University of Washington
Pacific Lutheran
Huskies Continue Homestand Against Pacific Lutheran on Tuesday
March 17, 2025 | Baseball
Both games will be streamed on Big Ten Plus, with live stats available at Huskystats.com.
DAWG BITES
- Washington recorded its seventh game with two or more home runs in an 11-6 win over Portland last week. The Dawgs are 5-2 when hitting at least two home runs and 2-0 when hitting three
- Easton O'Neal and Matthew Henning recorded their first Washington hits against Gonzaga over the weekend. Henning added a second hit in the game and his first career RBI as well
- 12 Huskies have produced 45 multiple hit games (Kole - 7, DeCarlo - 6, Guerrero - 6, Bower - 5, Taggart - 5, Knight - 3, Whitton - 3, Terry - 3, Sanders - 2, Wilson - 2, Hotchkiss - 2, Henning - 1)
- 11 Huskies have generated 28 multi-RBI games, with Casen Taggart and Trevor Kole leading the way with five (Kole β 5,Β Taggart β 5, Guerrero β 4, Knight β 3, Hotchkiss - 2, Terry - 2, Bower - 2, Whitton - 2, Sanders - 1, Wilson - 1, DeCarlo - 1)
- AJ Guerrero's 13-game hitting streak was snapped against Gonzaga. Sam DeCarlo owns the longest active hitting streak this season of six games
- Guerrero's home run against Texas Tech moved him into a tie for fourth in the Husky home run record book with 36 career home runs (T-1. 42, Kyle Conley, 2006-09; T-1. 42, Ed Erickson, 1997-00; 3. 41, Zach Clem, 2003-06; 4. 36, Will Simpson, 2020-23)
- The Huskies have turned 17 double plays this season, ranking 26th in the NCAA
- 44 of Washington's 97 RBIs have come from new transfer players (Trevor Kole β 15, Casen Taggart β 14, Malakhi Knight β 12, Julian Sanders β 8)
- Four Huskies are batting .300 or better (Taggart - .354, Guerrero - .318, Kole - .305, Terry - .300)
- 19 Huskies have made their program debuts (Banks, Brandenburg, Bronzini, Bujacich, Crawford, Curran, Denomme, Gilbert, Henning, Hotchkiss, Knight, Kole, Nichols, O'Neal, Sanders, 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 hosts Pacific Lutheran for a two-game series beginning on Tuesday March 18 and Wednesday March 19. First pitch for both games is slated for 5:02 p.m. The games will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus with live stats available at Huskystats.com.
The midweek series continues Washington's first multi-game homestand of the season, an eight-game stretch spanning two weekends, including the Gonzaga and Maryland series.
FIRST CAREER HITS
Freshmen Easton O'Neal and Matthew Henning bagged their first Husky hits against Gonzaga in the series finale on March 16. Henning recorded two hits on the day, scoring one run and collecting his first RBI as well.Β
PORTLAND PLUNDERED
The Huskies took down Portland 11-6 on Tuesday, collecting their fifth win in the last six games. Washington homered three times in the game, including two Husky firsts for Jackson Hotchkiss and Julian Sanders. Colton Bower added his team-leading fourth home run of the season, while Justin Tims pitched 3.0 shutout innings and struck out a career-high five batters. Isaac Yeager picked up his second victory of the season in the game as well.
B1G SERIES WIN
Washington started its Big Ten slate with a series win against Nebraska in Lincoln. The Huskies took two of three for the series victory, winning both games of a doubleheader on Saturday. The Dawgs scored 17 runs, including three home runs in the wins.
GUERRERO POWER
Senior slugger AJ Guerrero moved into a tie for fourth all-time in career home runs after hitting a home run in each game in Las Vegas, including a grand slam against No. 15 Texas. Guerrero has 36 career home runs, tied with Will Simpson (2020-23).
Guerrero has been on a tear to start the season, and has the team's longest hitting streak of 13 games, which was snapped against Gonzaga. His team-leading on base streak closed at 14 as well.
SANDERS SLUGGING
Graduate transfer Julian Sanders has gotten hot as of late while filling in for Casen Taggart at first base. The former Claremont McKenna College (DIII) standout's average has risen to .242 with three runs, eight hits, one double, and one home run. He's tallied eight RBIs as well, along with two walks and two HBP against only two strikeouts in his 33 at bats.
Sanders, a native of Mercer Island, Wash., walked on to the baseball team in the fall. He reached out to the Washington coaching staff when he began his graduate program at the University of Washington, looking for a chance to try out for the team. Since then, he's made the active roster and featured in nine games, making five starts.
SLAMMIN' SAMMY
Sam DeCarlo's bat has been hot since moving from the leadoff spot to the middle of the lineup. In 43 leadoff at bats, DeCarlo had an average of .186 with eight hits, one double, one home run, and three RBIs. In 37 at bats from the fifth and sixth spots, DeCarlo is batting .378 with eight runs scored, 14 hits, with one double and one home run.
RISPY BUSINESS
Three Huskies are batting .400 or better with runners in scoring position (Sanders - .500, DeCarlo - .500, Bower - .412) while four Dawgs are batting .300 or better overall (Taggart - .354, Guerrero - .318, Kole -.305, Terry -.300).
DOUBLE PLAY DAWG DEFENSE
Through the first stretch of the season, Washington has been one of the best defensive teams in the nation. The Huskies have turned 17 double plays, the second-best mark in the Big Ten and the 46th-best in the NCAA. The Huskies are averaging 0.85 double plays per game, third in the conference and 46th in the country.
TRANSFER POWER
The Huskies have hit 23 home runs this season, eight of which have come from transfer players. Casen Taggart is second on the team with three long balls. Malakhi Knight also knocked his third homer of the season against Nebraska, a three run shot to put Washington in front in the second game of the doubleheader. And Trevor Kole hit his second homer against Stanford. Washington's other home runs have come from Colton Bower (4), AJ Guerrero (3), Sam DeCarlo (3), Jackson Hotchkiss (1), Julian Sanders (1), Braeden Terry (1), Cooper Whitton (1), and Blake Wilson (1).
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 against San Francisco. He backed up his first showing with another stellar performance against Nebraska in the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday. He tossed a career-high 7.0 innings while collecting his team-leading second victory of the season. Following his third start of the season against Gonzaga, Thomas has the eighth-best ERA in the Big Ten (2.42) and the seventh-best mark in hits allowed per nine innings (6.85).
BOWER BOOMING
Colton Bower has been a force behind the plate and as a hitter this season. Defensively, he's caught 11 runners stealing, the third-best mark in the nation. He trails only Taylor Bronson (UMES - 12) and Ashby Vining (Saint Peter's - 12). As a batter, Bower's logged four home runs and has 19 hits on the season, including five doubles.Β
In the Big Ten rankings, Bower is third in hit by pitch (10) and third in hit by pitch per game (0.63).
IMPACT RELIEVER
Josh Emanuels has been strong out of the bullpen for the Dawgs, tallying two saves in 2025. The redshirt senior currently sits fifth in the Big Ten in total saves, 84th nationally.Β
WASHINGTON DEBUTS
19 Huskies have made their program debuts through four games (Banks, Brandenburg, Bronzini, Bujacich, Crawford, Curran, Denomme, Gilbert, Henning, Hotchkiss, Knight, Kole, Nichols, O'Neal, Sanders, Taggart, Thomas, Tims, W. Woodward).
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.
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 31 strikeouts.
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.
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.
