Game Times (Mountain):
Friday - 5 p.m.
Saturday - 2 p.m.
Sunday - 11 a.m.
Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | TSU
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 #15 Cade Montgomery (4-2, 2.48 ERA) vs. RHP #21 Brian Panneton (4-2, 3.91 ERA)
Saturday (G2) – LHP #6 Brock Roundy (2-1, 5.97 ERA) vs. RHP #1 Jake Burcham (3-4, 4.22 ERA)
Sunday (G3) – RHP #45 Ryan Martinez (2-1,  3.55 ERA) vs. TBA)

FIRST PITCH: Utah Tech (17-21/3-9 WAC) heads back to Texas this weekend for a three-game WAC road series at Tarleton State (17-25/5-7 WAC).
            Friday's series opener will start at 5 p.m. (MT), followed by game two on Saturday at 2 p.m. (MT), and Sunday's series finale at 11 a.m. (MT), at Tarleton Baseball Complex (1,000) in Stephenville.
            All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats and streaming video information and links can be found online at www.utahtechtrailblazers.com.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: Utah Tech is 4-3 all-time in its brief series with Tarleton State, with three of those wins coming on the road in Stephenville in the first-ever series between the two sides during the 2021 season (April 1-3, 2021), which was the first NCAA Division I season for both programs.
            That inaugural series also featured a bit of Trailblazer program history when former Utah Tech pitcher Jimmy Borzone recorded a seven-inning, no-hitter in a 5-1 victory in game two of the series (4/2/21).
            Due to a quirk in the WAC scheduling, the two sides did not square off again until last season in St. George, where the Trailblazers dropped two of three to the Texans in a home conference series. 
           
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 back on June 28, 2024. 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 is in 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 Utah Tech skipper in the 2022 season finale at California Baptist (14-8; 5/21/2022), owns a 344-295-1 (.538) overall record at Utah Tech, and a 396-354-1 (.528) 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. 
 
NEARING ANOTHER CAREER MILESTONE: Coach Pfatenhauer continues to inch toward another career milestone. The long-time Trailblazer mentor now stands only four wins away from career victory No. 400 (396-354-1). 
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech finally got off the April schneid last weekend as the Trailblazers took two of three from defending WAC champion Grand Canyon at Bruce Hurst Field.
            The Blazers snapped a seven-game slide with a thrilling 6-5 victory in game one (4/17). Then after a 7-0 shutout loss in game two, Utah Tech bounced back to claim the series with a 9-1 triumph in the rubber game last Saturday afternoon. 
 
HOME SWEET HOME: Thanks to that series win last weekend, Utah Tech is improved to 326-171 (.656) all-time in 497 games played inside the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field since the start of its four-year era in the 2007 season.
            The Utah Tech program will reach another major milestone on Saturday, May 3, when the Trailblazers play their 500th NCAA-era home date in the middle game of their WAC series vs. Seattle U. 
            The Trailblazers, who are 13-12 at home this season, have posted a winning home record in 15 of the 18 seasons since transitioning to NCAA status in 2007, which included an 11-11 mark at home in 2022. 
            Utah Tech has 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: Despite being swept at Abilene Christian two weekends ago (4/11-13), Utah Tech has managed to hold its own away from home in its NCAA era as the Trailblazers have played to a 182-228-1 overall road record (.444), including a 4-9 away mark this season. 
            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 197-239-1 (.452) 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). 
 
900 DOWN: Utah Tech played its 900th NCAA-era ball game in its series finale vs. Northern Colorado back on Feb. 16. In all, the Trailblazers have played to a 523-410-1 (.560) record all-time through 18-plus years of NCAA competition.
            That record also includes a 90-167 (.350) mark in the program's current Division-I era, and a 56-82 (.405) mark in Western Athletic Conference play.  
 
9W vs. P5: Nine of Utah Tech's 90 D-I wins have come against Power-5 programs, including notching its second victory of the season over a Big 12 program in the Utah home win on March 25. The Blazers also picked up a 10-3 road triumph at Big 12 member BYU back on March 17.   
            The Trailblazers posted two P4 wins last year on the road at Big 12 member Oklahoma State (9-8; 3/5/24), and at home vs. Utah when the Utes were a member of the PAC-12 Conference (W, 11-8; 5/7/24).  
            Seven of the nine Trailblazers wins have come against three former PAC-12 member schools (4 vs. Utah; 1 each vs. Arizona/Arizona State/Washington State). 
            Of note, all three previous victories over BYU, which is in its second season of Big 12 play, were recorded when the Cougars were members of the West Coast Conference.
 
FREE BASEBALL: Utah Tech moved to 1-1 in extra inning games this season after posting a 3-2 road victory in its WAC opener at California Baptist on March 21. 
            That 10-inning win snapped the Trailblazers' six-game, extra-inning losing streak, and moved them to 5-11 in extra inning affairs during their current Division I era.
            Utah Tech saw its streak of not playing an extra inning game stopped at 76-straight after its 5-4 game two loss to UC Riverside (2/22) in 10 innings. 
            In all, Utah Tech is 36-25 (.590) in 61 extra-inning games in the program's four-year era. The Blazers are now 18-14 in 10-inning games, while the program has won 10 of its last 21 extra inning games overall.
 
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: Utah Tech heads into this weekend's series tied for second in the WAC, and t-19th nationally, in double plays with 31, which includes four twin-killings vs. GCU last weekend, and a combined 11 double plays in 18 March games. 
 
AIN'T LIFE GRAND: We are 38 games into the 2025 season and Utah Tech has already tied the program's single season record with three grand slams, two of which came in the Portland road series in early March.
            Junior 3B/RHP Ryan Kroepel blasted the first slam in the sixth inning of game two (3/1). Meanwhile senior 1B Aaron Perez connected on his second grand slam of the year, and the 29th in the program's NCAA era overall, with one out in the Blazer ninth in Utah Tech's 8-6 come-from-behind win in the series finale (3/3). 
            Perez notched his first grand slam of the season in game two of the Trailblazers' season-opening series vs. Northern Colorado (2/15).
            In fact, Perez became just the third Trailblazer in the program's NCAA era to hit two grand slams in one season, joining former sluggers Chase Pittsenbarger (2010) and Drew Oldfield (2009), who both achieved the feat during Utah Tech's Division II era.
            Utah Tech has belted at least three grand slams in a season six times, including in their first D-I season in 2021, though it took them 52 games to do it. Utah Tech also did it four times in the D-II era (2009/2010/2011/2016). 
 
ONE TO WATCH: Sophomore RHP Cade Montgomery was named to the 2025 College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year watch list this past April 18. 
            Montgomery, who is the lone Western Athletic Conference representative, is one of 54 pitchers from 20 NCAA Division I conferences throughout the country who were named to the midseason list. 
            Montgomery has shined as the Trailblazers' Friday night staff ace, compiling a 4-2 overall record in nine starts, and currently leads all WAC starting pitchers with a 2.48 ERA (39th in NCAA D-I). 
            The sophomore is also ranked in the WAC's top-10 in wins (4, t-5th), innings pitched (54.1, 6th), opponent batting average (.228, 6th), and strikeouts (47, t-8th; 7.78 K/9). 
            Montgomery has recorded at least six strikeouts in five of his nine outings this season, highlighted by a career-high nine punch outs at California Baptist back on March 21. 
 
BIG KAT LAND BIG WAC HONOR: Senior OF/DH Hunter Katschke was named WAC Player of the Week on Monday for his efforts in the Trailblazers' home series win over conference co-leader GCU last weekend. 
            Katschke batted .417 (5-for-12) in three starts in the series, with four of his five total hits going for extra bases. He also drove in a team-high six RBI and finished with two runs scored.
            The senior got off to a strong start in the series opener by going 2-for-4 at the plate, highlighted by a clutch game-tying, two-run double in the home sixth to help Utah Tech rally for a 6-5 victory.
            After legging out another double as part of a 1-for-4 night in game two, Katschke went 2-for-4 in Saturday's 9-1 series finale win with a pair of two-run home runs in the fifth and seventh innings, respectively.
            Katschke's two-homer day was his second multi-homer game in his near two seasons in a Trailblazer uniform. The senior clubbed three home runs and had five RBI in a home win last season vs. Utah (W, 11-8; 5/7/24). 
            In addition, Katschke's team-leading eighth homer in the Blazer seventh inning on Saturday, which was his 21st-career long ball overall, vaulted him into solo sixth place on Utah Tech's career home run list. 
 
K-MAC GETTING ON BASE: Sophomore 2B Kyle McDaniel (.379/.493/.479) continued his torrid hitting pace, and tied a Utah Tech Division I era school record, last weekend vs. GCU.
            McDaniel hit .385 (5-for-13) in the three-game set with one double, three RBI and three runs scored out of the lead-off spot. Two of McDaniel's three RBI came on what turned out to be the game-winning hit in the eighth inning of game one (4/17).
            McDaniel hit safely in all three starts, which extended his current hit streak to a career long nine-straight games, and in the process, he tied a Utah Tech NCAA D-I era record by reaching base safely in 24-straight games.
            The sophomore's effort vs. GCU came on heels of him going 8-for-12 (.667) in three starts at ACU two weeks ago, with seven of those safeties coming in the first two games of the series. 
            McDaniel, who is currently ranked third in the WAC in both batting average and base hits (53), has recorded at two hits in 10 of his last 20 starts, and in 26 of his first 38 starts this season with 15 multi-hit games.
            In addition, McDaniel has reached base safely in 36 of 38 games this season, and in 77 of his 87 career games as a Trailblazer overall. 
 
STREAK NOTES: McDaniel's current on-base streak pulled him even with former Blazer catcher Kaden Hollow, who reached base safely in 24-straight games in 2022.
            Of note, only five former Trailblazers have seen an on-base streak extend to 30-plus games in the program's NCAA era overall, the last being former All-American outfielder Jake Engel (2017-21), who reached base safely in 31-straight games, which included a school record 21-game hit streak.
            Engel's feat spanned three seasons, including the final 14 games of the 2019 season, 16 games during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign, and the first game of Utah Tech's D-I era in 2021.  
            Former Utah Tech shortstop Tanner Morache (2014-16) currently owns the school's four-year era record with a 39-game, on-base streak during his senior season in 2016. 
 
TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS 
* - Katschke's (.263/.518/.323) big weekend vs. GCU came of the heels of a 4-for-36 skid since the BYU road win on March 17 ... that said, two of Katschke's four hits over that stretch left the ballpark, including a three-run shot in the Utah home win (3/25).
* - In fact, five of Katschke's last 10 hits overall have been home runs, including solo home runs at both BYU (3/17) and CBU (3/22).
* - Katschke had a night in the UC Riverside series opener (2/21), during which he tied a program NCAA-era record with five hits (5-for-5) with a double, home run and a career-high six RBI.
* - Katschke became the first Trailblazer in the program's relatively new NCAA Division I era to record five hits in a game, and he became the 16th-different player in the program's four-year era to drive in at least six runs in a single game. 
* - Perez (.312/.488/.396) has been on a tear at the plate since the calendar turned to March ... the senior has hit safely in 11 of his last 16 games, and in 20 of 26 of his starts since March 1, with eight multi-hit games, highlighted by a 3-for-5 effort with his second GSHR and a career-high six RBI in the Portland series finale (3/3).
* - Perez, who saw his streak of reaching base safely end at 16-straight games after going hitless in the UVU series opener (4/4), hit .364 at ACU two weeks, highlighted by a 2-for-4 day in the series finale (4/13) with a two-run homer, three total RBI and two runs scored. 
* - Though he went hitless in the first two games of the GCU series, Perez came back with a pair of singles and an RBI in last Saturday's finale. 
* - Perez opened WAC play by batting .385 (5-of-13) in the CBU series with two XBHs and two RBI, including belting the eventual game-winning HR in the 10th inning in the series opener (3/21).
* - Perez's first GSHR of the season vs. Northern Colorado (2/15) came nearly two years to the day of Utah Tech's last grand slam, and coincidentally it was another Blazer first baseman who hit it ... former 1B Sean Keating belted a bases-clearing homer, which was part of his three-homer day in Utah Tech's 12-4 home win over Wichita State (2/22/23).
* - Kroepel (.348/.533/.431) has been just as hot at the dish, batting a combined .454 (10-for-22) in the last two WAC series, including a .556 (5-for-9) clip in the GCU series, highlighted by a 3-for-4 effort with pair of doubles, one RBI and three runs scored in the series clinching win last Saturday. 
* - Kroepel hit .385 (5-for-13) in three starts at ACU two weeks ago with a team series high four RBI, all of which came in game two (4/12) thanks to a two-run HR and a two-run single. 
* - Kroepel enjoyed a solid March in his own right, during which he batted .308 (21-for-68) in the month and reached base safely with a hit in 13 of 18 starts with eight two-hit games. 
* - Kroepel carried that momentum into April as he is batting .394 (13-for-33) in 10 starts with five more two-hit outings. 
* - Kroepel has also shown that he is a dual threat at the hot corner, as well as the bump, after he picked up his fifth save of the season in the GCU series opener ... Kroepel's five saves are good for third in the WAC and t-58th nationally.
* - Of note, Utah Tech recorded only six total saves in 54 games last season.
* - Freshman DH/RF Finnegan Stewart (.256/.406/.341) has been as steady as anyone in the Utah Tech line-up, having hit safely in 27 of his first 38 collegiate games ... in the home win over Utah (3/25), he came on as a pinch hitter in the eighth and drove the first pitch he saw off the wall in right center for an RBI-double to add the exclamation point to the Blazers' three-run rally.
* - Stewart posted his first collegiate three-hit game (3-for-3) in the UVU series opener (4/4) ... the freshman also drew a walk, drove in one run and scored once during his perfect night at the plate.
* - Stewart combined to hit .308 (4-for-13) at ACU two weeks ago, highlighted by a 3-for-5 day with one double and three RBI in game two (4/12).
* - Stewart batted .278 (10-of-36) during the long March homestand with five XBHs and 13 RBI ... the freshman drove in 10 of those runs over a five-game stretch, with a career high four of those runs coming as part of a 2-for-5 night with a triple and homer in the walk-off win over Gonzaga (3/11) ... he also doubled and drove in three more runs in the opener vs. CSUB (3/13).   
* - Stewart made the most of his collegiate debut as he hit .333 (4-of-12) with five walks and five runs scored in four starts vs. Northern Colorado.
* - Stewart wasted little time making a name for himself as he became the first true freshman in the program's NCAA era to homer in a season-opening game (2/14) when he drilled a two-run shot over the left field wall on the first pitch he saw in the third inning.
* - Stewart became the 12th different Trailblazer to homer in a season opening game in Utah Tech's four-year era.
* - Sophomore SS Petey Soto Jr. (.286/.405/.359) had himself a solid series last weekend vs. GCU, against which he hit an even .400 (4-for-10) with three XBHs, two RBI and two runs scored.
* - Soto Jr. doubled in one run in the series opener (4/17), then followed that with another two-bagger and his third homer of the season, an eighth-inning solo blast, in the game three win. 
* - Soto Jr. has driven in 18 of his 22 total runs on the year over his last 23 games, including three RBI as part of a 2-for-3 day with two runs scored in the Utah win (3/25). 
* - The sophomore shortstop has hit safely in 13 of his last 15 starts, and has reached base safely in 32 of his 38 starts this season overall. 
* - Well it took him 72 games, but senior OF Ethan Royal (.181/.250/.330) belted his first homer as a Trailblazer when he muscled out a solo shot in the third inning vs. Utah Valley (4/4).
* - Royal enjoyed a solid series at ACU two weeks ago, against which he batted an even .300 (3-for-10) with two doubles, two runs scored, one RBI and one stolen base.
* - Junior LF Levi Randall (.306/.380/.380) had himself a day last Thursday's series opener vs. GCU (4/17), going 4-for-4 at the plate with a triple, two runs scored, and his team-leading fifth outfield assist as part of a second-inning double play.
* - Randall's triple kick-started a two-out, two-run eighth inning rally, and came nearly one year to the day of his first collegiate triple (vs. Nevada, 4/22/24).  
* - Sophomore RHP Cade Montgomery (4-2/2.48 ERA/47 K/54.1 IP) was saddled with the game two loss vs. GCU last Friday night ... Montgomery struck out six in six innings of work, though he was touched up for four runs and eight hits.   
* - Montgomery, who will look for his first WAC win of the season in Friday's series opener at Tarleton State, picked up his fourth victory of the season after he fired 6.0 innings of three-hit shutout baseball with four strikeouts in his game two victory over CSUB (3/14).
* - After four-straight no-decisions, junior RHP Ryan Martinez (1-1/3.88 ERA/41 K/51.0 IP) finally picked up his first win as a Trailblazer in game three vs. CSUB (3/15) ... Martinez scattered one earned run (4 total) and six hits with four strikeouts and no walks over 7.0 innings to earn the victory.
* - Martinez shined in last Saturday's finale vs. GCU, against which he struck out three and limited the Lopes to only six hits and one run over 7.1 innings ... the junior's 7.1 IP marked his longest outing of the season overall. 
* - Martinez, who is slated to start Sunday's series finale at Tarleton, enters the weekend ranked third in the WAC in innings pitched (58.1 IP), and 11th in ERA and strikeouts, including a season-high eight over six innings in a no-decision at CBU (3/22).
* - Junior southpaw Brock Roundy (2-1/5.97 ERA/29 K/31.2 IP) turned in another solid effort in the series opener vs. GCU (4/17) ... Roundy scattered four runs (three earned) and six hits with a pair of punch outs, but did not figure in the decision. 
* - Roundy shined in his last two March midweek starts, including a gem in Utah Tech's road win at BYU (3/17) ... Roundy struck out a career-high eight and limited the vaunted Cougar offense to only two runs and six hits in six innings complete to collect his first win in a Trailblazer uniform. 
* - Roundy, who will start game two at Tarleton on Saturday, followed that up with five solid innings vs. Utah (3/25), during which he fanned five and scattered one run and four hits to earn his second win of the season.
* - Junior RHP Tyler Ray (3-1/4.10 ERA/31 K/37.1 IP) earned his third win of the season in relief of Roundy in G1 vs. GCU. 
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will play seven of its next eight games at home, starting with a midweek match-up against UNLV next Tuesday night, April 29. First pitch at Bruce Hurst Field is set for 6:05 p.m. (MT).