University of Washington
USC
Huskies Conclude Big Ten Tournament Against No. 4 USC
May 22, 2025 | Baseball
Friday's final pool play game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network with first pitch scheduled for 8 a.m. PT. Live stats will be available at Huskystats.com.
DAWG BITES
- AJ Guerrero hit his 42nd career home run on Wednesday. He has the most hits, is tied for the most home runs, and has the second-most RBIs in program history.
- Guerrero batted in all three of Washington's runs against Penn State.
- The Huskies are 20-2 when outhitting their opponent this season, with the second loss coming against Penn State on Wednesday.
- Banks pitched 6.0 innings on Wednesday, his 10th start this season going at least six frames.
- Washington claimed its seventh Big Ten series of the season over the weekend, taking two of three games against USC. The Huskies earned the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament as well.
- Four Dawgs were awarded Big Ten postseason accolades: Isaac Yeager was named All-Big Ten First Team (Relief Pitcher), Max Banks was named All-Big Ten Second Team (Starting Pitcher), AJ Guerrero was named All-Big Ten Third Team (Outfield), and Malakhi Knight was named Big Ten All-Defensive Team (Outfield) and given the Sportsmanship Award.
- The Huskies have won 10 games this season while allowing one or less runs.
- Jackson Thomas had his eighth start of the year of at least 5.0 IP with two or less runs allowed. Thomas has the 11th-best ERA in the Big Ten among qualified pitchers (4.10)
- Casen Taggart extended his on-base streak to 30 straight games as he earned a walk and hit a single against Penn State on Wednesday. Taggart is fifth in the conference and 33rd in the NCAA in walks per game (0.92).
- 20 Huskies have made their program debuts (Banks, Boyd, Brandenburg, Bronzini, Bujacich, Crawford, Curran, Denomme, Gilbert, Henning, Hotchkiss, Knight, Kole, Nichols, O'Neal, Sanders, Taggart, Thomas, Tims, W. Woodward).
1 - 2025 is the first season for Eddie Smith at the helm for UW. The Olympia, Wash. native comes to the Huskies after three years at Utah Valley.
42 - AJ Guerrero moved into a tie for first in program history for career home runs with his 42nd on Wednesday against Penn State.
5 - Washington earned the fifth seed in the Big Ten Tournament after finishing the conference slate with a 17-13 record. The Diamond Dawgs finished behind Oregon, UCLA, Iowa, and USC.
50 - Isaac Yeager has been a force out of the bullpen, collecting seven saves on the year which ranks 50th in the NCAA.
FIRST SEASON UNDER SMITH
On July 9, 2024, Eddie Smith was named the 25th head coach of University of Washington baseball, announced by UW Director of Athletics Pat Chun. Smith, a native of Olympia, Washington, comes to Montlake after three seasons at Utah Valley.
UP NEXT
The Diamond Dawgs will take on No. 4 USC on Friday, May 23 at 8 a.m. PT.
DROPPED GAME ONE
Washington lost its first game of pool play on Wednesday to No. 9 seed Penn State by a score of 5-3. AJ Guerrero hit his 42nd career home run in the game for two of his three RBIs in the game. Guerrero batted in all three of Washington's runs against Penn State. Banks pitched 6.0 innings on Wednesday; his 10th start this season going at least six frames. Reliever Josh Emanuels pitched two hitless innings with four strikeouts.
The Huskies are 20-2 when outhitting their opponent this season, with the second loss coming against Penn State on Wednesday. With the loss, Washington is unable to advance to Saturday's semifinal round.
GOING, GOING, GUERRERO
Senior slugger AJ Guerrero moved into a tie for first in career home runs at Washington after launching his 42nd homer on Wednesday. He also became Washington's all-time hit leader las week against USC when he recorded his 265th knock. (T-1. 42, AJ Guerrero (2022-25; T-1. Kyle Conley, 2006-09; T-1. 42, Ed Erickson, 1997-00; 4. 41, Zach Clem, 2003-06; 5. 36, Will Simpson, 2020-23).
The Fife, Wash. native leads Washington in multi-hit games (21), hits (69), doubles (16), total bases (112), home runs (9), runs batted in (38), slugging percentage (.523) is second in batting average (.322), , on base percentage (.416), runs scored (41) and is third in walks (31).
Guerrero is all over the record book in other categories as well. He's currently first in career hits (270), first in career at bats (849), second in career RBI (168), fourth in career doubles (49), fourth in career games played (212), and seventh in career walks (109).
CLASS OF THE CONFERENCE
Four Huskies were named to All-Big Ten Teams, the conference announced on Tuesday. Isaac Yeager was named to the first team, Max Banks collected a second team award, AJ Guerrero was named a third team honoree, and Malakhi Knight earned a spot on the defensive team and the sportsmanship award.
SEVENTH BIG TEN SERIES WIN
Washington collected its seventh conference series victory over the weekend against USC. The Dawgs took games one and two of the series and finish the season with a 17-13 Big Ten record, the fifth-best mark in the conference. Washington homered in each game, with Malakhi Knight launching a three-run go-ahead home run in the first game, Jackson Hotchkiss hit a solo home run in the second game, and Blake Wilson tagged a two-run shot in the third game.
B1G TIME HUSKIES
The Diamond Dawgs have adapted well to the new conference, finishing fifth in the standings at the end of the regular season. Washington (17-13) trails only Oregon (22-8), UCLA (22-8), Iowa (21-9), and USC (18-12).
The Huskies were picked to finish 17th out of 17 teams by D1 Baseball in the conference season preview.
BANKS BALLING
Despite the loss, Banks turned in another impressive performance on Wednesday. The senior threw his 10th game this season of at least 6.0 IP, and will finish the season with a 7-4 record. After allowing a one-out RBI single in the first, Banks went on to retire 14 straight batters without allowing a hit. On seven occasions this season, Banks has tossed 6.0 or more innings with less than two earned runs allowed.
Banks is one of the best pitchers in the conference, ranking in the top ten in four major categories. He is sixth in victories (7), seventh in ERA (3.67), eighth in hits allowed per nine innings (7.21), and 10th in WHIP (1.18). In addition to the above stats in which he leads the team, Banks also leads the Huskies in batting average against (.222), batters struck out (65), and batters struck out looking (17).
BIG PLAY YEAGER
Isaac Yeager has become one of the most dependable relief arms on the team and added his seventh save in the series opener against USC. He ranks sixth in the conference and 50th in the NCAA in total saves and is second on the team in total strikeouts (57). He also has a team-high 24 appearances on the season.
In his second appearance of the series on Sunday against USC, Yeager turned in 5.0 innings in relief, allowing just one run on five hits with four punchouts.
SLAMMIN' SAMMY
Sam DeCarlo leads the Huskies in runs scored (42), is second in hits (61), second in home runs (8), second in multiple hit games (15), and second in total bases (92). He's been far more than just a power hitter, however. The shortstop has been a beacon of consistency for Washington this season, serving as the only Husky to start every game this season and he leads the team with 126 assists. He's also second on the team in fielding double plays (27). DeCarlo was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, making him one of the top-100 shortstops in the nation.
WALKING THE WALK
Casen Taggart has shown his patience at the plate, earning 45 walks this season. He's among the best in taking bases on balls in the country, sitting 53rd in the NCAA in total walks and fifth in the Big Ten. On a per game basis, Taggart has the 33rd-highest mark in the country and is also fifth the Big Ten (0.92). He's collected four walks on two occasions this season, most recently against Purdue (4/6).
Taggart has cemented himself as one of the best batters on the team, earning a .325 batting average to lead the team, along with a team-best .468 on base percentage. Taggart also owns the longest reached base streak on the team this season, currently sitting at 30 straight games.
DYNAMIC DAWG DEFENSE
The Husky defense has been just as strong as the pitching, leading the Diamond Dawgs to four shutouts, the 30th-most in the NCAA. The Huskies' fielding percentage also sits at .977, the sixth-best in the conference and 30th in the NCAA.
THOMAS ON TOP
Jackson Thomas has been a consistent starter for the Huskies since making his first start against San Francisco earlier this season. He's turned in 12 total starts, 10 of which he's gone for at least 5.0 innings. In eight of those starts, he's allowed two or less runs. Most recently against USC, Thomas went 6.0 innings with only a single run allowed.
Among pitchers reaching the minimum of 1.0 IP per game, he leads the team in least walks (26) and home runs allowed (6). He's also second on the team in earned run average (4.10), opposing batting average (.268), runs allowed (31), and is third in strikeouts (48).
Thomas previously played under Head Coach Eddie Smith at Utah Valley. While there, the right-hander amassed a 3-1 record in 38.1 innings pitched. He played in 12 games and made five starts, with opponents batting .271 against him.
BOWER BOOMING
Colton Bower has been a force behind the plate and as a hitter this season. Defensively, he's caught 14 runners stealing. As a batter, Bower's logged six home runs and has 33 hits on the season, including seven doubles.
In the Big Ten rankings, Bower is second in both hit by pitch (24) and in hit by pitch per game (0.46). Bower is also in the top-30 in both hit by pitch statistics nationally, coming in at 29th in total HBP and 24th in per game.
His 24 pitches worn this season are tied for the most in a season in program history.
CENTERFIELD SHOWSTOPPER
Malakhi Knight has been a dynamic defender for Washington, flashing impressive speed and skill while roaming in centerfield. Knight has pulled back multiple home runs, including one against Illinois that landed him on the SportsCenter countdown. He's also contributed to two double plays, on both occasions catching a runner trying to tag up and score.
D3 DIAMONDS
For the third straight year, Washington has hit the NCAA Division III ranks to add to its pitching staff through the transfer portal. The Huskies added right-hander Max Banks who enjoyed a strong three-year career at Division III Chapman, collectively going 12-4, 3.35 in three seasons with a 185-to-67 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 150 2/3 innings. Last season, Washington signed right-hander Spencer Dessart out of Middlebury College in Vermont, who posted a 4.32 ERA with 63 strikeouts over 50 innings. And in 2023, UW brought in D3 transfer Kiefer Lord out of Minnesota's Carleton College, with Lord going on to be a third round draft choice in the 2023 MLB Draft.
IT CAN WAIT
For the third year in a row, a Washington commit turned down the opportunity to sign with an MLB team to join the Husky roster. Jackson Hotchkiss was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks, but opted to take his talents to UW first. Last season, Blake Wilson was drafted in the 20th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals but still made his way to Montlake. Former Husky Aiva Arquette was a 18th round draft choice by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022 before coming to campus.
