Game Times (Mountain):
Thursday - 6:05 p.m.
Friday - 3:05 p.m.
Saturday - 2:05 p.m.
Sunday - 12:05 p.m.
Game Notes: DIXIE STATE - PDF | WSU
WAC DIGITAL NETWORK: vs. WSU
Live Stats: vs. WSU
Twitter: @DixieAthletics | @Dixie_Baseball | #DixieBlazers | #WACbsb
 
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Thursday (G1) – RHP #40 Jimmy Borzone (2020; 1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP #25 Ethan Ross (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Friday (G2) – LHP #23 Jack Gonzales (2020; 2-1, 2.77 ERA) vs. RHP #21 Zane Mills (1-0; 0.00 ERA)
Saturday (G3) – RHP #36 Carson Phillips (DSU Debut) vs. RHP #26 Brandon White (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sunday (G4) – LHP #15 Ben Hart (3-0; 2.08 ERA) vs. RHP #25 Dakota Hawkins (0-1, 12.46 ERA)

FIRST PITCH: After 354 days since throwing its last pitch, Dixie State (0-0/0-0 WAC) will officially make its NCAA Division I debut this weekend with a four-game home series vs. PAC-12 foe Washington State (3-1) inside Bruce Hurst Field.
    DSU's "Opening Night" will be this Thursday against the Cougars at 6:05 p.m., followed by game two on Friday at 3:05 p.m., game three on Saturday at 2:05 p.m., and the series finale will be played on Sunday at 12:05 p.m.

ALL-TIME SERIES: This weekend's series vs. Washington State will be the first-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and Cougars on the diamond.

HI, MY NAME IS ....: After 14 years as a competing member of the NCAA at the Division II level, Dixie State has embarked on its first season transitioning to Division I status as one of two new members (along with Tarleton State) of the Western Athletic Conference.  
    During their 14-year Division II era, the Trailblazers played to a 435-243-1 (.641) overall record. Dixie State won four conference regular season championships (4 Pacific West Conference), and made six-straight NCAA D-II Baseball Tournament regional appearances from 2012-17 (9-12 record in NCAA Tournament games).

DIXIE STATE AGAINST D-I OPPONENTS: Dixie State has played 10 games against Division-I opponents over its previous 14 seasons of NCAA play, including eight games against its new WAC (and former JUCO) rivals Utah Valley. DSU is 4-4 all-time vs. UVU, though the two sides have not met on the diamond in the regular season since 2008, when DSU claimed a 16-5 road win in Orem (4/26/08). DSU and UVU will renew acquaintances this upcoming April 29-May 1 at Bruce Hurst Field.
    Dixie State also played a home-and-home set against Southern Utah in 2008 (0-2), though that program was discontinued in 2012.  

DIXIE STATE ON THE WEB: All Dixie State home games, along with all WAC away games, this season will be streamed live online on the WAC Digital Network (wacdigitalnetwork.com). The WDN is also available on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Roku TV, while the WDN app is available for iOS in the Apple Store and Android on Google Play.

QUICK 2020 RECAP: Dixie State was off to one its best starts in the program's NCAA era at 15-3, including a 4-0 start in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play, before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NCAA to cancel all spring sports on March 13, 2020.
    The Trailblazers, who were ranked No. 9 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and No. 24 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper top-30 polls at the time of the season cancellation, opened the year with nine-straight victories, seven of which came on the road. That marked the first time in program history that the Trailblazers had started any season with seven-straight road wins.

COACHING STAFF: Two-time Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year Chris Pfatenhauer begins his ninth season as head coach of the Dixie State Baseball program. Since his arrival in summer of 2012, Pfatenhauer has never had a losing season at Dixie State, and in the process, led the Trailblazers to consecutive PacWest titles in 2014 and 2015, and to five-straight trips to the NCAA West Regionals from 2013-17, including serving as the host institution in 2013.
    Pfatenhauer, who picked up his 200th victory as DSU skipper in the series opener at Concordia-Irvine (8-1; 4/26/18), owns a 254-128-1 (.664) overall record at DSU, and a 306-187-1 (.620) career mark.
    Joining Pfatenhauer (UNLV, 2000) in the Trailblazer dugout this season is second-year pitching coach Zach Wilkins (Nevada, 2016), along with seventh-year assistant coaches Bobby Rinard (Arizona, 2014) and Matt Hill (Dixie State 2015).

MILESTONE MOMENTS FOR PFATENHAUER: Before the COVID-19 pandemic halted the 2020 season after 18 games, Head Coach Chris Pfatenhauer surpassed two career milestones and was on the cusp of two more. Pfatenhauer collected his 250th win as DSU skipper in the series finale vs. Concordia-Portland (2/23/20) and reached the 300-win plateau in his stellar career in DSU's walk-off win in game two vs. Azusa Pacific (2/14/20).
    Coach Pfatenhauer should also surpass two more career milestones later this season. He is on pace to coach in his 500th-career game when the Trailblazers take the field in game No. 2 of its road series at Wichita State next Saturday, March, 6. Additionally, Coach Pfate is slated coach in his 400th game as Dixie State mentor in the Blazers' midweek road date at in-state foe Utah on Tuesday, March 23 in Salt Lake City.

TRAILBLAZERS VOTED EIGHTH IN WAC PRESEASON POLL: Dixie State was picked to finish eighth by the coaches in its WAC debut season when the 2021 conference baseball preseason poll was released on Feb. 10.
    There was not much consensus on which program will enter the season as the conference favorite as three teams – UT Rio Grande Valley, Grand Canyon and Sacramento State, all finished tied atop the 10-team poll with 73 points apiece. UTRGV did receive four first place votes, while GCU and Sacramento State collected three first place nods apiece.        
    New Mexico State tallied 53 points to finish fourth in the polling, followed by California Baptist (49 pts) in fifth, Seattle U (37 pts) in sixth, Utah Valley (32 pts) in seventh, Dixie State (26 pts) in eighth, and fellow WAC newcomer Tarleton State (17 pts) and Northern Colorado (17 pts) round out the poll in t-ninth.
    The Trailblazers did not have a player representative on the preseason all-WAC Team. GCU second baseman Juan Colato and Sac State hurler Scott Randall were tabbed as the league's preseason player and pitcher of the year, respectively.

OPENING DAY: Dixie State is 9-5 all-time on "Opening Day" during its NCAA era and won five-straight and nine of their last 11 season debuts overall.
    In addition, Dixie State owns an 9-5 overall record in home openers, 4-3 in season openers at home, while DSU is 8-6 all-time in road openers, and the Blazers are 5-2 in season-opening road games overall.

A LOOK AT THE 2021 SCHEDULE: Dixie State put together a who's who list of opponents for its NCAA D-I debut season in 2021. The Blazers' first year of D-I play will feature 56 games, including 26 home dates at Bruce Hurst Field, and a 36-game WAC schedule.
    Including Washington State, DSU will face four PAC-12 programs overall, including road series at USC (April 9-11) and at nationally-ranked Arizona (May 27-29), along with home-and-home midweek tilts vs. Utah (March 23 in SLC, April 6 in St. George).
    DSU will also play three games at perennial national power Wichita State next weekend (March 5-6), along with a three-game road set at Mountain West member San Diego State (April 23-25), and two midweek games vs. in-state foe BYU (March 16 in St. George, April 20 in Provo).
    The Trailblazers will kick off their first WAC season on the road with four games at New Mexico State on March 12-14.

IT'S NOT HOW YOU START....: Dixie State won nine-straight games to open the 2020 season, which marked the second time the program had achieved that feat. Seven of those nine victories came on the road, which marked the first time in program history that the Trailblazers had started any season with seven-straight wins AWAY FROM HOME.
    In 2016, Dixie State began that season with 10-straight wins, all of which came inside the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field, on its way to a school record 40 victories overall.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Trailblazers have played to a 270-101 (.727) overall record in 371 games played inside the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field in the program's NCAA era, including an 8-3 mark (.727) in a shortened 2020 season.
    Dixie State closed its 2019 home slate by winning seven of its final eight games to clinch its 13-straight home winning record (21-7, .750) since becoming an NCAA Division II program in 2007.
    DSU has won 20 or more games in eight of 14 seasons at home, including 21-5 (.807) record in 2017, 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 home wins that year were the most under Head Coach Chris Pfatenhauer, while the .807 winning percentage in 2017 was the best W% during the Pfatenhauer era.
    In conference play, DSU was 126-44 (.741) all-time at Bruce Hurst Field vs. Pacific West Conference foes and won 10 or more games in each of those 10 seasons, including 13 league wins in 2018 and 14 victories in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons. The Trailblazers continued that trend in RMAC play as they played to a 17-3 home record (.850) in league games.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Dixie State has held its own away from home as the Trailblazers own a 151-131-1 overall road record (.535) in its four-year era, which included a 7-0 start last season, and an 11-11 mark in 2019. DSU has posted a winning road record in eight of their last 10 seasons overall, highlighted by a 16-7-1 road mark in 2017. The 16 road wins were the most in program history since beginning 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 of it last nine seasons overall. When you also figure in neutral-site games (14-11 in 25 games), Dixie State is 165-142-1 (.537) all-time away from Bruce Hurst Field in the program's NCAA era.

JUST WIN BABY: The Trailblazers have reached the 30-win plateau 10 times in the last 12 seasons overall, which included nine-straight seasons (2009-17), however that streak was halted in 2018 when the Blazers posted an even 25-25 mark.
    In fact, DSU has won 35 of more games in four of the last seven campaigns under Head Coach Chris Pfatenhauer, highlighted by 39 wins in 2017 and a four-year program record 40 victories (40-14) in 2016, The 2016 campaign also included a record-breaking 10-0 start to begin the season, which was the best overall start in the program's NCAA-era.

HERE'S TO THE NEXT 400: Dixie State picked up its 400th win in the program's NCAA era in the series opener vs. UCCS (6-1) on March 16, 2019. DSU is 435-243-1 (.641) all-time through 14 years of NCAA Division II competition (679 games).

A DECADE OF DOMINANCE: Dixie State closed out the 2010-19 decade as one of the most all-around successful programs in the NCAA Division II ranks. DSU posted a 337-179-1 (.653) overall record and captured three Pacific West Conference championships (2011/2014/2015) over that 10-year span.
    In addition, the program earned six-straight NCAA Tournament regional berths from 2012-17, and recorded 30 or more wins in nine of 10 seasons overall, including five 35-plus win campaigns.  
    Dixie State was just as tough in conference play as the program finished the decade with a .666 overall winning percentage against league opponents, which included a 227-112-1 mark in PacWest play (.669), and a 23-13 (.639) RMAC record in 2019.

LAST TIME OUT: The Trailblazers opened their final season of RMAC play in dominant fashion as they swept away Adams State in a very lopsided four-game series at Bruce Hurst Field this past March 6-8, 2020.
    The sweep also extended the team's current win streak to five-straight as DSU went 8-3 on its 11-game homestand.
    Dixie State broke three NCAA-era program records by outscoring the Grizzlies (5-13/0-4 RMAC) by a 62-6 count over the four-game series (9-1, 22-2, 23-2, 8-1). The plus-56 run differential eclipsed the previous record established against an NCAA opponent of plus-46, which was set during the 2009 season against Academy of Art (52-6; 3/16-17/09) in 2009.
    In addition, Dixie State pitching broke four-year era records for lowest ERA (0.84) and lowest opponent batting average (.167) in a four-game series. Those previous two records were established during the 2017 series in a four-game home sweep of Academy of Art (4/6-8/17), against which DSU outscored the Urban Knights 34-5 (1.32 ERA) and held AAU to a .184 team batting average. 

QUICK 2021 SEASON PREVIEW: Dixie State returns six starting position players and all three primary starting pitchers, along with 24 letter winners, from a team that opened its final NCAA D-II season in 2020 with a 15-3 overall record. However that season would come to an abrupt halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Five of DSU six returning starters hit better than .300 to begin the 2020 campaign, highlighted by 2019 All-American Jake Engel, who led the team in average (.458), home runs (6) and RBI (26). The senior 1B/OF/DH started in 16 games last year and was riding a school NCAA-era record 21-game hitting streak (dating back to the 2019 season) before the season prematurely ended.
    DSU also welcomes back senior outfielder Lane Pritchard (.365/2 HR/13 RBI/4 SB), senior catcher/DH Cade Spurlin (.214/4 HR/14 RBI), junior C/1B Tanner Harper (.408/2 HR/17 RBI), junior 2B Tyler Hollow (.333/5 2B/11 RBI), and sophomore 3B/OF Tyson Fisher (.365/4 HR/17 RBI/5 SB).
    On the bump, senior lefthander Tevita Gerber (4-0/2.76 ERA/28 K), along with juniors Jack Gonzales (LHP, 2-1/2.77 ERA/22 K) and Justin Dunham (RHP, 2-0/1.52 ERA/19 K) return.
    Out of the bullpen, senior closer Brayden Bonner (RHP, 0-0/0.00 ERA/1SV) is back, along with eight other relievers who helped combine for five wins and two saves in relief a season ago. 

SPEAKING OF STREAKS: Jake Engel's 21-game hit streak eclipsed the previous record of 19-straight games set by former DSU slugger Kevin Kline (2/16-3/14/14) during the 2014 season.
    Engel's hit streak includes all 16 starts last season, and his final five starts of the 2019 campaign. He has batted .457 (27-for-59) during the streak with 12 multi-hit outings to go with eight doubles, seven homers, 32 RBI and 30 runs scored. In fact, he has driven in at least one run in six-straight starts and in 16 of the 21 games overall.  
    The senior's streak is also the longest current streak since former DSU shortstop Tanner Morache hit in 18-straight games in 2016 (2/27-3/29/16).

FREE BASEBALL: The Trailblazers did not play any extra inning games last season, and the last extra-inning affair came during the 2019 season in an 8-5 loss in eight innings to Regis (4/19/19). Dating back to the 2016 season, the Trailblazers are 31-15 (.674) in 46 total extra-inning games in the program's four-year era, and the club has won five of its last seven extra inning games overall.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE: Washington State, which will play 24-straight games away from home to begin the season, opened its 2021 campaign by taking three-of-four on the road at UC Davis last weekend.
    WSU went 9-7 in a shortened 2020 season and had won seven of is last nine overall before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Junior 1B Kyle Manzardo (.412/1 HR/5 RBI at UCD last weekend) was named to the 2021 Collegiate Baseball News and NCBWA Preseason All-America Third Team, is the top returning Cougar on this year's club.

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Dixie State opens the road portion of its 2021 schedule next weekend with a three-game set at perennial national power Wichita State on March 5-7.