College Baseball in Utah (Photo by Utah Athletics)
It was a tough week for the four teams in Utah on the diamond.
Utah 13-8 (3-3 in the Big 12)
Utah got their 12th win of the season on Tuesday with their 8-5 victory over Washington State. The Utes then headed east to play their first Big 12 road series of the season. It against the Bearcats in my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. The Utes fell in game one against the Bearcats, 13-4. Saturday was a brutal day for Utah’s pitching, UC super slugger Quinton Coats, and another Bearcat had three home runs each in Cincinnati’s 20-10 victory. Utah, keep fighting on Sunday, shooting it out with the Bearcats. The Utes held off a furious UC comeback and took a 13-11 lead in the ninth inning for a victory, avoiding being swept in the Queen City. Next up for Utah will be a home edition of the Holy War against BYU, followed up by a series in Salt Lake City against Kansas State.
Utah Valley 10-13 (0-0 in the WAC)
Utah Valley fell again to Cincinnati on Tuesday, 6-3. This wrapped up their 12-game home stand with an 8-4 record. They then headed to the Bay Area to battle Stanford. The first game against the Cardinal was a tough, 4-3 defeat on Saturday. The first half of Sunday’s doubleheader didn’t go any better for the Wolverines, as Stanford won 17-10. Stanford won round two on Sunday night, 15-9. UVU got swept on Monday, falling 15-6. This weekend, the Wolverines will host Cal State San Bernardino for three weekend games. The only silver lining to this six-game losing streak for UVU is that conference play hasn’t begun yet, and that’s where the Wolverines could gain back this lost ground.
BYU 10-12 (2-4 in the Big 12)
The Cougars clobbered Utah Tech just like last week. BYU won this week’s game in St. George, 18-5. In the two games between Utah Tech and BYU, BYU has outscored Utah Tech, 37-7!
There was tougher sledding in Morgantown, West Virginia on Thursday as BYU fell, 7-4. Friday wasn’t much better, despite some good offense, BYU was down 12-8 going into the top of the ninth, they cut it to 12-10, but WVU held on to win. BYU’s rough week on country roads didn’t get any better when they got swept on Saturday, dropping their final game, 10-1. There’s a reason West Virginia is ranked #20, is 16-4, and the top team in the Big 12 right now. BYU will play at Utah in Salt Lake City tomorrow, before returning to Provo for a three-game series against the Oklahoma State Cowboys this week.
Utah Tech 16-9 (0-0 in the WAC)
The week got off to a rough start for Utah Tech. Utah Tech fell to BYU, this time by a whopping 18-5 score. This time it was at home in St. George. Utah Tech ended their five-game losing streak on Thursday against Fresno State. UT defeated the Bulldogs in a shootout, 17-13. Friday was another nailbiter against Fresno State, but again, Utah Tech prevailed, 8-7. This time it was in walk-off fashion as Finnegan Stewart hit a two-run homer when Utah Tech trailed 7-6 in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Saturday in Vegas was a bit rough for the Trailblazers. Utah Tech fell to UNLV, 11-1. Tech returned the favor with an 11-1 win of their own on Sunday. It was their first-ever victory over UNLV. The Trailblazers head to the Midwest, where they’ll play a weekend series against Southern Illinois and a Monday game at St. Louis. Tech responded to a rough Week 5 by bouncing back in Week 6, winning three of their five games.
The Utah Four
- Utah 13-8 (3-3 in the Big 12)
- BYU 10-12 (2-4 in the Big 12)
- Utah Tech 16-9 (0-0 in the WAC)
- Utah Valley 10-13 (0-0 in the WAC)
Wally Joyner Player of the Week
Utah Tech’s Kyle McDaniel has been one of the best players in Utah this season, and this was once again true for the Trailblazers second baseman. McDaniel had 9 hits, 7 runs batted in, 3 doubles, and 1 home run for Utah Tech in their five games this week. He’s a big reason they won three of those five games and why Tech is 16-9 right now.
