Game Times (Mountain):
Thursday - 7 p.m.
Friday - 7 p.m.
Saturday - 1 p.m.
Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | CSUS
Live Streaming: GAME #1 - ESPN+ | GAME #2 - ESPN+ | GAME #3 - ESPN+
Live Stats: GAME #1 | GAME #2 | GAME #3
Twitter: @UtahTech_Sports | @UtahTech_BASE | #UtahTechBlazers | #WACbsb

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Thursday (G1) – RHP #35 Dakoda West (1-1, 6.12 ERA) vs. LHP #43 Max Pettey (3-1, 6.57 ERA)
Friday (G2) – RHP #18 Brett Porthan (6-4, 5.80 ERA) vs. RHP #39 Evan Gibbons (3-4, 8.04 ERA)
Saturday (G3) – LHP #6 Carston Herman (2-7, 8.76 ERA) vs. TBA

FIRST PITCH: Utah Tech (13-36/8-19 WAC) will wrap up the 2023 season this weekend with a three-game WAC road series at Sacramento State (26-27/11-16 WAC).
    The first two games of the series will be played on Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. (PT) both nights, followed by the series and season finale on Saturday afternoon at 12 noon (PT), at John Smith Field (1,200) on the CSUS campus. 

ALL-TIME SERIES: Utah Tech is 4-6 all-time vs. Sacramento State, though the Trailblazers have won four of the last seven meetings, including a 2-1 series victory last season in Sacramento (March 11-13, 2022). However the Hornets returned the favor one month later with a series win at Bruce Hurst Field (April 22-24). 

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 313-229-1 (.577) overall record at Utah Tech, and a 365-288-1 (.559) 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 closed out its 2023 home slate with a tough series loss to Seattle U last weekend at Bruce Hurst Field. The Trailblazers dropped the first two games of the series, 9-2 and 7-5, though they managed to bounce back with a 12-8 triumph on Senior Day Sunday.

HOME SWEET HOME: Utah Tech finished its 2023 home schedule with an 11-18 record following last weekend's series vs. Seattle U, which marked the first time in the program's NCAA era that it had posted a losing season at Bruce Hurst Field. 
    The Trailblazers 11-18 mark included a 6-9 WAC record, and Utah Tech's 300th NCAA-era home victory, which came in a 12-4 series-opening win over Wichita State back on Feb. 22. 
    In all, Utah Tech has played to a 307-137 (.691) overall record in 444 games played inside the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field since the start of its four-year era in the 2007 season.
    UT has posted a winning home record in 15 of 17 seasons since transitioning to NCAA status in 2007, which includes an 11-11 at home last season. 
    Utah Tech had 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 2-18 mark on the road this, Utah Tech has managed to hold its own away from home in its NCAA era as the Trailblazers have played to a 170-194-1 overall road record (.467), 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 184-205-1 (.473) 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 492-344-1 (.588) all-time through 16-plus years of NCAA competition (837 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' 126 games, including four this season. 
    Unfortunately for the Trailblazers, they came out on the short end of all four of those games, including the series opener at GCU (2-4; 4/21) in 12 innings. That 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 11 of his last 50 games, including seven games this season. The senior rapped out three XBHs vs. Utah Valley three weeks, including career homer No. 39 in the series opening win (4/28). 
    Fisher then connected for his team-leading eighth homer of the season, and the 40th of his career, in the UVU series finale (4/30). 
    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: Fisher moved to the top of two more career statistical categories in his final home series last weekend. The senior passed former Trailblazer Drew McLaughlin (2014-17) to become the program's career leader in games played (207) when he stepped to the plate in Friday's series opener.
    Fisher then moved past McLaughlin atop UT's career total bases list (374) with the first of his two singles in game two on Saturday.
    Meanwhile, Fisher's second single later in that game was historic as he became the fourth player in the program history to reach the 200-hit plateau.  
    Meanwhile, Fisher's team-leading 29 RBI this season leaves him needing only five more to pass both Engel (147) and Adams (147) become UT's career RBI leader (third with 143). 
    In addition, he currently stands second in at bats (674), fourth in hits (201), doubles (39), triples (7), stolen bases (25), and games started (186), fifth in runs (143), and sixth in SLG% (.555).

STARTING AT THE TOP: Junior 3B Shane Taylor will look to return to the starting lineup at Sacramento State after missing the entire Seattle U series due to a minor injury. Prior to the Seattle series, Taylor was red hot at the plate, having hit safely in 20 of his last 26 games.
    Last month at GCU (4/21-23), 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. 
    However Taylor came right back in the series 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. 
    Taylor kept it going in the series opener vs. UVU (4/28) as he went 3-for-5 in the two-hole in the order. The junior finished the night a double shy of hitting for the cycle as he legged out his fourth-career triple and hit his seventh homer of the season. 
    Taylor's HR vs. UVU also moved him into t-eighth place on UT's career HR list (18). 
    Taylor had quite the home series vs. Sam Houston last month, 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 the 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 also had a great series at UT Arlington (4/6-8), 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 .343 (33-for-96) over this current stretch with 16 XBH, 16 RBI, 26 runs, and 26 walks primarily out of the lead-off spot. He currently stands in second in the WAC in walks with 42, including 24 free passes over his last 23 games, including four walks over the final two games at ACU last weekend.
    In addition, Taylor is currently second in program history with 115 career walks (126, Yuto Kata; 2012-16), and needs two more this season to break the UT single season record (43, Kata; 2012). 

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. 

HOLY SCHMIDT: Junior OF/C Parker Schmidt had himself quite the series three weeks ago vs. UVU as he responded to moving to the lead-off spot in the batting order by hitting .625 (5-for-8) with three XBHs (1.625 SLG%), three RBI, four walks (.750 OB%) and a team-high six runs scored.
    The junior followed that up by batting .269 (7-for-26) combined in six games vs. both ACU and Seattle U, with two doubles, five RBI and four runs scored.  
    Schmidt has now hit safely in three-straight and in 17 of his last 22 games (28-for-81; .345) with 10 XBHs, and has collected at least two hits in eight of his last 17 starts overall.

EXTRA EXTRA: Utah Tech rapped out 21 XBHs in its last home series last month vs. UVU (.804 SLG%), with 10 total home runs.
    Six of the Blazers 10 homers came in the series opening-win (4/28), which were not only a season-high, but were the most hit in the program's current NCAA D-I transition.
    In addition, all six homers were hit by six different Trailblazers, which is a new school record. Meanwhile, the six homers vs. UVU eclipsed the previous season high of five set in the series opener vs. Wichita State (2/22), and were one shy of the program's NCAA-era single game record of seven hit in a road win at Adams State (W, 28-9; 3/10/19) during the 2019 season. 

TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS
* - Sophomore SS Ethan He returned to the starting lineup two weeks at ACU after missing five-straight games, and picked up right where he left off, batting .455 with three RBI and four runs scored.
* - He has hit safely in 14 of his last 18 games overall (20-for-63; .317), with five multi-hit games and 11 RBI, highlighted by a 3-for-3 day with a walk, HBP and a career-high four runs scored in game two at ACU (5/6).
* - He has reached base safely in 20 of his last 22 games played, and has collected base hits in 15 of those games.
* - Junior catcher Hank Dodson continued his hot play, both at the plate and behind hit, last weekend vs. Seattle U, batting a team-high .600 (3-for-5) with one HR, three walks and one HBP.
* - Dodson also went 2-for-2 in the stolen base department in the series, and has stolen a base in three of his last games, and has recorded all four of his career stolen bases in his last 13 outings overall. 
* - Dodson also had himself a solid series at ACU two weeks ago, going 3-for-7 (.429) with four walks in three starts behind the plate ... Dodson accounted for the Blazers' lone home run in the series, a solo shot in the third inning of Sunday's finale that got UT on the board.
* - Dodson, who only had two career HRs in his first two collegiate seasons, has hit a career-high four this year. 
* - Dodson has collected at least one base hit in six of his last eight games.
* - Defensively, Dodson has flawlessly handled all 258 defensive chances this season with 17 assists, and has been charged with one career error in 340 total chances over his three-year career. 
* - Junior CF/1B Chase Rodriguez batted .333 in three games vs. Seattle U last weekend, highlighted by his second triple of the season, a two-run three-bagger in Sunday's series finale. 
* - Rodriguez drove in a team-high five runs in the ACU series and batted .250 (3-for-12) with a double in three starts. 
* - Rodriguez enjoyed his best overall series of the season three weeks ago vs. UVU, against which he hit .400 (4-for-10) with two HRs, his fourth career triple, four RBI and four runs scored ... Rodriguez has hit safely in 14 of his last 19 games and has driven in at least one run in seven of his last 10 starts. 
* - Freshman outfielder Karson Irvin was penciled into the starting line-up in all three games at ACU two weeks ago, and took full advantage, batting an even .400 (4-for-10) while filling the stat sheet with two doubles, two RBI, two stolen bases, two walks and three runs scored .. Irvin had two hits and an RBI in each of the first two games of the series.
* - Senior 1B/RHP Zach Thomas enters this weekend's series sizzling at the plate, having hit safely in 13 of his last 16 games overall.
* - Thomas is batting .339 (21-for-62) over his last 16 games with five HRs and eight total XBHs, 11 RBI and 11 runs scored. 
* - Though he did not play in the ACU series, senior infielder Mathew Ivancich has been feeling it at the dish as he has hit safely in seven of his last nine games, including a 3-for-5 day with his first HR of the season in the GCU series finale (4/23) ... Ivancich, who is batting .346 (9-for-26) over his last nine games, also drove in two runs and scored two runs in that final game at GCU.
* - After only hitting one road HR through its first five road games, Utah Tech has gone yard 15 times over its last 14 road games, including the four solo HRs in the GCU finale (4/23) ... 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 has homered in two of his last six games, 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.
* - In fact, Utah Tech went back-to-back-to-back with the long ball in the third inning of G1 vs. Wichita as Bryker 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 (/17), 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 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 collected his staff-leading sixth win of the season in the opener at ACU (5/5) ... the junior pitched into the seventh, striking out seven while scattering four runs and nine hits over six innings complete.
* - Porthan, who leads the WAC in innings pitched (80.2 IP), is currently third on UT's career starts (35), should become just the third Trailblazer pitcher in the program's NCAA era to reach 200 career IP in his Friday night start at Sacramento State (199.1 IP) ... Porthan (142 Ks) is also two strikeouts away from moving into solo fifth place on UT's career strikeout list. 
* - Senior LHP Ben Hart has made a staff-high 19 relief appearances through 49 games this season to rise to second all-time in program history in games pitched at 70 ... Hart is now just two appearances shy 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 the series finale at GCU (4/23) ... Hardman held the Lopes to one run and struck out two.
* - Hardman earned his first win of the season in the series finale vs. UVU (4/30) after he struck out four and limited the Wolverines to one run and three hits in 3.0 IP ... senior RHP Jake Dahle then came on and hurled three scoreless innings with four punch outs to collect the three-inning save.
* - Dahle recorded his staff-leading third save in Sunday's finale vs. Seattle U after he navigated through the final three innings of that game. 
* - Thursday's game one opener - freshman RHP Dakoda West, got the start in the UVU finale (4/30), and after he gave up a lead-off homer and a first inning, two-out double, he retired the final seven Wolverines he faced and finished with three strikeouts.
* - West also opened Sunday's finale vs. Seattle U and allowed one earned run (2R) on five hits with two strikeouts in 2.2 IP.
* - Freshman LHP Evan Vasiliou was credited with his first collegiate victory in Seattle U finale after he fired a spotless inning with one strikeout ... the southpaw also fanned two in the first of two his spotless frames on the weekend in game two last Saturday. 

ABOUT THE SACRAMENTO STATE "HORNETS": Sacramento State comes into the weekend having played to a 5-5 record over its last 10, though the Hornets are coming off a wild 18-15 non-conference home victory over Pacific this past Tuesday night.
    The Hornets lead the WAC with 83 home runs in 53 games, thanks in large part a line-up that features five starters with 10 or more homers. 
    Senior C/INF Martin Vincelli-Simard leads the Hornets with 16 HR and 54 RBI to go with a .326 average, while freshman INF Wehiwa Aloy is batting a team-high .371 with 13 homers and 44 RBI. 
    As a team, Sacramento State averages nearly 10 hits and 7.2 runs a game while hitting at a .288 clip.
    Meanwhile the Hornet pitching staff owns a 6.82 ERA and has struck out 435 in 459.0 IP. Interestingly, Hornet batters have also struck out 435 times in 455.0 IP. Defensively, Sacramento State also leads the WAC in double plays (49 in 53 games).