Friday, March 3
Seattle, WA
4:05 PM
University of Washington
vs
Northern Colorado
Washington Makes Husky Ballpark Debut against Northern Colorado
March 02, 2023 | Baseball
SEATTLE – After starting the season with seven straight games on the road, Washington baseball makes its home debut with a four-game series against Northern Colorado at Husky Ballpark, taking on the bears March 3-5.
QUICK HITS
• After playing the first seven games of the season on the road, Washington makes its home debut at Husky Ballpark with a four-game series against Northern Colorado.
• Originally scheduled for 6:05 p.m. PT, Friday's home opener has been moved up to a 4:05 p.m. first pitch.
• All four games of the series will be available for streaming through Washington Live Stream 2.
• Washington and Northern Colorado squared off in a four-game set to close the 2022 regular season. The Huskies swept the series by a combined score of 44-8.
• The Husky pitching staff has allowed just one run over its last 15 innings.
• Stu Flesland III's 10-strikeout performance against San Jose State was the first double-digit strikeout outing by a Husky pitcher since Adam Bloebaum struck out 10 batters against UTRGV in 2021.
• Josh Emanuels has yet to allow a run through four relief appearances and 8.0 innings.
• Cam Clayton is currently riding a 16-game hitting streak.
SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHERN COLORADO
Washington and Northern Colorado have faced each other a total of nine times, with the Huskies coming out on top each time. Six of those games have been played at Husky Ballpark, beginning with a 14-3 UW win in 2014. The Huskies and Bears squared off in a four-game series to finish the 2022 regular season. In that series, UW shut out NCU twice and outscored the Bears 44-8.
THE PEN IS MIGHTIER
The combination of Josh Emanuels and Case Matter has been a dynamic one at the back end of Washington's bullpen. Both Emanuels and Matter have picked up two saves on the year, tied for the Pac-12 lead and 8th most in the nation. Emanuels has yet to allow a run through four appearances and 8.0 innings, striking out 10 and allowing just three hits. Meanwhile, Matter has surrendered a single earned run over 6.0 innings on three appearances, striking out six.
BRING YOUR GREEN HAT
Dating back to last season, Cam Clayton is in the midst of a 16-game hitting streak, registering multiple base knocks in nine of those contests. The sophomore has posted a hit in 28 of his last 30 games. Clayton is batting .353 over those 30 games and .415 during his 16-game hitting streak.
PATIENCE PAYS
Both AJ Guerrero and Coby Morales rank inside the top-10 in the Pac-12 walks, with Guerrero ranking third in the league lead with nine free passes and Morales close behind in eighth with eight after drawing six walks in the San Jose State series. Consequently, the pair rank second and first on the team, respectively, in on-base percentage.
HOMEGROWN DAWGS
Nearly half of the Husky roster, 19 of 39 players overall, are homegrown talents from the state of Washington. Of those 19 local products, 16 hail from the greater Seattle Metropolitan area. Below is a breakdown of the counties UW's Washington natives call home.
UW Washington Natives by County
King County - 14
Clark County - 2
Pierce County - 1
Snohomish County - 1
Spokane County - 1
HEEEEEEERE's JOHNNY
After earning All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors in 2022, Washington catcher Johnny Tincher was named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 team as voted on by the conference's head coaches.
A redshirt junior, Tincher enters his fourth season at UW coming off of a campaign in which he ranked second on the team with a .314 average. He drove in 35 runs and scored 27 more while posting 19 extra-base hits, including 13 doubles, five home runs and a triple. Defensively, Tincher threw out 10 of 31 runners attempting to swipe a bag last season, while garnering a .989 fielding percentage.
RUN IT BACK
Washington returns nearly the entirety of its offense from the 2022 season with seven of eight positional starters returning that started more than 40 games, the Dawgs are poised once again to put up big numbers on the scoreboard.
Percentage Return from 2022
• Games Started - 88.5%
• Runs - 87.7%
• Hits - 91.4%
• Doubles - 92.3%
• Triples - 87.5%
• Home Runs - 93.8%
• RBIs - 90.9%
• Walks - 82.5%
FINISHING ON A HEATER
The Huskies finished the 2022 regular season as one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning their last 12 regular season games. Only two teams in the nation finished that strong in College World Series participant Stanford (also 12 games) and Super Regional host East Carolina (14 games).
During the streak, the Dawgs batted .361 as a team, averaging over 8.4 runs per game. Of the 150 hits UW recorded over the 12 games, 46 went for extra bases. Meanwhile, the pitching staff put together a 3.00 ERA, racking up 96 strikeouts to 30 walks over 102 innings.
Both McKay Barney and AJ Guerrero recorded at least one hit in every game of the streak, with Barney batting .500 and Guerrero posting a .447 average with five doubles, six home runs and 22 RBIs.
PROVE 'EM WRONG
The Huskies were picked seventh in the 2023 Pac-12 Preseason Poll by the league's head coaches. In last season's poll, UW outpaced its preseason projection of 10th significantly, earning the sixth place in the standings.
POSITION RANKINGS
Washington has five players listed in D1Baseball.com's position rankings, released ahead of the start of the 2023 season. The full list of UW players ranked is below.
UW in D1Baseball's Position Rankings
Johnny Tincher - No. 22 catcher
AJ Guerrero - No. 52 outfielder
Kiefer Lord - No. 100 starting pitcher
Jared Engman - No. 154 starting pitcher
Stu Flesland III - No. 166 starting pitcher
EYES ON THE PROS
During the preseason, ProspectsLive.com listed four under-the-radar college pitchers that "move" like big leaguers, with half the list being made up by Huskies in Carleton College transfer Kiefer Lord and redshirt sophomore Case Matter.
ProspectsLive.com On Lord:
"Lord checks a ton of boxes in scouting circles. He's got a super-loose, whippy arm that is just now starting to show what it's capable of... Lord brushed 98 and 99 a couple times and appears poised to see his stuff move into the mid-90s this season."
ProspectsLive.com On Matter:
"Metrically, this kid checks a lot of boxes. He produces exceptional carry on his four-seam fastball and can rush it up to 96 at peak... Scouts love the way Matter moves. He's got big intent and aggressiveness, but he keeps it controlled. The kid clearly has feel for pitching and a feel for his delivery.
THE JUCO JUMP
Washington has 10 junior college products on its roster. Four players come from the Washington Community and Technical Colleges system, with four California Community College system products and two players from Arizona's Maricopa County Community College District.
2018 OMADAWGS
2023 marks the five-year anniversary of Washington's 2018 team that became the first squad in program-history to reach the College World Series. The Huskies ran through the Conway Regional, sweeping three games against UConn and host Coastal Carolina. UW then took a decisive Super Regional Game 3 at Cal State Fullerton, erasing a one-run deficit in the ninth to force extras and walking off the Titans on Kaiser Weiss' sacrifice fly to score Levi Jordan and send the Dawgs to Omaha.
15 GAMES TO AIR ON PAC-12 FAMILY OF NETWORKS
15 Washington baseball games have been selected to air across the Pac-12 family of networks this season. Six home games from Husky Ballpark will air on your television set, while nine road games are set to be broadcasted. Of the 15 TV games for the Dawgs, 10 will air on Pac-12 Washington.
For more information on the UW baseball team, follow @UW_Baseball on Twitter and Instagram.
QUICK HITS
• After playing the first seven games of the season on the road, Washington makes its home debut at Husky Ballpark with a four-game series against Northern Colorado.
• Originally scheduled for 6:05 p.m. PT, Friday's home opener has been moved up to a 4:05 p.m. first pitch.
• All four games of the series will be available for streaming through Washington Live Stream 2.
• Washington and Northern Colorado squared off in a four-game set to close the 2022 regular season. The Huskies swept the series by a combined score of 44-8.
• The Husky pitching staff has allowed just one run over its last 15 innings.
• Stu Flesland III's 10-strikeout performance against San Jose State was the first double-digit strikeout outing by a Husky pitcher since Adam Bloebaum struck out 10 batters against UTRGV in 2021.
• Josh Emanuels has yet to allow a run through four relief appearances and 8.0 innings.
• Cam Clayton is currently riding a 16-game hitting streak.
SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHERN COLORADO
Washington and Northern Colorado have faced each other a total of nine times, with the Huskies coming out on top each time. Six of those games have been played at Husky Ballpark, beginning with a 14-3 UW win in 2014. The Huskies and Bears squared off in a four-game series to finish the 2022 regular season. In that series, UW shut out NCU twice and outscored the Bears 44-8.
THE PEN IS MIGHTIER
The combination of Josh Emanuels and Case Matter has been a dynamic one at the back end of Washington's bullpen. Both Emanuels and Matter have picked up two saves on the year, tied for the Pac-12 lead and 8th most in the nation. Emanuels has yet to allow a run through four appearances and 8.0 innings, striking out 10 and allowing just three hits. Meanwhile, Matter has surrendered a single earned run over 6.0 innings on three appearances, striking out six.
BRING YOUR GREEN HAT
Dating back to last season, Cam Clayton is in the midst of a 16-game hitting streak, registering multiple base knocks in nine of those contests. The sophomore has posted a hit in 28 of his last 30 games. Clayton is batting .353 over those 30 games and .415 during his 16-game hitting streak.
PATIENCE PAYS
Both AJ Guerrero and Coby Morales rank inside the top-10 in the Pac-12 walks, with Guerrero ranking third in the league lead with nine free passes and Morales close behind in eighth with eight after drawing six walks in the San Jose State series. Consequently, the pair rank second and first on the team, respectively, in on-base percentage.
HOMEGROWN DAWGS
Nearly half of the Husky roster, 19 of 39 players overall, are homegrown talents from the state of Washington. Of those 19 local products, 16 hail from the greater Seattle Metropolitan area. Below is a breakdown of the counties UW's Washington natives call home.
UW Washington Natives by County
King County - 14
Clark County - 2
Pierce County - 1
Snohomish County - 1
Spokane County - 1
HEEEEEEERE's JOHNNY
After earning All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors in 2022, Washington catcher Johnny Tincher was named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 team as voted on by the conference's head coaches.
A redshirt junior, Tincher enters his fourth season at UW coming off of a campaign in which he ranked second on the team with a .314 average. He drove in 35 runs and scored 27 more while posting 19 extra-base hits, including 13 doubles, five home runs and a triple. Defensively, Tincher threw out 10 of 31 runners attempting to swipe a bag last season, while garnering a .989 fielding percentage.
RUN IT BACK
Washington returns nearly the entirety of its offense from the 2022 season with seven of eight positional starters returning that started more than 40 games, the Dawgs are poised once again to put up big numbers on the scoreboard.
Percentage Return from 2022
• Games Started - 88.5%
• Runs - 87.7%
• Hits - 91.4%
• Doubles - 92.3%
• Triples - 87.5%
• Home Runs - 93.8%
• RBIs - 90.9%
• Walks - 82.5%
FINISHING ON A HEATER
The Huskies finished the 2022 regular season as one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning their last 12 regular season games. Only two teams in the nation finished that strong in College World Series participant Stanford (also 12 games) and Super Regional host East Carolina (14 games).
During the streak, the Dawgs batted .361 as a team, averaging over 8.4 runs per game. Of the 150 hits UW recorded over the 12 games, 46 went for extra bases. Meanwhile, the pitching staff put together a 3.00 ERA, racking up 96 strikeouts to 30 walks over 102 innings.
Both McKay Barney and AJ Guerrero recorded at least one hit in every game of the streak, with Barney batting .500 and Guerrero posting a .447 average with five doubles, six home runs and 22 RBIs.
PROVE 'EM WRONG
The Huskies were picked seventh in the 2023 Pac-12 Preseason Poll by the league's head coaches. In last season's poll, UW outpaced its preseason projection of 10th significantly, earning the sixth place in the standings.
POSITION RANKINGS
Washington has five players listed in D1Baseball.com's position rankings, released ahead of the start of the 2023 season. The full list of UW players ranked is below.
UW in D1Baseball's Position Rankings
Johnny Tincher - No. 22 catcher
AJ Guerrero - No. 52 outfielder
Kiefer Lord - No. 100 starting pitcher
Jared Engman - No. 154 starting pitcher
Stu Flesland III - No. 166 starting pitcher
EYES ON THE PROS
During the preseason, ProspectsLive.com listed four under-the-radar college pitchers that "move" like big leaguers, with half the list being made up by Huskies in Carleton College transfer Kiefer Lord and redshirt sophomore Case Matter.
ProspectsLive.com On Lord:
"Lord checks a ton of boxes in scouting circles. He's got a super-loose, whippy arm that is just now starting to show what it's capable of... Lord brushed 98 and 99 a couple times and appears poised to see his stuff move into the mid-90s this season."
ProspectsLive.com On Matter:
"Metrically, this kid checks a lot of boxes. He produces exceptional carry on his four-seam fastball and can rush it up to 96 at peak... Scouts love the way Matter moves. He's got big intent and aggressiveness, but he keeps it controlled. The kid clearly has feel for pitching and a feel for his delivery.
THE JUCO JUMP
Washington has 10 junior college products on its roster. Four players come from the Washington Community and Technical Colleges system, with four California Community College system products and two players from Arizona's Maricopa County Community College District.
2018 OMADAWGS
2023 marks the five-year anniversary of Washington's 2018 team that became the first squad in program-history to reach the College World Series. The Huskies ran through the Conway Regional, sweeping three games against UConn and host Coastal Carolina. UW then took a decisive Super Regional Game 3 at Cal State Fullerton, erasing a one-run deficit in the ninth to force extras and walking off the Titans on Kaiser Weiss' sacrifice fly to score Levi Jordan and send the Dawgs to Omaha.
15 GAMES TO AIR ON PAC-12 FAMILY OF NETWORKS
15 Washington baseball games have been selected to air across the Pac-12 family of networks this season. Six home games from Husky Ballpark will air on your television set, while nine road games are set to be broadcasted. Of the 15 TV games for the Dawgs, 10 will air on Pac-12 Washington.
For more information on the UW baseball team, follow @UW_Baseball on Twitter and Instagram.
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