Game Times (Mountain):
Friday - 3 p.m.
Saturday (DH) - 1 p.m.
Sunday - 12 noon
Game Notes: DIXIE STATE - PDF | NMSU
Live Video: WAC Digital Network
Live Stats: Game #1 | Game #2 | Game #3 | Game #4
Twitter: @DixieAthletics | @Dixie_Baseball | #DixieBlazers | #WACbsb
 
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday (G1) – RHP #40 Jimmy Borzone (0-1, 1.35 ERA) vs. RHP #23 Chris Barraza (0-1, 8.00 ERA)
Saturday (G2) – RHP #21 Ryan Hardman (0-0, 4.91 ERA) vs. RHP #12 Chris Jefferson (1-1, 3.55 ERA)
Saturday (G3) – LHP #15 Ben Hart (0-1, 23.14 ERA) vs. RHP #44 Josh Laukkanen (0-3, 6.00 ERA)
Sunday (G4) – TBA vs. TBA

FIRST PITCH: Dixie State (0-7/0-0 WAC) makes its Western Athletic Conference debut this weekend with a four-game series at New Mexico State (1-6/0-0 WAC). The series opener will take place Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. (MT), followed by a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. (MT), and Sunday's series finale will start at 12 noon (MT).   
    All four games will be played at Presley Askew Field (1,000) on the NMSU campus in Las Cruces. The series will also mark the first home athletic events for NMSU since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the entire sports landscape one year ago this weekend.

ALL-TIME SERIES: This weekend's series at New Mexico State will be the first-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and Aggies 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 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.

LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State began the road portion of its 2021 schedule on the wrong end of a three-game series sweep at Wichita State last weekend. The Trailblazers opened the series with a hard-fought 2-1 loss last Friday night in a game that saw junior RHP Jimmy Borzone pitch a gem, but DSU could not get the timely hit it needed offensively as the offense stranded nine base runners  
    DSU were then outscored 30-10 (15-3; 15-7) over the final two games of the series and the Trailblazers left Wichita still in search of their first D-I win.

COACHING STAFF: Two-time Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year Chris Pfatenhauer is in 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 254-135-1 (.652) overall record at DSU, and a 306-194-1 (.611) 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 last weekend, the Blazer skipper passed another. 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 passed his third career milestone last Saturday at Wichita State when he coached in his 500th-career game. Coach Pfate is also on pace to coach in his 400th game as Dixie State manager 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.

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 the two completed series against a pair of WSUs (Washington State and Wichita 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).
    Along with its series at Wichita State, DSU will also play 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).

HOME SWEET HOME: The Trailblazers have played to a 270-105 (.720) overall record in 375 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 151-134-1 overall road record (.529) 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 ..... and 700: 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 435-250-1 (.635) all-time through 14-plus years of NCAA competition (686 games).
    In addition, DSU is scheduled to play in its 700th game as a four-year program in the series finale at Sacramento State on Sunday, March 28.

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.

TIME FOR NEW STREAKS: After having his school record 21-game hitting streak halted in the season opener vs. Washington State, senior 1B/OF/DH Jake Engel looks to have returned to form as he has hit in five-straight games heading into this weekend's series at NMSU.
    Engel hit a whopping .556 in the three games at Wichita State, highlighted by a 3-for-5 effort with two homers, four RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's finale. He got DSU on the board with a three-run blast in the first inning, and slugged a solo shot in the ninth.
    Engel's two-homer day came nearly 13 months since his (and DSU's) last one, which came at home vs. Azusa Pacific (2/13/20).
    In addition, Engel's two HRs last Sunday moved him into a tie for third place on DSU's career home run list (24), and in the process pulled into a tie for sixth in career-high RBI (112).
    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 included all 16 starts last season, and his final five starts of the 2019 campaign. He batted .428 (27-for-63) during the streak with 12 multi-hit outings to go with eight doubles, seven homers, 32 RBI and 30 runs scored.

TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS:
* - Engel enters this weekend fifth in career hitting (.353), fourth in career SLG% (.619), seventh in career total bases (235), and 10th in career walks (65).
* - Freshman C Kaden Hollow started in all three games at Wichita State and hit .444 (4-for-9) with a double and an RBI ... Hollow has hit safely in his last four starts overall and is batting an even .300 through seven games with two XBH.
* - Meanwhile, older brother and junior 2B Tyler Hollow hit .286 (4-for-14) with a double of his own in three starts at Wichita ... Hollow's double, the 29th of his career, moved him into solo ninth place on DSU's career doubles list ... the junior also enter this week sixth in career batting (.347) and is 11 base hits away from cracking into the top-10 in career hits.  
* - Senior C/DH Cade Spurlin accounted for DSU's third homer in the Wichita series, a solo shot in the sixth inning of Sunday's finale ... the homer, Spurlin's 11th career HR, moved him to within three round-trippers of moving into DSU's career HR list.
* - Junior RHP Jimmy Borzone enjoyed another solid outing to begin his 2021 campaign as he struck out a career-high nine (with no walks) and scattered two runs and five hits over 7.2 IP in the opener at Wichita State last Friday ...  Borzone got the Opening Day start vs. Washington State, against which he fanned five and held the Cougars to just three hits over 5.2 IP.
* - Senior closer Brayden Bonner moved into solo third place on DSU's career appearance list (49) when he pitched the eighth inning in Sunday's finale vs. Washington State.
* - Dixie State outhit Wichita State in game one (8-5), marking the first time this season the Blazers outhit an opponent ... DSU hit .243 in the series overall with seven XBH (4 2B/3 HR).
* - Dixie State's defense came ready to play as the Trailblazers committed just one error in 98 total chances last weekend at Wichita ... DSU was hampered by eight errors in its four home games vs. Washington the weekend prior.

WEAR IT: Dixie State and Washington State pitchers combined to hit 20 batters over the four games last weekend, though 14 of those HBPs came from Trailblazer hurlers.
    In contrast, last weekend at Wichita State only four total batters were hit in the series. 

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 NEW MEXICO STATE: New Mexico State also enters this weekend looking to bounce back after suffering a three-game road sweep of its own last weekend at Texas A&M. The Aggies have dropped six of their first seven games overall, with the lone win coming at Abilene Christian (W, 12-2) back on Feb. 28.  
    Sophomore outfielder Zerek Saenz is NMSU's top hitter (.350), while six different Aggies have hit homers thus far this season.

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Dixie State opens a five-game homestand this upcoming Tuesday, March 16, with a mid-week tilt against in-state foe BYU. First pitch at Bruce Hurst Field is slated for 6:05 p.m. (MT).