University of Washington
Texas
Washington Opens Las Vegas College Baseball Classic Against No. 15 Texas
February 27, 2025 | Baseball
All the games will be streamed on D1Baseball.com with live stats available at Huskystats.com.
DAWG BITES
- Seven Huskies have produced 14 multiple hit games (Kole β 4, Bower β 2, Whitton β 2, Taggart β 2, Guerrero β 2, Knight β 1, Terry β 1)
- AJ Guerrero is on a five-game hitting streak. The senior slugger has recorded at least one hit in every game he's been active for this season. Trevor Kole is currently on a four-game hitting streak and Colton Bower has an active three-game hitting streak
- Colton Bower and Jackson Hotchkiss have both reached base safely in the last six games
- Casen Taggart provided Washington's first three-hit game of the season on Monday against Stanford which included his team-leading third homer
- Colton Bower has caught eight runners stealing, including three on Monday against Stanford and one on Wednesday against San Francisco
- Washington had its second-best offensive output against Stanford on Saturday, tallying nine runs and 12 hits
- Across two starts, Max Banks is averaging 6.0 IP, 5.5 Ks, and has a 1.50 ERA
- 17 of Washington's 40 RBIs have come from new transfer players (Casen Taggart - 10, Trevor Kole - 4, Malakhi Knight β 2, Julian Sanders β 1)
- The top four spots of the batting order are responsible for 26 of 45 runs and 33 of 60 hits
- Three Huskies are batting .300 or better β AJ Guerrero (.333), Malakhi Knight (.333), Trevor Kole (.324)
- 17 Huskies have made their program debuts through four games (Banks, Bujacich, Crawford, Curran, Denomme, Gilbert, Henning, Hotchkiss, Knight, Kole, Nichols, O'Neal, Taggart, Thomas, Tims, W. Woodward)
FIRST SEASON UNDER SMITH
On July 9, 2024, Eddie Smith was named the 25th head coach of University of Washington baseball, announced by UW Director of Athletics Pat Chun. Smith, a native of Olympia, Washington, comes to Montlake after three seasons at Utah Valley, quickly turning the Wolverines around from a Western Athletic Conference bottom dweller to one of the nation's most feared mid-major outfits.
UP NEXT
Washington faces off against No. 15 Texas, Illinois, and Texas Tech at the Las Vegas College Baseball Classic. The games will take place at the Las Vegas Ballpark and will all be broadcast exclusively on D1baseball.com.
OFF AND RUNNING
The Huskies opened the season with a 9-2 win against Kansas State on Feb. 14, officially beginning the Eddie Smith era with a victory. Washington concluded the Baseball at the Beach tournament with a 2-2 record, collecting its second win against Saint Joseph's on Monday, Feb. 17.
SAN FRANCISCO DAWGS
Washington claimed its third win of the season on Wednesday afternoon against the San Francisco Dons. Jackson Thomas earned his first Husky start and pitched six scoreless innings while the Husky offense shared the production, as eight of 10 batters recorded at least one hit. Washington also spread the run production for the duration of the game, scoring at least one run in five separate innings.
GUERRERO POWER
Senior slugger AJ Guerrero moved into a tie for fifth all-time in career home runs last season with 33 after hitting a career-high 15 in 2024. While he's yet to hit a home run this season, the left fielder is riding a five-game hitting streak and has recorded at least one hit in each game he's been active in this season.
TRANSFER POWER
The Huskies have hit nine home runs this season, six of which have come from transfer players. Casen Taggart leads Washington, is seventh in the Big Ten, and 42nd nationally with three home runs so far. Trevor Kole hit his second homer against Stanford while Malakhi Knight added one during the opening tournament at Coastal Carolina. Washington's other home runs have come from Colton Bower (2), and Sam DeCarlo (1).
MAX BANKS DOMINANCE
Washington's new ace had once of the best Husky pitching debuts in recent memory. The opening day starter threw scoreless innings, allowing only two hits and striking out nine batters. He pitched the most innings by a Husky opening day starter since 2018 when Joe Demers also tossed six innings. His strikeout total was also the most by an opening day pitcher for Washington since 2017, when Noah Bremer fanned 10 batters.
In his second start, Banks pitched six innings again, allowing two runs and striking out two batters in the series opener against Stanford. Banks is set to start Friday night against No. 15 Texas in Las Vegas.
CRUSHED BY KOLE
Trevor Kole showed his prowess at the plate over the opening weekend. He recorded six hits, two in each of the first three games before earning three walks in game four of the weekend. Against Stanford, Kole added four more hits, including his second home run of the season. He currently leads the Huskies with a .324 batting average and 11 hits (minimum 75% games played).
BOWER BOOMING
Colton Bower has been a force behind the plate and as a hitter so far this season. Defensively, he's caught eight runners stealing across the first nine games of the season. As a hitter, Bower's logged two home runs and has eight hits on the season, including two doubles. His .607 slugging percentage is the second-best on the team as well, trailing only Casen Taggart (.710).
DYNAMIC DEFENSE
Washington has been one of the most efficient defenses in the Big Ten to start the season. The Huskies rank fifth in the conference in fielding percentage (0.977) and have turned seven double plays, the third-best mark in the conference.Β
TAGGED BY TAGGART
In addition to his home run power which has him seventh in the conference with three bombs, Taggart leads the Huskies in doubles (4), total bases (22), and RBIs (10). Taggart ranks in the top 12 in the Big Ten in doubles (3rd), home runs (7th), sacrifice flies (7th), total bases (11th), and RBIs (12th).
WASHINGTON DEBUTS
18 Huskies have made their program debuts through four games (Banks, Brandenburg Bujacich, Crawford, Curran, Denomme, Gilbert, Henning, Hotchkiss, Knight, Kole, Nichols, O'Neal, Taggart, Thomas, Tims, W. Woodward).
IMPACT RELIEVER
Josh Emanuels collected a save in both of Washington's wins during the opening weekend. The redshirt senior currently sits third in the Big Ten and 10th in the NCAA in total saves.Β
THOMAS ON TOP
Jackson Thomas had a dominant first start for Washington, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings while allowing three hits, two walks, and fanning seven batters. Thomas currently holds a 0.0 ERA across 9.1 IP this season. He ranks in the top ten in the Big Ten in Hits Allowed per Nine Innings (7th, 3.72) and in strikeouts (10th, 13).
INAUGURAL BIG TEN SEASON
Washington will compete in the Big Ten for the first time in 2025. The Huskies join the new-look conference as one of 17 competitors. Washington will face Nebraska, Maryland, Rutgers, Purdue, UCLA, Illinois, Northwestern, Iowa, Oregon, and USC this season.
This year'sΒ conference tournament will feature 12 teams and incorporate pool play with four groups consisting of three teams each. The four pool winners will meet in the single-elimination semifinals on May 24, followed by the championship game on May 25.
DRAFT DEPARTURE
Completing a dream every young ball player dreams of, Washington junior shortstop Cam Clayton heard his named called during the 2024 MLB Draft, being selected in the 14th round by the Miami Marlins. Clayton becomes the first Husky infielder to be selected in the MLB Draft since Ben Baird was taken in the 34th round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2019. The Huskies have had at least one player drafted in each of the last 13 years dating back to 2012. A three-year starter at shortstop for the Huskies, Clayton established himself as one of the finest glove in the West, earning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024, becoming the second Husky to receive the honor.
NEW FACES
The Huskies return 20 players while losing 21 following the 2024 season. Of the returners, four position starters come back to Montlake along with 10 pitchers.
BIG TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH
Transfer pitcher Max Banks, along with returners Isaac Yeager and AJ Guerrero were each named among the Big Ten's most notable players for the 2025 season.
Banks, a native of San Francisco, pitched three seasons at Chapman before joining the Huskies. He was named to the ABCA All-Region third team his sophomore year, and also earned first team All-SCIAC honors following a season with 12 starts, 76 innings, and 84 strikeouts.
Isaac Yeager was a key pitcher for the Dawgs in 2024, as he made 21 relief appearances and posted a 6.34 ERA in 38.1 innings with 31strikeouts.
AJ Guerrero figures to be one of the conference's best run producers in 2025. The senior slugger moved into a tie for fifth all-time in career home runs last season with 33, with a career-high 15 of them coming in 2024. He also knocked in a career-high 50 RBIs last season.
D1 BASEBALL BIG TEN PREVIEW
Of the 17 teams in the Big Ten, Washington experienced the most impactful changes. Coach Smith is a quality hire based on the success he has enjoyed at previous stops β most recently he instantly turned Utah Valley into a winner β and he assembled a proven collection of coaches with strong ties to the Pacific Northwest. In addition to the significant roster turnover, the Huskies will be playing in a new conference with rigorous travel challenges.
D3 DIAMONDS
For the third straight year, Washington has hit the NCAA Division III ranks to add to its pitching staff through the transfer portal. The Huskies added right-hander Max Banks who enjoyed a strong three-year career at Division III Chapman, collectively going 12-4, 3.35 in three seasons with a 185-to-67 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 150 2/3 innings. Last season, Washington signed right-hander Spencer Dessart out of Middlebury College in Vermont, who posted a 4.32 ERA with 63 strikeouts over 50 innings. And in 2023, UW brought in D3 transfer Kiefer Lord out of Minnesota's Carleton College, with Lord going on to be a third round draft choice in the 2023 MLB Draft.Β
IT CAN WAIT
For the third year in a row, a Washington commit turned down the opportunity to sign with an MLB team to join the Husky roster. Jackson Hotchkiss was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks, but opted to take his talents to UW first. Last season, Blake Wilson was drafted in the 20th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals but still made his way to Montlake. Former Husky Aiva Arquette was a 18th round draft choice by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022 before coming to campus.
