Game Times (Mountain):
Thursday vs. Concordia (OR) - 6 p.m.
Friday vs. Saint Martin's - 4 p.m.
Saturday vs. Saint Martin's - 7 p.m.
Game Notes: (DIXIE STATE - PDF) | CON | SMU
Audio/Video: NONE
Live Stats: www.sidearmstats.com/dixie/baseball
Twitter: @DixieAthletics | @Dixie_Base | #DixieBlazers | #PacWestBASE | #d2bsb
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (*2016 Stats):
Thursday (G1) – LHP Matt Mosca (Las Vegas, Nev./Cimarron Memorial HS) (2-0, 3.72 ERA) vs. (CON) RHP Jake Brewer (0-2, 9.31 ERA)
Friday (G2) – RHP Dylan File (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) (0-0, 11.17 ERA) vs. (SMU) LHP Aaron Shoup (*4-4, 5.55 ERA)
Saturday (G3) – RHP Mason Hilty (Richland, Wash./Richland HS) (1-1, 3.97 ERA) vs. (SMU) RHP Tanner Inouye (2017 debut)

FIRST PITCH: No. 13/15 Dixie State (5-3/0-0 PacWest) continues its 18-game homestand this weekend as the Trailblazers will play three games against two opponents at Bruce Hurst Field. DSU opens the weekend Thursday night with a date vs. Concordia (OR) (1-6) at 6 p.m., followed by a pair of games against Saint Martin's (0-0) Friday afternoon at 4 p.m., and Saturday night at 7 p.m.
    Concordia, SMU and Cal State Los Angeles will also play round-robin games against each other over the four-day slate of games. (Full Schedule of Games)

ALL-TIME SERIES: Thursday's game vs. Concordia (OR) will be the first-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and Cavaliers on the diamond. Meanwhile, DSU is 6-3 all-time vs. Saint Martin's, which includes a dramatic 9-6 home victory in 10 innings last season (2/21/16) that featured a walk-off grand slam home run off the bat of former DSU shortstop Tanner Morache (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada/Surrey HS). DSU also claimed a 3-1 series win in 2014 in St. George, and a split of a four-game road set vs. the Saints in 2015 in Lacey, Wash.

LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State began its 2017 home slate on a sour note as the Trailblazers dropped three of four to nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa last weekend. The two teams opened the series with split of a Friday twin bill as the Mavericks took game one in 12 innings (10-8) before DSU won the night cap by a 5-2 count. CMU then blitzed DSU in game three on Saturday, 13-2, and rallied with a pair of unearned runs in the ninth, after DSU had taken a 6-5 lead in the home half of the eighth, to clinch the series with a 7-6 win in the finale on Sunday.

COACHING STAFF: Two-time Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year Chris Pfatenhauer is in his fifth season as head coach of the Dixie State Baseball program. Pfatenhauer led DSU to consecutive PacWest titles (2014 and 2015) and to four-straight trips (five-straight overall) to the NCAA West Regionals, including serving as the host institution in 2013. Pfatenhauer owns a 145-70 (.674) overall record at DSU, including a 99-37 (.728) record in PacWest play.
    Joining Pfatenhauer (UNLV, 2000) in the Trailblazer dugout this season is second-year pitching coach Michael Gargano (Walden University, 2013), along with third-year assistant coaches Matt Hill (Dixie State 2015), and Bobby Rinard (Arizona, 2014), and second-year assistant coach Patrick Perry (Northern Colorado, 2013).

TRAILBLAZERS VOTED IN PACWEST PRESEASON POLL: Dixie State was picked to finish second in the 2017 Pacific West Conference preseason coaches' poll released on January 26. Defending PacWest champion California Baptist received five first place votes and 91 total points to edge DSU in being tabbed as the PacWest preseason favorite, while the Trailblazers collected three first-place votes and finished with 90 points. Azusa Pacific (one first-place vote) was picked to finish third with 78 points, followed by Point Loma (one first-place vote, 66 points) in fourth and Fresno Pacific (54 points) in fifth to round out the top-half of the poll.
    Dixie State senior second baseman Drew McLaughlin (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS) was voted as PacWest Preseason Player of the Year and junior righthander Dylan File (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) was named PacWest Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year. In all, the Trailblazers landed a league-high four players on the PacWest preseason team, which includes senior outfielder Trey Kamachi (Kapolei, Hawai'i/Kapolei HS) and senior 1B/DH Ryan Rodriguez (Folsom, Calif./Vista Del Lago HS).

DSU IN THE POLLS: The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released its 2017 NCAA Division II West Region preseason poll Jan. 26 (latest rankings not available as of Feb. 15), and ranked the Trailblazers second-overall behind PacWest rival California Baptist. Fellow PacWest members Azusa Pacific (6th) and Point Loma (9th) were also listed on the top-10 regional list.
    Dixie State is also ranked in the top-20 in three preseason national polls (each of the polls have not been updated as of Feb. 15), including No. 9 in the Perfect Game D-II preseason poll, 15th in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll, and 16th in the NCBWA poll. DSU is also ranked 13th-nationally in the latest D2 Baseball News poll released on Tuesday.

REGIONAL/NATIONAL HONORS FOR MCLAUGHLIN, HILTY AND LUCERO: The NCBWA announced last month its 2017 preseason all-West Region and All-America honorees and three Trailblazers made the cut. McLaughlin, senior RHP Mason Hilty (Richland, Wash./Richland HS) and senior catcher Reece Lucero (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva HS) were all voted to the West Region first team, while McLaughlin garnered third team All-America honors, and Hilty earned honorable mention All-America honors.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING: Not only is Dixie State entering the 2017 season looking to win its third PacWest crown in four seasons, the Trailblazers are also hoping to keep its NCAA postseason streak alive as well. DSU has made five-straight NCAA regional appearances, which is currently the longest active streak in the West Region.

HOME SWEET HOME: Despite dropping three-of-four over the weekend, Dixie State owns a 204-80 (.718) record inside the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field since becoming an NCAA Division II program in 2006-07.
    DSU has posted a winning record at home in all 10 seasons of NCAA play and has won 20 or more games in six of those 10 seasons, including a 24-6 overall record (.800) last season, which was the second-best home mark in the program's NCAA Division II era (26-7 in 2009), and was the best home record in four seasons under Head Coach Chris Pfatenhauer.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Dixie State has also held its own away from home as the Trailblazers opened the year 4-0 on the road, this after playing to a 14-7 road record in the 2016 regular season.
    DSU owns a 115-97 overall road record (.542) through its first 10-plus years of D-II competition with six-straight winning road marks. In 2015, DSU went a program-best 15-5 on the road (.750) and has won at least 10 road games in seven-straight seasons overall. When you also figure in neutral-site games (7-8 in 15 games), Dixie State is 122-105 (.537) all-time away from Bruce Hurst Field in NCAA play.

IT'S NOT HOW YOU START....: For just the third time in the program's NCAA Division II era, Dixie State has started a season 4-0 after the Trailblazers swept CSUSB Feb. 3-5. Last season, DSU opened with a four-game home sweep of CSUSB en route to a program-record 10-0 start. The CSUSB sweep also marked the second time in the program's NCAA-era that DSU swept a road series to start a season. In 2012, Dixie State posted a 4-0 sweep at Notre Dame de Namur on its way to a 5-0 start to that season.
    The back-to-back 4-0 starts the past two seasons also bucked a trend that saw DSU drop the first seven games in each of the previous two seasons (2014 and 2015). However those seasons turned out just fine as DSU won the PacWest championship and advanced on to the NCAA West Regionals in each of those years.

JUST WIN BABY: Dixie State set a new four-year program record for victories with 40 wins (38 regular season games) in the 2016 campaign. DSU's record-breaking season was bolstered by a 10-0 start to begin the season, its best overall start in the program's 10-year NCAA-era.
    DSU has won 30 games or more in each of the last eight seasons, including 35 in 2012 (35-20), en route to a 321-182 (.638) overall record in 10 years of NCAA Division II competition (503 games). The Trailblazers won its 300th game as a four-year program in the second game of a doubleheader at Holy Names on March 18, 2016. In addition, DSU recorded its 30th win of the 2016 season in game No. 38 (at PLNU - 4/8), which was the fastest the program had won 30 games in a season in DSU's four-year era.

IT'S DEEP AND I DON'T THINK IT'S PLAYABLE: Dixie State pounded out six home runs in the CSUSB series, including two apiece for senior 3B/2B Tyler Mildenberg (Huntington Beach, Calif./Marina HS) and junior 1B/DH Logan Porter (Surprise, Ariz./Valley Vista HS), while junior catcher Jake Davison (Taylorsville, Utah/Taylorsville HS) and senior outfielder Trey Kamachi (Kapolei, Hawai'i/Kapolei HS) accounted for the other two long balls.
    The six homers hit at CSUSB were the most hit through the first four games of a season in the program's NCAA-era, eclipsing the previous total of five HRs set twice in 2009 and again in 2010.

FROM POLE TO POLE: Senior RF Miles Bice (Henderson, Nev./Coronado HS) (.455/1HR/7RBI)started in right field in all four games vs. CMU and hit .600 (6-for-10) with three extra base hits and four RBI ... Bice went 4-for-4 in the opener with a homer, two doubles and three RBI ... Kamachi (.419/1HR/6RBI) also started in all four games vs. CMU and batted .500 (8-for-16) with two RBI and three run scored ... Kamachi collected two hits in each of the four games ... Senior Ryan Rodriguez (Folsom, Calif./Vista Del Lago HS) (.409/0HR/2RBI) started in left field in two games and at DH in another vs. CMU and combined to hit .583 (7-for-12) with a double, one RBI and two runs scored ... Rodriguez went 3-for-4 as the DH in game three ... freshman Jake Engel (Tucson, Ariz./Ironwood HS) (.000/0HR/1RBI) got his first collegiate start in game two and drove in his first career run ... senior OF Trey Reineke (Aurora, Colo./Smoky Hill HS) (.167/0HR/0RBI) came off the bench to play in three games (G1, G2, Gr) and was hitless in four ABs with two runs scored.

AROUND THE HORN: Sophomore 3B Bryce Feist (Emmett, Idaho/Rocky Mountain HS) (.280/0HR/1RBI) played in all four games with two starts vs. CMU and batted .333 (3-for-9) with an RBI and three runs scored ... Feist started two games at 3B and also saw time at SS ... Feist came off the bench to play shortstop in the finale and went 3-for-3 with an RBI and run scored ... Mildenberg (.440/2HR/7RBI) started in three of the four games he played in vs. CMU and batted .375 (6-for-16) with three RBI and four runs scored ... Mildenberg became the first Trailblazer in just over two full seasons to hit a home run in consecutive at-bats when he went deep twice in game three at CSUSB (2/4) ... former DSU outfielder Donald Glover was the last to accomplish the feat, doing so in a home loss vs. Fresno Pacific on May 3, 2014 ... senior SS Tyler Baker (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman HS) (.286/0HR/2RBI) started all four games vs. CMU but was held to an .083 average (1-for-12) with an RBI and run scored.
    McLaughlin (.367/0HR/6RBI) batted .412 (7-for-17) with two RBI and one run scored in four starts vs. CMU, three at 2B and one at LF ... McLaughlin had at least one base hit in all four starts and collected two hits in three of those four outings ... Porter (.226/2HR/9RBI) started at 1B in all four games vs. CMU and hit .267 (4-for-15) with four RBI and one run scored ... junior Cam Gust (Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS) (.000/0HR/2RBI) played in three of the four games vs. CMU with two starts ... Gust was held hitless in five ABs in the series, though he was credited with an RBI in game two.

THE BACKSTOPS: Senior catcher Reece Lucero (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva HS) (.269/0HR/5RBI) played in all four games vs. with three starts (one at DH) and hit .154 (2-for-13) with an RBI and run scored ... Davison (.385/1HR/4RBI) started behind the plate in games two and four vs. CMU and hit .286 (2-for-7) with a run scored ... Davison also collected a pinch-hit single in the opener. 

ROTATION NOTES: Junior RHP Dylan File (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) (0-0/11.17ERA/8K) started the opener vs. CMU, but did not figure into the decision after allowing seven runs and eight hits over 5.1 innings with five strikeouts.
    Senior RHP Mason Hilty (Richland, Wash./Richland HS) (1-1/3.97ERA/8K) suffered the loss in game three vs. CMU after surrendering five earned runs (seven total) and 10 hits in 5.1 innings with two strikeouts.
    Junior LHP Matt Mosca (Las Vegas, Nev./Cimarron Memorial HS) (2-0/3.72ERA/6K) picked up Dixie State's lone win in the CMU series as he scattered six hits and one run over five full innings with two strikeouts in game two.  
    Sophomore RHP Preston Hannay (Murray, Utah/Murray HS) (1-0/4.63ERA/5K) went six innings and fanned two in the finale vs. CMU, but did not figure in the decision after he was touched up for five runs and nine hits ... Hannay was snake-bitten in the third inning after the Mavericks strung together five-straight, two-out hits, which led to four CMU runs.

CALL TO THE PEN: Senior reliever Sean Hardman (Pleasant Grove, Utah/American Fork HS) (0-0/0.00ERA/3K) appeared in two games vs. CMU and pitched 4.0 innings of two-hit relief with two strikeouts ... senior RHP Jose Rosales-Rodarte (Las Vegas, Nev./Spring Valley HS) (0-0/0.00ERA/3K) made two relief appearances in the CMU series and surrendered one unearned run and one hit over 2.2 innings of work ... senior closer Tyler Burdett (Las Vegas, Nev./Sierra Vista HS) (0-1/2SV/3.60ERA/4K) was saddled with the loss in the finale vs. CMU after surrendering two unearned runs in the ninth.

TEAM NOTES: DSU hit .322 in the CMU series last weekend (46-of-143), though only seven of the 46 total hits went for extra bases (6 2B/1 HR) ... DSU is averaging 7.25 runs and 11.1 hits per game ... Dixie State's pitching staff combined to post a 6.08 ERA and collected 19 strikeouts in 37.0 IP in the CMU ... DSU's staff enters this weekend with a 5.20 team ERA.
    After Dixie State committed just one error in 152 total chances in the CSUSB, the Trailblazers committed seven errors in the CMU series ... DSU now has eight errors in 317 chances for a .975 fielding percentage ... Cal State San Bernardino recorded the first triple play turned on DSU in the Trailblazers' NCAA-era as DSU lined into a 6-3 triple play game four on Feb. 5.
    Dixie State's 12-inning series opener vs. CMU was the longest game in terms of innings played since April 23, 2015, when DSU and Azusa Pacific needed 12 innings to decide an 8-7 Trailblazer victory ... DSU played in an NCAA era program-record eight extra-inning games last season and posted a 6-2 overall record in those games ... despite the extra-inning loss to CMU, DSU is 26-13 (.667) all-time in 39 total extra-inning games in the program's four-year era.

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Dixie State will welcome in Montana State Billings for a three-game series next weekend, Feb. 24-26, at Bruce Hurst Field.