Baseball Outbound to Oregon for Three-Game Pac-12 Series

The First Pitch: Things to Know

• Pac-12 Conference play resumes for Utah baseball on Friday night as the Utes begin a three-game road series at Oregon's PK Park. First pitch in the Friday night opener is set for 7 p.m. MT, with afternoon tilts to follow on Saturday (4 p.m. MT) and Sunday (noon MT).
• All three games will be broadcast on Pac-12 Oregon, and additionally Sunday's matchup will air on Pac-12 Mountain. Ben Creighton has the call for the entire series.
• The series marks a homecoming of sorts for Utah head coach Gary Henderson, who is a native of Eugene, Oregon.
• The Ducks have had Utah's number of late, as the Utes are looking for their first win over Oregon since 2017. That series in Salt Lake City saw the Utes bounce back from a series-opening loss to take the middle game (11-5) and secure the series victory with a 13-1 rubber game triumph at Smith's Ballpark.
• Utah's last win at PK Park was on March 20, 2016, a 2-0 decision for the Utes.

Recap in a Minute

Despite a Tuesday night loss to in-state rival BYU, Utah is still off to its best start since the 1981 season. Chase Anderson and Landon Frei each had two hits for the Utes in the 10-3 setback vs. the Cougars, and Davis Cop added a two-run double in the eighth inning. TJ Clarkson also reached base safely for the 14th consecutive game and Kai Roberts reached for the 12th straight contest.

• In league action Utah is looking to continue riding momentum of a series victory last weekend vs. Washington. It marked the home-opening series for the club at Smith's Ballpark, and was the first Pac-12 series win for the Utes since the 2019 campaign.
• A tough loss was handed to Utah in the Washington series opener, a 6-3 setback in 10 innings. Right-handed ace Matthew Sox retired 15 batters in a row at one point and struck out nine batters in seven innings, his most as a Ute—but UW took advantage of a two-out situation and plated three runs in the extra frame. Utah put two on in the bottom half to bring the tying run to the plate, but two strikeouts ended the ballgame.
• In the middle game Utah bounced from not only the result of the opener, but also a five-run first inning for Washington. The Utes produced a five-spot of their own in the fourth inning and added a pair in the fifth, evening the series with a 7-6 victory. Southpaw Bryson Van Sickle worked 3.1 innings out of the bullpen and allowed just one hit, striking out six en route to the win.
• The Utes plated a pair in the first inning of Sunday's rubber game and never looked back. Davis Cop popped a two-run single early in the contest, then Carter Booth's sac fly added a key insurance run in the fourth inning. Freshman starting pitcher and Layton, Utah native Cam Day had his longest outing as a Ute (6.1 innings), fanning five and earning his first career victory.
• Right-handed closer Blake Whiting had three saves last week and leads the Pac-12 with four on the season. Whiting closed out both wins vs. Washington and also had a two-inning save in the Fresno State game on March 8.
• A particular strength of the Utes' pitching staff was on display as the Utah arms walked just five Washington batters in 28 innings on the weekend. It showcases continuing improvement from the start of the season, which saw 13 free passes issued in the three-game series at Loyola Marymount.