Game Times (Mountain):
Thursday - 6:05 p.m.
Friday (DH) - 2:05 p.m./6:05 p.m. (approx)
Saturday - 2:05 p.m.
Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | APSU - PDF
Live TV/Streaming: GAME #1 - WAC INT'L | GAME #2 - WAC INT'L | GAME #3 - WAC INT'L | GAME #4 - WAC INT'L
Live Stats: GAME #1 | GAME #2 | GAME #3 | GAME #4
Twitter: @UtahTech_Sports | @UtahTech_BASE | #UtahTechBlazers | #WACbsb

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Thursday (G1) – RHP #45 Jackson Price (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP #32 Chance Cox (0-1, 14.73 ERA)
Friday (G1) – RHP #7 Tyler Ray (2-1, 5.06 ERA) vs. RHP #30 Kaleb Applebey (1-0, 2.35 ERA)
Friday (G3) – RHP #35 Dakoda West (2-0, 3.68 ERA) vs. RHP #14 Cody Airington (0-1, 5.87 ERA)
Saturday (G4) – RHP #33 Brandon Kosel (1-0, 2.70 ERA) vs. RHP #23 Kade Shatwell (2-1, 1.45 ERA)

FIRST PITCH: Utah Tech (11-1/0-0 WAC) wraps up its eight-game homestand with a four-game weekend series vs. Austin Peay (5-6) at Bruce Hurst Field (2,500). 
      The two teams will kick-off the series on Thursday evening at 6:05 p.m. (MT), followed by a Friday doubleheader beginning at 2:05 p.m. (MT), and the series finale on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. (MT).
 
UTAH TECH VS. AUSTIN PEAY: This weekend's series will be the first-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and the Governors 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 362-306-1 (.542) overall record at Utah Tech, and a 414-365-1 (.531) 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 opened the home portion of its 2026 regular season slate with a four-game sweep of visiting Northern Colorado last weekend at Bruce Hurst Field. 
      The Trailblazers opened the series with an 11-8 victory last Friday, before taking both ends of a Saturday doubleheader, 6-5 and 11-5. Utah Tech then completed the sweep in "Grand" fashion thanks to a walk-off grand slam home run off the bat of DH Gavin Glasgow with one out in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-4 win in Sunday's finale. 
 
IT'S NOT HOW YOU START: Utah Tech's 11-1 start to the 2026 season is the best start during its brief time as an NCAA Division I program. In addition, the Blazers' hot start is now the second-best in the program's four-year era overall (12-1 in 2013), eclipsing a 10-1 start to begin the 2016 campaign.
 
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. 
 
HOME OPENERS: Thanks to last Friday's 11-8 victory over Northern Colorado, Utah Tech improved to 12-8 in home openers in its four-year era, and to a 3-3 mark in their home debuts during the program's brief Division I era. 
 
HOME SWEET HOME: Utah Tech owns a 334-174 (.657) all-time in 508 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 191-232-1 overall road record (.451) in 19-plus seasons of NCAA play, including its 7-1 start this season. 
      In fact, the Trailblazers have already eclipsed last year's road win total (6-14), doing so in the series finale at Pacific (2/21).
      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 207-248-1 (.455) all-time away from Bruce Hurst Field in the program's NCAA era.
 
37 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 541-421-1 (.562) record all-time as the program competes in its 20th NCAA-era season. 
      That record also includes a 108-176 (.380) 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 108 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.
      Utah Tech already has 11 double plays through its first 12 games this season, including four twin killings in the UNCO series last weekend. The Trailblazers' 11 double plays are good for t-25th in the country after three weeks of play. 
 
TANK HURLS HIS WAY TO WAC HONOR: Sophomore RHP Talan Kelly was named University Credit Union WAC Pitcher of the Week on Monday for his efforts in the Trailblazers' four-game home sweep of Northern Colorado this past weekend.
      Kelly went 1-0 and struck out five over 2.1 innings in two relief appearances over the weekend. He struck out the side in the ninth inning in the Trailblazers' 11-5 victory in game three on Saturday, then punched out two more hitters over the final 1.1 innings in Sunday's series finale to earn the decision in Utah Tech's thrilling 6-4 walk-off triumph. 
      The sophomore currently owns a 2-0 record with eight strikeouts and a 1.69 ERA in 5.1 innings over four appearances out of the Trailblazer bullpen this season.
 
K-MAC CONTINUES ONE STREAK, RESTARTS ANOTHER: Junior 2B Kyle McDaniel saw one of his two school-record streaks come to end during last weekend's series vs. UNCO.
      McDaniel, who entered the weekend riding a 22-game hit streak, was held hitless in last Friday's series opener, going 0-for-2 at the plate though he draw a career-high tying three walks.
      The junior did reach base safely in a four game of the series, and hit safely in the final three games, to extend his school-record on-base streak to 53-straight games - a streak that now spans a full 12 months (2/28/25-current).
      McDaniel, who opened the 2026 campaign as the 12th-rated second baseman by D1Baseball.com, wound up drawing seven total walks in the UNCO series overall, which nearly doubled his WAC-leading total to 15 walks through 12 games. His 15 walks also ranks him t-11th nationally.
      McDaniel was named WAC Player of the Week on Feb. 23, after  he batted a combined .389 (7-for-18) out of the lead-off spot over the final four games of Utah Tech's season-opening, eight-game California road swing. He collected two extra base hits, six RBI, two stolen bases and two runs scored.
      The senior got off to a strong start in the Blazers' 14-4 road win at CSU Bakersfield (2/18), against which he went 3-for-6 with a career high five RBI, one stolen base and one run scored. 
      He then batted .333 (4-for-12) in Utah Tech's series win at Pacific. McDaniel hit safely in all three games, including a 2-for-5 effort with a double and a run score in the series opener (2/19). He later belted a solo home run in the Trailblazers' 2-1 triumph in game two (2/20), and had an RBI-single in the team's 8-5 series clinching win (2/21).
 
KROEPEL CREATING PLENTY OF PRESEASON BUZZ: Junior 3B/RHP Ryan Kroepel has also 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.
In addition, Kroepel was just named to the 2026 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award watch list on Wednesday. 
 
RIGHT ON CUE: Kroepel was named WAC Pitcher of the Week (2/16) for his performances in the Trailblazers' season-opening road series sweep at UC Riverside.
      The junior made back-to-back appearances in the Trailblazers Valentine's Day doubleheader, 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 fly out, to earn his second save of the day in the 12-8 triumph.
 
NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY IN SAVING THE DAY: Utah Tech's bullpen has recorded saves in seven of the team's 11 victories this season, led by Kroepel, who notched his NCAA Division-I leading fourth and fifth saves in the first two games of the UNCO series last weekend.
      Kroepel, who is already ranked fifth in program history with 13 career saves, has retired 20 of the 22 batters he has faced, including five on strikes, over his 6.2 innings of work in five appearance this season. 
      Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore RHP Easton Brooks recorded his first collegiate save after he tossed three spotless innings at CSU Bakersfield (2/18). 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).
      Senior LHP Brock Roundy followed suit in the Pacific finale (2/21), during which he hurled 1.2 innings of spotless relief to earn his first save as a Trailblazer. Roundy also earned the decision in the CSU Bakersfield win after he struck out three in 3.0 innings of one-run, three-hit relief.  
 
WALK IT OFF: Senior DH/INF Gavin Glasgow became the first Trailblazer slugger in just over 10 years to end a game with a walk-off grand slam, doing so in last Sunday's finale vs. Northern Colorado.
      Glasgow finished the day with a career-high five RBI to go with his first home run as a Trailblazer. The senior is now the second Trailblazer to drive in five runs in a game this season (McDaniel at CSU Bakersfield - 2/18). 
      The senior's walk-off homer came just over 10 years to-the-day of Utah Tech's last walk-off grand slam. Former Blazer Division II All-American Tanner Morache was the last to achieve the feat, doing so in a 9-6, 10-inning home victory over Saint Martin's (2/21/16).
 
AIN'T LIFE GRAND: Dating back to March 1 of last season, Utah Tech has hit four grand slams in its last 54 ball games. 
      The Trailblazers tied the program's single season record with three grand slams during the 2025 campaign, and has belted at least three grand slams in a season six times, including in their first D-I season in 2021. Utah Tech also did it four times in the D-II era (2009/2010/2011/2016). 
 
TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS 
* - 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. 
* - McDaniel has pounded out at least two hits in five of the 12 starts, which includes a 3-for-6 day with a career-high five RBI at CSU Bakersfield (2/18). 
* - 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.
* - 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 enters the weekend riding a seven-game hit streak, which includes batting .333 (4-for-12) in the UNCO series with a solo HR in the finale and three total RBI ... Kroepel reached base safely in 10 of his 18 total plate appearances (2 BB/4 HBP) and finished with one stolen base and four runs scored. 
* - Senior catcher Ty Johnsen legged out three doubles in three games at UCR, including a pair of two-baggers in the series finale (2/15) ... 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 the CSU Bakersfield win (2/18). 
* - Junior 1B Miller Durham enjoyed a solid Trailblazer debut in the opener at UC Riverside (2/13) 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 UCR series (6-for-15) with four RBI and three runs. 
* - Durham also hit .400 (6-for-15) in the UNCO series with three XBHs, including his second homer of the season, along with five RBI, three runs and a stolen base. 
* - Junior SS Petey Soto Jr. feasted on UNCO pitching last weekend, against which he went 6-for-12 (.500) with two doubles and five RBI, three of which came on his first homer of the season in the eighth inning of game three. 
* - Sophomore OF Finnegan Stewart, who already has a pair of three-RBI games through his first 12 starts, now has a career-best four RBI day under his belt ... Stewart drove in four runs in G3 vs. UNCO thanks to a career-high four hits, highlighted by a three-run, third-inning HR.
* - Stewart hit .357 (5-for-14) in the UNCO series overall with a team-leading six RBI. 
* - Utah Tech batted a combined .325 in the UNCO series with seven doubles and seven HRs ... the Blazers were also issued 33 free passes - 21 walks and 12 HBPs.
* - Junior RHP Jackson Price, who will start Thursday's series opener vs. APSU, made his Trailblazer debut in G3 of the UNCO series ... he tossed two spotless innings with three strikeouts.  
* - Senior RHP Tyler Ray, who will start G2 vs. APSU on Friday, fanned five in 5.2 IP in the UNCO opener to earn his second win of the season. 
* - Fellow senior RHP Dakoda West, who will toe the rubber in Friday's twin bill nightcap, also struck out five in 4.1 innings in G2 vs. UNCO to run his record to 2-0 to open the season. 
* - Junior RHP Brandon Kosel recorded his second scoreless outing of the season in Sunday's finale vs. UNCO, against surrendered four hits and struck out four in four innings of work.
* - Kosel turned in a great start in his Blazer debut at UCR (2/15) with 6.1 innings of three-hit shutout baseball with four strikeouts in an 8-1 victory ... Kosel will get the start Saturday's finale vs. APSU.
* - Thanks to Kelly's two decisions and Roundy's win at CSUB, six of Utah Tech's 11 pitching decisions have been recorded by the Blazer bullpen ... senior RHP Aaron Morris picked up his first win of the year after working 1.1 innings in G3 vs. UNCO. 
* - Senior RHP Ryan Martinez, who transferred to Utah Tech from Pacific ahead of the 2025 season, struck out two in 2.0 innings of relief to earn the win over his former club in the series finale (2/21) ... for Martinez, it was his third pitching victory as a Trailblazer.   
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will play 10 of its next 13 March games on the road, beginning with a midweek date at in-state rival BYU this upcoming Tuesday, March 10, in Provo. First pitch at Miller Park is set for 3:05 p.m. (MT).