Game Times (Mountain):
Friday - 6:05 p.m.
Saturday - 2:05 p.m./5:35 p.m. (approx.)
Sunday - 12:05 p.m.
Game Notes: DIXIE STATE - PDF | UTRGV
WAC DIGITAL NETWORK: vs. UTRGV
Live Stats: vs. UTRGV
Twitter: @DixieAthletics | @Dixie_Baseball | #DixieBlazers | #WACbsb
 
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday (G1) – RHP #40 Jimmy Borzone (0-2, 6.61 ERA) vs. RHP #5 Kevin Stevens (2-2, 3.63 ERA)
Saturday (G2) – RHP #21 Ryan Hardman (0-1, 10.03 ERA) vs. RHP #11 Colten Davis (3-0, 3.29 ERA)
Saturday (G3) – LHP #15 Ben Hart (0-2, 23.40 ERA) vs. RHP #34 Max Balderrama Jr. (2-0, 3.32 ERA)
Sunday (G4) – LHP #19 Tevita Gerber (0-1, 11.57 ERA) vs. RHP #18 J.C. Ariza (0-1, 2.66 ERA)

FIRST PITCH: Dixie State (2-10/1-3 WAC) will open the home portion of its Western Athletic Conference debut schedule this weekend with a four-game series vs. UT Rio Grande Valley (9-7/2-2 WAC) at Bruce Hurst Field (2,500). The series opener will take place on Friday night at 6:05 p.m. (MT), followed by a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 2:05 p.m. (MT), and Sunday's series finale will start at 12:05 p.m. (MT).  
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: This weekend's series vs. UTRGV will be the first-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and Vaqueros 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 made its WAC debut last weekend by taking one of four at New Mexico State in Las Cruces. After being outscored by a combined 50-8 in the first three games, the Trailblazer offense finally got on track in Sunday's finale with season-highs of 19 runs and 18 hits to pick up the win in a slug fest, 19-13.
    DSU then returned home and posted a dramatic walk-off victory over in-state foe BYU to open its five-game homestand this past Tuesday night. The win was also DSU's first home result in the program's NCAA D-I era.

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 256-138-1 (.648) overall record at DSU, and a 308-197-1 (.609) 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 earlier this month at Wichita State (3/6) 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 this upcoming 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 non-conference 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).
    DSU will also play a three-game road set at Mountain West member San Diego State (April 23-25), and another midweek game at in-state foe BYU in Provo on Tuesday, April 20.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Trailblazers have played to a 271-105 (.720) overall record in 376 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 152-137-1 overall road record (.526) 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 166-148-1 (.528) 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 437-253-1 (.633) all-time through 14-plus years of NCAA competition (691 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.

TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS:
* - After seeing his school record 21-game hit streak halted in the season opener vs. Washington State, senior 1B/OF/DH Jake Engel is batting .433 over his last 10 starts, including a .556 clip in three games at Wichita State (3/5-7) and .361 in four starts at NMSU last weekend.
* -  Engel (.361/9 HR/9 RBI) blasted his first two home runs of the year and tallied four RBI in the series finale at Wichita State (3/7) ... he then connected for his team-leading third homer and drove in a career-high tying five runs in last Sunday's win at NMSU, which moved him into solo third on DSU's career HR list (25).
* -  Engel's two-homer day at WSU came nearly 13 months since his (and DSU's) last one, which happened at home vs. Azusa Pacific (2/13/20) ... meanwhile, Engel last drove in five runs in a home win over CSU-Pueblo nearly two years to the day (3/31/19).
* - Engel enters this weekend t-fourth in career RBI (117), fifth in career batting (.355), fourth in career SLG% (.627), fifth in career total bases (247), and 10th in career walks (69) ... additionally, the senior (144 hits) is six knocks away from cracking the into the top-10 in career hits.
* -  Engel's 21-game hit streak, which dated all the way back to his final five starts of the 2019 season, 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 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.
* - Junior 2B Tyler Hollow hit .375 (3-for-8) with a double and two RBI in three starts at NMSU ... Hollow (.325/4 RBI) also collected two hits and an RBI in Tuesday's win vs. BYU ... Hollow's double in G2 at NMSU, the 30th of his career, moved him into a tie for eighth on DSU's career doubles list.
* - Hollow (144 hits) enters the week sixth in career batting (.349) and he joins Engel in needing just six safeties to move into the top-10 in career hits.  
* - Meanwhile, younger brother freshman C Kaden Hollow started three games at NMSU and hit .364 (4-for-11) with two XBH and a co-team high five RBI in the series ... K. Hollow drove in a career-high four RBI in DSU's win in the series finale, highlighted by his first collegiate HR, a three-run shot in the second inning ... K. Hollow has hit safely in seven of his last eight starts overall and is batting .314 through 11 games overall with four XBH.
* - Senior OF Lane Pritchard (.235/1 HR/6 RBI) enjoyed a breakout series last weekend at NMSU, against which he batted .455 (5-for-11) with three doubles, one homer (G1) and three RBI in three starts.
* - Pritchard saved his best for last in the series finale when he went 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI.
* - However his best work in that finale came on the base paths as he tied DSU's single game steals record with four stolen bases, including stealing second, third, AND HOME in the second inning.
* - Pritchard carried that over into DSU's home win vs. BYU on Tuesday night, when he went 2-for-4 with two RBI, none bigger than driving in the game-winning run with a bases-loaded infield single with one out to walk it off in the home ninth.  
* - Senior C/DH Cade Spurlin (.188/2 HR/3 RBI) enjoyed a solid series at NMSU, where he batted in the lead-off spot in all four games and hit .308 (4-for-13) with two XBH and a team-high five runs scored ... Spurlin drilled his second HR of the year in the series finale, a solo shot that led off the DSU sixth inning.
* - Junior SS Mathew Ivancich (.172/3 RBI) drove in his first three runs as a Trailblazer in the finale at NMSU and went 4-for-12 (.333) in the series overall.
* - Freshman 3B Shane Taylor (.186/2 RBI) collected his first collegiate XBH and RBI with a two-run double in DSU's four-run fourth inning in the BYU win on Tuesday night.
* - Senior closer Brayden Bonner moved to within two appearances of becoming DSU's career leader in games pitched in Tuesday's win vs. BYU ... Bonner pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the victory, the sixth of his DSU career.
* - Sophomore RHP Zach Thomas was credited with the win in the series finale at NMSU, against which he fanned a career-high four in 3.0 IP.
* - Dixie State utilized nine different pitchers, who all combined to strikeout 10 Cougar hitters, including a season-high tying five punchouts from junior southpaw Jack Gonzales in his two innings of one-hit relief.
* - After committing eight errors in four games vs. Washington State to open the season, Dixie State's defense has committed only four total errors in its last eight games overall, including only one error in 98 total chances in three games at Wichita State (3/5-7) ... DSU also had just three errors in 120 chances at NMSU.

WEAR IT: Dixie State and Washington State pitchers combined to hit 20 batters over their four game set back on Feb. 25-28, though 14 of those HBPs came from Trailblazer hurlers.
    In contrast, only four total batters were hit in the Wichita State series, and 11 combined batters were tagged in four games at NMSU.

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 UTRGV: UTRGV enters this weekend's series winners of seven of its last 10 games overall, which includes a split of its first WAC series of the season at Grand Canyon last weekend, and a 15-2 loss at No. 10 Texas this past Tuesday.
    The Vaqueros boast three starters batting over .300, highlighted by senior infielder Christian Sepulveda, who is batting .333 with a pair of homers and 14 RBI in 16 games. Game two starter RHP Colten Davis (3-0) has won three of his four starts, while G1 starter RHP Kevin Stevens (2-2) has fanned a staff-high 27 batters in 22.1 IP.

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Dixie State begins a nine-game road swing Tuesday, March 23, with a mid-week tilt against in-state foe and PAC-12 member Utah. First pitch at Smith's Ballpark in Salt Lake City is slated for 4 p.m. (MT).