Game Times (Mountain):
Thursday - 6 p.m.
Friday (DH) - 4 p.m.
Saturday - 12 noon

Audio/Video: www.southernutahlive.com (Saturday only)
Live Stats: Dixie State Live Stats
Twitter: @DixieAthletics | @Dixie_Base | #RollStorm | #PacWestBASE | #d2bsb
 
PROJECTED STARTERS:
Thursday (G1) – RHP Dylan File (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) (1-0, 2.25 ERA) vs. RHP Tyson Miller (2-2, 1.91 ERA)
Friday (G2) – LHP Aaron Pope (Chubbuck, Idaho/Highland HS) (2-0, 2.78 ERA) vs. RHP Dylan Stowell (3-0, 1.20 ERA)
Friday (G3) – RHP Mason Hilty (Richland, Wash./Richland HS) (4-0, 3.54 ERA) vs. LHP Jere McDonald (1-0, 2.53 ERA)
Saturday (G4) – RHP Chance Abrath (Salt Lake City, Utah/West HS) (1-0, 5.06 ERA) vs. TBA

FIRST PITCH: No. 9/12 Dixie State (12-2/0-0 PacWest) opens Pacific West Conference play this weekend as the Storm welcomes conference co-favorite #28 California Baptist (10-4/0-0 PacWest) to Bruce Hurst Field for a four-game series. The Storm and Lancers will play a single game on Thursday, March 3 at 6 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Friday, March 4 beginning at 4 p.m., and the series finale on Saturday, March 5 at 12 noon.  

LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State hit the road for the first time in 2016 and came away with a four-game series split at then-No.3/3 Colorado Mesa last weekend in Grand Junction. All four games in the set were decided by one run, with the Mavericks claiming the first two games by 2-1 (10 inn.) and 5-4 counts. The Storm battled back for a 6-5 win in game three and clinched the split with a 13-12 triumph in the finale this past Sunday.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Dixie State and California Baptist have played to an even 13-13 record against one another over their eight-year rivalry. However it is the Lancers who got the better of the Storm last season as CBU won four of the five meetings, including a 3-1 series win at Bruce Hurst Field, and a hard-fought 2-1 victory in the first game of the 2015 NCAA West Regionals in Walnut, Calif. In all, 17 of the 26 meetings between the two teams have been played at Bruce Hurst Field, with DSU holding a slim 9-8 edge in its home park.

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 112-55 (.670) 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 12-2 record to begin the 2016 season, including a 10-0 start overall, is the program's best record (through 14 games) in its near 10 years of NCAA Division II competition. DSU's start also bucked a trend that saw DSU drop the first seven games of each of the past two seasons. However those two 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 11-3, including 10-straight wins after a 1-1 start, 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 early success in 2016 has not only caught the attention of the local media and the PacWest Conference, but also the national media as well.
    Dixie State moved up one spot to #9 in this week's National College Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA) poll, and to #12 in the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll. DSU also jumped up three spots to #8 in the new D2BaseballNews.com poll and remained #2 in this week's NCBWA West Region poll.

RODRIGUEZ NAMED PACWEST NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK: Junior outfielder/DH Ryan Rodriguez (Folsom, Calif./Vista Del Lago HS) was named Pacific West Conference Baseball Newcomer of the Week on Monday for his efforts in the Storm's four-game series split at nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa last weekend.
    Rodriguez (6-4, 220; Folsom, Calif./Vista Del Lago HS/Butte CC) hit .571 (8-for-14) in four starts with two doubles, two RBI and one run scored. He collected two hits in all four games in the series and posted a .714 slugging percentage and .646 on-base percentage.

HOME SWEET HOME: Thanks to the 10-0 start at home to begin the 2016 season, Dixie State owns a 191-80 (.705) record inside the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field since becoming an NCAA Division II program in 2006-07, 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.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Dixie State has also held its own on the road, having played to a 99-92 overall record (.518) through its first nine-plus years of D-II competition, including a 2-2 start this season, with five-straight winning seasons. Last year the Storm went a program-best 15-5 on the road (.750) and has won at least 10 road games in six-straight seasons overall.
    When you figure in neutral-site games (3-6 in nine games), DSU is 102-98 (.510) all-time away from Bruce Hurst Field in NCAA play.

IT'S DEEP AND I DON'T THINK IT'S PLAYABLE: Though Dixie State did not homer in the four games at CMU, the Storm has gone deep nine times this season, including four home runs in its last two home games, with a season-high three homers coming in the homestand finale vs. Saint Martin's (2/2).
    Senior SS Tanner Morache (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada/Surrey HS) hit arguably one of the most memorable home runs in program history with his walk-off grand slam in the 10th-inning of DSU's 9-6 win vs. SMU.
    Morache's slam marked the first time since the 2010 season that DSU won a game on a walk-off homer and it was the first walk-off grand slam in DSU's D-II era. Former OF Brett Adams had the last Storm walk-off homer, which came in a 9-8 home win over PacWest rival California Baptist (3/31/10).
    Prior to Morache, the last Storm player to record a grand slam was senior 1B Sam Hall, who hit one last season in a 10-6 home win vs. Academy of Art (3-28-15).    

FROM POLE TO POLE: Junior RF Trey Kamachi (Kapolei, Hawai'i/Kapolei HS) extended his current hitting streak to 18 games overall, including all 14 games this season and the final four games of the 2015 campaign ... he hit .375 last weekend at CMU (6-for-16) with five runs scored and two sacrifice bunts ... he leads the team in hitting at .451 with one HR, seven RBI and 12 runs scored ... he also leads the team in sacrifices (8) and is 5-of-6 in the stolen base department.
    Junior CF Jerome Hill II (Pittsburg, Calif./Pittsburg HS) started in two of the four games of the CMU series and went 2-for-8 (.250) ... Hill II came off the bench in the final two games and had just one at bat, but that plate appearance was a big one has he drove home the eventual game-winning run with a double down the left field line in the ninth inning of Sunday's finale.
    Junior LF/DH Ryan Rodriguez (Folsom, Calif./Vista Del Lago HS) was named Pacific West Conference Baseball Newcomer of the Week after he hit .571 (8-for-14) in four starts at CMU with two doubles, two RBI and one run scored ... he collected two hits in all four games in the series and posted a .714 slugging percentage and .646 on-base percentage ... Rodriguez raised his season batting average nearly 100 points to .390 heading into this weekend.
    Junior OF Miles Bice (Henderson, Nev./Coronado HS) started in all four games at CMU and hit .214 with an RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base ... scored the GW run in the CMU finale.

AROUND THE HORN: Freshman INF Bryce Feist (Emmett, Idaho/Rocky Mountain HS) started game two at CMU and picked up a base hit in four ABs ... came off the bench in the finale and drove home two runs on two sacrifice flies.  
    Sophomore Hayes Hall (Spanish Fork, Utah/Spanish Fork HS) split time at 3B and 1B in three of the four weekend games at CMU ... hit 2-for-11 (.182) with an RBI and two runs scored.
    Senior SS Tanner Morache (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada/Surrey HS) hit .263 (5-for-19) at CMU with three doubles, four RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base ... all three doubles, along with three RBI and three runs scored came in the Sunday finale ... has hit safely in three-straight and in 12 of 14 games thus far this season with six multi-hit games out of the lead-off spot ... he is third on the team with a .414 batting average and a team-high 17 RBI.
    Junior 2B Drew McLaughlin (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS) saw his 10-game hitting streak end in the opener at CMU (2/26) ... came back with two base hits in each of the final three games of the series to hit .333 (6-for-18) with a double, three RBI and three runs scored ... had a two-run double in the finale to help lead DSU back ... currently second on the team in hitting (.421) with 15 RBI, a team-high three home runs and co-leads the club in stolen bases with five.
    Senior 1B Samuel Hall (Ogden, Utah/Bonneville HS) hit .400 (4-of-10) with four walks, three RBI and three runs scored in the CMU series ... three of his four hits were doubles, including two doubles in game three to push his team-leading total to five overall ... currently hitting .306 with one homer and nine RBI to go with a team-high 10 walks.
    Sophomore DH Cam Gust (Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS) started in game three at CMU and went 0-for-3 with an RBI and run scored.  

THE BACKSTOPS: Junior catcher Reece Lucero (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva HS) hit .273 (3-for-11) in the CMU series and collected two RBI in the finale ... is currently hitting .333 in 11 games with one home run, seven RBI and six runs scored.
    Sophomore Jake Davison (Taylorsville, Utah/Taylorsville HS) started game three at CMU and went 1-for-2 with a walk and RBI ... came off the bench in the finale and tagged out a potential Maverick go-ahead run to preserve a tie (12-12) and end the eighth inning.   

ROTATION NOTES: Sophomore RHP Dylan File (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) (1-0) started the opener at CMU but did not figure into the decision in DSU's 2-1 extra-inning loss ... he limited the Mavericks to just four hits and one unearned run while tying a season-high with eight strikeouts in 7.2 IP.
    Sophomore LHP Aaron Pope (Chubbuck, Idaho/Highland HS) (2-0) got the start in game two at CMU and lasted 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with five strikeouts, but did not figure into the decision.
    Junior RHP Mason Hilty (Richland, Wash./Richland HS) (4-0) picked up his team-high fourth win of the season in a start in game three at CMU, though it wasn't easy ... Hilty fanned seven in five innings of work, but allowed five runs on eight hits.
    Senior RHP Chance Abrath (Salt Lake City, Utah/West HS) started the finale at CMU and gave up five runs on five hits in 4.1 innings.

CALL TO THE PEN: The DSU bullpen combined for one win and one save in the CMU series, but was also saddled with a pair of tough walk-off losses ... junior reliever Sean Hardman (Pleasant Grove, Utah/American Fork HS) picked up his second save of the year in game three at CMU, striking out three in two spotless innings of relief ... freshman RHP Preston Hannay (Murray, Utah/Murray HS) earned his second victory of the year out of the pen in the finale ... Hannay appeared in two games overall and struck out three while allowing just one run and three hits in three innings of work ... senior RHP Spencer Greer (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville HS) was the hard-luck pitcher of record in both DSU losses at CMU, both of which came on the Mavericks' final at bat.  

TEAM NOTES: DSU hit .311 in the CMU series last weekend (42-of-135) and continues to lead the PacWest in team batting average at .340 through 14 games ... DSU nearly doubled its team total in doubles with 13 in the four games at CMU ... prior to the road trip, the Storm had 15 doubles through its first 10 games and has a conference-best 28 overall ... DSU returns home to the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field, where the Storm had at least 11 hits in six of the 10 games of the season-opening homestand, including three 15-hit games and a season-high 17 safeties in game three vs. Cal State San Bernardino (2/6/16) ... Dixie State's pitching staff enters this weekend second in the PacWest in opponent's BA (.236) and third in team ERA (3.27) ... DSU is 25-for-28 (.893) in stolen bases through 14 games, including a 2-for-2 effort last weekend.  
    
UP NEXT: After a week off, Dixie State will embark on an eight-game PacWest Bay Area road trip March 13-19. DSU will open the trip with a four-game series at Academy of Art March 13-15, followed by a four-game set at Holy Names March 17-19.