Game Times (Mountain):
Friday - 6:05 p.m.
Saturday - 2:05 p.m.
Sunday - 11:05 a.m.
Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | TARLETON
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 (4-4, 5.40 ERA) vs. RHP #40 Matthew McCullough (4-2, 5.79 ERA)
Saturday (G2) – RHP #35 Dakoda West (5-3, 4.65 ERA) vs. RHP #34 Ethan Wendel (3-3, 6.08 ERA)
Sunday (G3) – RHP #33 Brandon Kosel (2-2, 5.04 ERA) vs. RHP #39 Brendon Carter (0-0, 6.10 ERA)

FIRST PITCH: Utah Utah Tech (28-16/6-3 WAC) returns to Bruce Hurst Field (2,500) for its penultimate WAC home series of the 2026 season this weekend as the Trailblazers play host to fellow conference co-leader (by winning percentage) Tarleton State (28-16/8-4 WAC). 
      Friday night's series opener will start at 6:05 p.m. (MT), followed by game two on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. (MT), and Sunday's series finale at 11:05 a.m. (MT).
 
UTAH TECH VS. TARLETON STATE: Utah Tech is 4-6 all-time in its brief series with Tarleton State, with three of those wins coming on the road in Stephenville, Texas, in the first-ever series between the two sides during the 2021 season (April 1-3, 2021), which was the first NCAA Division I season for both programs.
      That inaugural series also featured a bit of Trailblazer program history when former Utah Tech pitcher Jimmy Borzone recorded a seven-inning, no-hitter in a 5-1 victory in game two of the series (4/2/21).
      Since then, the Texans have won four-straight, and five of the last six meetings overall, including a 2-1 series win the last time the two sides squared off at Bruce Hurst Field during the 2024 season (4/12-14/24). 
 
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 380-321-1 (.542) overall record at Utah Tech, and a 432-380-1 (.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.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech wrapped up its recent seven-game road swing with a 4-3 record after the Trailblazers took one of three last weekend at California Baptist in Riverside. 
      After dropping a 7-3 decision the series opener last Friday night, Utah Tech bounced back with a decisive 10-1 triumph in Saturday's middle game of the set. However the Blazers were turned away in the rubber game of the series on Sunday afternoon by a 6-0 count. 
 
TWO MILESTONES FOR COACH PFATE: Coach Pfatenhauer reached another career milestone last Saturday night at CBU when he reached the 700-game plateau as Utah Tech skipper. And his Trailblazers gave him the ultimate gift with that 10-1 road victory. 
      In addition, Coach Pfate served as head coach in his 800th career collegiate ball game in Sacramento State series finale back on April 4. 
 
HOME SWEET HOME: Utah Tech owns a 344-180 (.656) all-time in 524 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 14-6 mark this season.
      Last Tuesday night's home win over UNLV also clinched the program's 17th home winning record in the program's 20 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 199-244-1 overall road record (.449) in their near 20 full years of NCAA play, including its 15-10 start this season. 
      Thanks to its win at CBU last Saturday night, Utah Tech has now posted a winning road record in nine of their last 17 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 10 of their last 12 seasons overall. 
      When you also figure in neutral-site games (16-12 in 28 games), Utah Tech is 215-256-1 (.456) all-time away from Bruce Hurst Field in the program's NCAA era.
 
4 to 1K: Utah Tech is slated to play in its 1,000th NCAA-era ball game in its WAC road series opener at UT Arlington on Friday, May 8.  
      The Trailblazers have played to a 559-436-1 (.562) record all-time as the program competes in its 20th NCAA-era season. 
      That record also includes a 126-191 (.397) mark in the program's current Division-I era, and a 68-91 (.427) record in Western Athletic Conference play.  
 
10W vs. P4: 10 of Utah Tech's 126 D-I wins have come against Power-4 programs, including its road win over Big 12 member BYU back on April 20. 
      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 31 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 25 twin killings through its first 45 games this season, though the Trailblazers only turned one double play in their series at CBU 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 45 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 Glasgow cleared 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 14 total walks and one HBP last weekend at CBU, seven of which were drawn by junior 3B Ryan Kroepel. 
      Utah Tech is currently ranked 11th-nationally in walks drawn with 259 through 45 games (5.75 BB/game), and t-42nd in Division I in HBPs with 80 (1.78 HBP/g). 
 
IN THE NCAA RANKS: In addition to walks drawn and HBPs, Utah Tech is currently ranked seventh nationally in sacrifice bunts (43), 12th in OB% (.439), 29th in batting (.305), t-32nd in base hits (456), and 41st in walks/9IP (3.75).
 
TRAILBLAZER PLAYER QUICK HITS
AROUND THE HORN
* - Junior 1B Miller Durham saw his season-long 10-game hit streak stopped in the CBU series opener (4/24), though he came back with a 3-for-3 night with two doubles and one RBI in game two last Saturday night.
* - Miller, who has reached base safely in 20-straight games, was named University Credit Union WAC Player of the Week on April 20 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 the week prior.
* - Durham recorded at least two hits in all five of those games, including a pair of three-hit games at Utah Valley (4/17-18), before posting his second four-hit game of the season in series finale (4/19). 
* - 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 had extended his season-long hit streak to 10-straight with a three-run homer in the win at BYU (4/20).
* - Durham is Utah Tech's top hitter with a .382 average and leads the team with seven home runs, and has 28 RBI to his credit in 34 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 19 of his last 20, and in 32 of his last 35 starts overall ... he has done so with at least one base hit in 22 of those games, including 16 of his last 18 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 20 of his 45 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 (4/17-19) with two hits in games one and two, and reached on a lead-off double and scored a run scored in the BYU road win (4/20).
* - 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. has been named as a semifinalist for the 2026 College Baseball Foundation's Brooks Wallace National Award for the nation's top Division I shortstop. 
* - Soto Jr. is on an absolute tear batting in the nine-hole of the Trailblazer line-up ... he managed to extend his two career-long streaks, a 16-game hit streak and a 36-game on-base streak, during the first two games of the CBU series ... however he saw those streaks come to an end in last Sunday's series finale. 
* - Soto Jr. as hit safely in 30 of his last 36 starts overall, and is hitting at a .375 clip (48-for-128) over this stretch with a combined 13 XBHs and 35 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 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 (4/20). 
* - Soto Jr. batted .308 (4-for-13) in the Sac State series to begin WAC play (4/2-4), 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 fourth homer of the season as part of a 2-for-4 night in G2 at CBU last Saturday night.
* - 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 29-straight games, with 21 of those occasions (including seven-straight) coming via a base hit ... he also has 11 multi-hit efforts and 20 RBI over that stretch, including a 3-for-5 night with his third career triple, two RBI and two runs scored vs. UNLV last Tuesday night. 
* - Kroepel led Utah Tech with a .667 average (4-for-6), seven total walks and five runs scored in the CBU series last weekend ... he reached base safely in 11 of his 13 plate appearances overall. 
* - 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 FIFTH in the current NCAA Division I rankings. 
* - Kroepel picked up two saves in games one and two in the UVU road series, and enters this weekend's series vs. Tarleton State 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 14 of his last 17 games, during which he has batted .394 (26-for-66) with seven 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 21 total RBI over this current 17 game stretch and 12 XBH, including his fourth homer of the season, a two-run shot in Tuesday night's home win over UNLV. 
* - Freshman CF Mays Madsen has been on a heater in his own right over his last nine games, during which he is hitting at a .345 clip (10-for-29) with 10 RBI and eight runs scored. 
* - Madsen has pounded out at least two hits in five of his last 12 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 (4/17-19) with one double and five total runs scored. 
* - Junior RF Hudson Manwaring has hit safely in nine of his last 12 outings, and in 14 of his last 19 games, with eight 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 (4/20), and legged out two doubles in last Tuesday's win over UNLV.
* - Manwaring has swiped eight of his team-high 14 stolen bases over the last 11 games, including two steals against both UNLV (4/14) and Washington State (4/15).
* - Junior reserve OF Bryan Martinez has driven in three runs and is batting .333 over his last four games, including an RBI double in G1 at CBU (4/25) and a two-run single in the UNLV win last Tuesday night.    
 
BEHIND THE PLATE
* - Senior catcher Ty Johnsen enjoyed a solid series vs. Sac State, 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, who has reached base safely in a career-best 25-straight games, has hit safely in five-straight, and in 14 of his last 16 games, and in 22 of his last 25 starts overall ... he batted .333 (4-for-12) in three games at CBU, then went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's win over UNLV. 
* - Senior catcher Andrew Pyle went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI-triple, his second career three-bagger, in the series finale at Utah Valley (4/19) ... 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 series finale ... the Trailblazers were also issued 17 walks and hit by two pitches.   
* - Three 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 the series opener at UVU (4/17)... Ray struck out a career high seven a scattered four runs on five hits over 5.2 IP. 
* - Ray struck out five in 5.2 innings last Friday at CBU, but was touched up for six runs and seven hits. 
* - Fellow senior RHP Dakoda West earned his second-straight decision in G2 at CBU last Saturday ... he punched out four and limited the Lancers to one run and eight hits over 6.0 innings complete. 
* - West fanned six over a career high seven innings in G2 at UVU (4/18) ... 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).
* - 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 the series finale at UVU (4/19), though he did not figure in the decision.
 
OUT OF THE PEN
* - Sophomore reliever Talan Kelly earned his 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 29 pitching decisions have been recorded by the Blazer bullpen 
* - Not to be outdone, senior RHP Ryan Martinez (6-1) collected his sixth win of the year as he was credited with the decision in the UNLV win last Tuesday. 
* - Martinez also picked up the win vs. Washington State (4/15) after he tossed 2.1 innings of one-hit scoreless relief with a strikeout.
* - Senior LHP Brock Roundy has been outstanding out the bullpen of late ... the senior southpaw has tossed six innings of scoreless relief over his last five appearances and has struck out eight over this current stretch, including four punch outs in 1.2 innings vs. UNLV last Tuesday night. 
* - Roundy made two appearances out of the pen in the UVU series 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 back on April 20 ... 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 ... Brooks also tossed two scoreless innings with one strikeout vs. UNLV last Tuesday.
* - After surrendering two first inning runs vs. UNLV on Tuesday night, eight Trailblazer hurlers combined to limit the Rebels to one run on five hits over the final eight innings with seven total strikeouts. 
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech heads out on its final road swing of the 2026 regular season, which begins next weekend with a three-game WAC series at UT Arlington.