Game Times (Mountain):
Thursday - 7 p.m.
Friday - 7 p.m.
Saturday - 7 p.m.
Game Notes: DIXIE STATE - PDF | ARIZONA
Live Streaming: PAC-12.com
Live Stats: GAME #1 | GAME #2 | GAME #3
Twitter: @DixieAthletics | @Dixie_Baseball | #DixieBlazers | #WACbsb
 
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Thursday (G1) – RHP #29 Dillon Holliday (5-2, 4.53 ERA) vs. TBA
Friday (G2) – RHP #40 Jimmy Borzone (3-5, 6.68 ERA) vs. RHP #29 Chase Silseth (8-1, 5.08 ERA)
Saturday (G3) – RHP #18 Brett Porthan (2-0, 6.00 ERA) vs. LHP #12 Garrett Irvin (5-2, 3.58 ERA)

FIRST PITCH: Dixie State (23-30) will put a bow on its 2021 NCAA Division I debut season with a three-game road series at No. 6 Arizona (38-14) this Thursday-through-Saturday, May 27-29. All three games in the series will be played at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson beginning each night at 6 p.m. (PT).

ALL-TIME SERIES: This weekend's series will mark the first-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and Wildcats 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).

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. During his tenure in the Trailblazer dugout, Pfatenhauer 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 250th victory as DSU skipper in the series finale vs. Concordia-Portland (10-4; 2/23/2020), owns a 277-158-1 (.636) overall record at DSU, and a 329-217-1 (.602) 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).

A SORT OF HOMECOMING: This weekend's series will be a Homecoming, of sorts, to Tucson for three members of the Dixie State program. Assistant Coach Bobby Rinard played two seasons at Arizona from 2010-11, for which he was a career .375 hitter in 70 games with 17 doubles, one homer, 17 RBI and 36 runs scored. He also went 16-of-19 in stolen bases.
    In addition, pitching coach Zach Wilkins spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at UA from 2018-19, and senior 1B/OF/DH Jake Engel was a four-year letter winner and a multiple all-conference, all-sectional and Southern Arizona selection at Tucson's Ironwood High School. 

LAST TIME OUT: For the fourth time in as many weeks, Dixie State was involved in a series sweep. But as was the case vs. both Utah Valley (4/30-5/2) and Seattle U (5/14-16), the good guys were the ones with the brooms as the Trailblazers took all four games from visiting Northern Colorado in DSU's final home series last weekend at Bruce Hurst Field.
    DSU posted a pair of 6-3 wins in games #1 (Thursday) and #3 (Friday), to go with an 11-2 triumph  in the first game of the Friday doubleheader, and a 9-6 victory in Saturday's series finale, which was the Blazers' 12-straight home win overall.

SO MUCH FOR THE PROGNOSTICATIONS: Dixie State closed its WAC debut season with a flourish, winning 12 of its final 16 conference games to finish in fourth-place overall in the standings at 21-15.
    DSU wound up one game behind third-place Sacramento State (22-14), and one-half game ahead of fifth-place UTRGV (20-15), both of which, along with WAC regular season co-champion Grand Canyon (29-7), finished tied atop the WAC's preseason poll. That same poll had the Trailblazers finishing eighth in the 10-team league.

BORZONE'S CAREER DAY GOOD FOR WAC WEEKLY AWARD: For the second time this season, junior RHP Jimmy Borzone was named TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week on Monday for his performance in last Friday home victory over UNC.
    Borzone struck out a career-high 14 on his way to his second complete game win (and third overall) of the season in DSU's 11-2 win in game two of the four-game series. The junior scattered seven hits and two runs in the seven-inning game, with both runs coming with two outs in the seventh. After escaping a first-inning jam, Borzone breezed through his next five frames, limiting the Bears to just four hits and recording 11 of his 14 Ks over that stretch.
    Borzone's 14 strikeouts were also the second-highest single game total in Dixie State's NCAA era and were one off the school record of 15 set by Mike Dedrick in a 9-2 road win at Academy of Art (2/26/11) during the 2011 season.
    Borzone also earned the WAC weekly honor back on April 5, after he fired the second no-hitter in DSU's NCAA era at Tarleton State (4/2). The junior struck out eight allowed only four total base runners (3 HBP, 1 BB) in the Trailblazers' 5-1 victory in seven innings. The junior retired the final 14 Texan batters he faced and threw 97 pitches on his way to his first complete-game win.
    Prior to Borzone's day, Dixie State's only other no-hitter came nearly six years to the day on April 3, 2015, when former DSU hurler John Conquy blanked Fresno Pacific, 1-0, in a seven-inning road win. Borzone's no-no was also the 25th no-hitter in WAC history.

TRAILBLAZERS COLLECT FIVE WAC POSTSEASON AWARDS: Dixie State placed five players on the 2021 All-Western Athletic Conference Baseball Team, as announced on Tuesday by the conference office based on voting completed by the league's head coaches.
    Senior outfielder Lane Pritchard and freshman catcher Kaden Hollow each collected first team all-WAC honors, while senior first baseman Jake Engel, junior lefthander Jack Gonzales and freshman infielder Shane Taylor earned honorable mention recognition.

ROUND AND ROUND: Well it took nearly 47 full games, but Dixie State finally managed to bat around the line-up in game two vs. Seattle U (5/15). DSU sent 10 batters to the plate in the sixth inning and struck for five runs on four hits, which turned a 7-4 deficit into a 9-7 lead going in to the seventh and final inning in the first game of the doubleheader.
    DSU also sent 10 men to the plate in the seventh inning in last Saturday's series finale vs. UNC, which resulted in four Blazer runs that broke a 4-4 tie.
    Prior to that Seattle win, the last time the Trailblazers batted around in one inning was at home in a 22-2 triumph over Adams State (3/7/2020), against which the Blazers did it twice, sending 12 batters to the plate in the first, and 11 more in the home sixth.

BEST IN STATE?: Dixie State finished the in-state portion of its D-I debut schedule with a 6-2 mark against the other three Utah baseball schools this season. Along with their four-game sweep of Utah Valley two weeks ago, the Trailblazers split home-and-home single game series against both PAC-12 member Utah and West Coast Conference member BYU.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Trailblazers have played to a 287-110 (.723) overall record in 397 games played inside the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field in the program's NCAA era, including winning 12-straight home games to finish the 2021 campaign with a 17-9 mark.
    In fact, Dixie State has posted a winning home record in all 15 seasons since becoming an NCAA program in 2007. DSU went 8-3 (.727) in the COVID-19 Pandemic shortened 2020 season, and closed its 2019 home slate by winning seven of its final eight games to en route to a 21-7 (.750) home mark.
    DSU has won 20 or more home games in eight of 15 seasons overall, 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.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Dixie State has held its own away from home as the Trailblazers own a 157-152-1 overall road record (.508) in its four-year era, though they are 6-21 away from home so far this season.
    DSU has posted a winning road record in eight of their last 11 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 171-163-1 (.512) all-time away from Bruce Hurst Field in the program's NCAA era.

JUST WIN BABY: DSU's four-game series loss at GCU three weeks ago also led to another first for the Trailblazer program since it joined the NCAA ranks in 2007 - that being that Dixie State will see its 2021 season final record dip below the .500 plateau.
    Prior to this season, Dixie State had played to a winning record in 13 of its previous 14 seasons, with the lone exception coming in 2018, when the Trailblazers posted an even 25-25 mark. In fact, DSU has reached the 30-win plateau 10 times in 15 seasons of NCAA play overall, which included nine-straight seasons (2009-17).
    DSU has won 35 of more games in a season four times 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.

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.

"THERE'S A NEW HOME RUN CHAMPION.....": Jake Engel's "Senior Day" weekend will be a hard one to top as he became Dixie State's career home run leader in the final two games of the UNC series.
    Engel tied former DSU slugger Drew Oldfield (2009-10) atop the list with homer No. 31, which was also served as his first collegiate grand slam, and ultimately the GWHR in the fourth inning of the Blazers' 6-3 win in game three.
    Then with one out in the first inning of Saturday's finale, he belted his record-breaking 32nd dinger, and team-leading 10th, over the center field wall.
    Engel has hit 30 of his 32 home runs over the last three seasons, highlighted by his first three-homer game last month at San Diego State (4/24), against which he hit four home runs overall the three game series.

TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS:
* - Engel (.328/10 HR/37 RBI) had quite the final homestand as he batted .428 (12-for-28) in the eight games with three homers and 14 RBI ... nine of those RBI came in the Seattle U series, highlighted by a career-high six-RBI day with a three-run homer and a two-run single.
* - Engel has hit safely in seven-straight, and in 12 of his last 13 games overall, with four multi-hit games and 15 RBI during this current stretch.
* - Engel (145 RBI) will close out his All-American career in his hometown needing only three more RBI to pass former DSU player Brett Adams (149; 2008-10) for first place on Dixie State's career RBI list ... Engel (188) is also five base hits away from vaulting past Adams (190) and Colton Yack (192, 2010-13) for third place on DSU's career hits list.
* - Engel is also ranked third in program history in total bases (330), walks (88) and OB% (.452), fourth in career runs (142), career doubles (36) and SLG% (.608), and seventh in career average (.3462).
* - Pritchard (.315/6 HR/33 RBI) bounced back after a tough GCU series by batting .357 (5-for-14) with two XBH, including his fifth HR of the year, and three RBI in four starts vs. Seattle U two weeks ago ... however he was held to a .143 clip in four starts vs. UNC last weekend, though he did homer and drove in three runs.
* - Pritchard has been on quite the run over his last 37 games, during which he batted .350 (47-for-134) with seven three-hit outings, including a 3-for-4 day in the series finale vs. UVU (5/2) with a triple, home run and three RBI.
* - Pritchard batted .533 (8-for-15) against UVU pitching and drove in a team-high nine runs in the series, along with posting a .933 SLG%.
* - Pritchard has collected 26 of his 33 RBI, and 13 of his 18 XBH, over this current stretch with eight stolen bases.
* - Pritchard stole two bases in the UNC series to pull into a tie for second place on DSU's career list with former standout Drew McLaughlin (32, 2014-17) ... in addition the senior outfielder is currently ranked fifth in program history in OB% (.443), eighth in career batting (.340) and total bases (217), and ninth in SLG% (.531).
* - Since being inserted as the DSU everyday lead-off hitter in G3 at Sacramento State (3/27), Taylor (.287/6 HR/25 RBI) has hit .316 (37-of-117) with nine XBH over his last 34 games.
* - The freshman had career weekend in the Seattle series, during which he batted an even .500 with team highs of three home runs and nine runs scored ... Taylor posted a 1.250 SLG% and a .684 OB% as he reached base safely in 13 of his 23 plate appearances with six walks, one HBP and one sacrifice bunt.
* - Taylor hit safely in all four games vs. SU, highlighted by a 3-for-4 day with two HRs and three RBI in DSU's 9-7 triumph in G2 (5/15), and homered again and scored three runs in DSU's 14-4 sweep-clinching win on Sunday (5/16) ... he also scored a career-high four runs in DSU's 14-13 come-from-behind win in G3 (5/15).
* - Taylor's HR on in the SU finale was his, and DSU's, second lead-off homer of the season ... he also belted a lead-off HR in the series finale win at Tarleton State (4/3).
* - Junior CF Jagun Leavitt (.264/7 RBI) is batting .341 (15-for-44) over his last 16 games and has hit safely in 11 of those outings.
* - Leavitt had himself a series vs. UVU (4/30-5/2), against which he hit a team-high .556 (5-for-9) and posted a whopping .733 OB% ... Leavitt hit safely in all four games with three walks and three HBPs, and led the team with three stolen bases (3-for-3) and eight runs scored ... he also picked up his fourth RBI of the year on a perfectly executed suicide squeeze for the 9-8 walk-off win in the series opener.
* - Senior DH Cade Spurlin (.264/5 HR/20 RBI) has collected seven of his 11 XBH of the season in his last 31 games, including his fifth HR of the year in G1 vs. UVU (4/30), which moved him into 10th place on DSU's career HR list (15) ... he batted a team-high .750 (6-of-8) over three games vs. Seattle U two weeks ago, highlighted by a game-tying, pinch hit RBI double in the bottom of the ninth in G3 (5/15).
* - Sophomore OF/3B/DH Tyson Fisher (.178/8 HR/21 RBI) moved into a tie for fifth place on DSU's career HR list (20) with homers in each of the first two games of the UNC series ... Fisher enjoyed his best overall series of the season last weekend, batting .417 (5-for-12) against UNC pitching with five RBI and a team-high seven runs scored in the series.
* - Kaden Hollow (.333/9 HR/41 RBI) has returned to his early season form over the last two last weekends ... Hollow has hit safely in seven of his last eight games and is batting .458 (11-for-25) over this current stretch with five XBH and 11 RBI.
* - Hollow had a weekend vs. Seattle U two weeks ago, against which he batted .462 (6-for-13) in the series with two home runs and six RBI ... he followed that up by batting .455 (5-for-11) with three doubles, five more RBI and four runs scored in the UNC sweep.
* - Hollow, who hit a team-best .369 against WAC pitching, batted .615 (8-for-13) and posted a 1.231 SLG% in the four games at Tarleton (4/1-3) ... he finished with two doubles, two homers, seven RBI and seven runs scored in the four game set.
* - Hollow kept the vibe going in the home loss vs. Utah (4/6), against which he went 2-for-2 with a double and a two-run home run in the third inning.
* - Hollow feasted on Utah pitching as he also homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs in the Blazers' 9-7 road win back on March 23 in Salt Lake City ... Hollow drilled a grand slam in the fourth inning, then followed that up with a two-run shot in the sixth that gave DSU an 8-0 lead, as the freshman posted his first collegiate four-hit game.
* - DSU has hit 25 of its WAC-leading 53 home runs over its last 19 games, including a combined six HRs at San Diego State, all solo shots, and five more in the UNC series.
* - Of note, 29 of Dixie State's 53 home runs this season have come with the bases empty ... DSU's 53 home runs on the year are the third-most in a single season in the program's NCAA era.
* - Dixie State broke a rather dubious record during the UVU series as the Trailblazers set a new single season strikeout record....at the plate ... DSU has now struck out 467 times this season (with three games to go) ... the previous school record was 350 Ks set in 2008.
* - DSU's pitching staff has fanned 378 batters thus far this season, which is good for second all-time in the program's four-year era.
* - Thanks in part to Jimmy Borzone's (3-5/6.68 ERA) career day, DSU pitching combined for a season series-high 45 Ks last weekend vs. Northern Colorado, which eclipsed the previous best of 37 Ks in four games at Tarleton State (4/1-3).
* - Borzone, who is slated to start G2 at Arizona on Friday, leads the DSU staff with 72 K in 67.1 IP ... he is currently second on DSU's career K/9IP list (9.72) and fourth on DSU's single-season list (9.62).  
* - Freshman RHP Dillon Holliday (5-2/4.53 ERA/33 K), who will start G1 at Arizona on Thursday, picked up his team-leading fifth win of the year in the series opener vs. UNC, against which he struck out a career-high seven and surrendered just two runs (one earned) and four hits in 6.2 IP.
* - Holliday also earned the decision in the series opener vs. Seattle U (5/14) when he scattered three runs and seven hits with two Ks in 5.1 IP.
* - Holliday, who is 4-2 in nine starts on the year, fanned five and surrendered one run and four hits vs. CBU (4/16), which earned him his first win as a starting pitcher.
* - Holliday was credited with his first collegiate pitching victory at Utah (3/16), against which he threw 2.0 shutout innings to open the game, striking out two while surrendering only two hits ... Holliday quickly got win number two five days later after he pitched 2.1 spotless innings of relief with a strikeout in the win at Sac State (3/28).
* - Freshman RHP Brett Porthan (2-0/6.00 ERA/22 K), who is scheduled to start the series and 2021 season finale at Arizona on Saturday, earned his second win of the year in game three vs. UNC ... Porthan scattered five hits and three runs (one earned) with a career-high tying four strikeouts in 5.1 IP.
* - Porthan picked up his first collegiate win in G3 vs. UVU (5/1) ... Porthan retired nine of the first 10 Wolverines he faced and held UVU just two runs and five hits with three strikeouts to earn 7.0 IP complete game victory.
* - Not to be outdone, fellow freshman RHP Ryan Hardman (3-6/9.00 ERA/39 K) fired six innings of five-hit shutout baseball with a career-high tying five strikeouts to earn his first collegiate victory in the series finale vs. UVU (5/2) ... Hardman retired 11 of the first 13 UVU hitters he faced, including four on strikes, while no UVU base runner advanced past second base on the freshman.
* - Holliday worked a scoreless seventh as DSU won that final game by the WAC run rule ... the combined ShO came exactly 15 months to the day since DSU's last one, which was turned in by current Blazer hurlers Tevita Gerber, Haiden Hendricks and Zach Hansen in a 7-0 win at Cal State San Marcos (2/2/20).
* - Hardman collected his third win of the year in Sunday's finale vs. UNC ... the freshman fanned four and surrendered two runs and two hits in five relief innings.
* - After struggling in his first two starts of the year, Gonzales (2-4/1 SV/4.83 ERA/66 K) has been virtually lights out in his last 21 appearances - all in relief ... Gonzales has recorded 59 of his 66 batters in 36.0 innings out of the Blazer bullpen, including a season-high six Ks in 3.2 scoreless innings in G3 at GCU (5/8).
* - Gonzales collected his first collegiate save in G1 vs. Seattle U (5/14) when he tossed 3.2 innings of one-hit shutout baseball with five punch outs ... he then notched save No. 2 a week later in the opener vs. UNC.
* - The junior southpaw collected his second win of the season in G2 vs. UVU (5/1), against which he tossed 3.0 hitless innings ... he also earned the decision in the Tarleton series finale (4/3).
*  - Gonzales wound up with a team best 2.36 ERA in WAC play with 45 strikeouts in 26.2 IP (15.18 K/9IP), while WAC hitters batted a paltry .179 against the southpaw, and he is holding all opposing batters to a .220 clip, both of which lead the DSU staff.
*- Gonzales enters this weekend's series at Arizona as DSU's single season (14.48) and career K/9IP leader (9.81) ... in addition, he is currently third in career appearances (52) and third in career strikeouts (153).
* - Freshman LHP Ben Hart (2-5/9.37 ERA/33 K) earned his second win out of the Blazer bullpen in G2 vs. Seattle U (5/15) after he fired 2.2 innings of one-hit scoreless relief with a pair of strikeouts ... Hart also struck out four and hurled 2.1 scoreless innings in G3 vs. UNC last Saturday.
* - Senior closer Brayden Bonner (3-2/7 SV/7.99 ERA/21 K) earned his seventh save of the year, and the 16th of his collegiate career in G3 vs. UNC last Saturday ... Bonner became DSU's career leader (70 APP) in appearances when he earned a save in the series finale vs. UTRGV (3/21) ... Bonner also picked up a win (G3) and a save (G2) in the series sweep of Seattle U two weeks ago, and he enters this weekend tied for third on DSU's career saves list.

FREE BASEBALL: After not playing an extra inning game in two full seasons, Dixie State has played five extra inning affairs in its last 31 games overall. DSU saw its 52-straight game streak of not playing an extra inning game come to an end in the series opener at Tarleton (L, 9-10, 4/1), then lost in the 10th inning in game two at San Diego State (4/24).
    DSU did manage to even its season extra-inning record at 2-2 thanks to victories over Utah Valley in the first two games of that series three weeks ago, but dropped a 4-3 decision at GCU in game three of that series back on May 8.
    The Trailblazers are 33-18 (.647) in 51 total extra-inning games in the program's four-year era, 16-8 in 10-inning games, and the program has won seven of its last 12 extra inning games overall.