Game Times (Mountain):
Thursday - 6:05 p.m.
Friday - 4:05 p.m. (subject to change due to weather)
Saturday - 12:05 p.m. (subject to change due to weather)
Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | UVU
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 #34 Ky Decker (1-3, 7.16 ERA) vs. RHP #47 Chase Hennessey (0-2, 9.82 ERA)
Friday (G2) – LHP #24 Evan Vasiliou (2-3, 8-13 ERA) vs. RHP #19 Mitch Mueller (2-0, 2.01 ERA)
Saturday (G3) – RHP #40 Dylan Gardner (0-4, 8.58 ERA) vs. TBA

FIRST PITCH: Utah Tech (8-19/6-6 WAC) begins a stretch that will see the team play nine of its next 12 games on the road, starting with a three-game WAC series at in-state rival Utah Valley (13-17/5-4 WAC) this weekend at UCCU Ballpark (7,500) in Orem.
        Due to possible weather issues, the series opener has been moved up a day to Thursday night at 6:05 p.m. (MT), while game two on Friday is slated for a 2:05 p.m. (MT) first pitch. The final game of the series is tentatively scheduled for Saturday at 12:05 p.m., however that game could be moved to Sunday.

UTAH TECH VS. UVU: Utah Tech is 13-9 all-time vs. Utah Valley in NCAA competition, which includes a split of four games in the "Old Hammer Rivalry" last season. The Trailblazers won two of three in a home WAC series (4/28-30/23), which came on the heels of the Wolverines claiming an 8-6 non-conference match-up two weeks earlier (4/17) in Orem. 
        That said, Utah Tech is just 3-7 against its in-state rivals at UCCU Ballpark, with the last win coming in the 2022 n that season's WAC series finale (W, 8-5; 4/16/22).
        The two teams will also play a non-conference game at Bruce Hurst Field later this month on Monday, April 29. 
        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. 

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 321-251-1 (.561) overall record at Utah Tech, and a 373-310-1 (.546) 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.

LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech dropped two of three in a hard-fought home WAC series vs. UTRGV last weekend at Bruce Hurst Field. The Trailblazers saw a ninth-inning lead disappear in a 13-11 loss in the opener, while the Vaqueros used a big third inning to clinch the series with a 14-5 triumph in game two.
        The Trailblazers managed to turn the tables on UTRGV in the finale with an eight-run eighth inning to salvage one game in the set, 12-5.  

TRAILBLAZERS VOTED 11TH IN WAC PRESEASON POLL: Utah Tech was picked to finish 11th in the Western Athletic Conference as the league office announced its 2024 baseball preseason poll on Feb. 6. 
        Grand Canyon received nine first-place votes and 99 voting points to top the 2024 preseason coaches poll. Utah Valley (75 pts) and California Baptist (74 pts) each split the final two first-place votes to finish second and third in the poll, respectively.
        Abilene Christian (70 pts) wound up being selected fourth, followed by UT Arlington (68) in fifth, UTRGV (59 pts) in sixth, Sacramento State (54 pts) in seventh, Seattle U (39 pts) in eighth, Tarleton State (34 pts) in ninth, Stephen F. Austin (19 pts) in 10th and Utah Tech (16 pts) in 11th. 
        The top eight teams in the conference standings will advance on to the 2024 WAC Baseball Championship Tournament, which will be held May 22-26 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.

PLENTY OF BUZZ: Though no Utah Tech player was voted to the WAC's preseason all-conference team, several Trailblazers are generating 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 Irvin listed 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 310-150 (.674) overall record in 460 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 4-8 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 175-205-1 overall road record (.460).
        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 190-216-1 (.468) 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 last Saturday's 12-5 series finale triumph vs. UTRGV. 
        Utah Tech is currently 500-366-1 (.577) all-time through 17-plus years of NCAA competition (867 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 67-122 (.354) overall record during their transition, which includes a 49-59 (.453) mark in WAC play.  

6W vs. P5: Six of Utah Tech's 67 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.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: Utah Tech has more than doubled its season total in doubles over its last 10 games as the Trailblazers have legged out a combined 29 two-baggers over this current stretch, including eight doubles in last weekend's UTRGV series. 
        The Blazers, who had 22 doubles in their first 17 games overall, collected 12 doubles in the Sacramento State series three weeks ago, and followed that up with three more vs. BYU (3/19). Utah Tech then rapped out six more over its three games at Seattle U the following weekend (3/22-24).
        In all, 12 different Blazer batters have hit at least one double over the last 10 games. 
        Utah Tech wound up with 15 XBHs overall last weekend vs. UTRGV, highlighted by a series season-high six home runs, which eclipsed the previous high of five set in the season-opening series vs. Washington State (2/16-18). 
        The Trailblazers also had eight XBHs in the Seattle U series, including the team's second triple of the season that was hit by senior Hank Dodson, which was his first collegiate triple in 243 career collegiate ABs. 

TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS 
* - Speaking of Dodson, the senior backstop (.333/.521/.398) batted .462 (6-for-13) in the UTRGV series, highlighted by his first collegiate two-homer and four-hit game in the series finale ... Dodson also doubled in the win and came within a triple of hitting for the cycle.
* - Dodson, who is hitting at a .365 clip in 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.
* - Dodson, who has hit safely in four-straight and in 12 of his last 16 games, doubled as part of a 3-for-4 day in the Oklahoma State victory (3/5).
* - Junior RF/DH Hunter Katschke (.348/.640/.406) is on a tear of late, having hit safely in 11-straight games and is batting .486 (18-for-37) over his streak with six XBHs.
* - Katschke, who is batting .413 against WAC pitching, feasted on UTRGV pitching 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 Saturday's game two win. 
* - Katschke got his 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 19 of his first 26 games as a Trailblazer and is the team leader in both HRs (7) and RBI (21).
* - Senior INF Blake Borgogno (.306/.419/.389) has hit safely in nine of the 15 games in March, which included batting .375 (3-for-8) in the UTRGV series, which included a triple and his first home run in a Trailblazer uniform as part of a 2-for-4 day in Saturday's series finale. 
* - Borgogno accounted for two of Utah Tech's 11 total hits at Wichita State (3/1-3), both of which came in the series finale (3/3).
* - In fact, Borgogno was all over the base paths during that series as he reached safely in all six of his plate appearances thanks to a pair of walks and two HBPs.
* - Junior 1B Aaron Perez (.280/.387/.340) has hit safely in 13 of his 16 March starts, and in 19 of his first 25 games in a Trailblazer uniform overall. 
*  Perez batted an even .300 (3-for-10) in the UTRGV series, with all three hits coming in Saturday's 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).
* - Junior INF/UT Brennen Study (.283/.413/.389) 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 (.246/.377/.361) has hit in a career best four-straight games, including all three games in the UTRGV series, during which he batted .462 (6-for-13) with two doubles and four runs scored ... McDaniel collected both doubles as part of his first collegiate three-hit day. 
* - Sophomore INF Garrett Cutting (.250/.464/.311) has hit safely in five of his last six games, including all three games at Seattle U two weeks ago, during which he batted .364 (4-for-11) with a double, one RBI and three runs scored ... he also collected two hits in G1 vs. UTRGV, and doubled in a run in G2 vs. the Vaqueros.
*- Cutting had himself quite the series vs. Sac State (3/15-17), against which he batted .500 (4-for-8) with three doubles and a team-high five RBI.
* - In fact, seven of Cutting's last 13 hits over his last 13 games have gone for extra bases, including doubles in all three games of the Sac State series, along with a HR (G2 - 3/9) and another double (G3 - 3/10) in the final two games of the UT Arlington series.
*- Sophomore southpaw Evan Vasiliou (1-3/7.16 ERA/25 K), who will start G2 start at UVU on Friday, has earned the decision in two of his last four outings ... he picked up 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. 
* - Vasiliou followed that up with 5.0 innings of solid relief in the series opener Sac State (3/15), during which he fanned four and scattered six hits and three runs to collect his second win of the season. 
* - Junior RHP Ky Decker (1-3/7.16 ERA/19 K), who will start Thursday night's series opener at UVU, tied a season-high with five strikeouts over six innings to earn his first win as a Trailblazer at Seattle U (3/23) ... after surrendering two first-inning runs, Decker limited the Redhawks to just two hits over his next five innings of work, and collected all five of his strikeouts over that five-inning stretch. 
* - Senior righthander Ryan Hardman (2-1/3 SV/5.40 ERA/22 K) was named TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week back on March 11 after he picked up two saves in the home series win over Sacramento State three weeks ago. 
*- Hardman got off to a great start in 2024 when he fired four innings of two-hit, one-run relief with five strikeouts in his first outing of the year to earn the decision in game three of the Washington State series (2/17) ... the  five Ks tied his career high which he set last season at Oklahoma State (3/11/23).
* - Hardman enters the week eighth on the program's career saves list with eight, and he is fourth in career strikeouts (159).
* - Freshman RHP Aaron Morris (1-0/0.63 ERA/14 K) collected his first collegiate win in the UTRGV finale, during which he struck out one in one scoreless inning.
* - Morris was the second of three relievers who combined to limit the potent UTRGV offense to just one run and five hits over the final five innings in that win ... junior RHP Dylan Gardner (0-4/8.58 ERA/24 K), who will start the UVU series finale, set the tone with three innings of one-run, three-hit relief with a pair of strikeouts. 

ABOUT THE UTAH VALLEY "WOLVERINES": Utah Valley enters the weekend looking to halt a four-game skid, which came on the heels of a season-high six-game win streak. UVU dropped two of three in WAC play last weekend at Abilene Christian, and is coming off a home-and-home sweep at the hands of in-state foe Utah earlier this week. 
        Junior OF Jayden Smith is the top hitter for a potent Wolverine offense with a .363 average with a co-team high nine doubles, while sophomore INF Daniel Dickinson (.320/24 RBI), senior C Burke Camper (.310/24 RBI) and junior OF Nate Bach (.245/28 RBI) all have already hit 10 homers this season.
        As a team, UVU is hitting at a .278 clip and averages 7.2 runs and 9.7 hits a game, while the Wolverine pitching staff owns a 6.72 team ERA and has struck out 217 in 256.1 IP. 

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will head south on Interstate 15 to Las Vegas for a two-game midweek series at UNLV next Tuesday and Wednesday.