Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University athletic department has seven teams competing this week, including softball opening up its season and men's basketball heading to the postseason. Baseball gears up for its home opener and Northwest Conference opener while men's and women's track & field begins the outdoor season on Saturday. Women's lacrosse hosts a non-conference game against an NWC foe while men's golf also tees off the spring season with a dual against in-state rival Whitworth University on Tuesday. 
 
FRIDAY:
SB vs. Pfeiffer in Columbus, Ga. (10 a.m. ET)
SB vs. Saint John Fisher in Columbus, Ga. (12:30 p.m. ET)
MBB vs. Whitman at NWC Tournament in Spokane, Wash. (6 p.m.)
SATURDAY:
BB hosts Lewis & Clark (DH) at PLU Field (11 a.m.)
T&F at Ed Boitano Invitational in Tacoma, Wash. (11 a.m.)
SB vs. LeTourneau in Columbus, Ga. (3 p.m. ET)
WLAX hosts Lewis & Clark at East Field (1 p.m.)
SB vs. Piedmont in Columbus, Ga. (5:30 p.m. ET)
MBB at NWC Tournament Finals in Spokane, Wash. (6 p.m.)
SUNDAY:
SB vs. Saint Benedict in Columbus, Ga. (1:30 p.m.)
BB hosts Lewis & Clark (DH) at PLU Field (11 a.m.)
SB vs. Wartburg in Columbus, Ga. (3:30 p.m.)
TUESDAY:
MG hosts Whitworth at Canterwood G&CC (10 a.m.)
 
Men's Basketball: The Lutes (14-11, 11-5 NWC) snagged the second seed in the 2025 Northwest Conference Tournament after closing the regular season on a five game winning streak.

PLU took care of business last weekend in Oregon, downing Pacific University 73-63 on Friday night behind a 20-point effort from Miles Nash before overpowering Lewis & Clark College in the second half on Saturday en route to an 80-67 win.

The victories ensured the Lutes their sixth consecutive winning season under Head Coach Chad Murray, marking the first time to do so since rattling off six straight under Ed Anderson from 1976 to 1982.

PLU will face three seed Whitman College in the semifinals of the NWC Tournament on Friday with the winner facing either top seed and host Whitworth University or fourth seed Lewis & Clark.
 
Women's Basketball: Pacific Lutheran (8-17, 5-11 NWC) dropped its final two games of the season, finishing the year in a three-way tie for sixth place in the league standings. 

The Lutes trailed by just two midway through the fourth quarter but host Pacific kept the PLU offense in check the rest of the game to register a 51-40 victory on Friday night. On Saturday Brooke Samura scored a career-high 25 points while Stacie Spahr hauled in 10 rebounds but it wasn't enough as Lewis & Clark secured the 74-66 win.

PLU led the NWC in rebounding, averaging 39.8 per game while ranking third in the league in field goal percentage defense after limiting adversaries to shooting at a 36.7 percent clip.
 
Baseball: The Lutes (1-3) came up short against a pair of tough opponents in Oregon last weekend. PLU overcame a six run deficit but ultimately fell 7-6 to NWC preseason favorite and host Linfield University on Friday afternoon before stumbling 9-1 to reigning conference champion Whitman College the following day.

Brody Phinney is one of five Lutes hitting above .300 on the season so far, sporting a .364 batting average while Ethan Keintz leads the team with five RBIs. On the mound, Matthew Sherwood has been a workhorse, collecting eight shutouts in 8 2/3 innings of action.
 
Women's Lacrosse: the Lutes (1-0) took last weekend off after beginning the season back on Feb. 16 with a 12-6 victory over Eastern Oregon University in the program's first ever varsity game.

Taylee Alldredge set the tone offensively, scoring the program's first ever goal and finishing with six total on the day while this Monday goalkeeper Kassie Diller was tabbed NWC Defensive Player of the Week after making nine saves and finishing with a .600 save percentage in the program opening victory.
 
Track & Field: PLU begins the outdoor season this Saturday, making the short jaunt across town for the University of Puget Sound's Ed Boitano Invitational.

It's the first of five local meets in Tacoma for the Lutes, competing twice at Puget Sound while hosting three meets on campus. That includes the PLU Open on March 8, the PLU Invitational on March 14-15, and the PLU Spring Invitational on April 4-5. 

The Lutes had several outstanding performances during the indoor season. Grady Lemma owns the second fastest 60-meter hurdle time (8.32) in the West region while Kai Sorensen ranks third in the region in the 800-meters. On the women's side, Abi Caprye ranks third regionally in the high jump, clearing five feet 3 ¼ inches while Ki Neir is third in the pole vault (11' 1 ¾"). 
 
Softball: The Lutes open the lid on the 2025 season on Friday in Georgia where they will play six games over three days. It's the first of two trips to the East Coast for PLU before opening the NWC slate on March 15 against reigning conference champion Linfield University.
 
Learn more about the 2025 Lutes in our season preview: LINK

Swimming: The NWC office announced its All-Conference honorees this week with the PLU men having three student-athletes recognized while the women's team had four student-athletes secure All-Conference laurels.

Tyler Tanaka was First Team All-Conference in both the 200-yard breaststroke and the 400-yard individual medley while Christian Georgi (100-yard & 200-yard breaststroke) and Devin Stanley (50-yard freestyle & 100-yard backstroke) both tallied Second Team status in two events.

The women saw Emma Gassman and Riley Maher headlined the women, both securing First Team honors. 

Gassman was First Team in the 200-yard backstroke while securing Second Team All-League in the 200-yard butterfly and as a member of the 200-yard medley relay team with Maher, Scout Hawkins, and Melissa Zuniga. 

Maher was First Team All-NWC in the 200-yard and 400-yard individual medley and was Second Team All-League in the 200-yard butterfly.

Hawkins landed Second Team status in the 1,650-yard freestyle, 200-yard breaststroke, and the 400-yard individual medley. 
 
Men's Golf: The Lutes open the spring season on Tuesday, the program's first competition since finishing seventh at the Confluence Classic back on Oct. 21 in Walla Walla, Washington. 

Among the highlights of the fall season was a runner-up finish at the Logger Shootout and a fourth place showing at the NWC Fall Classic. Marcus Otto was the star for the Lutes at the Fall Classic, finishing sixth overall with a two-round tally of 141 (71-70).