Lutheran University softball team sits tied for first place in the conference standings. The Lutes look to maintain that spot over the weekend as they host crosstown nemesis University of Puget Sound in a four-game series.
Series History: The Lutes and Loggers have met 173 times on the diamond since the 1981 season with Pacific Lutheran holding a commanding 137-35-1 edge in the all-time series. PLU has won eight straight and 23 of the last 25 meetings.
Last season, the Lutes downed the Loggers 7-4 and 7-1 on the road on May 3 before earning 7-1 and 8-0 victories at PLU Field the following day.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (14-6, 6-2 NWC) sits in a three-way tie for first place in the NWC standings with Linfield University and Lewis & Clark College after eight games of league play. The Lutes opened conference action on the road in Forest Grove, Oregon, picking up for wins at the expense of Pacific University. Lex Ahlo-Garcia scored the game winning run in the ninth inning in an 8-6 triumph over the Boxers to open the series before the Lutes poured on six runs in the second inning in a 14-4 thrashing in game two. Sunday saw the Lutes emerge with 7-2 and 5-3 wins to secure the sweep.
After 16 games on the road to start the season, the Lutes finally had a home game on Wednesday, taking two from Lewis & Clark. Paola Garcia had three home runs over the course of the doubleheader as the Lutes took the opener 4-1 before Kaya Collado scored on a passed ball in extra innings for a 7-6 victory in game two.
The tables turned on Thursday with Lewis & Clark winning both games by 5-4 scorelines. PLU had the winning run on second base with one out in the bottom of the seventh of game one but a pop up and a ground out ended the Lutes' chances of a comeback. Game two saw the River Otters scored three runs in the top of the seventh to sneak away with the one run win.
Paola Garcia has been on fire through the first 20 games of the season, hitting .500 at the plate with 29 RBIs, 21 runs scored, and 12 extra base hits. That includes a team-best five home runs. Jaycie Simplicano is hitting at a .490 clip with a .554 on-base percentage while Kaya Collado is even better at getting on base, with a team-best .571 on-base percentage. Collado is hitting .432 with 10 RBIs. Lex Ahlo-Garcia sports a .302 average with 15 RBIs while Zoe Smithson has been a speedster on the bases with nine stolen bases. Maiya Anderson and Paige Wilson have been a one-two punch for the Lutes in the circle. Anderson leads the team with a minuscule 1.85 earned run average, striking out 42 in 45 1/3 innings of work and limiting the opposition to hitting just .173. Wilson has a team-best 57 strikeouts in 58 innings of work with a 7-1 record.
About the Loggers: Puget Sound (4-14, 2-6 NWC) heads across town looking to snap a three-game slide. The Loggers opened up NWC action on March 7, edging host Willamette University 2-1. The Bearcats would prevail the rest of the series, taking game two 6-2 and sweeping the Loggers the following day with a 7-6 extra innings win and a 5-3 victory. The following weekend saw Puget Sound opened its series with Pacific with a 3-1 extra innings win but was upended 13-4 the following game. The next day was all Boxers with Pacific rolling to 6-0 and 10-1 wins.
Puget Sound had a bye last weekend and will head into Saturday having been off for 12 days.
Naomi Estrada is Puget Sound's leading hitter and one of three Loggers hitting above .300. Estrada boasts a .359 average with six RBIs on the season and a .390 on-base percentage. Kat Avanzino has a .343 average while Alyssa Waldo is hitting .318 with a team-best seven runs scored.
Estrada leads the Lutes inside the circle too, tossing a team-high 52 1/3 innings with 49 strikeouts in 11 appearances. Alison Madia has seen the second most action, logging 11 appearances and 30 innings of work with nine punch outs.
NWC Preseason Poll
The Lutes look to return to the NWC Tournament for the fifth consecutive season after being picked fourth in the annual preseason coaches' poll. Defending Champion Linfield University sits atop the rankings with 47 points and five first place votes while Lewis & Clark College sits second with 45 points and the remaining three first place endorsements. George Fox University is third with 36 points while the Lutes check in as the top Washington school in fourth place with 30 points.
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.
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 Series:
Apr. 11 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