by Joe Rayburn, Sports Information Student Assistant

PARKLAND – Pacific Lutheran opens up Northwest Conference play this weekend on the road with a three-game series against Willamette. The Lutes and Bearcats are set for a Saturday twinbill beginning at 11 a.m., followed by Sunday's lone matchup at noon.

The Lutes enter their conference-opening series after a 5-4 nonconference start and will look to add run support to what has been a solid pitching rotation. Only nine games into the season, Pacific Lutheran leads all NWC schools with 72 total strikeouts. Junior Trevor Lubking is responsible for 25 of those PLU strikeouts, and the lefty from Buckley, Wash., is posting a 2.55 ERA in three starts.

Equally impressive on the mound has been freshman Derrick Mahlum, who has registered two wins with 20 strikeouts and a 1.53 ERA. Junior A.J. Konopaski has also been strong closing out ballgames early in the season, already registering five saves and a 1.23 ERA.

PLU will hope to add some hitting to this weekend's matchups, as the Lutes are only batting .195 as a team with a .281 on-base percentage. The junior trio of Kit Banko, Bo Pearson, and Curtis Wildung have four RBIs apiece, while Banko leads the Lutes with a .360 batting percentage.

The Bearcats have gotten off to a promising 6-4 start to the 2014 season. Willamette's pitching lineup is highlighted by freshman Matt Jepsen, who is posting a 0.53 ERA and two wins. Junior catcher Tiras Koon is helping lead his side with nine RBIs while batting .318. Willamette is batting .218 as a team while scoring 49 total runs.

Willamette leads the all time series against the Lutes, boasting a 55-48 series record. Current PLU head coach Geoff Loomis has found recent success against the Oregon conference rivals however, winning six of the last eight matchups.