OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University baseball team will head to the Pacific Northwest to continue non-conference play with four games at the University of Portland this weekend.
 
The series will run Thursday to Saturday, Feb. 20-22, and due to current renovations at UP's Joe Etzel Field, the series will be contested at Ron Tonkin Field in Hillsboro, Oregon. Ron Tonkin Field is the home of the Hillsboro Hops, a MiLB Rookie League affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.  
 
The Wolverines and Pilots will open the series on Thursday afternoon with a single game at 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT. The two will then play a doubleheader on Friday with the first game of the twin bill scheduled for a noon MT/11 a.m. PT start. The series finale is then slated on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT. 
 
Live stats will be available for all four games by visiting PortlandPilots.com. Live audio will also be available for Thursday and Friday's action via PortlandPilots.com. 
 
UVU will enter its second week of the 2020 season with an 0-4 clip after going winless in the season opening series at Abilene Christian last weekend. The Wolverines dropped a pair of one-run contests in the series at ACU, falling in the season opener 3-2, as well as falling in 11 innings in the series finale by a score of 4-3. UVU also dropped both ends of a Saturday doubleheader, 10-1 and 10-3. 
 
In Sunday's weekend finale at ACU, the Wolverines held a 3-2 lead into the ninth inning, but the Wildcats managed to rally and tie the game in the last of the ninth to force extra innings. After a scoreless 10th, Abilene Christian then again rallied in the last of the 11th to load the bases with one away and then scored the winning run on a walk-off wild pitch to sweep the non-conference series.
 
Junior Pacen Hayes and freshman Connor Hall led UVU offensively in Sunday's finale by each going 3-for-5 at the plate with two doubles and an RBI apiece. Fellow freshman Garrett Broussard also had a nice game at the plate by going 2-for-5, while junior transfer Jaxson Otis shined on the mound by pitching 4.0 scoreless innings of relief in which he struck out three and allowed just two hits. 
 
Hall and redshirt freshman Dalton Hill lead UVU offensively on the young season with identical .500 batting averages, while Broussard is off to a .385 start and redshirt sophomore Jeff Arens follows with a .333 clip. Broussard also leads the Wolverines in RBIs and runs scored with two apiece, while Hall and Hayes are tied atop the team in doubles with three. 
 
Senior right-hander Jesse Schmit (0-0, 3.00 ERA), who gave up just two runs while striking out eight in last Friday's the season opener, is scheduled to pitch Thursday series opener. Junior transfer Bobby Voortmeyer (0-1, 13.50 ERA) is then set for Friday's first game of the twin bill, while Otis (0-0, 0.00 ERA) is slated to start Friday's nightcap. Sophomore righty Mason Gray (0-0, 4.50 ERA) is scheduled to start Saturday's finale for the Wolverines. They will face UP's Nate Packard on Thursday (RHP), Eli Morse in Friday's first game (RHP, 1-0, 1.29 ERA), Christian Peters in Friday's second game (RHP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA), and Caleb Franzen on Saturday (LHP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA). 
 
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
Portland of the West Coast Conference will enter the series with a 3-0 record on the young series after sweeping Nevada in the season-opening series that was contested at Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex in Ridgefield, Washington. The Pilots outscored the Wolf Pack 33-5 in the series by claiming wins of 14-1, 13-0 and 6-4. UP was picked to finish eighth out of 10 teams in the WCC Preseason Poll in 2020 after going 25-27 overall and taking ninth in the WCC with a 7-19 conference record last year.
 
Trayce Tammaro leads Portland on the season with a .545 average, two home runs, two doubles and seven RBIs. Travis Turney is next with a .444 clip, two homers and six RBIs, while preseason All-WCC selection Chad Stevens is batting .429. On the mound, Peters leads UP on the young season after throwing a seven-inning complete game shutout last week in which he struck out 12 batters and allowed just four hits against the Wolf Pack. 
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Thursday's series opener will mark the 20th all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Pilots. UP will enter the contest holding to a slight 10-9 all-time advantage after splitting a four-game series in Orem in the last meeting in 2016. UVU does hold a 5-3 all-time record against the Pilots in Portland, however, which includes taking two of three from UP in Portland in 2013.
 
ON DECK FOR UVU
The Wolverines will continue their early season stretch away from home with a four-game series at San José State of the Mountain West Conference next weekend. The series will run Friday to Sunday, Feb. 28-March 1 at SJSU's Excite Ballpark. UVU will then play its first game in the state of Utah in a midweek game at crosstown rival BYU on Tuesday, March 3.