FIRST PITCH: Utah Tech (9-31/4-14 WAC) continues its homestand this weekend with its penultimate home WAC series of the season vs. in-state foe Utah Valley at Bruce Hurst Field (2,500). Friday's series opener will start at 6:05 p.m., followed by game two on Saturday at 2:05 p.m., and Sunday's series finale 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: Utah Tech is 11-8 all-time vs. Utah Valley in NCAA competition, though the Wolverines have won three of the last four meetings in the "Old Hammer Rivalry," all of which have come in Orem at UCCU Ballpark, which includes a Monday night non-conference match-up that UVU claimed by an 8-6 count back on April 17.
    That said, the Trailblazers are 8-1 all-time vs. UVU at Bruce Hurst Field, which includes a 2-1 series win in St. George last season (3/4-6/22), and a four-game sweep of the Wolverines in UT's first NCAA Division I season in 2021 (4/30-5/2). 
    Both Utah Tech (then 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 own D-I transition ahead of the 2004 season. 
    The two teams also played as NCAA foes during the Blazers' Division II era, that took place in 2008, when UT won one of three in a series played in Orem (4/24-26/08). 

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 17th time in its last 19 games overall after coming out on the short end of a 13-3 home loss to in-state foe Utah this past Tuesday afternoon.

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 305-136 (.691) overall record in 441 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 8-15 start at home this season, which includes a 3-6 mark in WAC play after dropping two of three to conference leader Sam Houston two weeks ago. 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. 
    UT has posted a winning home record in 15 of 17 seasons since transitioning to NCAA status in 2007, though Tuesday's loss to Utah clinched the Blazers' first home losing record in the program's NCAA era. Utah Tech also went 11-11 at home last season. 
    Utah Tech 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 1-16 mark on the road this, Utah Tech has managed to hold its own away from home as the Trailblazers have played to a 169-192-1 overall road record (.468) 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 14 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 11 seasons overall. When you also figure in neutral-site games (14-11 in 25 games), Utah Tech is 183-203-1 (.474) all-time away from Bruce Hurst Field 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 488-339-1 (.590) all-time through 16-plus years of NCAA competition (828 games). 

FREE BASEBALL: After not playing an extra inning game in two full seasons in 2019 and 2020, Utah Tech has played in 13 extra inning affairs since its move to Division I, all of which have come over the Blazers' 117 games, including four this season. 
    Unfortunately for the Trailblazers, they came out on the short end of all four of those games, including last Friday's 4-2 loss at GCU in 12 innings. Last Friday's result was the second 12-inning game in the program's current NCAA Division I transition (4-3 all-time in 12 inning games).
    The other three extra inning losses have all come at home, two of which came last month in the SFA series in 10-inning losses in games one (10-13; 3/24) and three (5-6; 3/26). UT also fell in 10 innings in game two vs. Wichita State (L, 3-5; 2/24).  
    The Trailblazers are currently 4-9 in extra inning games during their D-I transition, and 35-24 (.593) overall in 59 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 20 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'S POWER SURGE: Dating back to last year, Fisher has gone big fly in nine of his last 43 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. 
    The senior enters the weekend having played in 199 career games, and with his next appearance, will become just the third player in program history to have played in 200 career games. Former Blazer infielder Yuto Kata (2012-15) played in 200 career games, while for UT second baseman Drew McLaughlin(2014-17) currently sits atop the list at 204 games over his storied four year career. 
    Meanwhile, Fisher's 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 (360), third in at bats (651), fourth in hits (194), triples (7), and stolen bases (25), fifth in games started (180), runs (139) and doubles (38), and sixth in SLG% (.553).
    Fisher padded his top-six career slugging percentage two weeks ago 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 18 of his last 20 games.
    Last weekend at GCU, Taylor managed to extend his career-best hit streak to 18-straight games in the series opener, but saw that streak come to an end with an 0-for-5 day at the plate in game two on Saturday. 
    However Taylor came right back in Sunday's finale to hit two solo home runs as part of a 2-for-4 effort with a walk. The junior's two-homer game came just over two years to the day after his first collegiate two-homer day, which also happened on the road at Tarleton State (4/3/21) during the 2021 season. 

            In addition, Taylor's two homers last Sunday moved him into 10th-place on UT's career HR list (17). 
    Taylor had quite the series vs. Sam Houston two weeks ago, batting .417 (5-for-12) with a double, HR, two RBI and three runs in three starts. In fact, that homer led off the home first in Friday's series opening win, and was Utah Tech's first lead-off home run in nearly 23 full months.
    UT's last lead off homer, coincidentally, also came off of Taylor's bat in a 14-4 home win over Seattle U (5/16/21) during the 2021 season.
    The junior 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 .354 (28-for-79) over this current stretch with 13 XBH, 13 RBI, 19 runs, and 19 walks out of the lead-off spot. He currently stands in second in the WAC in walks with 35, including 17 free passes over his last 17 games.
    In addition, Taylor is currently second in program history with 108 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 18-game hit streak tied for the third-longest in the program's NCAA era, and was 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. 

TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS
* - After missing the 20 of the last 24 games due to injury, freshman OF Bryker Hurdsman will look to return to the starting line-up this weekend vs. UVU.
* - Hurdsman made an impact through his first 25 games played, and despite 20 games, he is still second on the team in batting (.299), runs scored (19), SLG% (.519) and doubles (8), and is t-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). 
* - Junior C/OF Parker Schmidt has hit safely in 10 of his last 13 games, and has collected two hits in four of his last eight 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 and a run in a 2-for-4 night at GCU last Saturday. 
* - Junior catcher Hank Dodson has also been on a tear of late, having hit safely in 10 of his last 17 outings overall ... the junior backstop has driven in runs in five of eight starts, including home runs in the series finale at UTA (4/8) and at UVU (4/17).
* - Sophomore SS Ethan He is swinging a hot bat, having hit safely in nine of his last 12 games (13-for-41; .317) with four 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 14 of his last 16 games played, and has collected base hits in 10 of those games.
* - RS-Freshman infielder Garrett Cutting saw his streak of six-straight extra base hits come to an end after he collected a pair of "pedestrian" singles in Sunday's finale at GCU ... Cutting went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs scored in that game. 
* - Prior to Sunday, Cutting's last six hits overall (6-for-19; .315) were doubles, all of which had come over his last eight games dating back to the midweek game at Arizona (3/21).
* - Senior 1B/RHP Zach Thomas enters this weekend's series sizzling at the plate, having hit in a career-best seven straight games, with five multi-hit games overall.
* - Thomas batted .462 in three starts at GCU (6-for-13) and collected two hits and a run scored in each start, highlighted by his fourth HR of the season in Sunday's finale - one of four solo homers UT hit on the day. 
* - Thomas is batting .481 (13-for-27) over his last seven games with three HRs, his team-leading second triple (vs. SHSU; 4/15), six RBI and six runs scored. 
* - Senior infielder Mathew Ivancich is also feeling it at the dish as he has hit safely in four-straight, including a 3-for-5 day with his first HR of the season in Sunday's finale at GCU ... Ivancich, who is batting .462 (6-for-13) over his last four games, also drove in two runs and scored twice.
* - Freshman Cayden Clark has started in five-straight games in the outfield and has swiped five of his six stolen bases on the season during this current stretch ... Clark stole two bases at UVU (4/17) and had three more steals over the first two games at GCU. 
* - After only hitting one road HR through its first five road games, Utah Tech has gone yard 14 times over its last 11 road games, including the four solo HRs in Sunday's finale at GCU ... before Taylor's first HR in the third inning of that game, the Trailblazers had 19 hits over the first two-plus games in the series - all singles. 
* - 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, who connected for a pinch-hit homer in Tuesday's loss to Utah, 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 home start vs. Sam Houston (4/14) ... 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.
* - Porthan followed that up with six innings solid innings last Friday at GCU, scattering one run and five hits with three punch outs, and threw two scoreless innings in a start Tuesday vs. Utah. 
* - 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. 33 coming on Friday night vs. UVU ... the junior also stands in fourth all-time in IP (180.0) and is ninth on UT's career strikeout (124) list. 
* - Sophomore LHP Carston Herman put together a solid outing in G2 at GCU, as he held the Lopes scoreless over the first five innings on his start ... Herman pitched into the seventh, which marked the longest outing of his collegiate career, striking out four while allowing four runs on eight hits, but he did not figure in the decision.
* - Senior LHP Ben Hart has made a staff-high 18 relief appearances through 40 games this season to rise to second all-time in program history in games pitched at 69 ... Hart is now three appearances away from passing former teammate Brayden Bonner (71; 2017-21) for first place on UT's career games pitched list.
* - 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).
* - Speaking of relief, junior RHP Ryan Hardman  enjoyed his finest outing of the year as he fired 4.1 inning of two-hit relief in Sunday's finale at GCU ... Hardman held the Lopes to one run and struck out two. 

ABOUT THE UVU "WOLVERINES": Utah Valley travels south to St. George winners of seven of its last 11 games, including a road series victory over WAC-leading Sam Houston last weekend. However the Wolverines are coming off a 16-5 home loss to Washington State on Wednesday night. 
    Reigning WAC Hitter of the Week, freshman infielder Daniel Dickinson, is the Wolverines' top hitter with a .358 average to go with 14 XBHs, 22 RBI and a team-high 33 runs scored. Dickinson batted .588 with a homer, four RBI and nine runs in the Sam Houston series. 
    Friday's game one starter, senior RHP Logan Gerling, is 4-3 with a 4.13 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 52.1 IP.
    As a team, UVU hits at a .274 clip and averages 5.6 runs a game, while the Wolverine pitching staff owns a 5.90 ERA and has struck out 333 in 340.0 IP. 

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech hits the road next weekend for a three-game WAC series at Abilene Christian.