FIRST PITCH: Utah Tech (9-27/4-11 WAC) heads back out on the road this weekend as the Trailblazers travel to Phoenix for a three-game WAC series at Grand Canyon (20-17/11-7 WAC).
    The series opener will take place on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. (PT), followed by game two on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. (PT), and the series finale on Sunday at 12 noon (PT), at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark (4,000). 

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: Utah Tech owns a 34-26 all-time series lead vs. Grand Canyon in a series that dates back to when both programs were members of the Pacific West Conference. 
    However the Trailblazers head to Phoenix looking to snap an eight-game losing skid against the Lopes, including all seven meetings since UT began its transition to Division I status and joined the WAC. GCU swept a three-game series in St. George last season, and won all four home games during the 2021 campaign. 
    Prior to that 2021 series, Utah Tech and GCU last met in the 2013 season, which was GCU's last season in the PacWest before its beginning its own transition to NCAA Division I status and the program's move to the WAC.
    That season, the Trailblazers won six of the eight meetings between the two teams, including a three-game sweep in Phoenix (May 3-4). However the Lopes claimed the final game of the season series by a 12-3 count (5/16/13) at the 2013 NCAA Division II West Regional tournament, which was hosted by Utah Tech. 

UTAH TECH ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB: All Utah Tech home games, along with all WAC away games, this season will be streamed live online on either WAC International (wacinternational.tv) or ESPN+ (plus.espn.com).

COACHING STAFF: Two-time Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year Chris Pfatenhauer is in 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 309-220-1 (.584) overall record at Utah Tech, and a 361-279-1 (.564) 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). 

LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech lost for the 13th time in its last 15 games overall after coming out on the short end of a hard-fought 8-6 non-conference decision at Utah Valley last Monday night in Orem.

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.

HOME SWEET HOME: Utah Tech has played to a 305-135 (.693) overall record in 440 games played inside the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field since the start of its four-year era in the 2007 season.
    The Trailblazers are off to an uncharacteristic 8-14 start at home this season, which includes a 3-6 mark in WAC play after dropping two of three to conference leader Sam Houston last weekend. However Utah Tech did collect its 300th NCAA-era home victory in their 12-4 series-opening win over Wichita State back on Feb. 22. 
    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 the 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: Despite the 1-13 road start to the 2023 season, Utah Tech has held its own away from home as the Trailblazers have played to a 169-189-1 overall road record (.472) 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 183-200-1 (.478) 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 488-335-1 (.593) all-time through 16-plus years of NCAA competition (824 games). 

FREE BASEBALL: After not playing an extra inning game in two full seasons in 2019 and 2020, Utah Tech has played in 12 extra inning affairs since its move to Division I, all of which have come over the Blazers' 113 games, including three this season - all at home.
    Unfortunately for the Trailblazers, they came out on the short end of all three of those games, two of which came last month at home vs. SFA. UT also fell in 10 innings in game two vs. Wichita State (L, 3-5; 2/24).  
    The Trailblazers are currently 4-8 in extra inning games during their D-I transition, and 35-23 (.603) overall in 58 total extra-inning games in the program's four-year era. UT is 17-13 in 10-inning games, and the program has won nine of its last 19 extra inning games overall. 

THE FISHER (HR) KING: Senior Tyson Fisher became Utah Tech's career home run leader in the series finale vs. Portland (2/19) with the first of his two two-run homers he connected on as part of a 3-for-4 day with five RBI. 
    Fisher moved past his former teammate Jake Engel (2017-21), who hit 32 home runs during his storied All-American career.
    Fisher launched his record-breaking 33rd career HR on a 1-0 pitch in the bottom of the third, then struck for his second long ball one inning later on a 2-1 offering. The senior's two-homer game was the third of his career - all of which have come over the past two seasons. Fisher went yard twice in a road win at Sacramento State early last season (3/12/22), then repeated the feat nearly two months later at home vs. NM State (5/1/22).

FISHER ON A POWER SURGE: Dating back to last year, Fisher has been on quite the home run tear, having gone big fly in nine of his last 40 games, including five games this season. He connected for his team-leading sixth homer of the season, and the 38th of his career, in game two at CBU (4/1), which was his fourth long ball in his last five starts overall at the Lancers' home park. 
    Last year 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, highlighted by homers in all three games in that season-finale series at CBU. 
    Fisher batted .357 (5-for-14) over those final four starts 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. In addition, 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. 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 MORE HISTORY: Now that he sits atop the career HR list with 38 and counting, Fisher has several more career records in sight as he continues through his final season. His team-leading 23 RBI this season leaves him needing only 11 more to pass both Engel (147) and Adams (147) become UT's career RBI leader (fourth with 137). 
    In addition, he stands second in total bases (357), third in at bats (643), fourth in triples (7), stolen bases (25) and runs (138), fifth in doubles (38) and hits (191), and sixth in SLG% (.555).
    Fisher padded his top-six career slugging percentage last weekend vs. SHSU, against which he batted .455 (5-for-11) with three doubles and his seventh-career triple (1.143 SLG%).

STARTING AT THE TOP: Junior 3B Shane Taylor enters this weekend's series red hot at the plate, having hit safely in a career-high 17-straight games.
    Taylor had quite the series vs. Sam Houston, batting .417 (5-for-12) with a double, HR, two RBI and three runs in three starts. In fact his homer, the junior's fourth of the year and 15th (t-11th in UT history) of his career, led off the home first in Friday's series opening win.
    Taylor's blast was also Utah Tech's first lead-off home run in nearly 23 full months, with the last also coming off of Taylor's bat in a 14-4 home win over Seattle U (5/16/21) during the 2021 season.
    The junior also had a great series vs. UT Arlington, against which he hit .384 (5-for-13) with three XBHs, highlighted by UT's first inside-the-park home run in the program's new Division-I era, which came in the series opener (4/6) as part of a three-RBI night. The junior also doubled and tripled in game two, and finished the series with four RBI, three walks and three runs scored. 
    Taylor is batting .403 (25-for-62) over his hit streak with 11 XBH, 11 RBI, 17 runs, and 16 walks out of the lead-off spot. He currently stands in second in the WAC in walks with 32, including 14 free passes over his last 13 games, two of which last Monday night at UVU. 
    In addtion, Taylor (105 BB) has become just the second Blazer in program history to draw at least 100 career walks (126, Yuto Kata; 2012-16). 

RACING AROUND THE BASES: Taylor's inside-the-park homer at UTA on April 6 was the second in Coach Pfatenhauer's tenure as Utah Tech skipper. Coincidentally, the first inside-the-park HR was also legged out by a Trailblazer 3B - Yuto Kata - who did at Bruce Hurst Field nearly nine years ago to the day (4/19/14) in UT's 11-0 home win over Cal State LA.

SPEAKING OF STREAKS: Taylor's current 17-game hit streak is the fourth-longest in the program's NCAA era, and is the longest in Utah Tech's current D-I transition.
    Former shortstop Tanner Morache hit in 18-straight games in 2016 (2/27-3/29/16), while former Blazer slugger Kevin Kline strung together a 19-game hit streak during the 2014 season. 
    Taylor's former teammate and Trailblazer All-American Jake Engel currently owns the school record with a 21-game hit streak, which he started in his final five starts of the 2019 season and all 16 starts during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.

LEADING THE HURD: After missing the last four games due to injury, freshman OF Bryker Hurdsman will look to return to the starting line-up this weekend at GCU.
    Hurdsman played in all three games vs. UT Arlington two weeks ago (4/6-8), and homered at BYU (4/11) prior to sitting out the Sam Houston series. 
    Hurdsman has made an impact through his first 25 games played, and despite missing 11 of UT's last 15 games, he is still second on the team in batting (.299), runs scored (19), SLG% (.519) and doubles (8), and is third in RBI (16).
    Hurdsman has hit safely in 16 games this season, including nine of his last 13 overall, with five two-hit games and a 3-for-4 day with a double and an RBI in game three of the Oklahoma State series (3/11). He also homered and drove in a career-high four runs in UT's series opening win vs. Wichita State (2/22). 

TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS

* - After getting off to a slow start, junior CF Chase Rodriguez has flipped the switch, batting an even .300 (21-of-70) over his last 27 games, including a .400 clip (4-for-10) in the SFA series, highlighted by his first collegiate two-HR game with four RBI in the series opener (3/24).
* - Not to be outdone, junior C/OF Parker Schmidt also homered twice and drove in four runs in the SFA series opener (3/24).
* - Schmidt has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, and has collected two hits in three of his last four games overall ... the junior connected for his fourth homer of the year as part of a 3-for-4 day with two walks and three runs in the finale at UTA (4/8), and had a double in a 2-for-4 night at UVU last Monday night. 
* - Junior catcher Hank Dodson has also been on a tear of late, having hit safely in nine of his last 13 outings overall ... the junior backstop has driven in runs in four-straight starts, including home runs in the series finale at UTA (4/8) and at UVU last Monday's night.
* - Sophomore SS Ethan He is swinging a hot bat, having hit safely in seven of his last 10 games (10-for-34; ..294) with three multi-hit games and eight total RBI, highlighted by a 2-for-4 day with a homer and three RBI at BYU (4/11).
* - He has also reached base safely in 12 of his last 14 games played, and has collected base hits in eight of those games.
* - RS-Freshman infielder Garrett Cutting has hit safely in three-straight games, going 4-for-7 with all four hits going for doubles, to go with three runs scored and an RBI.
* - In fact, Cutting's last six hits overall (6-for-19; .315) have been doubles, all of which have come over his last eight games dating back to the midweek game at Arizona (3/21).
* - Senior 1B/RHP Zach Thomas has also hit safely in three-straight (6-for-12; .500) ... the senior has homered in each of his last two starts and has five RBI over this current stretch. 
* - In addition, Thomas legged out his team-leading second triple to start his hit streak in G2 vs. Sam Houston. 
* - After only hitting one road HR through its first five road games, Utah Tech has gone yard 10 times over its last eight road games, including two homers at UVU last Monday ... the Trailblazers hit four homers in the UTA series, including three in the series finale, and hit two more at BYU (4/11). 
* - Prior to the CBU road series (3/31-4/2), senior 1B Sean Keating had accounted for Blazers' lone road HR, which came in game three at Oklahoma State (3/11). 
* - Keating had himself a day in the series opener vs. Wichita State (2/22) when he became the second Trailblazer in the program's new D-I era to hit three home runs in one game ... Keating also drove in a career-high six runs in the win.
* - Keating joined former UT All-American Jake Engel on that exclusive list, which he established after he went yard three times at San Diego State (4/24/21) during the 2021 season.
* - Keating also became the second Trailblazer this season to hit homers in consecutive plate appearances, joining Fisher on the list, who did it in the series finale vs. Portland (2/19), while Rodriguez became the third player to do it in the series opener vs. SFA (3/24).
* - In fact, Utah Tech went back-to-back-to-back with the long ball in the third inning of G1 vs. Wichita as Hurdsman-Keating-Fisher all homered within four pitches of each other off of two different Shocker pitchers.
* - Utah Tech's three-consecutive home runs also marked the first time that occurred in the program's D-I transition ... the last time the Trailblazers hit three home runs in one inning came during the 2019 season in a 28-9 road rout of Adams State (3/10/19).
* - Junior RHP Brett Porthan enjoyed his best outing of the season in the series opener vs. NM State, against which he struck out a career-high eight and scattered two runs (one earned) and five hits over 7.0 solid innings en route to his third win of the season.
* - Porthan also put together a dominant performance in his last start vs. Sam Houston this past Friday night ... the junior came within one out of recording Utah Tech's first complete-game victory in the program's new NCAA Division-I era when he went 8.2 innings, but two Blazer errors in the ninth prevented him from notching his first nine-inning CG.
* - Porthan did pick up his fourth win of the year after he scattered three earned runs (five total) and nine hits with one strikeout.
* - Utah Tech has 22 nine inning complete games in its NCAA era, the last one came just over four years ago when former Blazer hurler Jayden Murray went the distance vs. UCCS in a 6-1 win (3/16/19).
* - Porthan is currently fourth on UT's career starts, with No. 31 coming on Friday night at GCU ... the junior also stands in sixth all-time in IP (172.0) and is ninth on UT's career strikeout (121) list. 
* - Junior RHP Carson Angeroth picked up his second victory of the season in series finale at CBU (4/2), against which he fanned a career-high five and surrendered only one run and seven hits in 5.0 IP.
* - Angeroth earned his first decision of the season in the series finale vs. NMSU (3/19) after he fired 3.2 innings of one-hit shutout baseball in relief with three strikeouts.
* - Speaking of strong bullpen work, the trio of freshmen Dakoda West (2 Ks) and Evan Vasiliou (2 Ks), and sophomore Jacob Taggart (5 Ks) combined to record nine more strikeouts in relief of Angeroth and limited CBU to just two hits over the final four innings to help the Trailblazers salvage the series finale.
* - The 14 strikeouts in the finale at CBU were a Utah Tech WAC season high and one off of UT's overall season high of 15 set vs. South Dakota State (3/4/23) ... in all, Utah Tech pitching has recorded 10 or more strikeouts 10 times this season. 
* - West also struck out a career-high five in a two-inning spot start at UVU last Friday night. 
* - Senior LHP Ben Hart has made a staff-high 15 relief appearances through 36 games this season to rise to second all-time in program history in games pitched at 66 ... Hart (102 K) also became the 13th pitcher (and third this season) to record at least 100 career strikeouts in UT's NCAA era with his 15th punch-out of the season in his one inning of work at BYU (4/11). 

ABOUT THE GRAND CANYON "LOPES": Grand Canyon returns home after a five-game Texas road trip, which started with the Lopes taking two-of-three at Abilene Christian to maintain hold of second place in the WAC standings at 11-7. GCU then closed the trip with a pair of midweek losses at No. 16 Texas Tech this past Tuesday (L, 1-6) and Wednesday (L, 6-11) in Lubbock. 
    The Lopes' potent offense features five regular starters all batting over .300, led by junior infielder Jacob Wilson who is second in the WAC in batting with a .411 clip, to go with 17 XBHs and 39 RBI. 
    Meanwhile, junior OF Homer Bush Jr. leads GCU with 12 doubles, 14 stolen bases (14-of-16; No. 2 in the WAC)  and 49 runs scored to go with .393 average (No. 5 in the WAC) out of the lead-off spot. 
    Friday's game one starter, sophomore RHP Daniel Avitia (5-1, 3.37 ERA), is the reigning WAC Pitcher of the Week and has fanned 46 in 50.2 IP, while Sunday's starter, junior LHP Zach Thornton (5-1, 2.83 ERA) lead the staff with  63 strikeouts in 54.0 IP.  
    As a team, GCU leads the WAC in runs scored (286; 7.7 rpg), second in RBI (254) and hits (390; 10.5 hpg), and t-third in batting (.300).

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech returns home for a four-game homestand against two in-state rivals, beginning with a Tuesday midweek match-up against Utah. First pitch at Bruce Hurst Field is set for 4:05 p.m.