Setting the Scene: The Lutes are back at home for the first time in almost a month, welcoming Oregon rival Lewis & Clark College to PLU Field for a four-game series.
Series History: The Lutes and Pioneers have met 154 times since the 1981 campaign with PLU owning a commanding 132-22 edge in the all-time series.
The conference rivals met six times last spring with Lewis & Clark winning five of the six meetings. The Lutes dropped three of four in Portland during the regular season with the lone victory an 8-6 decision in the series finale. The teams again met in the postseason with Lewis & Clark winning 8-3 and 8-7 in the NWC Tournament.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (13-7, 3-5 NWC) earned a doubleheader split on the road last weekend against Willamette University with Paige Wilson stealing the show by tossing her second no-hitter of the season.
The host Bearcats took the series opener 1-0 before Wilson struck out five and allowed just one free pass in an 11-0 victory in game two. Zoe Smithson was dialed in offensively, finishing with two hits and five RBIs.
The second day of the series was postponed due to weather.
On Monday, Wilson was tabbed the NWC Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season, earning the honor after becoming the first Lute since 2003 to toss two no-hitters in one year.
Smithson is having an all-star season. Already on the NFCA Player of the Year Watch List, the junior is hitting .577 at the plate with 38 RBIs, 29 runs scored, and 19 extra base hits. Kamalani Doctor has been equally impressive with a .419 batting average with a team-leading seven home runs.
Rachael Rhinehart leads the team in innings pitched with 48 1/3, boasting a team-best 3.62 earned run average with a 4-2 record and five complete games. Rachel Treves has a 3.71 ERA with a 3-0 record while Paige Wilson has a team-best 51 strikeouts with a 5-3 record and 47 innings pitched.
35 and Counting: There have now been 35 no-hitters in program history, dating back to Sharon Schmitt's no-no in an 11-0 victory over Shoreline College back on March 24, 1983.
Rachel Treves and Paige Wilson made history on March 8, becoming the first pitchers to toss no-hitters on the exact same day. The 2025 Lute roster now has three pitchers that have tossed no-hitters with Treves and Wilson joining Rachael Rhinehart who had a no-hitter on April 20, 2024 in a 5-0 victory over Pacific University.
Wilson tossed her second no-no of the season last weekend against Willamette University, becoming the first Lute since Candace Howard in 2003 to throw two no-nos in the same season.
Catching Greatness: The Lutes have three no-hitters this season and one common denominator has been the person behind home plate. First-year Bri Sarae from Pearl City, Hawaii has caught all three no-hitters. In addition to Wilson’s no-no on Saturday, the catcher also caught the two no-hitters thrown on March 8 from Wilson and Rachel Treves.
About the Pioneers: Lewis & Clark (20-2, 12-0 NWC) sits atop the conference standings and returns to the Evergreen State riding a four-game win streak.
Last weekend the Pios were up in Spokane, earning a sweep of conference rival Whitworth University. Lewis & Clark didn't allow a run during the opening day of the series, prevailing 15-0 and 13-0 before closing things out on Sunday with 5-3 and 5-2 wins.
It's the third conference sweep of the season for the Portland based institution, also netting sweeps at the expense of Willamette University and Pacific University.
L&C's only blemishes cam at the Spring Games in Florida, stumbling 4-2 to Luther College (Iowa) on March 24 and an 8-5 setback to then No. 8 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh the following day.
Three Pios are hitting above .400 with Makena Dahir leading the way with a .468 average with nine doubles and 24 RBIs. Madison Scroggins boasts a .465 average while Sam Gildersleeve is hitting at a .431 clip with 24 RBIs, 10 extra base gits and a team-best 13 stolen bases.
Maggie O'Leary has seen the most work inside the circle, sporting a 2.53 earned run average with a 12-1 record and 68 strikeouts in 72 innings of work. Charlize Pope has a 4.11 ERA and a 6-1 record, posting 24 strikeouts.
Home Cooking: The Lutes have proven to be a tough team to play at home, owning a 34-12 record at PLU Field since the 2022 campaign. That includes winning 11 of the squad's 14 home games last spring.
Hall of Fame
Saturday evening, the Luteball family will be welcoming two of its own into the PLU Athletics Hall of Fame with Gretchen (Ruecker) Hoog and Jewel Koury among the six individuals inducted as part of the 34th induction class.
A Hero On and Off the Diamond
Three home runs. One saved life. Pacific Lutheran University's Carson Burke redefined what it means to be a hero on and off the diamond in under 72 hours. The junior delivered game-changing hits to win the weekend series against Northwest Conference rival Lewis & Clark College before transitioning to a life-saving donor, flying to Texas for a critical stem cell donation to a blood cancer patient in need.
NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
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:
April 18 vs. Pacific (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
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