Game Times (Mountain):
Friday - 8 p.m.
Saturday - 8 p.m.
Sunday - 1 p.m.
Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | GRAND CANYON
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:
Friday (G1) – RHP #24 Evan Vasiliou (3-4, 7.04 ERA) vs. LHP #22 Grant Richardson (0-0, 5.79 ERA
Saturday (G2) – RHP #15 Cade Montgomery (0-1, 7.06 ERA) vs. RHP #12 Connor Mattison (4-3, 4.57 ERA)
Sunday (G3) – LHP #6 Carston Herman (1-4, 6.69 ERA) vs. RHP #9 Isaac Lyon (3-0, 3.99 ERA)

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

ALL-TIME SERIES: Utah Tech owns a 34-29 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 11-game losing skid against the Lopes, including all 10 meetings since UT began its transition to Division I status and joined the WAC in 2021. Seven of those 10 D-I losses have come in Phoenix, including a three-game sweep last season (4/21-23/23).
        Prior to that 2021 season, 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 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 12th 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 322-259-1 (.554) overall record at Utah Tech, and a 374-318-1 (.540) career mark. 
        Joining Pfatenhauer (UNLV, 2000) in the Trailblazer dugout this season is associate head coach Bobby Rinard (Arizona, 2014), who is in his 10th season on coaching staff overall, along with first-year pitching coach Daniel Stange (UC Riverside, 2015), and former Trailblazer Braxton Ipson (Utah Tech 2020), who moved into an assistant coach role after serving as director of baseball operations last season. 

ON HIS WAY TO 700: Coach Pfatenhauer is inching his way toward another career milestone as he slated to manage in his 700th-career game on Monday, April 29, when the Trailblazers host Utah Valley in a non-conference game at Bruce Hurst Field. 

LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech dropped an 8-2 road decision at in-state foe BYU last Tuesday night at Miller Park in Provo.

PLENTY OF BUZZ: Though no Utah Tech player was voted to the WAC's preseason all-conference team, several Trailblazers generated plenty of preseason buzz.
        Freshman SS Petey Soto Jr. was named to the Perfect Game all-WAC preseason team and was the publication's pick for Freshman of the Year.
        In addition, Perfect Game has listed three Blazers in its top-10 2024 Major League Baseball Draft prospects list, including junior LHP Justin Woodbury (#4), and a pair of newcomers in junior 1B Aaron Perez (#3) and RHP Dylan Gardner (#5).
        Meanwhile, Perfect Game has sophomore outfielder Karson Irvinlisted as the fourth-best prospect on its 2025 Draft list, and Soto Jr. made it on the 2026 Draft list. 

HOME SWEET HOME: Utah Tech has played to a 311-152 (.671) overall record in 463 games played inside the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field since the start of its four-year era in the 2007 season.
        The Trailblazers have posted a winning home record in 15 of 17 seasons since transitioning to NCAA status in 2007, which includes an 11-11 at home in 2022. 
        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 4-14 start to the road portion of the 2024 schedule, and a 2-21 road mark last year, Utah Tech has managed to hold its own away from home in its NCAA era as the Trailblazers have played to a 175-211-1 overall road record (.453).
        Utah Tech 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 (15-11 in 26 games), Utah Tech is 190-222-1 (.467) all-time away from Bruce Hurst Field in the program's NCAA era.

ON TO THE NEXT 500: Utah Tech collected its 500th NCAA-era victory in its 12-5 series finale triumph vs. UTRGV on March 30. 
        Utah Tech is currently 501-374-1 (.572) all-time through 17-plus years of NCAA competition (876 games). 

FINAL D-I TRANSITION SEASON: Utah Tech is currently in its fourth and final season of its transition to NCAA Division-I status. The Trailblazers have played to a 68-130 (.343) overall record during their transition, which includes a 50-64 (.438) mark in WAC play.  
        The Trailblazers are scheduled to play in their 200th Division I game at GCU Saturday night.

6W vs. P5: Six of Utah Tech's 68 D-I wins have come against Power-5 programs, including its win at Oklahoma State (3/5), which was the program's first vs. the Big XII Conference. The Trailblazers have also racked up five wins against the PAC-12 Conference (2 vs. Utah; 1 vs. Arizona/Arizona State/Washington State). 

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.  
        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. Utah Tech is 17-13 in 10-inning games, and the program has won nine of its last 20 extra inning games overall.

TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS 
* - Sophomore Evan Vasiliou picked up Utah Tech's lone victory last weekend after he fired a career-high 7.0 innings of two-hit baseball in the Trailblazers' 4-1 win over Tarleton State ... Vasiliou struck out one and surrendered only one run and allowed just five total base runners, all while only needing 80 pitches to navigate his way to his third win of the season.
* - The Trailblazer defense made several stellar plays behind the sophomore southpaw in Saturday's win ... in all Utah Tech's defense played error-free baseball in all three games of the Tarleton series.
* - Utah Tech made it four-straight errorless games in last Tuesday's loss at BYU, and in the process made it on ESPN SportsCenter's Top-10 Playswith a fifth-inning double play, which started with Soto Jr. making a diving stop on a ground ball up the middle ... Soto Jr. then flipped the ball with his glove to Blake Borgogno at second base, who then turned and fired a strike to Brennen Study at first to complete the twin killing.  
* - Vasiliou recorded his second collegiate victory in the win at Oklahoma State (3/5), against which he struck out a career-high six and limited the Cowboys to two runs and eight hits over 5.2 IP.
* - Senior catcher Hank Dodson (.326/.527/.393) has hit safely in 12 of his last 15 starts, which included his first career two-double (2-for-4) game last Tuesday night at BYU.  
* - Dodson also collected two hits in Sunday's finale vs. Tarleton, highlighted by his fourth homer of the season, a two-run shot in the third inning.
* - Dodson was one of the bright spots at Utah Valley two weekends ago when he batted .375 (3-for-8) with a pair of doubles and one RBI over the three games. 
* - Dodson has legged out six of his team-high 12 doubles over his last eight starts ... Dodson leads the Trailblazer everyday players with a .326 average with a team high 17 XBH, along with 17 RBI and 17 run scored in 35 starts. 
* - Dodson, who is hitting .342 clip WAC play, batted .333 (5-for-15) in the Seattle series, and hit .462 (6-for-13) in three starts vs. Sacramento State, with two hits in each start, all while collecting two RBI and two stolen bases over the three games.
* - Junior RF/DH Hunter Katschke (.308/.550/.370) is on a tear of late, having hit safely in 16 of his last 20 games and is batting .353 (24-for-68) over this stretch with nine XBHs, including a pair of doubles in Utah Tech's G2 win over Tarleton last Saturday. 
* - Katschke saw his, and Utah Tech's season team-high, 13-game hit streak stopped in the series finale at UVU (4/7), but he came back with base hits in both games at UNLV, including an RBI-double in game one.
* - Katschke, who is batting .343 against WAC pitching, feasted on UTRGV pitching (3/28-30) to the tune of a .538 average (7-for-13) with five RBI and five runs scored ... he went 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBI in the series opener, then homered as part of a two-hit day in game two ... his four hits and four RBI in G1 were both season highs.
* - Katschke hit .385 in three starts at Seattle U (5-for-13) with four RBI and three runs scored ... he drove in at least one run in all three games, including a pair runs in the game two win. 
* - Katschke got his hit streak rolling in the Sac State series, during which he batted an even .500 (5-for-10) with a double, two HRs, three RBI and four runs scored ... the junior homered in both Blazer wins, including a two-run shot in G1 ... he also drew a career-best three walks in G2 and finished with a .615 OB% in the series.
* - Katschke has hit safely in 24 of his first 35 games as a Trailblazer and he is the team leader in both HRs (7) and RBI (22).
* - Katschke also made his first mound appearance in G1 vs. Tarleton last Friday night, against which he walked one and struck out one in 0.1 IP. 
* - Junior 1B Aaron Perez (.265/.363/.339) has hit safely in three of his last four starts, and in 22 of his first 31 games in a Trailblazer uniform overall. 
*  Perez batted an even .300 (3-for-10) in the UTRGV series, with all three hits coming in the finale, during which he doubled twice with two RBI ... he also drove in a Utah Tech career-best three runs in the BYU loss (3/19).
* - Perez went 2-for-3 in game one at UNLV last Tuesday night with a double and a walk. 
* - Junior INF/UT Brennen Study (.266/.359/.365) started both games at UNLV last week and responded by batting .375 (3-for-8).
* - Study, who has hit safely in five of his last eight outings, was penciled into the starting line-up for the final two games of the UTRGV series and responded by going a combined 5-for-8 (.625) with a pair of doubles and two runs scored ... Study legged out both doubles in G2, which he chased with his first three-hit game of the year in the finale. 
* - Freshman 3B Kyle McDaniel (.236/.371/.358), who recorded the first of the Blazers' three doubles at BYU last Tuesday night, has hit safely in 11 of his last 15 starts, and although he was a combined 2-for-10 in the Tarleton series, both hits drove in multiple runs ... he drove in both runs in the series-opening loss, and followed that up with a three-run HR in the Sunday's finale.
* - McDaniel's homer was his second collegiate long ball, with his first coming in the series-opening win at Oklahoma State (3/5) ... meanwhile his three RBI last Sunday were a career high. 
* - Senior OF Chase Rodriguez (.202/.372/.336) collected his 100th-career hit on an eighth-inning double in Friday's opener vs. Tarleton ... Rodriguez also doubled in a run in Sunday's finale. 
* - Senior OF Jack Walker (.216/.412/.286) clubbed a three-run homer in Saturday's win over Tarleton ... Walker's shot was his second HR of the season, and third of his career, while his three RBI tied a career high. 
* - Junior INF Ethan He (.246/.323/.319) recorded his fifth career three-hit game in the series opener at UNLV ... He wound up batting an even .500 (4-for-8) in the two-game set with an RBI and a team-high three runs scored.
* - Sophomore OF Levi Randall (.333/.333/.417) recorded his first collegiate two-hit game and drove in his first career run in road finale at UNLV (4/10) ... Randall has collected at least one hit in six of the 12 games he has appeared in this season. 
* - Freshman LF Ethan Royal (.261/.319/.363) has his safely in seven of his last 10 starts, and tied a career-high with two RBI in last Tuesday's loss at UNLV.

KNOW YOUR FOE: Sunday's finale at GCU will have extra interest locally in St. George as two former Snow Canyon High School alums will oppose each other on the mound.
        Utah Tech junior lefthander Carston Herman (1-4/6.69 ERA/27 K) will square off against his former prep teammate, GCU sophomore RHP Isaac Lyon (3-0/3.99 ERA/38 K). Lyon also has Utah Tech ties as he is the son of former Dixie State/Utah Tech, and former Major League pitcher, Brandon Lyon (1997-99), whose #9 jersey he wore when he played at then-Dixie College is retired.

ABOUT THE GCU "LOPES": Grand Canyon enters this weekend's series having won four of its last six games, including a WAC road series win at UT Arlington last weekend, and a recent split of a pair of midweek games vs. PAC-12 foes No. 21 Arizona (W, 5-4) and Washington State (L, 4-6) earlier this week. 
        Senior UT Tyler Wilson is the Lopes' top hitter with a .361 average with 10 doubles, eight HRs and 34 RBI. In all, the Lopes boast six starters who are batting over .300 through this point of the season.
        As a team, GCU is hitting at a .304 clip and averages 6.4 runs and 10.6 hits a game, while the Lopes' pitching staff owns a 4.84 team ERA and has struck out 334 in 321.2 IP. 

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech returns home for a five-game homestand, which begins with a non-conference game vs. Mountain West foe Nevada this upcoming Monday afternoon at 2:05 p.m., at Bruce Hurst Field.