Utah Valley State (9-23) at Northern Colorado (9-24)
Location: Greeley, Colorado
Date: April 9-10, 2005
Time: Saturday at 1:00pm MST (DH), Sunday at Noon.
Series Record: Series Tied 2-2
Live Audio: Listen to the game live online by clicking HERE

What's on Tap:
Utah Valley State travels to Greeley, Colorado for a match-up with fellow Division-I Independents Northern Colorado for a three game series. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1:00pm MST and a single game on Sunday a Noon.

The all-time series between the two teams stands at 2-2 after the Wolverines and Bears split four games in 2004.

Wolverine Update:
The Wolverines' struggle to put runs on the board continues as they lost earlier this week to BYU(4-1) and Utah (5-3). During their current six game losing streak, Utah Valley is averaging only three runs per game. Compare that to the six games prior to the losing skid, where the team averaged 13 runs per game while going 3-3, and there-??s reason for concern from coach Steve Gardner.

"We've got a lot of guys that need to contribute that haven't been," said Gardner. "We're just gonna have to go back to the basics and get guys that help us win ball games."

On the positive side, Kam Mickolio continues to throw well for Utah Valley State. In his last three starts he has a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings of work, and two of those three starts have come against some good competition in Washington and BYU. The problem for Mickolio though has been a lack of run support. In those three starts, he is only getting an average of 2.3 runs per game, making his record just 1-2.

Quick Hits:
- The Wolverines play 18 games against in-state opponents this year. All seven vs. SUU have been played, while two of the five against BYU and five the six against Utah still remain. So far, Utah Valley State holds a 3-8 record
against those opponents.

- Dan Bulow's power surge continues for Utah Valley State as he now leads the team in home runs with eight. He has hit the home runs in just 79 at-bats and his averaging a home run in just under every ten at-bats.

- After a rough start at the plate, Cory Newton has been on fire lately, hitting .500 since the home opener on March 4th against Southern Utah.

Division-I Independents:
Like Utah Valley State, Northern Colorado is a Division-I Independent with no conference to call home. So without a conference and without an opportunity to play in the postseason, the Wolverines can use the games against fellow independents as measuring sticks and as motivation to be one of the best independent teams in the nation. Utah Valley has played five games against independent schools so far this season (North Dakota State and UC Davis) and have gone 2-3 in those games.

They still have the bulk of their independent schedule remaining as they will still play 11 total games against Northern Colorado, Sacramento State and South Dakota State.

Mother Nature:
For the most part, the bad weather has seemed to follow the Wolverines around this season. Pullman, Washington was cold and wet, Seattle was really cold, windy and wet and all five home games have seen less than favorable conditions.

The forecast this weekend for Greeley is hit and miss, with Saturday expected to be in the low 60-??s and Sunday in just the high 30-??s with rain and snow showers.

Scouting the Competition:
The Northern Colorado Bears come into this weekend-??s series with just a 9-24 record but have faced stiff competition all year. The Bears have played three ranked opponents, (Arizona, Nebraska and Arkansas), and have been winless against those teams.

They are 6-4 against Air Force, Washington State and Southern Utah, teams that area all on the Wolverines-?? schedule. Utah Valley State is 7-7 against those same schools.

On Deck:
Utah Valley State begins a busy nine day stretch this weekend as they are scheduled to play nine games from Saturday the 9th through Sunday the 17th. Sandwiched between this weekend's series against Northern Colorado and a four game set next weekend at Sacramento State, the Wolverines play host to Utah and Lewis & Clark State in mid-week games next week.