Game Times (Mountain):
Thursday - 4 p.m.
Friday - 4 p.m.
Saturday (DH) - 1 p.m.
Game Notes: DIXIE STATE - PDF | CUI
Audio/Video: None
Live Stats: portal.stretchinternet.com/cui
Twitter: @DixieAthletics | @Dixie_Base | #BlazeForward | #PacWestBASE | #d2bsb
 
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Thursday (G1) – LHP Matt Mosca (Las Vegas, Nev./Cimarron Memorial HS) (5-3, 4.79 ERA) vs. RHP Cade Temple (2-5, 4.22 ERA)
Friday (G2) – RHP Jayden Murray (Vernal, Utah/Uintah HS) (3-4, 5.23 ERA) vs. LHP Neil Lang (2-6, 3.77 ERA)
Saturday (G3) – TBA vs. LHP Will Cohen (3-2, 5.14 ERA)
Saturday (G4) – TBA vs. RHP Joshua Ibarra (2-4, 6.09 ERA)

FIRST PITCH: Dixie State (20-22/16-16 PacWest) returns to SoCal to play in its final Pacific West Conference road series this weekend at Concordia-Irvine (17-25/14-17 PacWest). All four games will be played at Eagles Field in Irvine, with Thursday's series-opener beginning at 3 p.m. (PT), followed by game two Friday at 3 p.m. (PT), and a Saturday doubleheader starting at 12 noon (PT).
    The Trailblazers enter their final PacWest road series having won 14 of their last 20 games overall to move into sixth place in the league standings with eight games left.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Dixie State owns a 6-2 series lead on the CUI, having won three out of four in each of the first two four-game sets played between the two sides overall.

LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State came away with a road split of a four-game series at PacWest newcomer Biola last weekend in La Mirada. DSU claimed games one and three in the series, while the Eagles won the two even-numbered games.

COACHING STAFF: Two-time Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year Chris Pfatenhauer is in his sixth season as head coach of the Dixie State Baseball program. Pfatenhauer led DSU to consecutive PacWest titles (2014 and 2015) and to five-straight trips (six-straight overall) to the NCAA West Regionals, including serving as the host institution in 2013. Pfatenhauer, who picked up his 200th-career coaching victory last season vs. Saint Martin's (2/19/17), owns a 199-103-1 (.658) overall record at DSU, including a 141-62-1 (.693) record in PacWest play, and a 251-162-1 (.607) career mark.     
    Joining Pfatenhauer (UNLV, 2000) in the Trailblazer dugout this season is first-year pitching coach Matt Wilson (Sacramento State, 2006), along with fourth-year assistant coaches Matt Hill (Dixie State 2015), and Bobby Rinard (Arizona, 2014), and third-year assistant coach Patrick Perry (Northern Colorado, 2013). 

PFATENHAUER PASSES TWO MORE CAREER MILESTONES LAST WEEK: Coach Pfatenhauer reached two more career milestones during last week's series at Biola. The Trailblazer skipper coached in his 300th-career game at DSU and picked up his 250th-career coaching victory (including two seasons at College of the Ozarks) in the Trailblazers' 8-3 win.  
    In addition, Coach Pfate's next victory will be No. 200 as DSU head coach. He also reached two other milestones during DSU's recent homestand, including coaching in his 400th-career game in DSU's 9-5 win over Hawai'i Pacific (3/24), and in his 200th PacWest game in the Trailblazers' 7-5 series finale win over FPU (4/7).

TRAILBLAZERS PLAY NCAA GAME NO. 600 THURSDAY: When the Trailblazers take the field in Thursday's opener at Concordia-Irvine, it will be Dixie State's 600th game played in the program's NCAA era. Since beginning four-year play in 2007, Dixie State has posted an impressive 380-218-1 (.635) overall record.

2018 FAREWELL TOUR: Dixie State will wrap up its 10-year run in the Pacific West Conference this season before moving on to the RMAC ahead of the 2019 baseball season.
    The Trailblazers have won four PacWest baseball titles (2009, 2011, 2014, 2015) over their nine seasons of conference membership and has posted a dominant 222-109-1 overall record (.670) in 332 league games. 

TRAILBLAZERS VOTED THIRD IN PACWEST PRESEASON POLL: Dixie State was picked to finish third in the 2018 Pacific West Conference preseason coaches' poll released on Jan. 25. California Baptist received seven first place votes and 116 total points to edge defending PacWest champion Azusa Pacific, which collected four first place nods and 111 points to finish second in the poll. DSU garnered 100 points, followed by Point Loma (84 pts) in fourth, Concordia-Irvine (79 pts) in fifth, and Fresno Pacific (66 pts) in sixth to round out the top half of the poll.
    Dixie State senior first baseman Logan Porter (Surprise, Ariz./Valley Vista HS) and junior third baseman Bryce Feist (Emmett, Idaho/Rocky Mountain HS) were both voted to the PacWest preseason team. APU's Pablo O'Connor was voted the conference preseason Player of the Year, while CBU's Dylan Stowell was tabbed as the league's preseason Pitcher of the Year.

REGIONAL HONORS FOR PORTER AND FEIST: The NCBWA announced in January its 2018 preseason all-West Region honors list honorees and two Trailblazers made the cut as both Porter and Feist were named to the NCBWA West Region second team. 

HOME SWEET HOME: Dixie State has played to a 238-90 (.725) overall record inside the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field since becoming an NCAA Division II program in 2006-07, and has posted a winning record at home in all 12 seasons of NCAA play, which includes a 14-8 home mark this season with four more home games left on the slate (vs. California Baptist May 8-10).
    Dixie State has won 20 or more games in seven of those 11 seasons, including 21-5 (.807) record last season, and a 24-6 mark (.800) in 2016, which was the second-best home record in terms of wins in the program's NCAA Division II era (26-7 in 2009). The 24 wins that year were also the most home wins under Head Coach Chris Pfatenhauer, while last season's .807 winning percentage in 2017 was the best during the Pfatenhauer era.
    Since joining the PacWest for baseball in 2009, DSU is 123-43 (.741) all-time vs. conference foes at Bruce Hurst Field and has won 10 or more games in each of those 10 seasons, including 14 league win in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Despite the results of its first four road trips of 2018, Dixie State has also held its own away from home as the Trailblazers own a 133-118-1 overall road record (.529) through 11-plus years of D-II competition, which includes a winning road record in seven of their last eight seasons overall, highlighted by a 16-7-1 road mark last year. The 16 road wins were the most in program history since its move to NCAA play in 2007.
    In 2015, DSU went a program-best 15-5 on the road (.750), and DSU has won at least 10 road games in eight-straight seasons overall. When you also figure in neutral-site games (9-10 in 19 games), Dixie State is 142-128-1 (.526) all-time away from Bruce Hurst Field in NCAA play.
    In PacWest play, Dixie State is 99-65-1 (.603) in true road games and 0-1 in one neutral-site game vs. Hawai'i Hilo during the 2013 season, which was played in Riverside, Calif., (at California Baptist) as a make-up game due to a rain out on the Islands earlier that season.

JUST WIN BABY: Dixie State's road split at Biola last week marked the end of an impressive streak that saw DSU win 30 or more games in nine-straight seasons. In fact, DSU had won 35 of more games in four of those campaigns, including three of the last four years under Head Coach Chris Pfatenhauer, including 39 wins last season and a four-year program record 40 victories (40-14) in 2016, which included a record-breaking 10-0 start to begin the season, its best overall start in the program's NCAA-era.

STREAKING NO MORE: Dixie State will also see its streak of NCAA postseason play come to an end in May. The Trailblazers entered the 2018 campaign having made six-straight NCAA regional appearances, which at the moment is currently the longest active streak in the West Region.

WALK IT OFF: The Trailblazers posted their fifth walk-off win of the season in game two vs. Fresno Pacific (4/6), during which DSU rallied for four ninth-inning runs to post a 6-5 victory. That win tied the school record for walk-off wins, which was first set during the 2012 season.
    Dixie State opened its homestand with an 11-inning walk-off win in the series opener vs. HPU (5-4, 3/24), which was the first since DSU recorded three-straight walk-off victories to begin the 2018 campaign.
    Two of those three walk-off wins came against Cal State San Bernardino, the last of which featured a two-out, two-run home run off the bat of senior 1B Logan Porter (Surprise, Ariz./Valley Vista HS). Porter's walk-off homer is the third in program history and the first since former DSU shortstop Tanner Morache connected for a 10th-inning grand slam (the first walk-off GS in school history) in a 9-6 DSU win over Saint Martin's (2/21/16), while former OF Brett Adams hit the first walk-off homer, which came in a 9-8 home win over PacWest rival California Baptist (3/31/10).
    DSU also posted another win in its final at-bat in game three at PLNU (2/24), a game the Trailblazers won by a 12-9 count in 10 innings.

FREE BASEBALL: Dixie State has played in four extra inning games (3-1) through 42 dates this season, which included the HPU series opener (3/24), this after only playing in a total of three extra-inning games in 54 dates last season.
    DSU suffered its lone extra-inning loss of the season in the series finale at Holy Names (5-1, 3/17) after the Hawks walked off with the win with two outs in the home half of the 13th inning. That game turned out to be the second-longest game in terms of innings played in Dixie State's four-year era. In 2015, DSU played a full 13 innings in a 7-5 road win at Fresno Pacific (4/13/15).
    Dating back to last season, the Trailblazers have won five of their last six extra inning games overall, and are 30-14 (.682) in 44 total extra-inning games in the program's four-year era.

TEAM NOTES: Senior 1B Logan Porter (Surprise, Ariz./Valley Vista HS) (.300/4HR/28RBI) became the ninth player in DSU's NCAA-era to reach the 100-RBI plateau in last Saturday's finale at Biola ... Porter reached the milestone in a painful way, however, as he was hit by a pitch in the first inning of that game, which was the 14th time (#2 on single season list) this season he was hit by a pitch and the 25th HBP (#3 all time) of his career ... Porter moved into a tie for seventh place on DSU's career HR list (14) with his fourth HR of the year in G2 vs. Hilo (3/30) ... Porter leads the team in doubles (11), HR, RBI, and walks with 38, which ranks him second on DSU's single-season list ... Porter has also moved into ninth place on DSU's career walks list (71) and is eighth in career doubles (29) ... Porter has hit safely in 23 of 42 games this season with 11 multi-hit outings.
    Junior OF Kaid Urban (Las Vegas, Nev./Arbor View HS) (.311/10RBI) enters plays this weekend with a career-long nine-game hitting streak, which was bolstered by a combined 4-for-8 effort (.500) in four games vs. FPU, along with base hits in two starts at Biola.
    Senior SS Kyle Hoffman (Taylorsville, Utah/Taylorsville HS) (.294/2HR/21RBI) connected for his first two collegiate home runs (including three years at Utah) during the Biola series last week ... Hoffman went yard with one out in the ninth in DSU's 8-3 series opening win (4/19) and belted a two-run shot in the seventh inning of the finale (4/21).
    Junior OF/RHP Gabe Taylor (Pittsburg, Calif./Clayton Valley Charter School) (.355/1HR/24RBI) enters the week as DSU leading hitter with a .355 average, which includes a .308 clip (4-for-13) with five runs scored in the Biola series ... Taylor has hit safely in 27 of 41 games and has connected for a team-high 49 hits overall with 14 multi-hit games, including six three-hit games and a 4-for-5 day with three RBI in the series opener vs. FPU (4/5) ... Taylor also belted his first career home run (at any level), a three-run shot in the finale (4/7), a game that he also picked up the winning decision when he tossed 6.0 innings of six-hit, two-run baseball with three strikeouts.
    Junior 3B Bryce Feist (Emmett, Idaho/Rocky Mountain HS) (.248/3RH/16RBI) and freshman SS Alec Flemetakis (Hurricane, Utah/Hurricane HS) (.283/4HR/18RBI) both homered in the ninth inning of last Saturday's series finale at Biola ... The last time DSU hit two homers in an inning was last season in a home win vs. Montana State Billings (12-8; 2/25/17), during which the Trailblazers did it twice in the fourth (Reece Lucero/Drew McLaughlin) and sixth innings (Lucero/Logan Porter (Surprise, Ariz./Valley Vista HS)).
    Freshman 2B Tyler Hollow (Boise, Idaho/Rocky Mountain HS) (.354/13RBI) has hit safely in 13 of his last 18 games with eight multi-hit games over this current stretch, including seven two-hit games (three two-hit games in his last five overall), and a 4-for-4 effort with a double and two runs scored in game one vs. Hawai'i Hilo (3/29) ... Hollow reached base safely in 11 games played during DSU's recent homestand - nine of which on base hits, and had two hits and two RBI in game three at Biola (4/20).
    Senior RHP Tanner Howell (Boulder City, Nev./Boulder City HS) (3-1/6SV/1.70ERA/31K) continued his solid work as the anchor of DSU's bullpen last weekend at Biola, during which he picked up his fifth and sixth saves of the season in two appearances ... Howell fanned three and held BU to two hits in 2.1 IP in the series opener (4/19), and retired all five Eagle hitters he faced with a pair of strikeouts to close out DSU's come-from-behind win in game three (4/20).
    Howell had quite a homestand as he has picked up one win and three saves in five total appearances out of the bullpen, including a three-inning save in the finale vs. FPU (4/7) .... In fact, Howell has worked more than one inning in recording four of his six saves ... Howell (50 app.) needs two more pitching appearances to become DSU's career leader, and he (9 saves) needs one more save to move into t-fourth all-time.
    Senior LHP Matt Mosca (Las Vegas, Nev./Cimarron Memorial HS) (5-3/4.79ERA/40K) earned his 11th-career victory in G1 at Biola (4/19), during which he struck out a career-high eight and limited the Eagles to two hits and three runs in 5.0 IP ... Mosca, who is slated to start the opener at CUI on Thursday, is currently DSU's all-time leader in strikeouts/9IP at 7.54, and is now ranked fourth all-time in fewest walks/9IP at 2.46 ... Mosca's start on Thursday will also be his 24th-career DSU start, which will move him into t-eighth place on DSU's career starts list, while the southpaw (95 career Ks) needs five more strikeouts to become just the sixth player in DSU's NCAA era to record 100-plus career strikeouts.
    Freshman RHP Jimmy Borzone (Vancouver, Wash./Union HS) (2-0, 4.29ERA/21K) picked up his second victory of the season in G3 at Biola (4/20) ... Borzone fanned a career-high five and scattered three hits and one run in 2.1 innings of relief to earn the decision ... Borzone also worked a scoreless inning of relief in the Biola series opener (4/19) with a strikeout.
    Through 42 games this season, DSU is averaging 6.6 runs and 9.5 hits per game with a .289 team batting average ... the Trailblazers scored a season-high 17 runs in the HPU finale (W, 17-4; 3/26) and pounded out a season-best 20 hits in the G2 slug fest win over Hilo (14-12; 3/30) ... DSU has also employed 39 different batting order combinations in 42 games, with the first duplication of the year coming in games one and two vs. Hilo - both of which resulted in Trailblazer wins ... DSU also used the same batting order in a split of the final two games of the FPU series ... DSU's pitching staff enters this weekend's series with a 6.23 ERA, while Trailblazer hurlers have combined for 280 strikeouts in 353.2 IP.

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Dixie State will enjoy a nine-day lay-off before wrapping up the 2018 season with a mid-week four-game series against PacWest rival California Baptist on May 8-10. The series will serve as the final PacWest games for the Trailblazers and Lancers, who are both leaving the league on June 30.