OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University baseball team will head to the Pacific Northwest this weekend for a four-game non-conference series at the University of Portland Friday to Sunday, March 12-14. 
 
The series will get underway on Friday with an afternoon tilt at 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT. Saturday will then consist of a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. MT/noon PT, followed by the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m. MT/noon PT. All four games will be contested at Portland's Joe Etzel Field. 
 
Each game of this weekend's non-conference series will be streamed live on the WCC Network and live stats will also be available throughout the series by visiting PortlandPilots.com.
 
UVU (2-5) will enter the series looking to bounce back after getting swept in a three-game series at Cal Poly of the Big West Conference last weekend in San Luis Obispo, California. A big inning by the Mustangs doomed UVU in the opener, as Cal Poly took game one 17-3. Cal Poly's pitching then shined on both Saturday and Sunday, as the Mustangs took the final two games of the series by scores of 5-1 and 6-0. The Wolverines previously split a four-game series at Saint Mary's on opening weekend to hold the 2-5 record on the young season.
 
Senior outfielder Alexander Marco led the Wolverines offensively at Cal Poly by hitting an even .300 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs. The senior saved his best outing for the series finale by going 2-for-3 on Sunday with a double. Junior second baseman Mitch Moralez was next for UVU by batting .273 with a double and a run scored last weekend. Junior right-hander Bobby Voortmeyer had Utah Valley's strongest outing on the mound last weekend by entering a jam in the first inning of game two and throwing a career-long 7.0 innings of solid relief in which he allowed just one run on four hits while striking out three. 
 
On the season, Moralez leads UVU at the plate with a .320 average, a .393 on-base percentage and a .360 slugging clip. Sophomore transfer Brandon Luna is next with a .267 average, while Marco follows with a .217 clip and team-high tallies of three doubles and four RBIs. 
 
Starters Jesse Schmit and Nick Sims are both 1-1 for the Wolverines on the mound on the young season, while relievers Logan Petet, Jaxson Otis, Spenser Triplett and Dylan Cook are all yet to give up a run.
 
THIS WEEKEND'S SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHERS 
Four right-handers are scheduled to start on the mound for UVU this weekend in the senior Schmit on Friday (1-1, 7.71 ERA), the freshman Sims in game one on Saturday (1-1, 6.75 ERA), the junior Voortmeyer in the nightcap of the doubleheader on Saturday (0-1, 2.38 ERA), and sophomore Mason Gray on Sunday (0-2, 5.62). Portland is slated to start a trio of right-handers in the first three games of the series in Brett Gillis on Friday (1-2, 4.22 ERA), Preseason All-WCC selection Christian Peters in the first game of the twin bill on Saturday (1-2, 4.67), and Nick Brink in the second game of the Saturday doubleheader (0-0, 9.00 ERA), as well as southpaw Brad McVay in the finale on Sunday (1-0, 1.50 ERA). 
 
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
Portland will enter the series with a 3-7 record on the year after dropping two of three at Gonzaga last weekend and falling, 2-1, in a pitcher's duel at Washington on Tuesday night. The Pilots previously dropped two of three to WAC foe Seattle U in the season-opening series at home and then dropped two of three at UC Davis the following weekend. Portland was picked to finish seventh in the West Coast Conference this season after going 12-4 last year and 25-27 overall and 7-19 in league play in 2019. 
 
Ben Patacsil leads the Pilots offensively on the season with a .407 batting average and three doubles. Sam Brown is next with a .375 clip and a homer, while Jake Tsukada is hitting .351 with a triple, three RBIs and three runs scored. As a team, Portland is batting .221 on the year. On the mound, closer Eli Morse is off to a strong start as he is yet to allow a run by holding a 0-0 record and a 0.00 ERA with two saves in 6.2 innings of relief work. Sunday's scheduled starter McVay leads the starting group with a 1-0 record and a 1.50 ERA, while Gillis is 1-2 with a 4.22 ERA. 
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. PORTLAND
This will mark the second consecutive season that UVU will play a four-game series at Portland. The Pilots won the non-conference series a season ago by taking three of four at Ron Tonkin Field in Hillsboro. Friday's opener will mark the 24th meeting between the two clubs and UP leads the all-time series 13-10. The all-time series is tied, however, at 6-6 with games played in Portland. 
 
ON DECK FOR UTAH VALLEY
After playing the first 11 games of the season on the road, the Wolverines will return to Orem for their home-and-conference-opening series against the defending WAC Tournament champion Sacramento State Hornets at dōTERRA Field at UCCU Ballpark next weekend. The four-game league series will run Friday to Sunday, March 19-21, and will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network. 
 
DREW SIMS NAMED TO THE BUSTER POSEY AWARD WATCH LIST
Fourth-year junior catcher Drew Sims has been named to the Buster Posey National Catcher of the Year Watch List for the 2021 season. This marks the second time of his career that Sims has been named to the prestigious watch list, as he was previously named as a freshman in 2018 when it was called the Johnny Bench Award. Arguably the best defensive and receiving catcher in the WAC, Sims has already thrown out two would-be base stealers this season (2-for-3) and a total of 38 would-be base stealers in his career. He has started a total of 102 games in a UVU uniform behind the plate and batted .246 with five doubles, two homers, 26 RBIs and 21 runs scored during his last full season of competition in 2019. Sims is one of 69 catchers to be named to the watch list this season. It will then be narrowed down to semifinalists on May 20 and the finalists will be announced on June 7.