MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine baseball team closes out conference play this weekend against the Portland Pilots.

The Waves (12-33, 6-12) currently sit in sixth place in the West Coast Conference while the Pilots (28-17, 13-5) have clinched a tournament berth, holding onto second place heading into this weekend.

SCHEDULE:
GAME #1 — Pepperdine (12-33, 6-12) vs. Portland (28-17, 13-5) | Friday, May 10 | 3 p.m. | Eddy D. Field Stadium | Malibu, Calif.
GAME #2 — Pepperdine vs. Portland | Saturday, May 11 | 1 p.m. | Eddy D. Field Stadium | Malibu, Calif.
GAME #3 — Pepperdine vs. Portland | Sunday, May 12 | 12 p.m. | Eddy D. Field Stadium | Malibu, Calif.

COVERAGE: All three games will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required). Links to broadcasts as well as live stats will be available at pepperdinewaves.com.

OPPONENTS:  Pepperdine is 77-28 overall against Portland with the last win coming in the last game of the 2022 season at Eddy D. Field Stadium. 12 of those games have gone into extra innings, with the last being a 10-inning game in 2019. Pepperdine is 3-7 in the last 10 matchups, including two home wins.

LAST GAMES: The Waves went to Moraga, Calif. last weekend to take on the Gaels of Saint Mary's (30-16, 13-5). Dropping all three games, the doubleheader Sunday proved to be promising for our offense. The midweek game at #25 UC Santa Barbara resulted in a crushing 7-5 loss despite out-hitting the Gauchos 16-11.

Senior outfielder Connor Walsh (Niceville, Fla.) hit a double in his two on the day, including two RBIs.
 
Graduate infielder Brady Renck (Longmont, Colo.) tallied two RBIs and a double while going 2-for-4.
 
Senior Connor Bradshaw (New Rochelle, N.Y.) went .500 on the day with an RBI of his own.

THE SQUAD
The Waves return 21 players from last year's squad including three returning starters in the field and two of the three weekend starting pitchers. Pepperdine welcomes 18 newcomers, including nine transfers.
 
On the pitching side this season, Friday starter sophomore RHP Nick Bonn has recorded 32 strikeouts through 48 innings pitched. He has started all six games he has appeared in, with an overall season record of 0-3.
 
Redshirt sophomore Tommy Scavone has a team-low ERA of 3.42 in his seven appearances for the Waves, including six starts. Scavone has 28 strikeouts through 26 innings pitched with only two walks.
 
The Waves to keep an eye on going into this weekend are graduate student Brady Renck, junior infielder Justin Rubin, and senior outfielder Connor Bradshaw.
 
Renck, a transfer from Longmont College, has started in all but one of Pepperdine's games this season. Leading the team in doubles and triples, the second baseman has been a force to be reckoned with for defenses.
 
Current designated hitter Rubin started in 10 games before being sidelined for about a month due to injury. Recording a hit in all but two of his appearances, Rubin is amongst the best on the team with a .361 batting average.
 
A four-year player for Pepperdine, Bradshaw is having his best year of his career. Hitting a .322 with a team-tied leading four home runs, he is one of the Waves best offensive threats. With 47 hits, he is just seven back from leading the WCC and currently sits at fifth.
 
A dark horse to keep an eye on for the Waves is freshman utility player Corwin Hemmingsen. Starting in 17 of his 23 game appearances, Hemmingsen has filled the role of DH, first base, and pitcher as he threw four innings with only four hits and no runs allowed against Western Michigan Feb. 25. Offensively, the Arizona State transfer has recorded 20 hits with eight RBIs, good for a .333 batting average.
 
THE STANDINGS

1. San Diego                   17-4                .810                 34-13              .723
2. Saint Mary's                13-5               .722                 30-16              .652
3. Gonzaga                     14-7                .667                 19-26             .422
4. Portland                      13-5                .722                 28-17              .622

5. Santa Clara                8-10               .444                 22-23              .489
6. Pepperdine                6-12               .333                 12-33              .267

7. LMU                            6-12                .333                 21-26              .447   

8. Pacific                         4-14                .222                 10-38              .208
9. San Francisco            3-15                .167                 20-28              .417