Honor Roll Games of the Week: Feb. 22 – Feb 28

February 21, 2019

Caltech Beavers @ Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens – 3 Game Series Begins Saturday @11:00am

These conference opponents kick off their SCIAC schedule this weekend with a 3-game series. Pomona comes off a 14-4 win in the season opener against fellow Honor Roll School Puget Sound. Six Honor Roll alumni saw action for the Sagehens in the opener, combining for 7 RBIs and 5 runs to jump start the offense. Jeremy Jess started his 2019 campaign with a big performance, going 3/4 with 1 HR and 4 RBIs in the leadoff spot. Pomona is also expecting a big year at the plate from fellow Honor Roll alumni (and former Honor Roll intern) Brian Knapp, who led the team in HRs, RBIs, walks and runs in the 2018 campaign.

The Sagehens also received strong performances on the mound from HRC alumni Ethan Baer and Tyler Yoshihara. After a 5 inning, 8 strikeout performance from Baer, Yoshihara – who led the team in wins and strikeouts in 2018 – closed out the last 4 innings to earn the victory.

Caltech comes into the series looking to bounce back after dropping 2 of 3 in the series opener. The Beavers picked up their first win of the season in their 2019 opener, receiving a strong outing on the mound from HRC alumni Jonah Krop. After leading the team in almost every pitching statistic in 2018 (wins, starts, complete games, innings pitched, strikeouts), Krop lasted 6 innings in his first start of 2019, striking out 6 and only allowing a run.

At the plate, HRC alumni Connor Moffatt and Cortland Perry picked up where they left off in 2018 as key contributors in the Beavers’ lineup. Perry – who led the team in at-bats, runs, walks and hits in 2018 – comes into this series batting .300 with 1 HR and 2 RBIs. Moffatt – the team leader in RBIs last year – also put up a strong performance in Caltech’s first series, collecting 3 hits and 2 runs.

Our prediction: Pomona takes 2 out of 3 from Caltech to take an early lead in the SCIAC standings.

Duke Blue Devils vs. Northwestern Wildcats – 3 Game Series Begins Friday @ 4:00pm

Duke came into the 2019 season with high expectations, ranking 25^th in the NCBWA Preseason Poll and predicted to come in 2^nd in the ACC Coastal Division. So far, the Blue Devils have lived up to the hype and look to carry that momentum into the weekend home series against the Wildcats. With a series sweep, Duke could enter the month of March with an undefeated record for the first time since 2008.

The Blue Devils strong start to the season has been aided by the impressive performance of Honor Roll alumni and senior captain Hunter Davis. One of six HRC alumni on the Duke roster, Davis has appeared in 2 games out of the bullpen, striking out 7 and allowing only 2 base runners in 5.1 innings pitched.

Escaping the late-winter Chicago chill on the Lake Michigan shore, Northwestern continues their 9-game road trip at Duke this weekend. Entering the series with a 2-2 record, the Wildcats will lean on Honor Roll alumni infielder Alex Erro to help end the Blue Devil’s winning streak. Erro – one of nine Honor Roll alumni on the Northwestern roster – led the team in at-bats for the second straight season last year and earned 2019 Big Ten Preseason Honors. Through 4 games, Erro continues to be an offensive catalyst for Northwestern, batting .353 with 1 HR, 2 RBIs and 2 steals to kick off his junior year.

Our prediction: The Blue Devils wins the series, but Northwestern puts an end to their winning streak. Duke takes 2 out of 3.