Game Times (Mountain):
Friday - 4:05 p.m.
Saturday (DH) - 2:05 p.m.
Sunday - 12:05 p.m.
Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | PORTLAND - PDF
Live Streaming:  WAC INTERNATIONAL
Live Stats: vs. PORTLAND
Twitter: @UtahTech_Sports | @UtahTech_BASE | #UtahTechBlazers | #WACbsb
 
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday (G1) – RHP #18 Brett Porthan (2022 - 7-4, 6.75 ERA) vs. RHP #25 Joey Gartrell (2022 - 4-1, 4.46 ERA)
Saturday (G2) – RHP #21 Ryan Hardman (2022 - 4-2, 5.31 ERA) vs. RHP #37 Nick Brink (DNP in 2022)
Saturday (G3) – RHP #23 Jake Dahle (2022 - 2-6, 7.18 ERA) vs. RHP #17 Brock Gillis (2022 - 4-4, 4.61 ERA)
Sunday (G4) – TBA vs. TBA

FIRST PITCH: Utah Tech (0-0/0-0 WAC) opens its third NCAA Division I season this weekend with a 13-game homestand, which begins this weekend with a four-game series at Bruce Hurst Field vs. West Coast Conference member Portland (0-0).
        The Trailblazers "Opening Day" will be this Friday against the Pilots at 4:05 p.m., followed by a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 2:05 p.m., and the series finale on Sunday at 12:05 p.m.

HI MY NAME IS...: The Trailblazers began the 2023 season with a new institutional name - Utah Tech University. 
        This past July 1, the university re-branded to the new moniker, replacing "Dixie State University," while the "Trailblazers" nickname remained in place.

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

COACHING STAFF: Two-time Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year Chris Pfatenhauer begins his 11th season as head coach of the Utah Tech Baseball program. During his tenure in the UT 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 300th victory as UT skipper in the 2022 season finale at California Baptist (14-8; 5/21/2022), owns a 300-193-1 (.608) overall record at Utah Tech, and a 352-252-1 (.582) career mark. 
        Joining Pfatenhauer (UNLV, 2000) in the Trailblazer dugout this season is first-year pitching coach Justin Hixson (Cal State San Bernardino, 2006), along with ninth-year assistant coaches Bobby Rinard (Arizona, 2014) and Matt Hill (Utah Tech 2015). 

QUICK 2022 RECAP: Utah Tech (then Dixie State) wrapped up its second NCAA Division I season with a 22-33 overall record, which included a 14-16 conference mark and a fourth-place finish in the WAC's Western Division.

TRAILBLAZERS VOTED EIGHTH IN WAC PRESEASON POLL: Utah Tech was picked to finish eighth in the Western Athletic Conference as the league office announced its 2023 baseball preseason poll on Feb. 9. 
        Grand Canyon received 10 first-place votes and 141 voting points to top the 2023 preseason coaches poll. Sam Houston received the final three first-place votes to finish second with 131 points, while California Baptist collected 115 points to claim the third spot. 
        A log jam makes up the next three spots as Abilene Christian (100 pts), UTRGV (100 pts) and Sacramento State (100 pts) all tied for fourth place. Meanwhile defending WAC tournament champion New Mexico State (88 pts) wound up seventh, with Utah Tech (54 pts), WAC newcomer UT Arlington (47 pts) and Tarleton (40 pts) rounding out the top 10.
        Utah Tech also enters the upcoming season eligible to compete at the 2023 WAC Baseball Championship Tournament, which will be held May 24-28 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.

OPENING DAY: Utah Tech is 9-7 all-time on "Opening Day" during its NCAA era and has won five of its last seven, and nine of its previous 13 season debuts overall. 
        In addition, Utah Tech owns a 10-6 overall record in home openers, 4-3 in season openers at home, while the Trailblazers are 8-8 all-time in road openers, and they are 5-4 in season-opening road games overall.

A LOOK AT THE 2023 SCHEDULE: Utah Tech's third year of NCAA Division I play will feature 55 games, including 29 home dates at Bruce Hurst Field, along with match-ups against five 2022 NCAA Regional teams, and home-and-home games against in-state rivals Utah, BYU, and Utah Valley. 
        The Trailblazers will play 19 of their first 24 games at home, highlighted by a 13-game homestand, which includes this weekend's series vs. Portland, followed by two more four-game sets vs. Wichita State (Feb. 23-25) and South Dakota State (March 3-5), before closing the homestand with a midweek game against BYU on Tuesday, March 7.
        Utah Tech's first road trip takes the club to Stillwater for a four-game series at preseason nationally-ranked Oklahoma State (March 10-12). The Blazers will also play March midweek games at both Arizona State (March 14) and Arizona (March 21), which bookends their WAC opening home series vs. New Mexico State (17-19). UT's non-conference slate also includes its home-and-home midweek games vs. Utah (in Salt Lake City April 4; in St. George April 25), a return road game at BYU (April 11), a non-league game at UVU (April 17) and a two-game road series at preseason nationally-ranked Oregon (May 9-10).

HOME SWEET HOME: The Trailblazers have played to a 298-121 (.711) overall record in 419 games played inside the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field in the program's NCAA era.
        Utah Tech started the 2022 season winners of seven of its first 10 home games, but when the calendar turned to April, that record flipped to 4-8, though the Blazers did manage to salvage their home finale vs. Utah (W, 9-4; 5/11/22) to even their home mark at 11-11 for the year. 
        UT has posted a winning home record in 15 of 16 seasons since transitioning to NCAA status in 2007, and has won 20 or more home games in eight of those 16 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 era (26-7 in 2009). 
        The 24 home wins in 2016 were the most under Head Coach Chris Pfatenhauer, while the .807 winning percentage in 2017 was the best W% in Pfatenhauer's tenure.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Utah Tech has held its own away from home as the Trailblazers have played to a 168-176-1 overall road record (.487) in its four-year era, which included an 11-22 road mark last season, though they did end the year winning three of their final four road dates. 
        UT had posted a winning road record in eight of their last 13 seasons overall, highlighted by a 16-7-1 road mark in 2017. The 16 road wins were the most since beginning NCAA play in 2007.
        In 2015, Utah Tech went a program-best 15-5 on the road (.750), and UT has won at least 10 road games in nine of its last 10 seasons overall. When you also figure in neutral-site games (14-11 in 25 games), Utah Tech is 181-187-1 (.492) all-time away from Bruce Hurst Field in the program's NCAA era.

JUST WIN BABY: Utah Tech did something last year that it had not done in its entire NCAA era - post consecutive sub-.500 season records. UT ended its first NCAA D-I season in 2021 with a 24-32 overall record, which was followed by last year's 22-33 mark.
        Prior to the 2021 campaign, Utah Tech had played to a winning record in 13 of its previous 14 seasons, with the lone exception coming in 2018, when the Trailblazers came away with an even 25-25 mark. In fact, Utah Tech has reached the 30-win plateau 10 times in 16 seasons of NCAA play overall, which included nine-straight seasons from 2009 to 2017.
        Utah Tech 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: Utah Tech picked up its 400th win in the program's NCAA era in the series opener vs. UCCS (6-1) on March 16, 2019. UT is currently 479-308-1 (.608) all-time through 16 years of NCAA competition (788 games). 

BEST IN STATE?: Utah Tech finished the in-state portion of its 2022 slate with an even 5-5 record, splitting all three series against the other three Utah D-I schools (BYU 1-1; Utah 1-1; Utah Valley 3-3). 
        In UT's D-I debut season last year, the Trailblazers posted a combined 6-2 mark against their in-state foes, going 4-0 vs. fellow WAC member UVU, along with home-at-home splits vs. both BYU and Utah.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: Utah Tech led the WAC and finished tied for fifth nationally, unofficially, in double plays with 56 in 55 games last season. It was unofficial because UT is not eligible to be listed in the NCAA rankings during its four-year transition to Division I status. 
        On the flip side, UT hit into 49 twin killings last season, which was second-most in the WAC (Lamar led the WAC/nation with 58 DPs) and was tenth nationally.

FREE BASEBALL: After not playing an extra inning game in two full seasons in 2019 and 2020, Utah Tech has played in nine extra inning affairs since its move to Division I, all of which have come over the Blazers' 78 games, including four games last season (2-2).  
        The Trailblazers are currently 4-5 in extra inning games as a D-I, and 35-20 (.636) overall in 55 total extra-inning games in the program's four-year era. UT is 17-10 in 10-inning games, and the program has won nine of its last 16 extra inning games overall. 

FISHER CLOSES THE 2022 SEASON WITH A "BANG": Senior OF Tyson Fisher had quite the ending to his 2022 season as he became the first player in the program's NCAA era to hit home runs in four-straight games, doing so in each of Utah Tech's final four games of the season, a streak that he hopes to extend this weekend vs. Portland.
        Fisher batted .357 (5-for-14) over those final four games with seven RBI and six runs scored to finish the year with a .302 average along with 11 homers, 22 total XBH, and 33 RBI. He hit safely in 20 of his final 23 games and batted .372 (32-for-86) over that stretch.
        The senior OF is also one of seven Trailblazers in UT's four-year era to hit homers in three-straight games, and is the second player to do it twice. In addition to last year's feat, Fisher posted a three-game streak late in the 2021 season (5/16-21), while former outfielder Tyson Littlewood did it in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Former UT All-American Jake Engel added his name to the list in 2019, joining fellow All-American Brett Adams (2010) along with former Blazers Kevin Cline (2013), Mark Rose (2008) and Frans Meyer (2008). 

FISHING FOR HISTORY: Fisher enters his final season with several career records in site. His power surge to close the 2022 season pulled him into a tie atop Utah Tech's career HR list with Engel (32), and he needs only 34 more RBI to become the career leader in that category (currently t-sixth with 114). 
        In addition, he stands fourth in total bases (301), fifth in triples (6) and runs (124), sixth in SLG% (.568), eighth in doubles (32), and ninth in hits (161), at bats (530) and stolen bases (22). 

QUICK 2023 SEASON PREVIEW: Utah Tech welcomes back four of its top-six hitters from last year's club, highlighted by 2021 all-WAC selection Shane Taylor. The junior third baseman was UT's top hitter last year with a .350 batting average to go with 19 total extra base hits and a team-high 40 RBI out of the lead-off spot.  
        UT also returns back 2022 first team all-WAC Utility pick Parker Schmidt (.315/3 HR/23 RBI), who is on top of the depth chart as the Blazers' opening day catcher. Two of three outfield spots will feature solid veteran leadership, with Fisher patrolling right field and junior Chase Rodriguez (.279/2 HR/23 RBI) slated to be the opening day center fielder. Meanwhile, three talented freshmen will vie for time in left field, all of whom have local prep ties in Bryker Hurdsman (Desert Hills HS), Karson Irvin (Desert Hills HS) and Levi Randall (Enterprise HS).
        The left side of the Blazer infield is set with Taylor and senior shortstop Mathew Ivancich (.283/3 HR/23 RBI), while senior Sean Keating (.259/3 HR/12 RBI) hopes to rebound from an injury-plagued 2022 season as he will be the opening day first baseman, while senior utility player Zach Thomas (.280/4 HR/22 RBI) may see time at the corner spot as well as DH. 
        Two newcomers, Mt. SAC transfer Blake Borgogno and Oregon transfer Garrett Cutting, will look to establish themselves as the everyday second baseman.
        Along with Schmidt, junior Hank Dodson (.190/1 HR/4 RBI) and College of Southern Idaho transfer Morgan Albrecht will also figure in the mix behind the plate. 
        On the mound, junior righthander Brett Porthan (7-4/6.75 ERA/61 K) is back to lead an experienced starting rotation that also features fellow junior RHP Ryan Hardman (4-2/5.31 ERA/54 K), and senior RHP Jake Dahle (2-6/7.18 ERA/30 K). 
        Out of the bullpen, Thomas (RHP – 18 APP/2-1/6.38 ERA/9 K) along with junior Ben Hart (LHP – 25 APP/0-0/37.0 IP/40 K), and sophomores Jacob Taggart (RHP – 15 APP/0-2/10.02 ERA/26 K) and Justin Woodbury (LHP - 14 APP/1-1/6.00 ERA/13 K) will anchor a veteran Blazer relief corps. In all, UT returns 11 pitchers and one redshirt from the 2022 campaign and welcomes in seven new hurlers who will vie for innings.

ABOUT THE PORTLAND "PILOTS": Portland is coming off a successful 32-23 campaign last season, which included a second place finish in the West Coast Conference (17-10), and a third place showing in WCC tournament.
        The Pilots return 28 players off that 2022 club, highlighted by graduate closer RHP Peter Allegro, who is a 2023 preseason All-America selection after he finished ninth-nationally in saves with 13 to go with a 4-2 record and a 2.76 ERA. Junior OF Jake Holcroft is also back after he led Portland's offense in batting (.348), doubles (15) and runs (42). 

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech continues its homestand next weekend with a four-game series vs. Wichita State.