Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University baseball begins its final homestand of the season today, welcoming in-state rival Saint Martin's University for a midweek non-league game.
Series History: The Lutes and Saints have met 48 times since the series began in 1997 with the Lutes holding a slim 25-23 edge in the rivalry. The Saints have won the last three meetings, sweeping the series last spring with 9-1, 6-1, and 4-3 victories.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (12-18, 6-12 NWC) swept Chapman University in its last home series two weeks ago before hitting the road and getting swept in Spokane by conference rival Whitworth University.
Carson Burke homered twice in the opener but a two-run shot by the Pirates in the eighth lifted the hosts to a 5-3 victory. Game two saw the Lutes attempt a late run but it wasn't enough in an 11-7 setback. The series finale saw Whitworth plate seven runs in the third inning, holding on to a 13-10 victory.
PLU finishes the series with eight home runs, getting three from Burke, two from Rutger Youch and one apiece from Aaron Barber, Hayden Kaiser, and Brody Phinney.
Rutger Youch leads the team at the plate with a .328 batting average through the opening 30 games of the season with 22 RBIs and a team-best 16 stolen bases. Aaron Barber is hitting at a .327 clip with 22 RBIs while Brody Phinney hits .316 with a team-high 26 runs scored.
Carson Burke brings the lumber with eight home runs and 12 extra base hits.
Alex Lopez has had a phenomenal freshman campaign on the mound, owning a 4-2 record and a 3.02 earned run average with 28 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings pitched. Matthew Sherwood has a team-high 36 strikeouts while Kamryn Swartz has a team-high three saves, netting 20 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings thrown.
About the Saints: Division II Saint Martin's (2-37, 2-21 GNAC) hosted Montana State University-Billings last weekend in a four-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference series. The Saints snapped a 21-game slide on Friday with a 7-6 victory over the Yellow Jackets in the series opener but it was all MSUB after that with the visitors earning 16-3, 15-3, and 10-3 victories to win the series.
Alex Hartnett is the Saints' top. at, owning a .351 batting average with six home runs and a team-best 27 RBIs. Hunter Sasaki is hitting .330 with 14 RBIs while Kyle Schabot is the third SMU player hitting above .300, sporting a .302 average.
Blaze Wong is the team's workhorse on the hill, tossing 45 innings in 12 appearances, including seven starts. Wong owns a team-high 33 strikeouts while Jake Schumacher is second on the team in innings pitched having tossed 35 during the 2025 campaign.
Bow Down to PLU
Pacific Lutheran (6-7, 3-3 NWC) picked up a historic win on March 18, unseating the Washington Huskies 3-1 at Husky Ballpark. Rochne Beecham belted a two-RBi double in the second inning while Ethan Keintz added a solo home run in the fourth.
PLU's pitching staff was dialed in. Chris Moreno, Kamryn Swartz and Matt Sherwood combined for six strikeouts while allowing just one run with Moreno earning the win and Sherwood collecting the save.
It was PLU's first game against the Huskies since 2001 when current Head Coach Nolan Soete was a freshman infielder for the program. The Lute win was the program's first over UW since 1982 and was the first non-Division I team to etch a victory over a Power 4 program this season and the first D3 win over a Power 4 since 2022.
Mr. 200
Head Coach Nolan Soete earned his 200th career win as head coach during PLU's last homestand in a 12-4 victory over Chapman University on April 13. A 2006 Lute graduate, Soete has been with the program since 2007 as an assistant before taking the reins as head coach in 2016. His nine year tenure at the helm has seen the Lutes make six trips to the NWC Tournament, win the 2016 NWC Tournament and the 2018 NWC regular season title.
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
Lutes of Summer
PLU baseball's Aaron Barber had an exciting summer, culminating in winning a West Coast League title with the Portland Pickles.
Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace in 2022 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.
Last 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 Game:
April 26 vs. Whitman (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