The Utah baseball team (10-14, 7-2 in Pac-12) will look to continue its recent success in its second game of the year against UVU on Tuesday in Orem. The Utes enjoyed their four-game home stand this past week, sweeping Arizona over the weekend. However, they fell to UVU 7-6 last Wednesday at Smith’s Ballpark.
“This weekend it all fell into place with good pitching, timely hitting and really good defense,” said Utah head coach Bill Kinneberg . “But it’s on to the next one with Utah Valley tomorrow night.”
Although the Utes have struggled against non-conference opponents, Utah is 7-2 in a tough Pac-12 conference. Utah is currently tied with Cal at the top of the Pac-12 standings. The team’s defensive focus has been a major contributor to Utah’s recent success — the Utes are second in the Pac-12 in double plays with 27 (9th in the nation with 1.13 double plays per game). The Utes’ ace starting pitcher Jayson Rose leads the Pac-12 with 55 strikeouts, and Utah pitchers are tied for the third-fewest home runs allowed (nine).
The Utes will be playing their fifth game in Utah before traveling west to play USC at Dedeaux Field in Los Angeles, Calif. The Trojans are currently 12-14 on the season and an even 3-3 in conference play; they will play against Pepperdine on Tuesday.
Utah’s Tanner Thomas (4.50 ERA) will be making the start on the mound against the Wolverines on Tuesday afternoon against Utah Valley’s sophomore starting pitcher Kaden Schmitt.
The Utes have received attention from the national media in the last few days, ranked 30th in the country in the most recent Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll. Also, right fielder Josh Rose’s incredible diving grab over the weekend was featured on SportCenter’s Top-10 plays, appearing at No. 2.
Following Sunday’s game against Arizona, Rose said, “In conference play I don’t know why we are winning so much, but hey, we are going to keep going with it, we aren’t going to change a thing.”
Utah will be looking to extend its three-series winning streak tomorrow night at Brent Brown Ballpark down in Orem against the Wolverines (15-14), with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. MST.
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