Fresh off their historic NWC Championship in 2023 and first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, the Lewis & Clark Pioneers are gearing up for another challenging season in the Northwest Conference. Head coach Matt Kosderka and the Pios have released their 2024 schedule.
The Pios will kick off their season February 16th in California with a three-game series at Whittier College (14-25). Following the opening series, the Pios have a lone road game against Pomona-Pitzer (21-19) before heading up to Oregon to play a pair of games against defending regular season champion Pacific University (25-16). They’ll return home for the first time to play the back half of the home-and-home against Pacific. Lewis & Clark will wrap up the opening month by hosting the University of Puget Sound (19-16) for 2 games. These four games against NWC foes are non-conference games.
March throws down the gauntlet as the Pioneers host a gauntlet of Northwest Conference and non-conference foes. NWC play kicks off March 2nd at home against Willamette University (25-13). UMass Boston (24-18) from the Little East Conference, and Vassar College (20-18) from the Liberty League, each travel from the east coast to play at the Huston Sports Complex.
Linfield University (13-24), another NWC rival with a chip on their shoulder after a disappointing 2023, will be eager to spoil the Pioneers’ home turf advantage. To close out March, the Pioneers take their talents south to the heart of conference country, facing George Fox University (15-21) in a three-game series that could have major implications for the NWC title race.
When April rolls around, Northwest Conference play will be in full swing. The Pios open the month by welcoming Pacific Lutheran (17-19) for a big 3-game clash. Lewis & Clark will then head on the road themselves for a series at Puget Sound (19-16). Later in April, the Pios will host Whitworth (11-27) before traveling east to take on Whitman (24-19) in a 3-game road set. The regular season concludes in early May with a trip to Pacific University, a rematch of last season’s NWC championship game.