Setting the Scene: The Lutes welcome Oregon rival Pacific University to PLU Field for a four-game Northwest Conference series beginning on Friday.
Series History: The Lutes and Boxers have battled 160 times since the 1981 season with PLU enjoying a 92-68 advantage in the series. That includes winning five straight— sweeping the series last spring in Forest Grove, Oregon. That included Rachael Rhinehart tossing a no-hitter in the series opener, a 5-0 victory on April 20. PLU edged out a 7-6 victory in game two before sweeping the games the following day bu 3-0 and 13-5 scores.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (15-11, 5-9 NWC) split the weekend series against Lewis & Clark College before dropping a pair of games on Tuesday in Salem against Willamette University.
The Lutes stormed out of the gates against the Pioneers on Saturday, prevailing 8-1 in the opener, getting a three-run home run from Kimara Blakely while Paige Wilson tossed a gem, allowing just three hits in the complete game win.
PLU wasn't so lucky in game two, taking an early lead but ultimately falling 2-1 to L&C. Lewis & Clark won 4-1 in game three before Myra Grado belted a walkoff single in the bottom of the eighth for a 9-8 extra innings win. Grado was red-hot at the plate in the series finale, finishing three-for-four with four RBIs.
Tuesday's series with Willamette was a tough one, falling 5-0 and 1-0 to the host Bearcats. Willamette tallied three unearned runs and limited PLU to just two hits in the opener. Game two went into extra innings with a single down the line scoring an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth for WU.
Zoe Smithson continues to hit the cover off the ball, owning a .467 batting average with six home runs, four triples, and a team-high 38 RBIs. Kamalani Doctor has a team-best seven home runs while boasting a .429 batting average with 24 RBIs.
Paige Wilson has thrown the most innings inside the circle, notching a 3.69 earned run average with 60 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings of work. Rachael Rhinehart has a team-best six complete games while logging 44 strikeouts.
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 Boxers: Pacific (5-17, 5-11 NWC) won three of its first four Northwest Conference games but its been tough sledding since, getting swept by league heavyweights Lewis & Clark College and Linfield University and splitting the series against George Fox University.
The Boxers dropped their first two games of the series against George Fox on April 4 by 11-2 and 9-1 scores before rebounding the following day with 1-0 and 8-3 wins. Last weekend saw the Boxers overpowered by a combined 45-1 scoreline against nationally-ranked Linfield.
Kimberly Ray is the Boxers' top hitter with at least 30 at-bats, sporting a .256 batting average and a .347 on-base percentage. Chloe Knepp is tied for the team lead in RBIs with seven while boasting a team-high five doubles and two home runs.
Kiara Baba is the workhorse inside the circle with a 6.89 earned run average over 42 2/3 innings pitched and a team-high 24 strikeouts.
Home Cooking: The Lutes have proven to be a tough team to play at home, owning a 36-14 record at PLU Field since the 2022 campaign. That includes winning 11 of the squad's 14 home games last spring.
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 23 vs. Linfield (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