Healthy Huskies surge into rivalry

With four key players back from injuries, the Husky baseball team surges into the Palouse for a three-game series against Washington State (5-10 Pac-10, 14-27 overall) this weekend. Excitement is high, as the revamped Huskies (3-9, 24-12) have a chance to get back into the Pac-10 race with a series victory over their archrivals.

"It's the Apple Cup -- Cougars-Huskies," said Husky coach Ken Knutson. "We're gonna get after it."

Last Tuesday, staff ace Sean White made his first appearance in more than a month, going three innings. White, a sophomore from Mercer Island, will get the start Sunday and will be ready to throw more pitches.

"I feel good -- right at 100 percent," said White. "I had a pitch count of 70, so against Washington State I will be able to go a lot deeper."

Last Wednesday, senior Marc Rittenhouse and sophomore Jefferson Thiel saw their first action in a month. Rittenhouse, a co-captain at second base, got two hits in his first game since a thumb injury. Thiel, at designated hitter, was on base for catcher Ben Johnson's walk-off home run.

Last week, outfielder Brandon Jacobson returned from a hand injury suffered March 21 when Cougar second basemen Bookie Gates dropped a knee on his wrist.

"We've got a little bit of momentum heading into the weekend," Johnson said. "We get Marc Rittenhouse and everybody back, so we can go over there and get back in it."

For the series, Thiel, normally the Husky catcher, will remain at DH while his elbow heals. Johnson, a true freshman, will keep his spot behind the plate.

Senior co-captain Jeff Carlsen (1-2, 5.21) will get the start on today. He is followed by Shawn Kohn (4-1, 1.08), who had a streak of 33 innings without an earned run snapped during Tuesday's 5-4 loss to Lewis-Clark State. White (3-0, 3.41) will take the mound in the final game on Sunday.

The Huskies already took two non-conference home games from the Cougars this year, March 20 and 21. In addition, the Cougars have lost their last seven games against Washington. In Knutson's nine-year stint as coach, Washington has dominated the rivalry series with a 39-18 record.

"Last time they came over here we almost got in a brawl, so there's going to be something going on," said Rittenhouse. "We're pretty slow in the Pac-10 right now. We want to go over there and get things started."