Game Times (Mountain):
Friday - 7:05 p.m.
Saturday - 6:05 p.m.
Sunday - 1:05 p.m.
Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | CBU
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:
Friday (G1) – RHP #7 Tyler Ray (4-3, 4.89 ERA) vs. RHP #3 Michael Malki (8-0, 1.89 ERA)
Saturday (G2) – RHP #35 Dakoda West (4-3, 5.00 ERA) vs. RHP #15 Bryan Peck (5-0, 2.48 ERA)
Sunday (G3) – RHP #33 Brandon Kosel (2-1, 4.57 ERA) vs. RHP #19 Ryne Palmer (3-2, 5.01 ERA)

FIRST PITCH: Utah Tech (27-14/5-1 WAC) wraps up its current seven-game road swing this weekend with a pivotal three-game Western Athletic Conference series at California Baptist (31-10/5-4 WAC). 
            Friday's series opener will start at 7:05 p.m. (MT), followed by game two on Saturday at 6:05 p.m. (MT), and Sunday's series finale at 1:05 p.m. (MT), at James W. Totman Stadium (800) on the CBU campus in Riverside.
 
UTAH TECH VS. CBU: Utah Tech is 29-29 all-time in its head-to-head series against California Baptist, which dates back to when both programs competed at the NCAA Division II level and were members of the Pacific West Conference.
            The Trailblazers have won 15 of the last 23 meetings vs. the Lancers overall, though Utah Tech is 7-9 against CBU in WAC play.
            The two sides have also split the last eight games in the series, including all four games last season. CBU managed to take two-of-three in the regular season series last year in Riverside (3/21-23/25), while the Trailblazers eliminated the Lancers in the opening round of the 2025 WAC Tournament in an 11-inning 6-5 thriller in Mesa, Ariz. (5/20/25). 
 
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 378-319-1 (.542) overall record at Utah Tech, and a 430-378-1 (.532) 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.
 
ONE MILESTONE DOWN, ONE TO GO IN 2026: Coach Pfatenhauer reached another career milestone when he served as head coach in his 800th career collegiate ball game in Sacramento State series finale back on April 4.  
            In addition, the long-time Blazer skipper is slated to be in the dugout for his 700th game at Utah Tech in game two of the Blazers' road series at CBU on Saturday afternoon. 
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech kicked off its seven-game road swing by taking all four games played in Utah County. The Trailblazers opened the swing with a three-game WAC sweep at Utah Valley last weekend in Orem by scores of 7-4, 6-5 and 13-10. 
            Utah Tech followed that up with a 9-4 victory at BYU this past Monday night, which helped avenge a pair of lopsided losses to the Cougars earlier this season. 
           
HOME SWEET HOME: Utah Tech owns a 343-180 (.656) all-time in 523 games played inside the friendly confines of Bruce Hurst Field since the start of its four-year era in the 2007 season, which includes a 13-6 mark this 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 as the Trailblazers have played to a 198-242-1 overall road record (.450) in their near 20 full years of NCAA play, including its 14-8 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 214-254-1 (.456) all-time away from Bruce Hurst Field in the program's NCAA era.
 
8 to 1K: Utah Tech is slated to play in its 1,000th NCAA-era ball game in its WAC series opener at UT Arlington on Friday, May 8.  
            The Trailblazers have played to a 557-434-1 (.562) record all-time as the program competes in its 20th NCAA-era season. 
            That record also includes a 124-189 (.396) mark in the program's current Division-I era, and a 67-89 (.429) record in Western Athletic Conference play.  
 
10W vs. P4: 10 of Utah Tech's 124 D-I wins have come against Power-4 programs, including its road win over Big 12 member BYU this past Monday night. 
            The Trailblazers had posted two wins over P4 opponents in each of the last two years, including in-state victories over both Big 12 opponents BYU (10-3; 3/17/25) and Utah (12-8; 3/25/25). 
            Utah Tech also collected 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 10 Trailblazers wins have come against three former PAC-12 member schools (4 vs. Utah; 1 each vs. Arizona/Arizona State/Washington State). 
            Of note, Utah Tech's first three 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.
           
FREE BASEBALL: Utah Tech has seen four of its last 27 games go into extra innings, including a dramatic 8-7 walk-off home victory in 10 innings over Fresno State back on March 19. 
            The Trailblazers also split two 10-inning games in the Austin Peay series earlier this season, and dropped the series finale at Santa Clara (L, 5-6; 3/15) in 10 innings nearly three weeks ago. 
            The Trailblazers are 8-13 in extra inning affairs during their current Division I era, including a 5-3 mark since the start of the 2025 campaign.
            In all, Utah Tech is 40-27 (.597) in 67 extra-inning games in the program's four-year era. The Blazers are 21-16 in 10-inning games, while the program has won 14 of its last 26 extra inning games overall.
 
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 currently has 24 double plays through its first 41 games this season, including three twin killings at UVU last weekend.
 
AIN'T LIFE GRAND: Utah Tech blasted three more grand slams during its recent eight-game homestand to bring its season total to a school-record six through 41 games this year.
            Junior SS Petey Soto Jr. connected on the Trailblazers' fourth slam of the year in G2 vs. Sacramento State back on April 3, which actually broke the school record first. 
            Sophomore DH Cooper Smith followed that one week later with a GSHR in the eighth inning of the series opener vs. Azusa Pacific (4/10).
            Junior 2B Kyle McDaniel accounted for the sixth slam in the fifth inning vs. Washington State (4/15). McDaniel, who also belted a grand slam last month vs. Austin Peay (3/5), became the first Trailblazer with two grand slams in one season in the program's current NCAA Division I era.
            Utah Tech had tied the school record with three grand slams, all of which happened within a span of six innings during the Blazers' March homestand.
            The Trailblazers' first grand slam came in walk-off fashion when senior DH/INF Gavin Glasgowcleared the bases in Utah Tech's series finale win over Northern Colorado (6-4; 3/1).
            Utah Tech followed that up with a school record two GS homers in its series opening win vs. Austin Peay (3/5). In addition to McDaniel's first slam, which came in the fourth inning, senior OF/3B Kace Naone belted his first grand slam as a Blazer one inning later in the fifth, marking the first time in the program's NCAA era that Utah Tech had hit two slams in one game. 
            Utah Tech has belted at least three grand slams in a season seven times, including in their first D-I season in 2021. The Trailblazers also did it four times in the D-II era (2009/2010/2011/2016). 
 
WALK IT OFF: Glasgow became the first Trailblazer slugger in just over 10 years to end a game with a walk-off grand slam, doing so in the series finale vs. Northern Colorado back on March 1.
            Glasgow finished the day with a career-high five RBI to go with his first home run as a Trailblazer. The senior is currently one of two Trailblazer sluggers to have driven in five runs in a game this season (McDaniel at CSU Bakersfield - 2/18 and vs. Fresno State 3/19). 
            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).
 
WALK THIS WAY: Utah Tech was issued a season-high 15 walks by UNLV pitching in its road win in Las Vegas back on March 22. Utah Tech batters were also plunked four times that afternoon, and the Blazers were able to turn three of those HBPs, and two of the walks, into runs in the 11-1 run-rule victory.
            Utah Tech also collected a series season-high 38 free passes - 28 walks and 10 HBPs, in its four-game set vs. Austin Peay last month, and drew a combined 22 walks and were hit by six pitches in three games at Southern Illinois three weekends ago. 
            In addition, the Blazers were the beneficiaries of 11 walks and four HBPs in their win over Washington State last Wednesday night. 
            Utah Tech is currently ranked 10th-nationally in walks drawn with 241 through 41 games (5.9 BB/game), and t-36th in Division I in HBPs with 77 (1.88 HBP/g). 
 
IN THE NCAA RANKS: In addition to walks drawn and HBPs, Utah Tech is currently ranked t-fifth nationally in sacrifice bunts (42), 11th in OB% (.435), t-24th in batting (.310), 26th in base hits (421), and 45th in walks/9IP (3.83).
 
TRAILBLAZER PLAYER QUICK HITS
AROUND THE HORN
* - Junior 1B Miller Durham was named University Credit Union WAC Player of the Week last Monday after he batted a combined .636 (14-for-22) with three extra-base hits, four RBI and nine runs scored to help lead the Trailblazers to a 4-1 record in five games last week. 
* - Durham recorded at least two hits in all five of those games, including a pair of three-hit games at Utah Valley on Friday and Saturday, before posting his second four-hit game of the season in last Sunday's series finale. 
* - Durham also went 2-for-3 with three runs scored in each of Utah Tech's two home midweek games against both UNLV (4/14) and Washington State (4/15). 
* - Durham extended his season-long hit streak to 10-straight with a three-run homer in the win at BYU last Monday, and has collected two or more base hits in seven of those starts overall. 
* - Durham has also reached base safely in 18-straight games overall. 
* - Durham is Utah Tech's top hitter with a .376 average and leads the team with seven home runs, and has 27 RBI to his credit in 32 starts this season. 
* - Durham posted .538 average in the Azusa Pacific series two weekends ago, highlighted by a 4-for-5 day in the finale with his team-high sixth homer and three RBI.
* - Junior 2B Kyle McDaniel began the 2026 season as the 12th-rated second baseman by D1Baseball.com.
* - McDaniel saw his school NCAA-era record streak of reaching base safely end at 58-straight games after he was held off the base paths in the series opener at Santa Clara back on March 13.
* - Since then McDaniel has reached base safely in 16-straight, and in 29 of his last 31 starts ... he has done so with at least one base hit in 19 of those games, including four-straight and in 13 of his last 14 starts, with three three-hit outings, and a career high four hits in the opener vs. Azusa Pacific (4/10).
* - McDaniel has pounded out at least two hits in 19 of his 41 starts this season out of the lead-off spot, which included a 3-for-6 day with his first of two five-RBI days of the season at CSU Bakersfield (2/18).
* - McDaniel went 2-for-4 with a triple, homer and a career-high six RBI in the win over Washington State (4/15) ... he also his safely in all three games at Utah Valley with two hits in games one and two, and reached on a lead-off double and scored a run in the BYU win last Monday night.
* - 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.
* - Junior SS Petey Soto Jr. was named as a semifinalist for the 2026 College Baseball Foundation's Brooks Wallace National Award watch list for the nation's top Division I shortshop. 
* - Soto Jr. is on an absolute tear batting in the nine-hole of the Trailblazer line-up ... he is currently riding two career long streaks – a 14-game hit streak and a 34-game on-base streak. 
* - Soto Jr. as hit safely in 28 of his last 32 starts overall, and is hitting at a .402 clip (45-for-112) over this stretch with a combined 11 XBHs and 34 RBI, and is 11-of-13 in stolen base attempts. 
* - Soto Jr. hit a combined .384 (5-for-13) in three starts at Utah Valley last weekend with five RBI and one run scored ... he followed that up with a 3-for-4 night with a double, one RBI, one run scored and a stolen base at BYU last Monday night. 
* - Soto Jr. batted .308 (4-for-13) in the Sac State series earlier this month, highlighted by a 2-for-4 night with his first collegiate grand slam and a career-high six RBI in G2 (4/3). 
* - Soto Jr. also belted his third homer of the season and scored three runs in the Washington State win (4/15). 
* - Junior 3B Ryan 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 began the season ranked as the 18th-rated third baseman by D1Baseball.com, and has been included on both the 2026 NCBWA Midseason Stopper of the Year watch list and John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award national semifinalist list.
* - In addition, Kroepel was tabbed as a Perfect Game College Midseason Third Team All-American as a two-way player back on April 1, and was named the national John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Week on March 10 for his efforts in the Trailblazers' home series split with Austin Peay. 
* - Kroepel has reached base safely in career-best 25-straight games, with 17 of those occasions coming via a base hit ... he also has nine multi-hit efforts and 17 RBI over that stretch, including a 2-for-4 night with two RBI in the road win at BYU last Monday.
* - Kroepel batted a team high .545 (6-for-11) with three walks, three RBI and two runs scored in the Sac State series earlier this month. 
* - Kroepel has also recorded 10 saves and is 1-1 on the mound in 14 appearances this season ... Kroepel's 10 saves leads the WAC and ties him for SECOND in the current NCAA Division I rankings. 
* - Kroepel picked up two saves in games one and two at Utah Valley last weekend, and enters this weekend's series at CBU tied for third on Utah Tech's single season saves list, and tied for second place (18) all-time in program history in career saves. 
 
FROM POLE TO POLE
* - Sophomore LF Finnegan Stewart as hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, during which he has batted .451 (23-for-51) with six two-hit games, one three-hit game, and one four-hit outing.
* - Stewart saw his 10-game hit streak snapped by an 0-for-5 in G2 at Utah Valley on Saturday night ... all he did after that was go 4-for-4 with a school single-game record tying two triples, one double, three RBI and a career high four runs scored in last Sunday's series finale, and went 2-for-4 one night later in the win at BYU. 
* - Stewart became the first Trailblazer in the program's brief NCAA D-I era with two triples in one game, and just the second player in the program's near 20-year NCAA era overall with two triples in one game.
* - Stewart has 19 total RBI over this current 13 game stretch and 11 XBH, including three HRs. 
* - Freshman CF Mays Madsen has been on a heater in his own right over his last five starts, during which he is hitting at a .474 clip (9-for-19) with nine RBI and seven runs scored. 
* - Madsen has pounded out at least two hits in five of his last eight games, highlighted a his first collegiate three-hit outing in G2 vs. Azusa Pacific (4/11) ... he also drove in a career high four runs, including a three-run first inning double, in the home win vs. Washington State (4/15).
* - Madsen batted .364 (4-for-11) in his three starts at Utah Valley last weekend with one double and five total runs scored. 
* - Junior RF Hudson Manwaring has hit safely in seven of his last eight, and in 12 of his last 15 games, with seven two-hit games, and eight total RBI over that stretch, including three total RBI in the UVU series.
* - Manwaring went 3-for-4 with a stolen base and three runs scored in the BYU win last Monday night.
* - Manwaring has swiped seven of his team-high 13 stolen bases over the last seven games, including two steals against both UNLV and WSU.   
 
BEHIND THE PLATE
* - Senior catcher Ty Johnsen enjoyed a solid series vs. Sac State earlier this month, batting .538 (7-for-13) with a pair of doubles, four RBI and four runs scored.
* - Johnsen followed that up by hitting at a .455 clip (5-for-11) a week later in three starts vs. Azusa Pacific, which included his second HR of the season a career-high four RBI in G2 (4/11).
* - Johnsen also notched career highs of four walks (tied school record) and four runs scored in the Washington State win (4/15). 
* - Johnsen saw his career-best 10-game hit streak stopped in last Sunday's finale at Utah Valley, against which he was held to a .231 (3-for-13) average in the series, though he did connect for his third homer of the year in game one. 
* - Johnsen has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, and in 18 of his last 21 starts. 
* - Senior catcher Andrew Pyle went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI-triple, his second career three-bagger, in Sunday's finale at Utah Valley ... in fact his triple came right after Stewart's second triple of the game.
* - As a team, Utah Tech hit a combined .350 in the Utah Valley series sweep with 10 XBHs, highlighted by a season-high 19 hits in the Sunday finale ... the Trailblazers were also issued 17 walks and hit by two pitches.   
* - Two weeks ago, Utah Tech batted a season series high .452 vs. Azusa Pacific with 11 XBHs along with 23 combined free passes (15 BB/8 HBP).
 
THE ROTATION
* - Senior RHP Tyler Ray recorded his fourth win of the season in last Friday's opener at UVU ... Ray struck out a career high seven a scattered four runs on five hits over 5.2 IP. 
* - Ray earned his third decision, and his first out of the bullpen, in game two vs. Sac State (4/3) ... Ray struck out six and limited the Hornets to only two hits over 3.2 innings of scoreless relief. 
* - Fellow senior RHP Dakoda West fanned six over a career high seven innings in G2 at UVU ... West surrendered only two earned runs (4 total) and six hits, and retired 10-straight Wolverine batters over his final three-plus innings of work. 
* - West tied a career high with eight strikeouts over 4.2 innings at UNLV (3/21) ... the senior earned his third win of the season in G2 vs. APU (4/11), during which he struck out five and scattered two runs and six hits over six innings complete. 
* - Junior RHP Brandon Kosel enjoyed a banner afternoon at UNLV (3/22), against which he struck out a season high six on his way to his second win of the year.
* - Kosel held the nation's then-14th ranked scoring offense to only four total hits over five scoreless innings ... after surrendering two Rebel base hits in the home first, Kosel retired 11-straight, and 12 of the next 13 Rebel hitters he faced. 
* - 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 struck out six over 3.2 innings in Sunday's finale at UVU, though he did not figure in the decision.
 
OUT OF THE PEN
* - Sophomore reliever Talan Kelly earned his WAC-leading sixth win of the season (6-0) in the series finale vs. Azusa Pacific (4/12).
* - Kelly also collected a win in relief in the UNCO series finale a week earlier (3/1) ... the righthander struck out five over 2.1 innings combined in two relief appearances in that series, which helped him earn WAC Pitcher of the Week honors (3/2). 
* - Thanks to Kelly's six decisions and Ray's win vs. Sac State (3/7), 17 of Utah Tech's 27 pitching decisions have been recorded by the Blazer bullpen 
* - Senior RHP Ryan Martinez collected his fifth win out of the Blazer bullpen in last Sunday's finale at Utah Valley.
* - Martinez also earned the decision vs. Washington State (4/15) after he tossed 2.1 innings of one-hit scoreless relief with a strikeout.
* - Senior LHP Brock Roundy was outstanding during last week's series at UVU ... Roundy made two appearances out of the pen and fired 3.2 innings of two hit scoreless relief with three strikeouts.
* - Utah Tech also got brilliant work from the RHP duo of Ethan Gardner and Easton Brooks at BYU last Monday night ... Gardner fanned three over three hitless innings to earn the victory, while Brooks fired two innings of no-hit relief with four punch outs to close out the win.  
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech returns home for four-straight games, starting with a midweek date vs. UNLV on Tuesday night, April 28. First pitch at Bruce Hurst Field is set for 6:05 p.m. (MT).