TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University baseball team returns to the diamond this weekend for the first time in almost a year with a veteran squad looking to once again contend for the Northwest Conference title.
 


The Lutes wrapped up an abbreviated 2020 season with a 6-7 record and a 2-4 mark in NWC action. Pacific Lutheran was peaking right when the season was shut down, having won four of its final five games, including two road wins over then 23rd-ranked Texas Lutheran University and a series victory over crosstown rivals University of Puget Sound.  
 
"We ended on the right note last year. I thought we were starting to play better as a team," said Head Coach Nolan Soete. 
 
"We return a lot of starters from last year and I'm looking forward to seeing what we have this first weekend. It's a good mix of younger and older guys."
 
Under Soete, the Lutes have been a model of consistency as the only program in the conference to qualify for the NWC Tournament every year of the tournament's existence, including winning the 2016 edition of the four-team event. 
 
Anchoring the Lutes this spring will be the infield, arguably the most experienced position group in 2021.
 
"I'd say infield is our most experienced position group. Haworth is a junior and has started since he was a freshman. It's really nice to have Gormley back. He was injured last year and is a fifth-year senior and he's going to be our starting shortstop. Doten will be starting second base. This is his fourth year and he started since he was a freshman."
 
Jordan Haworth will return at third base after hitting .354 with a team-best five doubles, and 10 RBIs during the shortened 2020 campaign. Tori Doten will man second base after hitting .296 with seven RBIs and a team-leading 11 runs scored last year. Both Haworth and Doten started all 13 games last season. 
 
Added to the mix is Austin Gormley who returns to the lineup after sitting out 2020 with an injury. A senior shortstop, Gormley finished the 2019 season with a .303 batting average with 11 doubles and 19 RBIs. 
 
"It's really great to have Gormley back, he's a calming factor in the infield. He's got a lot of range and a great arm and he's a darn good offensive player as well. It's really nice to have him back and his leadership."
 
At first base, the Lutes have options, including Shoreline Community College transfer Cole Trotignon along with veterans Tommy Snyder and Armond Swanson III.    

"I'm really excited about Trotignon. He's a two-way guy for us so he will play first base and pitch for us. He's had a pretty good fall and spring season so far."
 
Behind the dish will be Kenton Robillard and Ashton Barton. Robillard was the Lutes' shortstop last season starting all 13 games but will transition to catcher. Meanwhile Barton will suit up behind the plate after spending the previous weeks as a linebacker on the PLU football team. Both are anticipated to rotate in as catcher over the course of a weekend series.
 
Andy Schmitz headlines the returners in the outfield and will occupy center field this spring. The junior started all 13 games last season and collected 25 putouts with no errors during the shortened year. 
 
"There's a lot of competition right now in the outfield. Schmitz will be in center field other than that the corners are starting to get locked down a bit. Noah Claxton Ward is a freshman. I expect him to see quite a bit of playing time. Connor Lemma he used to be catcher, we moved him to the outfield and he's going to be in the mix. And then you have Garrett Wong and we have nine or 10 outfielders and the top 4 or 5 will be battling for a lot of playing time."
 
On the mound, the Lutes are blessed with returning three starters and arguably the best closer in NCAA Division III. 
 
That stable of returners includes starters Tommy Snyder, Justin Tucker, and Noah Ferguson. Snyder threw a team-high 21 1/3 innings with 15 strikeouts and a 2-2 record. Tucker had 17 strikeouts in just 16 2/3 innings of action with a 2-1 record while Ferguson had 16 strikeouts in four starts. 
 
"I'm excited about the pitching staff. We have three starters that have experience in that role, especially Tucker and Snyder. This will be their third year starting and Ferguson started as a freshman. They might be on the younger side in terms of experience because the cutoff year last year but I feel like they've progressed pretty well over the last year and a half. We're excited to see what we have at the top end there." 
 
In the closer role will be Alex Gregory who is back for his senior campaign. The Seattle, Washington native ranks third all-time in program history with 15 saves and ranked second in the nation last season in saves with five. The righthander had a 2.19 earned run average with 17 punchouts in just 12 1/3 innings of labor.
 
"Gregory's been closing since he was a freshman. It's good to have him on the back end, he has experience winning a conference title as a freshman in 2018."
 
While the top end of the rotation seems solidified, the Lutes hope to discover their fourth starter in the opening non-conference games as the league moves from a three-game weekend series to a four-game set for the first time since 2009.

"Game four is up in the air, we will find out these first couple of weeks who will be a contender for that role."
 
The Lutes expect to see Trotignon, Tacoma Community College transfer Spencer Howell, and first-year Jonathan Cohen to see significant action on the hill this season. Beyond that, Soete is confident the staff has the potential to be one of the best he's had at PLU.
 
"Cohen has good stuff. He's a lefty and I think he has a bright future and he really works hard at the craft. After that we have some guys I'm excited about but we really need to see it. A lot of it is unproven. Got to see what we have but this has a chance to be one of the deeper pitching staffs I've had here but you don't really know until you play games."
 
The importance of a deep pitching staff isn't lost on Soete, especially in a season with conference series extended from three games to four. 
 
"The four game series makes a huge difference. We've done it twice before, back in '08 and '09, and it's definitely a grind. We might see more offensive numbers this year in the conference because you might be throwing your 10th, 11th, or 12th guy. You can never have too much pitching and I feel like we have enough guys to get the job done."
 
With all the pieces on paper of a championship contender, the Lutes are excited to finally get back on the diamond this weekend against Linfield University. 
 
"It's the first competition we've had in almost a full year and for some of the young guys they haven't competed in over a year and a half. I'm looking for us to go out there and being the first team to relax and play solid baseball. That's it. I want throw strikes, play great defense, and have timely hitting. It will be fun to get out there and compete against somebody else. I know I speak for the guys when I say we're really excited to get out there and mix it up. Linfield is a quality program and it should be a good four game series."

 

The Lutes open the season on Friday in McMinnville, Oregon against Linfield. The Lutes will play a single game starting at 3 p.m. on Friday before playing a twinbill on Saturday and a single game on Sunday. Action on Saturday and Sunday both get underway at 11 a.m.