Pilots to Play Oregon State at PGE Park in April

The game, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on April 15, is part of Portland’s 2008 schedule, announced Tuesday by UP head coach Chris Sperry

Photo courtesy: UP Athletics

PORTLAND, Ore. - After filling Joe Etzel Field to the brim and then some last spring, the Portland Pilots and two-time defending national champion Oregon State Beavers will switch venues to PGE Park in downtown Portland for a non-conference baseball game in April.

The game, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on April 15, is part of Portland’s 2008 schedule, announced Tuesday by UP head coach Chris Sperry.

“Our games with Oregon State have always had a special meaning, mainly because we have been the only two NCAA Division I teams in the state,” Sperry said. “With OSU’s recent success, our games against the Beavers have taken on an even greater significance. This gives us the opportunity to allow more fans to enjoy the game in a nice venue, which will create an exciting atmosphere.”

Last season, the Beavers and Pilots set a Joe Etzel Field attendance record when a capacity crowd of 1,002 packed the facility for a game on April 24.

Several fans were forced to watch the game from the parking lot beyond the left field fence, prompting the change to PGE Park.

“That was a thrilling game that we couldn’t handle from a crowd standpoint,” said Sperry.

The game at PGE Park is one of four scheduled meetings between the Pilots and Beavers next spring. The two teams are slated to meet in Corvallis, Ore., on March 4 and April 23, while a game at Joe Etzel Field is set for March 31.

The Pilots are scheduled to open the 2008 campaign with a three-game series against the Brigham Young Cougars at Joe Etzel Feb. 22-23.

The Pilots and Cougars open with a game on Friday before playing a doubleheader on Saturday. Portland follows the BYU series with a pair of home games before traveling to Surprise, Ariz., for four non-conference games.

While in Arizona, the Pilots will face Hawaii and two of the country’s premier baseball programs, Michigan and Arizona State.

Portland follows the Arizona State Tournament with a trip through California, which includes a tournament at Fresno State (March 10-15).

After a two-game set at home against Southern Utah on March 19 and 20, the Pilots play the first of five scheduled games against Washington on March 22 in Seattle.

The Pilots wrap up March with five straight home games, including a West Coast Conference opening-series March 28-30 against the LMU Lions.

The Pilots will spend most of April on the road, with 12 of the 17 games slated for outside the Rose City.

A series at Santa Clara (April 4-6) is sandwiched by a pair of games at Washington.

Portland returns home for a WCC series against San Diego (April 11-13) and the game against OSU at PGE Park, with the Pilots considered the home team.

UP then travels to Gonzaga (April 18-20), is home against Washington (April 22) and finishes the month at Oregon State and at San Francisco (April 25-27).

Portland opens May at home against Washington before making another road trip through California.

The Pilots follow a conference series at Pepperdine (May 9-11) with two non-conference games at Cal State Northridge on May 12 and 13.

The Pilots conclude the 2008 regular season against Saint Mary’s at Joe Etzel Field May 16-18.

All dates and times on UP’s 2008 baseball schedule are tentative and subject to change.

Source: UP Athletics

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