TACOMA, Washington – Puget Sound baseball has unfinished business.
 
Navigating a late-season schedule that entailed several postponed games in 2022, Puget Sound won five of its last eight Northwest Conference games to make a push for the NWC Tournament. However, the Loggers came up just one game shy of reaching the postseason.
 
Two-time All-NWC First Team honoree Dylan Joyce headlines the Loggers' roster in 2023. He cranked 13 home runs last spring, which ranked second in the conference. Joyce, now a senior, also became Puget Sound's all-time leader in saves (12).
 
Joyce's 2022 accolades didn't stop at the conference level. He was named to the D3baseball.com All-Region First Team, and ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Second Team.
 
Junior Makana Murashige is back with his infectious positive energy and quick bat. While playing third base last year, he hit .315 and swiped 17 bags. It was the most steals in a season by a Logger since 2016, when Cal Muramaru totaled 18 steals.
 
Murashige has been taking reps at second base this year – a position that was almost exclusively held by Kyle Strash '22 since 2018.
 
The speedy Cody Hirano is poised to reclaim centerfield. He made 23 starts in 2022, hitting .344 on the season.
 
Gio Parascondola is entering a pivotal third year for Puget Sound. Over the past two seasons, he has the most home runs (8) by a Logger not named Joyce. Although he hit .247 last year, Parascondola found his stroke late in the season by hitting .455 in his final six games.
 
A couple of sophomore arms are poised to lead the weekend rotation. Davis Franklin made 11 starts (12 appearances) in his rookie year. Although his 5.75 ERA doesn't look great on paper, Franklin was brilliant through an extended stretch of the season. Through five consecutive appearances (27.0 IP), Franklin posted a 3.33 ERA with 24 strikeouts.
 
That stretch included an eight-inning start against Whitworth in which he allowed one earned run and struck out six. In his very next start, Franklin struck out 10 in just 4.1 innings at Whitman.
 
Brett Harvey posted a 5.14 ERA through 12 appearances (two starts). Although he pitched primarily out of the bullpen, Harvey ranked third on the team for innings pitched (35.0). One of Harvey's most memorable outings last year when he made the start at Cheney Stadium in a non-conference games against Pacific Lutheran. Harvey kept the Lutes off the scoreboard through his five innings of work.
 
In certain matchups Joyce may serve as the Sunday starter, but Joe Schwab, Henry Baker, and some freshmen could earn starts throughout the spring.
 
The 2023 season begins with two trips to California. The Loggers take on Whittier for three games, Feb. 3-4, and then play one game at Occidental, Feb. 5.
 
The following week Puget Sound plays two at Caltech (Feb. 11), followed by one game at Redlands (Feb. 12).
 
The home-opener is also the NWC opener, when the Loggers host Whitman, Feb. 18-19.
 
After getting thumped by the Loggers in Cheney Stadium last year (13-3), Pacific Lutheran has opted to not play a Cheney Stadium game this year. Instead, the Loggers will go head-to-head against St. Martin's, April 12, in the home of the Tacoma Rainiers.