Game Times (Mountain):
Friday - 6:05 p.m.
Saturday - 2:05 p.m.
Sunday - 12:05 p.m.
Game Notes: DIXIE STATE - PDF | UVU - PDF
Live Streaming: WAC DIGITAL NETWORK
Live Stats: vs. UVU
Twitter: @DixieAthletics | @Dixie_Baseball | #DixieBlazers | #WACbsb
 
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday (G1) – RHP #29 Dillon Holliday (1-1, 2.38 ERA) vs. RHP #19 Devin Smith (0-1, 8.22 ERA)
Saturday (G2) – RHP #18 Brett Porthan (1-0, 5.56) vs. LHP #37 Cole Yocum (0-1, 11.57 ERA)
Sunday (G4) – RHP #40 Jimmy Borzone (0-0, 1.29 ERA) vs. RHP #26 Mason Gray (0-0, 3.00 ERA)

FIRST PITCH: Dixie State (4-4/0-0 WAC) opens its 30-game WAC slate with a three-game home series against in-state rival Utah Valley in the baseball renewal of the "Old Hammer Rivalry" this Friday-through-Sunday at Bruce Hurst Field.
    Friday night's series opener will start at 6:05 p.m., followed the middle game on Saturday at 2:05 p.m., and the series finale on Sunday at 12:05 p.m.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Dixie State is 8-4 all-time vs. Utah Valley in NCAA competition, including a four-game WAC sweep last season (4/30-5/2) at Bruce Hurst Field. DSU is 6-0 all-time vs. the Wolverines at home, and 2-4 in six meetings in Orem in its four-year era.
    Both Dixie State and UVU were members of the Scenic West Athletic Conference during the junior college years, and the two sides played annually through 2003 before UVU began its D-I transition ahead of the 2004 season.  

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.

COACHING STAFF: Two-time Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year Chris Pfatenhauer is his 10th 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 282-164-1 (.632) overall record at DSU, and a 334-223-1 (.599) career mark.
    Joining Pfatenhauer (UNLV, 2000) in the Trailblazer dugout this season is third-year pitching coach Zach Wilkins (Nevada, 2016), along with eighth-year assistant coaches Bobby Rinard (Arizona, 2014) and Matt Hill (Dixie State 2015).

LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State returned to PAC-12 country for a Tuesday night tilt at No. 10 Arizona and gave the Wildcats all they could handle before coming out on the short end of a 2-1 decision in 10 innings in Tucson.
    DSU held the high-powered Wildcat offense scoreless over the first seven innings before breaking through with a run in the eighth to take a 1-0 lead. Arizona clawed back to tie the game in the home eighth, then managed to push across the winning run in the 10th to walk off with the victory.
    The Trailblazers fell to 1-3 all-time vs. the ranked Wildcats, with all four games in the tightly contested overall series being decided by a total of six runs.  

TRAILBLAZERS VOTED FIFTH IN WAC PRESEASON DIVISION POLL: Dixie State was picked to finish fifth in the newly formed WAC West Division as the conference announced its 2022 baseball preseason polls back on February 9.
    With the addition of the four new Texas schools to the WAC, the 13-team conference has split into two divisions. Defending WAC champion Grand Canyon topped the West Division poll with five first place votes and 34 total points, while Sacramento State collected one first place nod and 30 points to finish second.
    California Baptist also received one first place vote and tallied 27 points to finish third in the West poll, followed by New Mexico State (20 pts) in fourth, DSU (19 pts) in fifth, Utah Valley (10 pts) in sixth and Seattle U (7 pts) in seventh.
    In the Southwest Division, which features all Texas schools, WAC newcomer Abilene Christian picked up five first place nods and 25 points to claim the top spot in that poll. Meanwhile, UTRGV (1 FPV, 19 pts) and league newcomer Sam Houston (19 pts) tied for second, followed by new WAC members Lamar (11 pts) and Stephen F. Austin (9 pts) in fourth and fifth place, respectively, and Tarleton State (7 pts) wound up in sixth.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Trailblazers have played to a 290-111 (.723) overall record in 401 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.
    DSU began the 2022 season with the four-longest home winning streaks in all of Division I, which reached 14-straight after the Blazers' game two win vs. North Dakota State last Saturday. However the Bison snapped the streak with their lone win of the series (6-2) in game three, which also happed to be DSU's 400th NCAA game in its home park.
    Dixie State has posted a winning home record in all 15 seasons since becoming an NCAA program in 2007. DSU also 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 157-157-1 overall road record (.500) in its four-year era. That road mark took a little bit of a hit in the program's D-I debut season last year (7-23), and the Blazers are off to a 1-3 start 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 171-168-1 (.504) all-time away from Bruce Hurst Field in the program's NCAA era.
    
JUST WIN BABY: Dixie State's 24-32 overall record in its NCAA D-I debut season last year led to another first for the Trailblazer program since it joined the NCAA ranks in 2007 - that being that Dixie State saw a final season record finish below the .500 plateau.
    That said, the Trailblazers did close out the 2021 season by winning 13 of their final 19 games, highlighted by an 11-9 upset win at then-No. 6 and PAC-12 champion Arizona in the penultimate game of the season (5/28/21).
    Prior to last 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 from 2009 to 2017.
    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.
    
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 currently 461-279-1 (.623) all-time through 15-plus years of NCAA competition (741 games).

BEST IN STATE?: Dixie State finished the in-state portion of its 2021 D-I debut schedule with a 6-2 mark against the other three Utah baseball schools. Along with their four-game WAC sweep of Utah Valley, the Trailblazers split home-and-home single game match-ups against both PAC-12 member Utah and West Coast Conference member BYU.

HOLLOW ON PRESEASON WATCH LISTS: Sophomore catcher Kaden Hollow has earned some early preseason attention heading into the 2022 campaign, and though we are only seven games into the season, he has shown he is worthy of the hype.
    Hollow batted .364 in the ASU series (4-for-11) with three runs scored, highlighted by a 3-for-3 day with DSU's first (2R) homer of the season and two RBI in the series finale (2/20). He also threw out two of four would-be base stealers.
    He then followed that up by hitting .313 (5-for-16) in four starts vs. NDSU, which included his first collegiate triple as part of a 3-for-4 effort with two RBI in G2 as he finished a double away from hitting for the cycle.
    Hollow also threw out five more base runners in the NDSU series, four of which on stolen base attempts, while he gunned down another runner trying to advance to second on a ruled wild pitch.  
    The sophomore backstop, who was voted to the WAC preseason all-conference team, is listed as one of the top-50 catchers in the nation by D1Baseball.com. In addition, he is on the 2022 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year watch list.
    Hollow earned first team all-WAC and 2021 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-America honors after batting .322 with 15 doubles, nine homers and 41 RBI. He finished the year ranked in the WAC's top-10 in four offensive categories, including slugging percentage (.559), home runs, doubles, and RBI.
    He posted a career and DSU team season high 14-game hit streak last year, and hit safely in 37 of 53 games played with 12 multi-hit outings. Hollow also drove in at least one run in 20 games with 11 games with two or more RBI.
    On the defensive side, Hollow threw out 12 of 49 possible base stealers and posted a .992 fielding percentage, with just three errors in 355 total chances.

TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS:
* - Sophomore 3B Shane Taylor drove in DSU's lone run in Tuesday's loss at Arizona, which was his team-leading ninth RBI of the season ... Taylor continued his early season tear as he hit .583 (7-for-12) out of the lead-off spot in the NDSU series with two doubles, two RBI and five runs scored ... Taylor hit safely in all four starts (career-high six-straight overall) with five combined hits in the Saturday DH ... Taylor picked up right where he left off last season as he batted a team-best .455 (5-for-11) with a double, three RBI and two runs scored in the ASU series ... After being held hitless in the opener, Taylor came back with two hits and two RBI in the game two win, and went 3-for-3 with a double, RBI and two runs scored in the finale.
* - Though it took him 288 career at-bats (383 PA) to do it, senior CF Jagun Leavitt finally hit his first collegiate home run, doing so in his first plate appearance vs. NDSU last Friday ... After a lead-off walk, Leavitt launched a 3-2 pitch over the RF wall to stake DSU to a 2-0 third-inning lead ... Leavitt, who hit .333 with two RBI in the ASU series, batted .250 with three total RBI in four starts vs. NDSU.
* - Senior 2B Tyler Hollow collected one more hit at Arizona on Tuesday night to move into t-ninth place (158) on DSU's career hits list.
* - Junior SS Mathew Ivancich enjoyed a breakout series last weekend vs. NDSU, batting a team-best .583 (7-for-12) with two doubles, two RBI and team-high five runs scored in four starts.
* - Junior RF Tyson Fisher continued his solid start to the 2022 campaign by hitting .357 (5-for-14) with three runs scored and a stolen base in four starts ... he also picked up his first outfield assist of the season in Sunday's finale when he cut down the Bison's potential tying run at the plate in the sixth inning.
* - Sophomore OF/1B Chase Rodriguez started in two of three games over the weekend, and responded by batting .444 (4-for-9) with a double and two runs.
* - Sophomore RHP Dillon Holliday was dominant in his 2022 home debut vs. NDSU, striking out six over seven shutout innings in last Friday's 4-1 series opening victory ... the sophomore limited the Bison to just four hits and seven total base runners ... after hurling a spotless first inning and getting out of a two-out jam in the second, Holliday retired 15 of the final 20 batters he faced over his next five innings of work.
* - Not to be outdone, fellow sophomore righthander Brett Porthan fanned six and retired 15 of the first 16 Bison hitters he faced over his first five innings of work in G2 last Saturday ... Porthan finished with a career-high seven strikeouts and surrendered two runs and three hits in six complete to earn his first win of the season ... Porthan leads the staff with 12 strikeouts in 11.1 IP through two starts.
* - Sophomore RHP Ryan Hardman has emerged as the Trailblazers' stopper out of the bullpen ... he collected his second career save in Sunday's finale vs. NDSU when he came on in the seventh with the bases loaded and one out, and proceeded to record the final two outs of the frame in short order ... Hardman went on to retire six of the final seven Bison hitters he faced to close out the series win.
* - Hardman also picked up the Blazers' first win of the 2022 campaign after he scattered one run and six hits over 4.2 innings of relief with four strikeouts in G2 at Arizona State (2/19).
* - Senior RHP Jimmy Borzone made the most of his 2022 debut as he fired 2.2 innings of one-hit relief with four punch outs in the ASU opener (2/18) ... he followed that up with six strikeouts in 4.1 innings of relief in G3 vs. NDSU last Saturday, which vaulted him into sixth place on DSU's career strikeouts list (128).  
* - Junior RHP Zach Thomas earned the decision (and fifth career win) in Sunday's finale vs. NDSU (1.1 IP/2H/1R/1K).
* - Freshman RHP Jacob Taggart has proven that the college stage is not too big for him as he has already turned in two dominant performances on the road against two PAC-12 heavyweights ... Taggart made his collegiate debut in the series finale at Arizona State (2/20), against which he struck out three in 1.1 innings of spotless relief.
* - Taggart followed that up with a career-high nine strikeouts over five shutout innings of one-hit relief last Tuesday night at Arizona ... he struck out the side in the third and sixth innings, and induced a big double-play ball in the Wildcat fifth.
* - Junior righthander Jake Dahle got the spot start at Arizona on Tuesday night, surrendering only three hits with two strikeouts over two innings, which included DSU's first twin killing of the game to end the second frame.
 
FREE BASEBALL: After not playing an extra inning game in two full seasons in 2019 and 2020, Dixie State has played in seven extra inning affairs since its move to Division I, all of which have come over the Blazers' 38 games, including two already this season.  
    The Trailblazers is currently 3-4 in extra inning games as a D-I, which includes their 7-6 win in 10 innings in game two at Arizona State (2/19), along with last Tuesday's loss at Arizona.
    DSU saw its 52-straight game streak of not playing an extra inning game come to an end last season in the series opener at Tarleton State (L, 9-10, 4/1/21), and the Blazers finished the 2021 campaign with a 2-3 mark in extra innings.
    The Trailblazers are 34-19 (.641) in 53 total extra-inning games in the program's four-year era, 17-9 in 10-inning games, and the program has won eight of its last 14 extra inning games overall.

ABOUT THE UTAH VALLEY "WOLVERINES": Utah Valley is entering the tail end of a 13-game road stretch to open its 2022 campaign, which included going 1-3 in non-conference series at Texas State (2/18-20) and San Francisco (2/25-27) last month.
    Senior infielder Mitch Morales leads the Wolverine offense with a .400 average with three doubles, while junior catcher Copper Hansen has driven in a team-high six runs in only four games. As a team, UVU is batting .253 through eight games and averaging nearly four runs a game, while the Wolverine pitching staff owns a 7.20 ERA and has struck out 42 in 65.0 IP.  

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Dixie State heads out on a five-game road swing next weekend, beginning with a three-game WAC series at Sacramento State on March 11-13.