Experienced Lutes Ready for a Breakout Season

The Pacific Lutheran University baseball team is loaded with a veteran team heading into the 2026 season and looks to punch at ticket to the Northwest Conference Tournament for the first time since the 2022 campaign.

Last season, the Lutes tallied wins over teams from all three NCAA divisions, headlined by an unforgettable 3-1 upset of the Big Ten Conference’s University of Washington on March 18. But with that came some lows, including getting swept at home by Pacific University just days after the historic win. This season, the Lutes aim for consistency as they know at their best, they are one of the best squads in the Pacific Northwest.  

“Well, we have a lot to prove to ourselves. We felt like we underachieved last year so we need to get back on track and play our brand of baseball. I know these guys are excited about the season and a chance to prove ourselves,” said Nolan Soete who enters his 20th year on staff and his 11th as head coach.

The Lutes scored an 8-2 win over Division II Saint Martin’s University on April 22 and finished the season with a 17-22 overall record and a 9-15 ledger in conference play. Returning from the 2025 squad is five of the team’s six All-Conference players, including the reigning NWC Rookie of the Year in pitcher Alex Lopez. 

Without a doubt the team’s most experienced players are fifth-year seniors Ethan Keintz and Braeden Lundberg. 

Lundberg was an Honorable Mention All-Conference selection last year at shortstop. Starting in 37 of the team’s 39 games, Lundberg hit .260 at the plate with 19 RBIs. Defensively, he led the team with 121 assists. The Gig Harbor, Washington native has appeared in 112 games in hs career with 60 RBIs in 373 at-bats.

Keintz also started in 37 games last spring, hitting .311 at the plate with 28 RBIs and 11 extra base hits. The outfielder from Helena, Montana native has 30 extra base hits in his career with a career .312 average in 340 at-bats.

Projected to join Lundberg in the infield will be Carson Burke at third base, Brody Phinney at second base, and Asa Reese at first.

Burke started 36 games last year, belting a team-best nine home runs with 14 extra base hits and 26 RBIs. The Seattle native was an Honorable Mention All-NWC selection last May after having a whirlwind season that included donating live saving plasma to an anonymous cancer patient in need.

An Honorable Mention All-Conference selection, Phinney will be moving to second base his spring after playing his trade last year primarily at first base. The Olympia, Washington native hit .314 with 19 RBIs and 27 runs scored last year and will replace a First Team All-NWC selection at the position after Aaron Barber graduated and joined the coaching staff.

First base will be staffed by Asa Reese who appeared in 24 games last year with five extra base hits in 54 plate appearances.

“Asa has been good lately. He’s been practicing well and deserves the job at first base.”

Behind the dish will be Tacoma Community College transfer Kaleb McNeely. A junior, the Lacey, Washington product helped the Titans rack up 67 wins over the past two seasons, making the NWAC Championship Game both seasons. He played in 36 games in 2025, racking up 12 RBIs and eight extra base hits in the pitcher friendly NWAC.

“He’s a very mature and polished catcher. Obviously he has some college experience and he’s done a good job since he stepped on campus in the fall."

Backing up McNeely will be freshman Grayson Meier. Meier joins the Lutes from Sumner High School where he was a two-time All-South Puget Sound League selection.

The Lutes look to have a stacked outfield. In addition to Keintz in left field, the squad is projecting Rutger Youch at center field and Rochne Beecham in right field.

Youch was second team all-conference in the spring, hitting .329 with 27 runs scored and 23 RBIs. The Newcastle, Washington native was a consistent presence in the lineup, starting 35 of the team’s 39 games. 

Beecham started 37 games last year and collected 24 RBIs and 12 extra base hits. 

“Outfield we have some depth. Keintz will be in left field, Youch in center, and right now Beecham in right field. Beecham can hit and plays good defensively as well. Those are the three guys at the top of the list.” 

Adding depth to the outfield will be Brayden Adcox who has 52 appearances and 131 at-bats over the past two seasons. In addition to Adcox, the Lutes will lean on a pair of newcomers in Tyler Yarger and Dallas Phipps. 

A two-sport athlete, Yarger joins the team after playing for the PLU football team this fall. The Spokane, Washington native was a first team all-league selection last spring at Shadle Park High School.

Phipps joins the Lutes from Olympia, Washington where he helped Capital High School make two trips to the state tournament. 

Battling for the designated hitter spot will be a handful of players, including Hayden Kaiser, Adcox, Yarger, Phipps, and Cole Fenton.

Kaiser played in 20 games last year and had 42 at bats while Fenton started one game last year while making three pinch hit appearances as well. 

The Lutes return a majority of its pitching staff from a season ago, including players that started 29 of the 39 games last spring.

At the top for the Lutes will be aces Matt Sherwood and Alex Lopez.

Sherwood made 13 appearances last spring and 11 starts, leading the team in strikeouts with 46. The Santa Clarita, California native logged an additional 39 1/3 innings over the summer, pitching for the Cowlitz Black Bears in the prestigious West Coast League.

A Second Team All-NWC selection and the reigning NWC Rookie of the Year, Lopez is looking to build on that success. The Gresham, Oregon native had a 5-2 record on the hill with a 3.00 earned run average. Lopez was a workhorse, leading the team in innings pitched with 60 while registering 34 strikeouts and logging two complete games.

While PLU’s top two arms are solidified, the team is still looking for who will be the game three starter for when NWC play begins at the end of the month.

“At the top we have Matt Sherwood and Alex Lopez. In my opinion they’re both ace material. Both of those guys will be at the top of the rotation and right now we will see. The third position hasn’t been decided upon and we will find out in the first few weeks what we’ve got. 

We have a lot of guys in the mix for it. A lot of guys want it but right now it’s undecided. We’ll get to learn more about our team down in California and in Oregon.”

Vying for that third starting spot includes Cole Miller, Logan Egge, and Osei Kimura. 

Egge is the most experienced of the three, tossing 27 1/3 innings last spring in 12 appearances, largely as a reliever. The Bothell, Washington native had 37 strikeouts with a 3.95 ERA.

Cole Miller is a freshman righthander from Sumner, Washington where he helped the Spartans qualify for the state tournament. Hailing from Ninomiya Kanagawa, Japan, Osei Kimura joins the Lutes with two seasons under his belt at Clackamas College where he made 24 appearances and had 48 strikeouts. 

In the bullpen will be Chris Moreno who has 48 appearances under his belt over the past three seasons with 135 total strikeouts and four saves. Moreno also spent time with the WCL’s Black Bears this offseason, making 11 appearances and logging 24 strikeouts. 

There’s some guys in this freshman class I’m looking forward to seeing develop over the next couple of years. Some guys that can push for playing time right now which we need, we need the No. 1’s to be pushed.”

For the Lutes, they have just six games to find their stride before beginning NWC action on Feb. 28 against Lewis & Clark College. 

“The first six games we’re trying to find ourselves and who we are as a team. We believe we’re an experienced team and are ready to win but we need to find a way to prove to ourselves that we can play consistent good baseball. If we can do that, putting all three phases together, that’s the issue last year, but if we put all three together on a regular basis we can have a great season.”

Familiar faces to the program but new to the coaching staff will be Aaron Barber and Cade Hamel who both graduated last spring. They join Soete and a staff that also includes Landon Packard and Nate Packard.