Now is the time for the U baseball team to show how much it has improved as a team from last year.
The conference season begins, and the Utes will take on the New Mexico Lobos in Albuquerque.
Utah has already proven it can play against the best, as it competed well against Arizona and Cal Poly, and have now won 11 of their last 15.
But now things change as Utah enters the conference season, and U coach Tim Esmay said his team is ready for the challenge
“We’re excited about opening conference play this weekend, and as usual we expect it to be a battle. There will be 27 innings of tough baseball against New Mexico,” Esmay said.
Like Utah, New Mexico has also been on a roll of late, winning 6 of its last 8 games. With the roll they have been on, the Lobos have increased their record to 10-12.
Their pitching staff is headed by James Vermilyea, who has a 4-2 record. He was named Mountain West Pitcher of the Week for the week of Feb 12.
The starting pitching for the Lobos does not match up well against the hot-hitting Utes. Even though the Utes beat up on a team with only one win last week, they still tore the cover off the ball.
Nate Weese and Adam Castleton lead the team in the infield and at the plate.
Jason Wylie and Cheyenne Rushton are scheduled to start, but the third spot is still open, and may go to Mitch Maio.
Either way, this weekend will serve as a benchmark for the rest of the season, as Utah gets a chance to see how well it stacks up against its first conference foe.