Game Times (Mountain):
Friday - vs. Minot State, 4 p.m.
Sunday - vs. Saint Martin's, 12 noon
COMPLETE WEEKEND GAME SCHEDULE

Audio/Video: None
Live Stats: Dixie State Live Stats
Twitter: @DixieAthletics | #DixieBase
 
PROJECTED STARTERS:
Friday (G1) – RHP Dylan File (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. MSU LHP Austin Berntson (0-1, 6.75 ERA)
Sunday (G2) – LHP Aaron Pope (Chubbuck, Idaho/Highland HS) (2-0, 1.35 ERA) vs. SMU RHP Mickey Walker (0-0, 2.25 ERA)

OUT OF THE BOX: No. 12/#18 Dixie State (8-0/0-0 PacWest) will look to improve on the best start in its NCAA Division II era this weekend as the Storm concludes its 10-game homestand at Bruce Hurst Field. DSU will play Minot State on Friday, Feb. 19, at 4 p.m. (MT), and will square off against SMU on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 12 noon (MT). In addition, MSU and SMU will play a three-game series at Bruce Hurst Field, beginning with a single game Friday at 12 noon, followed by a doubleheader Saturday starting at 12 noon.

LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State remained unbeaten to begin the 2016 season as the Storm went 4-0 over the weekend with victories over Northwest Nazarene and Montana State Billings. DSU posted 2-1 and 5-0 wins over NNU last Friday and Saturday, and defeated MSUB 8-1 and 10-9 (10 inn.) on Friday and Sunday.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Dixie State and Minot State have met once on the diamond, with DSU claiming a 9-0 victory almost one year ago (2/21/15) in a series that was shortened to just one game due to weather. DSU is 5-3 all-time vs. Saint Martin's, including a 3-1 series win in 2014 in St. George, and a split of a four-game road set last season in Lacey, Wash.

COACHING STAFF: Two-time Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year Chris Pfatenhauer is in his fourth season as head coach of the Dixie State Baseball program. Pfatenhauer has led the Storm to consecutive PacWest titles (2014/2015) and three-straight trips (four-straight overall) to the NCAA West Regionals, including serving as the host institution in 2013. Pfatenhauer, who won his 100th-game at DSU last season in a 2-1 victory over Cal Poly Pomona at the NCAA regionals, owns a 108-53 (.671) overall record at DSU, including a 73-27 (.730) record in PacWest play.

Joining Pfatenhauer (UNLV, 2000) in the Storm dugout this season is first-year pitching coach Michael Gargano (Walden University, 2013), along with second-year assistant coaches Matt Hill (Dixie State 2015), and Bobby Rinard (Arizona, 2014), and first-year assistant coach Patrick Perry (Northern Colorado, 2013).

STORM PICKED AS PACWEST CO-FAVORITES: Dixie State was chosen as a preseason co-favorite to once again win the 2016 Pacific West Conference title according to annual preseason coaches' poll released Jan. 27. The two-time defending PacWest champions received two first place votes to finish with 88 points in the poll. DSU is tied atop the poll with California Baptist, which collected 88 points and six first place nods, followed by Azusa Pacific in third with two first place votes and 78 points. Point Loma (66 points) was tabbed to finish fourth and Fresno Pacific (63 points) was selected fifth to round out the top-half of the poll.

Dixie State also landed two players on the PacWest Preseason all-Conference team in senior shortstop Tanner Morache (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada/Surrey HS) and junior second baseman Drew McLaughlin (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS).

WE'RE GOING STREAKING: Not only is Dixie State looking to win its third-straight PacWest crown in 2016, the Storm is also hoping to keep its NCAA postseason streak alive as well. DSU has made four-straight NCAA regional appearances, which is currently the longest active streak in the West Region.

IT'S NOT HOW YOU START: Dixie State's 8-0 start to the 2016 season is the program's best start (through eight games) in its near 10 years of NCAA Division II competition. The 8-0 start to the year bucked a trend that saw DSU drop the first seven games of each of the past two seasons. However those seasons turned out just fine as the Storm won the PacWest championship and advanced on to the NCAA West Regionals in each of those years. In 2013, Dixie State began the season 12-1 en route to a 32-17 overall record and the program's second trip to the NCAA West Regionals.

DSU IN THE POLLS: Dixie State's 8-0 has not only caught the attention of the local media and the PacWest Conference, but also the national media as well. Dixie State went from not being ranked to vaulting to #12 in the National College Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA) poll, and to #18 in the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll. DSU also moved up one spot to #2 and received one first-place vote in this week's NCBWA West Region poll.

McLAUGHLIN NAMED PACWEST AND NCBWA REGION POW: Junior second baseman Drew McLaughlin (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS) was named PacWest and NCBWA West Region Baseball Player of the Week for his efforts in helping lead the Storm to four home wins this past weekend.

McLaughlin combined to hit .562 (9-for-16) with two home runs, five RBI, four stolen bases and five runs scored on the weekend. He hit safely in all four games and had at least two hits in three of the four games overall, including a 2-for-3 day with a homer in DSU's 8-1 win over Montana State Billings last Friday, followed by a 2-for-4 effort with a two-run home run in the Storm's 5-0 triumph over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. The junior then capped the weekend with a 4-for-6 day at the plate, including a game-winning RBI-single in the 10th-inning, as DSU rallied for a 10-9 win vs. MSUB last Sunday.

McLaughlin has hit safely in all eight DSU games this season, including five-multi hit games, to help lead the Storm to an 8-0 start in 2016, which is the program's best start in DSU's NCAA Division II era. He currently leads the PacWest in hits (16) and is second in batting average (.516), slugging percentage (.742) and RBI (10).

HOME SWEET HOME: Since becoming an NCAA Division II program in 2006-07, Dixie State has played to a 189-80 (.702) record inside the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field with seven-straight winning seasons at home overall. The Storm has posted five 20-plus win seasons over that span, including a program-best 26 wins (26-7) in 2009, and a 22-5 (.814) record under Coach Pfatenhauer in 2014.

FROM POLE TO POLE: Junior RF Trey Kamachi (Kapolei, Hawai'i/Kapolei HS) has solidified his spot in the two-hole with a .464 average/1HR/7RBI through eight games ... has hit safely in all eight games this season and owns a 12-game hitting streak overall dating back to the final four games of last season ... started in CF the openers against both NNU and MSUB last Friday and hit .428 (6-for-14) on the weekend with an RBI and three runs scored ... Junior CF Jerome Hill II (Pittsburg, Calif./Pittsburg HS) started both finales vs. NNU and MSUB after coming off the bench in both Friday games ... hit .500 (4-for-8) combined, including a 3-for-4 day in the finale vs. MSUB with a double, one RBI and two runs scored ... connected for a towering two-run homer (1) in the fifth inning of Saturday's win over NNU ... Junior LF/DH Ryan Rodriguez (Folsom, Calif./Vista Del Lago HS) rebounded from a tough start to the weekend with a 2-for-4 effort with two RBI and a run scored in the finale vs. MSUB ... Junior OF Miles Bice (Henderson, Nev./Coronado HS) started in RF in both Friday games and collected a hit in each start and drove in a pair of runs vs. MSUB ... laid down a picture-perfect bunt on a eighth-inning suicide-squeeze to plate an insurance run in the finale vs. MSUB Sunday.

AROUND THE HORN: Freshman INF Bryce Feist (Emmett, Idaho/Rocky Mountain HS) started at 3B in game #1 vs. MSUB and the finale vs. NNU ... though held hitless in three games overall he collected two RBI, one stolen base and a run scored ... Sophomore Hayes Hall (Spanish Fork, Utah/Spanish Fork HS) split time at DH and 3B in the two weekend games ... went 1-for-2 with an RBI and run scored in the finale vs. MSUB ... Junior 3B Tyler Mildenberg (Huntington Beach, Calif./Marina HS) was held hitless in three ABs in the opener vs. NNU and was retired as a PH in the finale vs. MSUB ... Senior SS Tanner Morache (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada/Surrey HS) rebounded from an 0-for-3 opener vs. NNU by hitting .363 (4-for-11) in the final three games on the weekend with a double, two RBI and two runs scored ... the Storm lead-off hitter is batting .400 on th year with eight RBI and seven runs scored ... Junior 2B Drew McLaughlin (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS) earned PacWest and NCBWA West Region Player of the Week honors after batting .562 (9-for-16) with two home runs, five RBI, four stolen bases and five runs scored on the weekend ... hit safely in all four games and had at least two hits in three of the four games overall ... went 4-for-6 at the plate, including a game-winning RBI-single in the 10th-inning, as DSU rallied for a 10-9 win vs. MSUB last Sunday ... currently leads the team in hitting (.516), HR (2) and RBI (10) and is a team-best 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts ... Senior 1B Sam Hall reached base six times combined on the weekend despite hitting just .154 in four starts ... was HBP three times, including twice in the opener vs. MSUB, to go with two runs scored.

THE BACKSTOPS: Junior catcher Reece Lucero (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva HS) played in three of four games on the weekend with starts in both games vs. NNU ... went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and run scored in the opener before being held hitless in the NNU finale ... came on as a defensive sub vs. MSUB Sunday ... Sophomore Jake Davison (Taylorsville, Utah/Taylorsville HS) started both games vs. MSUB and went 1-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored in the Sunday finale.

ROTATION NOTES: G1 starter sophomore RHP Dylan File (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) (1-0) dominated NNU through seven shutout innings, striking out seven while allowing just one hit and a walk to earn his first win of the season. File has yet to give up an earned run and has struck out 15 through 12.0IP ... G2 hurler junior Mason Hilty (Richland, Wash./Richland HS) (2-0) scattered three hits and one run over seven innings with eight strikeouts to earn the win vs. MSUB. Hilty has 11 strikeouts in 12.0IP this season ... G3 starter junior LHP Aaron Pope (Chubbuck, Idaho/Highland HS) (2-0) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in the finale vs. NNU ... faced just one batter over the minimum and threw only 64 pitches through his first six innings of work ... his no-hit bid ended on a clean single with two outs in the seventh ... pitched into the eighth and finished with five strikeouts to earn his second win in as many starts ... G4 starter senior Chance Abrath (Salt Lake City, Utah/West HS) pitched into the fourth inning in the finale vs. MSUB, allowing four runs (one earned) on four hits with three strikeouts ... has recorded 10 strikeouts in 8.1IP.

CALL TO THE PEN: The DSU bullpen combined for one win and two saves in the four games last weekend ... senior closer Jeremy Alderman (Cheney, Wash./Cheney HS) picked up his second save on the year in the opener vs. NNU ... senior RHP Spencer Greer (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville HS) (1-0) earned his first save of the season in game two vs. NNU and was the winning pitcher in the extra-inning triumph vs. MSUB Sunday ... senior LHP Kolton Brost (Mona, Utah/Payson HS) fanned three over 2.1 innings in the finale vs. MSUB ... in all, 10 relievers combined to work 12.1 innings over the four games, allowing 15 hits and six runs (five earned) with 11 strikeouts.

TEAM NOTES: DSU combine to hit .292 in the four games last weekend (36-for-123) and still leads the PacWest in hitting at .341 through eight games ... despite allowing a season-high nine runs (five earned) and 13 hits in the finale vs. MSUB, Dixie State's pitching staff continues to lead the PacWest in team ERA (1.52) and opponent's BA (.177) ... for the weekend, DSU hurlers held NNU and MSUB to a combined .185 (25-for-135) average and posted a 1.21 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 37IP ... DSU is 17-for-19 (.894) in stolen bases through eight games, including a 10-for-11 effort last weekend.

UP NEXT: Dixie State hits the road for the first time this season next weekend as the Storm travels to Grand Junction for a four-game series vs. current #3/#4 Colorado Mesa. The Storm and Mavericks will play a single game on Friday, Feb. 26, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 27, and the series finale on Sunday, Feb. 28.