After losing last weekend’s series against USC, the Utes’ NCAA Tournament hopes took a dive, but they are not out of contention yet. Utah will have to win each of its remaining five Pac-12 series to still have a chance. The Utes will also need to knock off BYU three more times.
The Utes’ next chance to beat the Cougars will come tonight in Provo when they take on the Cougars for the second time this season. The Utes have had success versus in-state rivals this season with a 3-0 record.
“We’re going to have to regroup from a couple of tough losses this weekend, but there is no better way to do that than getting back on the field,” said Utah head coach Bill Kinneberg.
Though the Utes are undefeated against the schools to the south, none of those wins have come easily. It took 11 innings to conquer Utah Valley University in the teams’ first matchup, a five-run, come-from-behind shocker to take the second game against the Wolverines and a 10-inning epic battle to claim the win versus BYU in their last matchup.
Utah’s regular Tuesday starter, Trey Nielsen, will be looking to keep things close early tonight if he gets the nod on the mound. UVU had his number early last week as it knocked in five runs before Nielsen could retire the first batter of the game.
Not only does the remainder of this series have the Utes’ postseason aspirations hanging in the balance, but the Deseret First Duel between the schools is still up for grabs. The winner of the season series will earn three points toward the point total for his school.
Utah is ahead of BYU in the duel this season, 25-19 with six total points left to claim between baseball and softball. By beating the Cougars two out of the next three games, the Utes could seal the deal on the duel for the first time since 2009, but a streaking BYU squad won’t roll over easily.
The Cougars have won eight of their last 10 games and are 19-15 and 7-5 in the West Coast Conference. The good news for Utah is that BYU has been off the field since April 13 because of finals — enough time to cool its hot streak.
Tonight’s first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Larry Miller Field in Provo. Utah will look for a victory to build confidence and momentum before facing its next Pac-12 opponent, Arizona State, at Spring Mobile Ballpark this weekend.