Game Times (Mountain):
Thursday - 7 p.m.
Friday - 7 p.m.
Saturday - 2 p.m.
Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | PACIFIC
Live TV/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 #7 Tyler Ray (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. RHP #41 Zach Todd (0-0, 1.80 ERA)
Friday (G2) – RHP #35 Dakoda West (1-0, 3.86 ERA) vs. LHP #28 Garret Plata (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Saturday (G3) – RHP #33 Brandon Kosel (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP #30 Regan Carter (0-1, 18.00 ERA)

FIRST PITCH: Utah Tech (5-0/0-0 WAC) wraps up its season-opening, eight-game California road swing this weekend with a three-game series at Pacific (2-2).
        Games one and two of the series will be played on Thursday and Friday nights at 7 p.m. (MT), followed by Saturday's series finale at 2 p.m. (MT), at Klein Family Field (2,500) on the UOP campus in Stockton.

UTAH TECH VS. PACIFIC: This weekend's series will be the first-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and the Tigers on the diamond. 

WAC FOR ONE MORE SEASON: The 2026 campaign will mark an end of an (brief) era as Utah Tech will compete as a member of the Western Athletic Conference for the sixth, and final, season. The Trailblazers joined the WAC in 2020-21 during the first year of the program's NCAA Division I transition.

CLIMBING THE "MOUNTAIN" IN 2027: This past October 29, Utah Tech announced that it had accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference beginning on July 1, 2026. 
        Starting in the 2026-27 season, both the Trailblazer Baseball and Men's Soccer programs will compete under the Mountain West banner as affiliate members.

COACHING STAFF: Two-time Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year Chris Pfatenhauer is in his 14th 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 350th victory as UT skipper in the 2025 regular season finale at Sacramento State (6-5; 5/17/2025), owns a 356-305-1 (.538) overall record at Utah Tech, and a 408-364-1 (.528) career mark. 
        Joining Pfatenhauer (UNLV, 2000) in the Trailblazer dugout this season is assistant coach Braxton Ipson (Utah Tech, 2020), who is in his fourth season on coaching staff overall after concluding his collegiate playing career with the program in 2020.
        In addition, pitching coach Quentin McGrath (Washburn, 2017) and assistant coach Tyler Malone (Oregon State, 2020) are in their first seasons on Pfatenhauer's staff, as is former Trailblazer Jake Schulz (Utah Tech 2025), who returns to Utah Tech as the program's director of baseball operations. 

LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech is off to its best start in the program's brief time as a Division I program thanks to a four-game, season-opening season sweep at UC Riverside last weekend, followed by a 14-4 victory at CSU Bakersfield this past Wednesday afternoon. 

HOW SWEEP IT IS: Last weekend's sweep at UC Riverside was the program's fifth season-opening series sweep in the program's NCAA era, and was the first in Utah Tech's time as a Division I program.
        Utah Tech also posted four-game series sweeps to begin the 2012, 2016 and 2017 seasons, and recorded a three-game sweep to open the 2020 campaign, which was the program's last Division II season. 

TRAILBLAZERS VOTED SIXTH IN WAC PRESEASON POLL: Utah Tech Baseball was picked to finish sixth in the Western Athletic Conference as the league office announced its 2026 preseason coaches poll released on February 10. 
        Four of the seven teams in the poll received at least one first place vote, led by Abilene Christian, which received three first-place votes and 33 points to top the 2026 preseason coaches poll. Utah Valley garnered one first place nod to finish second with 29 points, while California Baptist collected one first place vote and 27 points to claim the third spot.
        Meanwhile Sacramento State picked up the final two first place votes to finish fourth with 22 points, followed by Tarleton State (15 pts) in fifth, Utah Tech (11 pts) in sixth, and UT Arlington (10 pts) in seventh.  
        The top six teams in the conference standings will advance on to the 2026 WAC Baseball Championship Tournament, which will be held May 20-23 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz. 

OPENING DAY: Utah Tech improved to 11-9 all-time on "Opening Day" during its NCAA era after its 12-4 triumph at UC Riverside last Friday afternoon. 
        The Trailblazers have now won seven of its last 11, and 11 of its previous 17 season debuts overall.
        In addition, Utah Tech improved 9-11 all-time in road openers, and the Blazers are now 6-4 in season-opening road games overall.

HOME SWEET HOME: Utah Tech owns a 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 last season, 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: Utah Tech has managed to hold its own away from away from home in its NCAA era as the Trailblazers have played to a 189-233-1 overall road record (.448) in 19-plus seasons of NCAA play, including its 5-0 start this season. 
        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 the Blazers have won at least 10 road games in nine of their last 11 seasons overall. 
        When you also figure in neutral-site games (16-12 in 28 games), Utah Tech is 205-246-1 (.454) all-time away from Bruce Hurst Field in the program's NCAA era.

44 to 1K: Utah Tech is slated to play in its 1,000th NCAA-era ball game at home on Sunday, May 3, in its series finale vs. Tarleton State.  
        The Trailblazers have played to a 535-420-1 (.560) record all-time as the program heads into its 20th NCAA-era season. 
        That record also includes a 102-175 (.368) 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 102 D-I wins have come against Power-5 programs, including two wins over the Big 12 Conference last season (10-3 at BYU - 3/17/25; 12-8 vs. Utah - 3/25/25).
        The Trailblazers also posted two P4 wins in 2024 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 third season of Big 12 play, were recorded when the Cougars were members of the West Coast Conference.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: Utah Tech ended the 2025 season as the NCAA D-I co-STATISTICAL CHAMPION with UCLA in double plays per game at 1.00 dp/g. 
        The Trailblazers also wound up tied for fourth nationally in total double plays with 55, which were also the second-most recorded during the program's NCAA era. The Blazers closed the season one twin killing shy of tying the school record of 56 set during the 2022 campaign.

KROEPEL CREATING PLENTY OF PRESEASON BUZZ: Junior 3B/RHP Ryan Kroepel has enjoyed quite the lead-up heading into his second season as a Trailblazer.  
        Kroepel was tabbed WAC Preseason Player of the Year and was voted to the conference's all-preseason team at both third base and at reliever.
        Kroepel also began the season ranked as the 18th-rated third baseman by D1Baseball.com, and is listed on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year preseason watch list.
        The junior earned first team all-WAC honors, both at the plate and on the mound, in 2025. He finished t-third in the WAC in batting at .367 batting average, including a conference-best .467 clip in conference games, and hit safely in 43 of his 55 starts with a team-high 25 multi-hit games. He wound up ranked in the WAC's top-14 in hits (76; 6th), slugging percentage (.546; 12th), on-base percentage (.442; 11th), and doubles (15; 13th).
        In addition to his dominance at the plate, Kroepel was one of the top closers in the country last season. He posted a 4-2 record and eight saves, which ranked eighth and ninth, respectively, on Utah Tech's single season and career lists. Kroepel appeared in 18 games in relief and finished with a 3.09 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 23.1 innings pitched. 

RIGHT ON CUE: Kroepel was named WAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week this past Monday for his efforts in the Trailblazers' season-opening road series sweep last weekend at UC Riverside.
        The junior made back-to-back appearances in the Trailblazers Valentine's Day doubleheader last Saturday, and collected saves in each of the two seven-inning victories.
        Kroepel made his first appearance of the season in the first game, during which he fired two innings of spotless relief, and needed only 19 pitches to set down all six batters he faced, in Utah Tech's 4-3 win in seven innings.
        Then in the nightcap, he was called upon to move from third base to the mound with no outs in the bottom of the seventh after UCR had plated four runs to begin the inning and had runners on second and third. 
        With the tying run on deck, Kroepel proceeded to retire the next three Highlander batters, including one on a safety squeeze bunt comebacker to the mound, along with a strikeout and a flyout, to earn his second save of the day in the 12-8 triumph.
        Kroepel is currently one of only 10 pitchers in the NCAA Division I ranks with two saves through the opening week of the 2026 season. 

K-MAC STREAKS INTO 2026: Not to be outdone, junior 2B Kyle McDaniel opened the 2026 campaign as the 12th-rated second baseman by D1Baseball.com. 
        McDaniel earned second team all-WAC accolades in 2025 after he put together one of the best overall offensive performances in program history. 
        The junior reached base safely in 52 of his 54 starts, including 33 via the base hit with 21 multi-hit games, highlighted by a career-best 13-game hit streak to close the season, and had at least one hit in 24 of his last 25 starts overall.
        McDaniel finished the season ranked t-third in the WAC in batting (.367), fifth in hits (77), fifth in on-base percentage (.464), and t-eighth in walks (35). In addition, he wound up with 10 doubles, one triple, four homers, 21 RBI, 40 runs scored and 10 (10-for-14) stolen bases.

TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS 
* - McDaniel picked up right where he left off last season as he extended his NCAA era school record on-base streak to 46-straight games, and his career-long hit streak to 19 games, thanks to an impressive start offensively in 2026.
* - McDaniel batted a team-high .571 (8-for-14) in the UCR series with one double, two RBI and a team-highs of eight runs scored and six walks out of the lead-off spot ... he opened the season last Friday with a 3-for-4 effort with three walks and a career-high tying four runs.
* - McDaniel pounded out at least two hits in three of the four games at UCR, then followed that with a 3-for-6 day with a career-high five RBI at CSU Bakersfield on Wednesday. 
* - McDaniel's previous career high for RBI was three set three times, with the last instance coming last season against, coincidentally, CSU Bakersfield last season (3/15/25) ... McDaniel also became the first Trailblazer to drive in at least five runs since former Blazer OF Chase Rodriguez did it in a win at California Baptist (5/17/24) late in the 2024 season.
* - McDaniel enters this weekend's series with one school record in tow, and another one in his sights ... the junior's current 19-game hit streak has moved him to within two games of tying former Trailblazer slugger Jake Engel's school record 21-game streak, which spanned over three seasons during the COVID pandemic from May 4, 2019-through-February 25, 2021.
* - Kroepel did it with his arm, and with his bat, in the UCR series, during which he hit .375 (6-for-16) with two walks, two stolen bases, and five runs scored over the four games.
* - Kroepel also extended his on-base streak to a career long 21-straight games, though he saw that streak end at CSU Bakersfield on Wednesday after an 0-for-5 day.
* - Senior catcher Ty Johnsen heads into the Pacific series as the Division I co-leader in doubles with five, four of which came in three games at UCR, including a pair of two-baggers in last Sunday's series finale ... he batted an even .500 in the UCR series overall with two RBI and three runs scored. 
* - Johnsen followed that up by going 2-for-3 with another double and three runs scored in Wednesday's win at CSU Bakersfield. 
* - Junior 1B Miller Durham enjoyed a solid Trailblazer debut in the opener at UC Riverside last Friday when he went 3-for-4 with a double, two walks, three RBI and one run scored.
* - Durham wound up hitting an even .400 in the series (6-for-15) with four RBI and three runs.
* - Durham also hit Utah Tech's first home run of the season, a towering shot over the right field wall to lead off the second inning at CSU Bakersfield on Wednesday. 
* - Junior SS Petey Soto Jr. hit a combined .357 (5-for-14) in the UCR series with two doubles, three RBI and four runs ... Soto Jr. also recorded his 100th-collegiate hit in Wednesday's win at CSU Bakersfield, which came in the form of a ninth inning RBI-double.
* - Sophomore OF Finnegan Stewart already has a pair of three-RBI games through his first five starts, highlighted by a bases-clearing double in the sixth inning at CSU Bakersfield on Wednesday.
* - Stewart batted .333 (4-for-12) in the UCR series with four RBI, three of which came in game three on Saturday. 
* - Senior RHP Tyler Ray, who will start Thursday's opener at Pacific, fanned three and scattered two runs and seven hits over six innings complete to pick up his first win of the year in the opener at UCR last Friday.
* - Fellow senior RHP Dakoda West, who will toe the rubber in game two at UCR, followed suit in game three at UCR with three strikeouts of his own while allowing only two runs and six hits over 4.2 innings to earn the decision. 
* - Junior RHP Brandon Kosel turned in the start of the weekend with 6.1 innings of three-hit shutout baseball with four strikeouts in Sunday's series finale 8-1 victory ... Kosel will get the start in Saturday's finale at Pacific.
* - Utah Tech's other two pitching decisions were earned by the bullpen ... junior reliever Brandon Wyland closed out the Utah Tech fifth inning in game two to pick up victory, while senior southpaw Brock Roundy earned the decision after he tossed three innings of one-run, three-hit relief with three punch outs in Wednesday's win at CSU Bakersfield. 
* RS-sophomore RHP Easton Brooks collected his first collegiate save after he tossed three spotless innings at CSU Bakersfield on Wednesday ... Brooks struck out a career high six in that outing, while nine of his 19 career strikeouts overall have come vs. CSUB, including three Ks last season (3/13/25).  

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will open its 2026 home slate with an eight-game homestand, beginning with a four-game series vs. Northern Colorado next weekend at Bruce Hurst Field.