Oregon Institute of Technology Athletics

COMING UP: at No. 3 Lewis-Clark State (DH), Saturday, 12 p.m.; at No. 3 Lewis-Clark State (DH), 11 a.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
WATCH / LISTEN LIVE: All four games of the LC State series will be carried on the Warrior Sports Network (PPV), which will include a simulcast from the 950 KOZE-AM radio broadcast with Brian Danner on the call. Live Stats will also be available through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST AT HOME: Playing for the first time on their own diamond in 2023, the Hustlin' Owls bats paved the way to a series win over College of Idaho. Tech combined for 45 runs on 55 hits in the 4-game series – including 14 doubles and three triples – extending a string of games with at least nine hits to 10. OIT scored 10-or-more runs in three of the four games, upping their season total of double-digit scoring games to 10.
 
JONES EARNS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: For the first time this season, an OIT position player has earned the Cascade Conference Player of the Week award, as right fielder Julien Jones was honored after a big weekend against C of I. The transfer finished 5-for-14 at the plate, making the most of his hits – roping three doubles and two triples, driving in 11 runs. Jones gave the Owls the lead for good in Game 1 with a 2-run triple and provided the big blow in Game 4, lining a 3-run double in the eighth inning to erase a 5-4 deficit. He leads the regular starters with a .361 batting average with 23 RBI in just 15 games.
 
SIRACUSA A MAGNET: Utility player Korrey Siracusa has been a baseball magnet this season, ranking No. 4 in the NAIA in hit-by-pitches with 15. The transfer leads the Owls with a .515 on-base percentage – fueled by a 12-game hit streak and a series vs. C of I where he reached base in 11-of-20 plate appearances, scoring 10 runs, while adding two doubles and three RBI.
 
BIG WEEKEND WITH THE STICK: Tech got key production up-and-down the line-up against C of I – getting solid weekend in the middle of the order from Ka'ala Tam and Bryce Petrilla, with Sean Tobin and Dane Bradshaw having big weekends at the bottom of the order. Tam was 8-for-17 with a double, triple and two RBI in the series – scoring nine runs and adding three stolen bases, pushing his team-high total to 11. Petrilla hit safely in all four games, extending his hit streak to six – going 6-for-17 with three runs scored. Tobin finished his weekend 7-for-12 at the plate, roping two doubles, scoring four runs and adding five RBI. Bradshaw had his best weekend of 2023, going 6-for-10 with three doubles and five RBI, extending his hit streak to six games – improving his batting average since Feb. 24 to .448 (13-for-29).
 
TOUGH ELEMENTS FOR THE ARMS: The weather was not optimal for pitchers of both teams last weekend, as temperatures failed to break 40 degrees and a cold wind howled for the majority of the series. Facing the top offense in the CCC, OIT pitchers combined to allow 33 runs on 47 hits, with Tech's ERA jumping from 4.18 to 4.81 – but in the end, the squad did enough to win 3-of-4 games.
 
KEY STARTS: Quality starts from Patrick Arman and Brendan Talonen were instrumental in the Hustlin' Owls series win over C of I, both continuing outstanding 2023 seasons. Arman picked up his fifth-straight decision, tossing a season-high seven innings, surrendering four runs on eight hits and striking out five – moving one win away from John Schulz's all-time school record of 16 and 29 strikeouts from the 200 mark for his career. With a taxed bullpen that had been used extensively, Talonen threw six-plus innings of solid baseball, holding C of I to two earned runs on four hits, while tying a career-high with eight strikeouts and heads into the weekend with a stellar 2.60 ERA.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Tech heads into the weekend 16-2 this season when scoring 6-or-more runs and are 17-3 in games where they allow 5-runs-or-less. OIT is a perfect 16-0 in 2023 when holding the lead after the sixth inning, while their win in Game 4 vs. C of I marked their first come-from-behind victory this season in the eighth inning or later.
 
WORLD SERIES VENUE: The Owls hit the road to Lewiston, Idaho, meeting Lewis-Clark State in a 4-game weekend series. OIT will play at Harris Field, the host site for the NAIA World Series, held in the LC Valley every Memorial Day Weekend since 2000. The venue has been a difficult one for Tech, as the squad holds an all-time record of 4-48 at Harris Field, including non-conference games in 2004 and 2006, along with games in the 2021 CCC Championships.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – LEWIS-CLARK STATE: It hasn't been the typical start for LC State in Cascade Conference (or in the past, NAIA West Grouping) play, as the No. 3-ranked Warriors (19-7, 4-4 CCC) have split their first eight conference counters and dropped just their second league series since joining the scheduling pool in 2011. LC is among the best offensive teams on the West Coast, hitting .310 as a group and averaging eight runs per game – but were held to just five total runs in a series loss at UBC. Outfielders Nick Seamons (.382 10 HR 27 RBI) and Vanderbilt transfer Isaiah Thomas (.379 5 HR 20 RBI) look to rebound this weekend, along with second baseman Pu'akani De Sa (.348 4 HR 23 RBI) and third baseman Dominic Signorelli (.318 7 HR 27 RBI). A deep pitching staff is paced by righty Trevin Hope (3-1 1.75 ERA) and lefty Dallas McGill (2-1 2.74 ERA), while the bullpen is led by returners Cameron Smith (3-0 0.95 ERA, 2 saves) and Greg Blackman (2-1 1.31 ERA, 2 saves).
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Bushnell holds the top spot in the standings after opening CCC play with a sweep of Eastern Oregon, with Tech one-game back in the loss column. This week, BU hits the road to meet rival Corban, UBC travels to Eastern, OIT heads to LCSC, while College of Idaho will play Linfield during their bye weekend.
 
20-WIN SEASONS: The win in Sunday's finale secured the 13th 20-win season in OIT program history and the third-straight 20-win season. It marks the second time the Hustlin' Owls have logged 3-straight 20-win campaigns, joining the 2008, 2009 and 2010 squads – with the 20-10 start equaling the second-best start in program history (the 2022 team began 21-9, with the 1982 team starting 20-10). Tech has recorded four 25-win seasons (1982, 2009, 2010 and 2022).
 
WIN STREAKS: Sunday's Game 1 loss snapped a 7-game win streak by the Owls – their longest win streak since 2018. It was the eighth win streak of 7-games or more, with OIT recording 7-game streaks in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2018 and 2023; a pair of 8-game streaks in 1981; with the school-record 11-game win streak in 2009.
 
THE STEEN FACTOR: With the series win over College of Idaho, the Hustlin' Owls improved to 18-7 since moving their home field from Kiger Stadium to Steen Sports Park. During that time, OIT has four series wins, one series split and just one series loss.
 
RECORD BOOK: Seven players have moved their way into Top-25 in the OIT career record book. Patrick Arman sits at No. 2 in wins (15), No. 3 in strikeouts (171), No. 4 in pitching starts (32), No. 6 in innings pitched (214.1), No. 14 in appearances (42) and No. 20 in complete games (4); Cody Dubray is No. 6 in strikeouts (140), No. 18 in appearances (38) and No. 19 in both wins (9) and pitching starts (22); Tyler Horner is No. 13 in hit-by-pitches (18), ranking just outside the Top-25 in walks (40) and doubles (22); Ka'ala Tam ranks No. 22 in stolen bases (19); Riley Cronin ranks No. 6 all-time in saves (4); with both Brodie Marino and Korrey Siracusa ranking No. 20 in hit-by-pitches (15).
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Owls return home next weekend to host Corban in a 4-game series, beginning Friday, April 7.