Written by Student Assistant Christian Bond

TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University baseball team will play four non-conference games this weekend in Oregon to complete their 2017 season.

The Lutes (22-13) open the weekend on Friday, facing George Fox University (17-17) at 3 p.m. PLU gets another shot at Northwest Conference regular season and tournament champion Linfield College (28-11) on Saturday at 2 p.m. before closing the day with a game against host Pacific University (13-21). PLU wraps up the weekend on Sunday with a noon showdown against Pacific.

Some athletes describe their teammates as brothers. Cole Johnson and Riley Johnson are teammates that are legitimately brothers. Cole is a junior, is four years older than his brother Riley, a freshman. Like all brothers, the two have similarities and differences that are noticeable.

"They are similar in the fact that they are very easy to coach," Head Coach Nolan Soete said. "They do what they are asked to do and always work hard. They have a lot of the same thoughts, but Riley is a lot more likely to share his opinion. Cole is a little more quiet and reserved, but he is very confident. Riley is confident, but is always willing to share his thoughts with you. They are both very mature for their age and are a pleasure to coach."

The Johnson's have done a lot together on a baseball field, including serving as battery mates at White River High School. Cole went on to play two seasons at Washington State University before a coaching change was made and Cole was cut from the team. When Cole was looking for a new home, his little brother Riley helped influence his decision.

Riley played three seasons at Big League Edge, where pitching coach Sean Taunt coaches. The brothers were excited to have a chance to be teammates again.

"Riley was actually planning on coming here," Cole said. "We got in touch with Coach Taunt 20 minutes after I got cut from Wazzu and here I am."

"We both were like, you're going to go there? I'm going to go there? Let's do it," Riley said.

The brothers have a year left of wearing a Lute uniform together. Cole praised Riley for his knowledge from his background as a catcher. In their final year together, big brother Cole won't hesitate to use little brother Riley as a resource.

"I'll probably go to him faster," Cole said. "I struggled early in the season, and it carried over to the middle of the year. As soon as I started picking us brain, things got better. I think I need to utilize him more."

The Johnson's and the rest of the Lutes hope to close the regular season on a high note getting one more crack at George Fox, Linfield, and Pacific.