Utah Valley State (0-3) vs. North Dakota State (0-0) & Air Force (1-3)
Location: USAF Academy, Colorado
Date: Feb. 18th @ 10:00am vs. NDSU & 1:00pm vs. AFA,
Feb. 19th @ 1:00pm vs. AFA, Feb. 20th @ 10:00am vs. NDSU
Series Record: 1st Meetings
Live Stats: Follow each game with live stats by clicking HERE

What's on Tap:
The Wolverines will attempt to rebound from last weekend's frustrating openers against Southern Utah in Mesquite, Nevada. Mother Nature played a part in the series, causing one game to be canceled, and the other three to be postponed over 24 hours and moved from St. George to Mesquite.

This weekend the Wolverines will attempt to play four games against the Air Force Academy and North Dakota State.
The Air Force Falcons come into the series having lost three of four at Southern Utah two weeks ago. Their series-?? last weekend against Northern Colorado and York College were postponed due to weather. North Dakota State-??s season opener will be Friday morning-??s 10:00 start against the Wolverines.

Scouting the Opposition:
North Dakota State:
North Dakota State is in a similar position this year that the Wolverines were in last year as they make the jump to Division I competition. NDSU is coming off a successful year after winning the North Central Conference Championship in its final year at the Division II level. This season, they are picked to finish 4th by Baseball America out of the 12 Independent baseball schools. Utah Valley was picked to finish 7th.

North Dakota State junior closer Neil Wagner is the top 2005 draft prospect among the independents, according to the Division I baseball preview published by Baseball America magazine.

Air Force:
Falcon 1st baseman Karl Bolt was named Mountain West Player of the Week following his 6-13, 2 HR performance against Southern Utah. Pitcher Paul Pratt, a native of Tooele, completed the sweep of the Mountain West awards as he was named Pitcher of the Week after pitching a complete game five-hitter in the season opener for Air Force. Pratt struck out seven batters in picking up the 8-2 victory.

Air Force finished last season at 6-49 and winless in the Mountain West at 0-28. Bolt led the team with a .349 average as just a freshman.

Tough Road Ahead:
The Wolverines will get used to being on the road this season, playing their first 24 games away from the friendly confines of newly built, Parkway Crossing Stadium. Utah Valley State finally returns home on March 24-26 to host the T-Birds for a four-game set.

New Digs:
The opening weekend at Parkway Crossing Stadium will be -??Alumni Weekend.-?? All Utah Valley State baseball alumni are invited back to enjoy the festivities of this historical event. More details on an alumni package that will include a pre-game barbecue on the grass berm and tickets to each game of the series will be announced shortly. Check the website at: www.wolverinesports.net for updated information.

Quick Hits:
- Junior Brad Hales, Senior Kory Drew and Junior Nick Connor each have at least one hit in every game they-??ve played this year. Hales is 5-12 in three games, Drew has four hits in 12 at bats in three games and Connor leads the team with a .571 average after going 4-7 in the first two games of the season.

- The Wolverines return four players and picked up one more that received postseason honors last season. They are: Canyon Vance (2nd Team All-Independent), Reno Mendenhall (2nd Team All-Independent), Jed Jensen (Honorable Mention All-Independent), Brady Drake (Honorable Mention All-Independent), and SUU transfer, Kory Drew (2nd Team All-Mid Continent).

- Head Coach, Steve Gardner led the Wolverines to an impressive 19-17 mark last season, including a 10-9 record against other Divsion I teams.

Up Next:
Utah Valley State to Pasco, Washington to take on Gonzaga next weekend. The teams will play Friday at 2:00 p.m. followed by 1:00 p.m. starts Saturday and Sunday.