TACOMA, Washington – The Puget Sound baseball team enters this weekend in sole possession of first place in the Northwest Conference standings, and the Loggers host George Fox for a three-game series, March 12-13. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 11 a.m., and Sunday's game starts at 12 p.m.
 
Series winners
The Loggers have started their NWC schedule by winning two of three games in each series against Linfield (Feb. 19-20), Pacific (Feb. 25-26), and Willamette (March 5-6).
 
Three-headed monster
Tyler Beckley (0.51), Davis Miller (1.06) and Owen Shellhammer (1.50) rank among the top-five ERAs in the NWC.
 
This is bullish
Pitching exclusively out of the bullpen, Tyler Beckley and Dylan Joyce have combined for two wins, three saves, and a 0.67 ERA through 26.2 combined innings.
 
In control
The Puget Sound pitching staff is allowing fewer than three walks per nine innings – its 2.97 mark leads the NWC.
 
Monster mash
Dylan Joyce is the conference leader in home runs with seven so far this spring. He hit 12 in all of 2021. Joyce also ranks second in slugging (.721), third in RBI (17), and fifth in runs scored (17).
 
Getting on and doing damage
Kyle Strash's .560 on-base percentage ranks second in the NWC, and Shane Himeda ranks fourth with a .533 on-base percentage. Strash's .377 batting average ranks sixth in the NWC, and Himeda is one sport behind with a .375 batting average. Strash has crossed home plate 18 times, which ranks third in the conference.
 
Super Hirano
Cody Hirano has at least one base hit in 12 of his 14 starts. He is hitting .347 through 49 at-bats, and his 11 RBI rank second on the team.
 
Scouting George Fox (9-9, 3-3 NWC)
The Bruins recently won two of three games against Pacific Lutheran in Newberg, Oregon (March 5-6). One of those wins was a 3-2 final in 11 innings. The Bruins' .239 team batting average is second-to-last in the NWC, but they get on base they are aggressive. George Fox has a conference-high 40 stolen bases (51 attempts). Jeremy Sangalang leads the team in hitting (.365). He and Jared Miller have 12 steals. The two Bruins with at least five starts on the mound – Ben Wills and Travis Miller – have ERAs over 7.00.