Baseball | 2/3/2026 10:15:00 AM

Utah Tech's baseball program will host its annual Alumni Weekend this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7. This year's preseason kick-off features a full slate of events, including an 18-hole golf scramble and luncheon, three intrasquad scrimmages, the annual alumni game and pre-game uniform number retirement ceremony.

The festivities get underway on Friday morning with the sold-out golf tournament and luncheon at The Ledges Golf Club in St. George.

Later that evening at 5:20 p.m., the 2026 Trailblazer Baseball team will take to the Bruce Hurst Field diamond for the first of three weekend scrimmages.

Then on Saturday, the annual alumni game will take place at Bruce Hurst Field beginning at 12 noon. The six-inning game will be made up two alumni teams, from both of the program's junior college and four-year eras, going head-to-head for bragging rights.

Prior the start of the Alumni Game at 11:45 a.m., the Utah Tech program will hold a special number retirement ceremony for former Trailblazer and current Houston Astros pitcher Jayden Murray (#35).

Murray, who played two seasons with the Trailblazer program in 2018-19, became the fifth Dixie State/Utah Tech baseball alumnus to be promoted to a Major League roster when the Houston Astros called him up on September 3, 2025.

He made his MLB debut the next day in a home game vs. the New York Yankees, against which he struck out one in 1.1 innings of spotless relief. Murray wound up appearing in nine games and posted a 1.54 ERA with eight strikeouts in 11.2 innings.  

Murray was selected in the 23^rd round (No. 698 overall) of the 2019 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on by the Tampa Bay Rays. Murray toiled in the Tampa Bay minor league system for three-plus season before he was part of a 2022 trade with Houston.

Murray put together a record-setting senior season for the Trailblazers in 2019, during which he broke or tied four single-season school records and two more career standards. The righthander broke the program's season record for strikeouts (92) and strikeouts per nine innings (9.93 SO/9 – now ranked No. 3 in program history), which included a pair of 10-strikeout games in wins against both Adams State (3/9/19) and MSU Denver (5/9/19).

Murray also tied the Utah Tech single-season record with 10 victories (10-3), which included a record-tying two combined shutouts (11-0 at Cal State San Bernardino, 2/1/19; 10-0 vs. MSU Denver, 5/9/19).

Murray, who earned second team all-RMAC and ABCA/Rawlings honors that season, still co-holds the school's career combined shutouts record (3), and is ranked in the top-10 all-time in program history in strikeouts/9 IP (8.39; 3^rd), fewest walks/9IP (2.25; 3^rd), wins (13; t-5^th), starts (26; t-8^th), strikeouts (138; 8^th), and innings pitched (148.0; 10^th).  

The weekend's festivities will conclude with two more intrasquad scrimmages on Saturday beginning at 3:05 p.m., and on Sunday at 1:20 p.m.

Admission to all three scrimmages and the alumni game are free and open to the public.