University of Washington
Purdue
Huskies Play Host To Purdue For Three-Game Series
April 03, 2025 | Baseball
All three games of the series will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus with live stats available at Huskystats.com.
DAWG BITES
- Washington hit a season-high four home runs and scored a season-high 22 runs at St. John'sΒ
- Sam DeCarlo hit a joint team-lead fifth home run while Colin Blanchard tagged his first of the season. AJ Guerrero hit his fourth and Jackson Hotchkiss hit his second
- Justin Tims made his fifth start for Washington on Sunday, tossing 5.0 IP, allowing four hits, two runs, and recording two strikeouts
- Sam DeCarlo (7), AJ Guerrero (5), and Casen Taggart (4) all extended their hitting streaks on Tuesday
- During the last four weeks, Justin Tims has started five games, two of which were combined shutouts. During the last month, Tims has a 1.45 ERA in 18.2 IP with four runs allowed and 17 strikeouts
- 13 Huskies have produced 66 multiple hit games (Guerrero β 10, Kole - 9, DeCarlo - 9, Bower - 6, Taggart - 6, Terry - 6, Wilson - 5, Knight - 5, Whitton - 3, Sanders - 2, Hotchkiss - 3, Henning β 2, Blanchard - 1)
- 12 Huskies have generated 40 multi-RBI games, with Trevor Kole leading the way with six (Kole β 7,Β Taggart β 6, Guerrero β 5, Knight β 5, Wilson - 3 Hotchkiss - 3, Terry - 2, Bower - 2, Whitton - 2, Blanchard - 2, Sanders - 1, DeCarlo - 2)
- Guerrero's home run against St. John's moved him into sole possession of fourth in the Husky home run record book with 37 career home runs (T-1. 42, Kyle Conley, 2006-09; T-1. 42, Ed Erickson, 1997-00; 3. 41, Zach Clem, 2003-06; 5. 36, Will Simpson, 2020-23)
- The Huskies have turned 23 double plays this season, ranking 50thΒ in the NCAA
- 60 of Washington's 154 RBIs have come from new transfer players (Trevor Kole β 18, Casen Taggart β 16, Malakhi Knight β 14, Julian Sanders β 8, Carson Crawford- 1)
- 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
1 - 2025 is the first season for Eddie Smith at the helm for UW. The Olympia, Wash. native comes to theΒ Huskies after threeΒ years at Utah Valley.
37 - AJ Guerrero moved into sole possession of fourth on the Washington all-time home run leaders chart after his long ball at Saint John's on Tuesday.
14 - Colton Bower is one of the best in the NCAA at wearing it. His 14 HBPs are second-best mark in the Big Ten and 15th in the NCAA.
23 - The Huskies have turned 23 double plays this season, adding one against Rutgers for the fifth-best mark in the Big Ten and the 50th in the NCAA.
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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
The Huskies take on Purdue for the fourth Big Ten series of the season and the second conference series at Husky Ballpark. The three-game set begins on Friday, April 4 at 7:02 p.m.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
The Diamond Dawgs scored a season-high 22 runs, including four homers, to take down St. John's on Tuesday. It was the most runs Washington has scored in a game this season and the most since 2023 (32-7 vs. Northern Colorado, March 3, 2023). As a team, the Huskies hit .462 against St. John's (18-39). Washington also batted .750 when leading off (6-8) and .400 with runners in scoring position (10-25). Every Husky starter recorded at least one hit and seven had multi-hit games. Sam DeCarlo and Colin Blanchard shared the team lead in hits with three while DeCarlo plated five RBIs, the most on the team.Β
Blanchard's homer was his first of the season while Guerrero's was his fourth and his first in a game since the beginning of March against Texas Tech. Jackson Hotchkiss and Sam DeCarlo also launched long balls against St. John's. It was Hotchkiss' second of the season and DeCarlo's joint team-lead fifth. DeCarlo has homered twice in the last three games after also going yard against Rutgers on Saturday.
FIRST BIG TEN SERIES LOSS
Washington won the series-opener against Rutgers, but dropped the following two games, leading to the Huskies' first Big Ten series loss of the season. In Friday's game, Max Banks and Isaac Yeager combined to pitch 9.0 innings of two-hit baseball, leading Washington to a 3-1 win.
Following the weekend, the Huskies are sixth in the conference standings with a 5-4 Big Ten record.
BANKS BACK
Max Banks made his second start since returning from injury on Friday and was dealing against the Scarlet Knights. The senior posted 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, while collecting two strikeouts. Last week against Maryland, Banks returned to action for the first time since Feb. 28, tossing 3.0 innings with two hits, two runs, and two strikeouts. On the season, Banks has made five starts, owns a 2-2 record, and has an ERA of 3.76 withΒ 23 strikeouts, the third-most on the team.
Banks is scheduled to pitch on Friday against Purdue.
GUERRERO POWER
Senior slugger AJ Guerrero took sole possession of fourth on the UW all-time home runs leadboard after smacking his fourth of the season on Tuesday against St. John's, the 37th of his UW career. He's five home runs from tying the record and six from taking it outright. (T-1. 42, Kyle Conley, 2006-09; T-1. 42, Ed Erickson, 1997-00; 3. 41, Zach Clem, 2003-06; 4. 37, AJ Guerrero, 2022-25; 5. 36, Will Simpson, 2020-23)
Guerrero is currently on a five game hitting streak and had Washington's longest streak of the season, 13 games, earlier this year.
The Fife, Wash. native leads Washington in multi-hit games (10), doubles (11), total bases (56), slugging percentage (.514), runs scored (24), is second in hits (33), walks (17),Β batting average (.303), and third in on base percentage (.406), and home runs (4).
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 .234 with eight runs, 11 hits, two doubles, and one home run. He's tallied eight RBIs as well, along with three walks and three HBP against five strikeouts in his 47 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 17 games, making 12 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 75 at bats from the fourth, fifth, and sixth spots, DeCarlo is batting .360 with 15 runs scored, 27 hits, with three doubles and four home runs. DeCarlo currently leads the team with 35 hits and is tied for the team-lead with 24 runs scored.
DeCarlo is the sole Husky to start every game this season and leads the team with 74 assists. He's also second on the team in fielding double plays (16).
MCADAMS MONEY
Whether as a starting pitcher or from the bullpen, Reilly McAdams has been a consistent contributor for the Diamond Dawgs. In his latest appearance on Tuesday, the senior tossed 2.0 scoreless innings in relief against St. John's.Β McAdams leads Washington in strikeouts looking (13), five more than the next pitcher on the team (Brandenburg, 7).
RISPY BUSINESS
Three Huskies are batting .350 or better with runners in scoring position (DeCarlo - .500, Blanchard -.400, Taggart - .421, and Sanders - .385). Casen Taggart leads Washington in batting average (.319), on base percentage (.485), and walks (25).
DOUBLE PLAY DAWG DEFENSE
Washington has been efficient defensively throughout the first stretch of the season. The Huskies have turned 23 double plays, the fifth-best mark in the Big Ten and the 50th-best in the NCAA. The Huskies are averaging 0.77 double plays per game, eighth in the conference and 78th in the country.
Washington has been consistent overall on defense, owning a .974 fielding percentage, the ninth-best mark in the Big Ten and 71st in the NCAA.
TRANSFER POWER
The Huskies have hit 30 home runs this season, eight of which have come from transfer players. Casen Taggart is fourth 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. Washington's other home runs have come from Colton Bower (5), Sam DeCarlo (5), AJ Guerrero (4), Blake Wilson (2), Jackson Hotchkiss (12, Colin Blanchard (1), Julian Sanders (1), Braeden Terry (1), and Cooper Whitton (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.Β
Among pitchers reaching the minimum of 1.0 IP per game, he leads the team in earned run average (3.90), opposing batting average (.240), innings pitched (32.1), and has the least amount of runs allowed (14), walks allowed (11), doubles allowed (3), triples allowed (0), and home runs allowed (2). Thomas is slated to start against Purdue on Saturday night.
BOWER BOOMING
Colton Bower has been a force behind the plate and as a hitter this season. Defensively, he's caught 12 runners stealing. As a batter, Bower's logged a team-high five home runs and has 24 hits on the season, including six doubles.Β
In the Big Ten rankings, Bower is second in hit by pitch (14) and second in hit by pitch per game (0.52). Bower is also in the top 25 in both hit by pitch statistics nationally, coming in at 15th in total HBP and 23rd in per game.
IMPACT RELIEVER
Josh Emanuels has been strong out of the bullpen for the Dawgs, tallying three saves in 2025, including the series clinching save against Maryland on Sunday. Emanuels ranks seventh in the Big Ten and 80th nationally in total saves.
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.
