A pivotal finale
The Portland Pilots are set to play their final nonconference game against the No. 7 Oregon State Beavers on Tuesday, May 12, at Goss Stadium in Corvallis. The matchup, scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start, will be streamed live with stats and video on PortlandPilots.com, giving fans a chance to follow every pitch in real time.
The Pilots enter the game after a four‑game skid that included a 12‑inning marathon loss to the Beavers, a 6‑4 defeat that tested the resilience of a young roster. Despite the downturn, the team’s pitching staff remains among the conference’s best, boasting a 4.22 ERA, a 1.39 WHIP and three shutouts that have kept them competitive.
Pitching excellence
At the heart of the rotation, Will Labonte continues to dominate with a 2.63 ERA that tops the conference among freshmen and ranks him first among all WCC pitchers with at least 60 innings thrown. Labonte’s performance earned him a semifinalist nod for the College Baseball Hall of Fame 2026 National Pitcher of the Year award, underscoring his impact on the mound.
Offensively, the Pilots have found power in the bats of Trey Swygart and Alex Via, each recording three home runs in the last four contests. Cole Katayama‑Stall leads the club with nine homers, a .516 slugging percentage, 36 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, while Brady Bean and Jonas Salk sit atop the program’s career home‑run list with 22 and 24 respectively.
The Pilots’ recent surge includes a 20‑win milestone earlier in the season, marking them as the first team in the WCC to reach that total, and they sit third in win percentage at .521. Their pitching staff also leads the conference in several key metrics, including strikeouts per nine innings and fewest walks allowed.
Historical context
Beyond individual stats, the team’s history adds another layer of intrigue. Jonas Salk is third all‑time at Portland for hit‑by‑pitch with 45 career plunks, and the program’s last home victory over the Beavers came earlier this year, a 3‑1 win at Joe Etzel Field that ended a drought dating back to 2021.
Looking ahead, the Pilots will rely on the experience of seniors like Mitch Canham, now in his seventh season with Oregon State as a coach, while the Beavers themselves are led by Coach Mitch Canham, who sits at 264‑114 over seven years in Corvallis. The stakes are high, with both clubs eyeing postseason positioning as the regular season winds down.