Game Time (Mountain):
Wednesday - 5 p.m. Live Streaming: ESPN+ 
Live Stats: UTAH TECH vs. GCU
Twitter: @UtahTech_Sports | @UtahTech_BASE | #UtahTechBlazers | #WACbsb

PROBABLE STARTERS:
RHP #35 Dakoda West (3-6, 4.73 ERA) vs. RHP #9 Isaac Lyon (3-4, 4.05 ERA)

FIRST PITCH: Utah Tech (24-29) returns to action at the 2025 University Credit Union Western Athletic Conference Postseason Baseball Tournament on Wednesday as the eighth-seeded Trailblazers face No. 4-seed Grand Canyon (30-26).
      First pitch is set for at 5 p.m. (MT), at Hohokam Stadium (12,500) in Mesa, Ariz. Live stats and streaming video information and links can be found online at www.utahtechtrailblazers.com.
 
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.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: Utah Tech owns a 37-32 all-time series lead vs. Grand Canyon in a series that dates back to when both programs were members of the Division II Pacific West Conference.
      However the series has been one-sided of late as the Trailblazers have lost 14 of the last 17 games between the two sides, including a 3-13 mark since Utah Tech began its transition to Division I status and joined the WAC in 2021.
      That said, Utah Tech has won three of its last four against GCU, including taking two-of-three from the Lopes in a three-game home series over Easter Weekend (4/17-19) at Bruce Hurst Field. 
      Utah Tech also broke a 12-game losing streak to GCU last season with a thrilling 2-1 road victory in Phoenix (4/21/24).
 
AGAINST GCU IN THE POSTSEASON: The Trailblazers and GCU have met one other time in postseason play, with that instance coming in the 2013 NCAA Division II West Regionals, which was hosted by Utah Tech (then Dixie State).
      GCU came out on top in that match-up by a 12-3 count on its way to the NCAA D-II World Series in its final season before that program began its transition to NCAA Division I competition.
 
ALL-TIME IN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS: This weekend's tournament will not only be Utah Tech's first D-I postseason appearance, it will also be just the second time the Trailblazers will have played in a conference postseason tourney.
      In its first RMAC season in 2019, the No. 3 seed Trailblazers won the first two games, but were defeated in the winner's bracket final, and bounced in the semifinal elimination round.
            
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 coached in his 650th game as Utah Tech skipper in home finale victory over UT Arlington (5/11), owns a 351-303-1 (.537) overall record at Utah Tech, and a 403-362-1 (.527) 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. 
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech made the most of its Division-I era postseason debut as the Trailblazers posted a thrilling 6-5 victory over No. 5 seed California Baptist in 11 innings on Tuesday night in the WAC tourney opening round elimination game. 
 
PFATE REACHES ANOTHER CAREER MILESTONE: Fresh off of collecting his 400th career win in his 650th career head coaching appearance, Coach Pfate reached another career milestone last Saturday at Sacramento State 
      The longtime Trailblazer mentor recorded his 350th career victory at Utah Tech in his team's 6-5 victory over the Hornets in the 2025 regular season finale. 
 
HOME SWEET HOME: By going 4-2 on its final homestand of the season, Utah Tech improved to 330-174 (.655) all-time in 504 games played inside the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field since the start of its four-year era in the 2007 season.
      The Trailblazers played to a 17-15 overall home record this year, which is the program's 16th winning home record in 19 seasons since transitioning to NCAA status in 2007.
      Utah Tech has won 20 or more home games in eight of the previous 19 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: Thanks to its series win at Sacramento State last weekend, Utah Tech wrapped up its 2025 road slate with a 6-14 record.
      Utah Tech has managed to hold its own away from home in its NCAA era as the Trailblazers have played to a 184-233-1 overall road record (.441) in 19 seasons of NCAA play. 
      Utah Tech has posted a winning road record in eight of their last 16 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 (16-11 in 27 games), Utah Tech is 200-244-1 (.450) all-time away from Bruce Hurst Field in the program's NCAA era.
 
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 530-418-1 (.559) record all-time through nearly 19 full seasons of years of NCAA competition.
      That record also includes a 97-173 (.359) mark in the program's current Division-I era, and a 62-88 (.413) record in Western Athletic Conference play.  
 
9W vs. P5: Nine of Utah Tech's 97 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 3-1 in extra inning games this season after its 11-inning victory over CBU on Tuesday night.
      Two of the Blazers three extra-inning win came in WAC play, including a walk-off win over Seattle U back on May 2. The Trailblazers also opened WAC play with a dramatic 3-2 road victory in 10 innings in its WAC opener at CBU on March 21. 
      That 10-inning win snapped the Trailblazers' six-game, extra-inning losing streak, while the extra-inning triumph nearly two weeks ago moved them to 6-11 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 earlier this season after its 5-4 game two loss to UC Riverside (2/22) in 10 innings. 
      In all, Utah Tech is 38-25 (.603) in 63 extra-inning games in the program's four-year era. The Blazers are 19-14 in 10-inning games, while the program has won 12 of its last 23 extra inning games overall.
 
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: Utah Tech heads into Wednesday's game vs. GCU WAC Tournament as the NCAA D-I LEADER in defensive double plays with 55, which included two twin killings in the CBU win on Tuesday night. 
      Utah Tech checks in as the current NCAA Division-I LEADER in double plays per game at 1.04 dp/g. 
      The Trailblazers notched four twin killings last weekend at Sacramento State, two of which came in Saturday's series clinching win, highlighted by a game-ending 5-4-3 double play.
      The Trailblazers also turned 17 of those double plays in 14 April ball games, 16 of which came in WAC play.  
      Of note, Utah Tech's 55 double plays this season are the second--most recorded during the program's NCAA era. The Blazers need only one more to tie the school record of 56 set during the 2022 campaign.
 
AIN'T LIFE GRAND: Utah Tech has hit a single-season record tying three grand slams this year, all three of which were hit in the first 13 games of the season, 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). 
 
FLIPPING THE SWITCH AT THE RIGHT TIME: Utah Tech's offense has come to life over the team's last three WAC series wins this month. The Trailblazers have averaged 6.2 runs and 13.1 hits in those nine games, while combining for a .359 batting average with 25 XBH, including 16 doubles and nine homers.
      The Trailblazers got the bats going against Seattle U, against which they hit .357 (40-for-112) with three doubles and five homers. Utah Tech followed that up by batting a robust .380 (41-of-108) with eight more doubles and two long balls in the three game set.
      Utah Tech then went on the road at Sacramento State last weekend, where the team hit at a .339 clip (37-of-109) with five doubles and two homers in that series win. 
 
THREE BLAZERS EARN WAC POSTSEASON HONORS: Utah Tech landed three players on the 2025 WAC postseason awards list, which was announced on Monday.
      Sophomore 3B Ryan Kroepel was the Blazers' lone representative on the league's first team, while sophomore 2B Kyle McDaniel and sophomore RHP Cade Montgomery earned second team honors. 
 
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. 
      Unfortunately the sophomore's season came to an abrupt end after he suffered a season-ending lower leg injury on a sharp comebacker early in the third of his start at Tarleton State on April 25. Montgomery managed to finish the inning, but was replaced in the fourth. 
      Montgomery shined as the Trailblazers' Friday night staff ace, compiling a 4-2 overall record in 10 starts. He also leads all WAC starting pitchers with a 2.35 ERA (t-19th in NCAA D-I). 
      The sophomore is also ranked in the WAC's top-20 in wins (4, t-7th), innings pitched (57.1, 10th), opponent batting average (.222, 3rd), and strikeouts (48, t-15th; 7.53 K/9). 
      Montgomery recorded at least six strikeouts in five of his 10 outings this season, highlighted by a career-high nine punch outs at California Baptist back on March 21. 
 
K-MAC STREAKING ALONG: Sophomore 2B Kyle McDaniel (.373/.493/.471) managed to extend his current Division I era school record on-base streak to 39-straight games he went 1-for-3 with one walk in the CBU win on Tuesday night. 
      McDaniel, who has now hit safely in a career-high 12-straight games, and in 23 of his last 24 games overall, batted a combined .429 (6-for-14) with two walks and three runs scored last weekend vs. Sacramento State.
      McDaniel had himself quite the month of April, during which he reached base safely in all 14 games, including 12 games via base hit, highlighted by a career-high 11-game hit streak.
      The sophomore batted a combined .442 (23-of-52) in his 14 April starts with six multi-hit outings, including two three-hit efforts and a career-high tying four hits (4-for-4) at Abilene Christian back on April 12. He also drew a combined four walks, scored eight runs, and drove in three runs during his incredible month.           
      McDaniel, who finished the regular season third in the WAC in batting average (.372 - t-61st in NCAA D-I) and t-fifth in base hits (74) - t-97th in NCAA D-I), has recorded at least two hits in 16 of his last 34 starts, and in 21 of his 53 total starts this season.
      In addition, McDaniel has reached base safely in 51 of 53 games this season, and in 92 of his 102 career games as a Trailblazer overall. 
 
STREAK NOTES: McDaniel is one of six players in Utah Tech's NCAA era to record an on-base streak of 30 games or more.
      Meanwhile, his current 39-game streak has now tied the program's all-time record first set by former Utah Tech shortstop Tanner Morache (2014-16) during his senior season in 2016. 
 
KROEPEL "SAVING" HIS BEST FOR LAST: Sophomore 3B/RHP Ryan Kroepel (.382/.568/.455) continued his remarkable Trailblazer debut season, both with his bat and his arm, in Tuesday's win over CBU.
      Kroepel extended his hit streak to a career-high 17 games, and his own on-base streak to 21-straight games, thanks to a clutch one-out, RBI-double in the 11th inning. 
      Meanwhile, the sophomore threw a season-high four innings of relief, limiting the Lancers to one unearned run and four hits to earn his fourth victory of the season. 
      Kroepel came off a stellar weekend at Sac State, where he batted a team-high .462 (6-for-13), which was bolstered by a 4-for-5 day at the plate in Friday's game two win with one double, three RBI and one run scored.
      In fact, the sophomore has recorded at least two hits in eight of his last 11 starts, and in 11 of the 17 games during this current stretch.
      Kroepel hit a WAC-best .467 in conference play (43-of-92), which included a .486 (35-for-72) clip in the last six WAC series, including an even .500 (7-for-14) clip three weeks ago vs. Seattle U with one homer, two RBI and two runs scored.
      Kroepel has hit safely in 43 of his 53 starts this season with a team-high 25 multi-hit games, and has raised his batting average 51 points to a team-best .387 (#2 in the WAC; 36th in NCAA) over his 16-game hit streak. The sophomore is also t-third (and t-83rd in NCAA) in base hits with 75.
      As he did two week's ago in the UT Arlington series win, Kroepel was dominant at the plate, and on the mound against the Hornets in the series win.
      Kroepel picked up his team-leading eighth save (#3 - WAC; t-29th NCAA D-I) in game two, then earned his third win of the season in Saturday's finale. In all, he pitched a combined 2.2 innings in his two appearances and surrendered only two hits and struck out two.
      The sophomore has saved three of Utah Tech's last four WAC games, including notching two saves in the UTA home series win. Kroepel has also only allowed three of the 12 combined base runners he inherited over his last five appearances to score in a combined 9.0 innings of relief. 
      Kroepel's eight saves, which is two more save than the entire Utah Tech bullpen recorded last season, ranks him third in the WAC and t-29th nationally, and are t-eighth and t-ninth, respectively, on Utah Tech single-season and career saves lists. 
 
BIG GAME HUNTER: Senior OF/DH Hunter Katschke (.280/.503/.337) continued his late season surge as he batted a combined .417 (5-for-12) in the Sac State series with one RBI and two runs scored.
      Katschke is batting .329 (24-of-73) with five homers and 16 RBI over his last 18 starts. In fact, eight of Katschke's last 29 hits overall have been home runs, which has helped him climb into a tie for fifth place on Utah Tech's career HR list (24).  
      The senior was named WAC Player of the Week back on April 21 for his efforts in the Trailblazers' home series win over then conference co-leader GCU (4/17-19).
      Katschke batted .417 (5-for-12) in three starts in that series, with four of his five total hits going for extra bases. He also drove in a team-high six runs and finished with two runs scored.
      The senior got off to a strong start in the series opener (4/17) 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 (4/18), Katschke went 2-for-4 in the 9-1 series finale (4/19) 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). 
      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. 
 
WATCHING THE AP WIRE: Senior 1B Aaron Perez (.331/.497/.413) has also flipped the switch offensively, having hit safely in 13 of his last 16 starts (23-for-60; .383) with two doubles, two homers, and eight RBI.
      Perez went 2-for-5 with a walk in Tuesday's win over CBU, this after he batted .417 last weekend at Sacramento State, which included a 3-for-5 day with two RBI in Saturday's finale, highlighted by a big game-tying homer with one out in the seventh inning.  
      The senior has been on a tear at the plate since the calendar turned to March, hitting safely in 32 of his 41 starts since March 1, with 15 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), rebounded by batting .364 at ACU last month, 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. 
      Perez started 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 a Utah Tech 12-4 home win over Wichita State (2/22/23).
      
TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS
* - Sophomore SS Petey Soto Jr. (.277/.390/.348) went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored vs. CBU on Tuesday night. 
* - Soto Jr. clubbed his career-high fourth homer of the season in last Thursday's series opener at Sac State ... Soto Jr. wound up batting .333 (4-of-12) against Hornet pitching overall, including a two-hit effort in the game two win, and he drove in the eventual game and series-winning run in the ninth inning last Saturday. 
* - Soto Jr. had himself a solid series vs. GCU last month, against which he hit an even .400 (4-for-10) with three XBHs, two RBI and two runs scored.
* - Soto Jr. has driven in 21 of his 25 total runs on the year over his last 37 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 21 of his last 29 starts, and has reached base safely in 40 of his 52 starts this season overall. 
* - Junior catcher Ty Johnsen (.244/.302/.363) enjoyed a breakout series last weekend at Sac State, where he batted .455 in the three games, highlighted by a career best four-hit day with a double, RBI, and scored the GW run on the Soto Jr. base knock.
* - Outfielder Ethan Royal (.190/.231/.310) enjoyed a solid Senior Weekend, batting an even .500 (6-for-12) in the UTA series, which included his second career three-hit game and a highlight reel catch in his final home start on Sunday. 
* - Well it took him 72 games but Royal belted his first homer as a Trailblazer when he muscled out a solo shot in game one of the Utah Valley (4/4) series.
* - Junior 3B/DH Kace Naone (.269/.487/.333) collected two RBI on two sacrifice fly outs in Tuesday's win over CBU ... in fact, Naone has recorded seven of Utah Tech's 13 total sacrifice flies through 53 games this season.
* - Naone has seen extended playing time at designated hitter, third base and in left field, over the last 12 games ... Naone was the starting DH in the final two games of the UTA series and responded by hitting at a .444 (4-for-9) clip with one double and a co-team high four RBI. 
*- Naone also started at DH in the final two games of the Tarleton series (4/26-27) and responded with solo homers in each start ... he batted .333 (3-for-9) in the series overall with three XBHs and three RBI.
* - Freshman DH/RF Finnegan Stewart (.272/.416/.342) has been as steady as anyone in the Utah Tech line-up, having hit safely in 35 of his first 51 collegiate games, including going 2-for-4 with two runs scored in the CBU win on Tuesday night.
* - Stewart hit .333 (4-for-12) in the Seattle U series with a pair of two-hit games, and included his fourth HR of the season, a two-run shot in the series finale (5/4). 
* - Stewart drove in three runs in two pinch-hit appearances at Sacramento State, including a two-run double in game one ... he also chased home the tying run with a ninth inning sacrifice fly in Saturday's finale. 
* - 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.
* - Junior LF Levi Randall (.292/.354/.378) moved into a tie for seventh place on Utah Tech's single season steals list with his 13th stolen bag in Saturday's finale at Sac State.
* - Randall had himself a day in the 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.
* - After four-straight no-decisions, junior RHP Ryan Martinez (2-4/5.08 ERA/57 K/83.1 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 series finale vs. GCU (4/19), 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 fired seven solid innings but came away with another no-decision in Tuesday's win over CBU ... Martinez pitched into the eighth and scattered four runs on eight hits with three strikeouts.
* - Junior Ethan Gardner (1-0/1 SV/5.60 ERA/12 K/15.2 IP) earned his first Division I victory in the series finale vs. UTA on Mother's Day (5/11), against which he struck out one and scattered one run on four hits in 3.0 innings of work.
* - Gardner also collected a three-inning save in the series clinching win vs. Seattle U one week earlier on May 4 ... the junior fanned three and surrendered only one run and two hits to close out that victory.
* - Junior RHP Dakoda West (3-6/4.73 ERA/36 K/59.0 IP). who will start against GCU on Wednesday, earned his third decision at Sac State last Friday ... West struck out a career-high tying six and scattered two runs and three hits over 6.0 innings complete. 
* - Junior RHP Tyler Ray (3-2/4.71 ERA/38 K/49.2 IP) earned his third win of the season in relief in G1 vs. GCU (4/17) ... Ray heads into the weekend ranked 11th in the WAC in ERA. 
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: The winner of Wednesday's Utah Tech/GCU game will advance on to face No. 1 seed Sacramento State on Thursday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. (MT).
      Meanwhile, the loser of the Utah Tech/GCU game will move into the one-loss bracket to play against a yet-to-be-determined opponent on Thursday at 5 p.m. (MT).