Baseball | 2/12/2025 1:47:00 PM

Game Times (Mountain):
Friday - 4:05 p.m.
Saturday (DH) - 12:05 p.m./3:05 p.m. (approx)
Sunday - 12:05 p.m.
Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | UNCO
Live Streaming: GAME #1 - WACINT | GAME #2 - WACINT | GAME #3 - WACINT | GAME #4 - WACINT
Live Stats: GAME #1 | GAME #2 | GAME #3 | GAME #4
Twitter: @UtahTech_Sports | @UtahTech_BASE | #UtahTechBlazers | #WACbsb

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday (G1) – RHP #15 Cade Montgomery (2024 - 0-3, 6.91 ERA) vs. RHP #12 Murphy Gienger (2024 - 5-3, 4.52 ERA)
Saturday (G2) – LHP #33 Dylan Hawkes (2024 @San Diego State - 1-0, 8.03 ERA) vs. RHP #21 Jake Storey (2024 - 3-4, 6.62 ERA)
Saturday (G3) – RHP #45 Ryan Martinez (2024 @Pacific - 1-5, 7.83 ERA) vs. RHP #25 Dylan Smith (2024 - 2-10, 9.93 ERA)
Sunday (G4) – RHP #35 Dakoda West (2024 - 0-1, 17.51 ERA) vs. TBA

FIRST PITCH: Utah Tech (0-0/0-0 WAC) opens its fifth NCAA Division I season with an eight-game homestand, which begins this weekend with a four-game series vs. Northern Colorado (0-0) at Bruce Hurst Field. 
            The Trailblazers "Opening Day" will be this Friday at 4:05 p.m. (MT), followed by a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 12:05 p.m. (MT), and the series finale on Sunday at 12:05 p.m. (MT).
 
UTAH TECH VS. NORTHERN COLORADO: This weekend's series will be the second meeting between the Trailblazers and the Bears on the diamond. 
            The two sides first squared off in St. George late in the 2021 season when the Trailblazers swept a four-game series at Bruce Hurst Field (5/20-22).  
            That season was Utah Tech's first as a newly-minted Division I program, and was Northern Colorado's last season as an affiliate member of the Western Athletic Conference for baseball.
 
FINALLY ELIGIBLE FOR POSTSEASON PLAY: Not only is the 2025 season Utah Tech's fifth Division I season overall, it is also the FIRST season that the Trailblazers are eligible for NCAA postseason play. 
        The NCAA Division I Board of Directors officially approved Utah Tech's move to active Division I status this past June 28. With that confirmation, Trailblazer Athletics is now officially eligible to participate in all NCAA postseason championships in its 15 intercollegiate programs.
 
COACHING STAFF: Two-time Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year Chris Pfatenhauer begins his 13th season as head coach of the Utah Tech Baseball program.                       
            During his tenure in the Utah Tech 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 327-274-1 (.544) overall record at Utah Tech, and a 379-333-1 (.534) career mark. 
            Joining Pfatenhauer (UNLV, 2000) in the Trailblazer dugout this season is associate head coach Bobby Rinard (Arizona, 2014), who is in his 11th season on coaching staff overall, along with second-year pitching coach Daniel Stange (UC Riverside, 2015), and former Trailblazer Braxton Ipson (Utah Tech 2020), who returns for his second season as an assistant coach after serving as the program's director of baseball operations in 2022. 
 
QUICK 2024 RECAP: Utah Tech wrapped up its fourth NCAA Division I season with a 14-42 overall record, which included a 10-20 mark and a ninth-place Western Athletic Conference finish.
 
TRAILBLAZERS VOTED NINTH IN WAC PRESEASON POLL: Utah Tech was picked to finish ninth in the Western Athletic Conference as the league office announced its 2025 baseball preseason poll on Feb. 5. 
            Two-time defending WAC regular season champion Grand Canyon received eight first-place votes and 64 points to top the 2025 preseason coaches poll. Abilene Christian collected one first-place vote to finish second in the poll with 54 points, while California Baptist (46 pts) was voted third. 
            Tarleton State (39 pts) wound up being selected fourth, followed by Sacramento State (36) in fifth, Utah Valley (34 pts) in sixth, UT Arlington (28 pts) in seventh, Seattle U (12 pts) in eighth, and Utah Tech (11 pts) in ninth. 
            The top eight teams in the conference standings will advance on to the 2025 WAC Baseball Championship Tournament, which will be held May 20-24 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.
 
OPENING DAY: Utah Tech is 9-9 all-time on "Opening Day" during its NCAA era and has won five of its last nine, and nine of its previous 15 season debuts overall. 
            In addition, Utah Tech owns a 10-8 overall record in home openers, 4-5 in season openers at home. Meanwhile the Trailblazers are 8-10 all-time in road openers, and they are 5-4 in season-opening road games overall.
 
A LOOK AT THE 2025 SCHEDULE: Utah Tech's 2025 slate of games features 32 home games at Bruce Hurst Field. The 32 home games are most in their current NCAA Division I era, and the second-most in the program's four-year era (33 in 2009) overall. 
            The schedule also features match-ups against three 2024 NCAA Regional teams, and four games against Power-4 conference schools.
            The Trailblazers will play 17 of their first 23 games at home, including this weekend's series vs. Northern Colorado, and a four-game set next weekend vs. UC Riverside. 
            Utah Tech will open their 22-game road slate with its longest road stretch of the year, a six-game trip that starts with a date at 2024 NCAA regional participant UC Irvine (2/26). 
            The Blazers then head to the Northwest for a four-game series at Portland (2/28-3/3), followed by a midweek game at 2024 regional participant and new Big Ten member Oregon (March 4).
            Utah Tech returns home for a season long nine-game homestand, beginning with a three-game series with Saint Mary's (3/7-9). That week also includes the first of two home dates vs. UNLV (3/8). 
            The Trailblazers will also host Gonzaga for a midweek game on March 11, before opening a four-game weekend series against CSU Bakersfield (3/13-16).
            Utah Tech opens WAC play on the road at CBU (3/21-23), and after a conference bye week, the Trailblazers begin the home portion of its WAC slate with a three-game series with Utah Valley (4/4-6).   
            In addition, the Blazers will also play mid-week home-and-home games against BYU (3/18 in Provo; 4/8 in St. George), Utah (3/25 in St. George; 4/1 in Salt Lake City), and UNLV (4/29 in St. George; 5/5 in Las Vegas) and will close their non-conference slate with a mid-week game at UC Davis on May 13.  
 
HOME SWEET HOME: Utah Tech has played to a 313-159 (.663) overall record in 472 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 the 18 seasons since transitioning to NCAA status in 2007, which included an 11-11 at home in 2022. 
            Utah Tech had won 20 or more home games in eight of the previous 18 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: Utah Tech wrapped up the 2024 road slate with a  7-22. Despite finishing 15 games under .500 away from home last season, the Trailblazers have managed to hold its own away from home in its NCAA era as the Trailblazers have played to a 178-219-1 overall road record (.448). 
            Utah Tech has 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 193-230-1 (.456) 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 last season in its 12-5 series finale triumph vs. UTRGV (3/30/24). 
            Utah Tech is currently 506-389-1 (.565) all-time through 17-plus years of NCAA competition (896 games).
 
NUMBER 900 ON SUNDAY: Utah Tech will play in its 900th NCAA-era ball game when the Trailblazers take the field in Sunday's finale vs. Northern Colorado. 
 
D-I TRANSITION COMPLETED: Utah Tech played to a 73-144 (.336) overall record during its NCAA Division I transition (2021-24), which included a 53-73 (.420) mark in Western Athletic Conference play.  
 
7W vs. P4: Seven of Utah Tech's 73 D-I wins have come against Power-4 programs, two of which came last season in a home victory over former PAC-12 member Utah (5/7/24), and a 9-8 road triumph at Oklahoma State (3/5/24), which was the Trailblazers' first vs. the Big 12 Conference. 
            Six of those seven Trailblazers came against three former PAC-12 Conference member schools (3 vs. Utah; 1 each vs. Arizona/Arizona State/Washington State). 
            Of note, all three victories over BYU, which is in its second season of Big 12 play, came when the Cougars were members of the West Coast Conference.
 
QUICK 2025 SEASON PREVIEW: Utah Tech returns six starting position players and six primary pitchers, and total 14 letter winners, from last season's squad.
 
INFIELD
            Three of the four position players on the left side of the infield are newcomers, with sophomore Petey Soto Jr. serving as the lone returnee at shortstop. Soto Jr. batted .258 with nine extra-base hits and 19 RBI in 49 starts (52 games), and made a number of key defensive plays as a true freshman last season.
            Freshman Will Dart will serve as the primary back-up at shortstop, while junior Arizona State transfer Ryan Kroepel and junior college transfer Kace Naone will be looked upon to man the hot corner at third base.
            Meanwhile, the right side of the Blazer infield is more veteran-laced, led by senior first baseman Aaron Perez, who batted .256 in 48 games with 10 doubles, five homers and 32 RBI a season ago. 
            Thanks to a solid fall and spring camp, freshman Grady Daniels has also played himself into opportunities both at first base and designated hitter, while junior Gavin Glasgow may see time at both corner infield positions as the season progresses. 
            Sophomore Kyle McDaniel moves from third base to second base, where he will be joined senior Ethan He. McDaniel legged out a team-high 14 doubles and batted .271 with 18 RBI in 49 games last season, while He hit .253 in 37 games while seeing time at both second base and shortstop.
 
OUTFIELD
            Coming off earning second team all-WAC honors last season, senior Hunter Katschke is back to anchor a talented corps of outfielders.
            Katschke played in 54 games last year with 46 starts in right field, and was Utah Tech's top hitter with a .302 average to go with team highs of 13 homers and 36 RBI.
            Utah Tech also brought in a trio of talented junior college transfers in Eliot Jones, Aden Danceand Gavin Long. Jones will vie for playing time in right field, while both Dance and Long are both slated to split time in center field. 
            In left field, Utah Tech returns senior Ethan Royal (2024 - 47 G/.246/16 RBI) and junior speedster Levi Randall (2024 - 16 G/.333/6 RS), and welcomes freshman Finnegan Stewart, all of whom will figure in the mix throughout the season.
 
CATCHER
            Utah Tech will rely on a trio of newcomers behind the plate, all of whom could play a key factor both offensively and in handling the pitching staff this season, including junior college transfers Andrew Pyle and Ty Johnsen, along with freshman Cooper Smith. 
 
PITCHING STAFF
            Two of Utah Tech four starting pitchers this weekend were part of last year's staff, including sophomore righthander Cade Montgomery, who will serve as Friday's "Opening Day" starter. Montgomery appeared in 17 games with six starts as a true freshman last season and struck out 44 in 43.0 innings of work.
            Junior RHP Dakoda West is slated as the starter for Sunday's finale. West made 12 appearances, 11 in relief in 2024, and tallied eight punch outs in 12.1 IP. 
            Senior San Diego State transfer LHP Dylan Hawkes will get the ball in game one of Saturday's twin bill, while junior Pacific transfer RHP Ryan Martinez will toe the rubber in Saturday's nightcap. 
            Utah Tech will have six hurlers who will be looked upon to provide long relief as needed, including junior RHP Jonah Marshall (2024 - 12 APP/0-1/11.1 IP/6K), along with newcomers LHP Brock Roundy, RHP Ethan Gardner, RHP Dax Newman, RHP Tyler Ray, and RHP Jackson Bell.  
            In the set-up role, the Trailblazers will rely on five relievers in the late innings, two of whom are returnees in senior RHP Jacob Taggart (2024 - 12 APP/11.1 IP/9K) and sophomore RHP Aaron Morris (2024 - 25 APP/1-1/32.0 IP/25 K).
            Meanwhile, redshirt freshman RHP Easton Brooks will be looked upon to play a factor in the late-game situations, as will right-handed JUCO transfer RHP Max Miller and freshman RHP Talan Kelly.  
            In addition, both Kroepel and junior righthander Dakota Gray could both serve as options in the closer's role this season. 
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech returns to action next weekend with a four-game, non-conference home series vs. UC Riverside.