March 15, 2007
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This Week's Action
Utah Valley (5-11) will travel to Reno, Nevada this weekend for a three-game series at Nevada (10-12). Friday's game is scheduled for 3pm MT with Saturday and Sunday both slated for a 2pm MT first pitch. Live stats are available for all three games by going to www.NevadaWolfpack.com.
The weekend's starters will feature exclusively right handed throwers, with the Wolverines sending Jace Brinkerhoff (1-3, 5.00), Kyle Kasper (2-0, 3.94) and Bryan Smith (0-2, 6.75) to the hill. The Wolfpack's scheduled starters are Ryan Rodriguez (2-3, 3.02), Rod Scurry (0-4, 8.28) and Kyle Howe (1-2, 3.60).
Utah Valley has lost two straight games, falling to New Mexico State on Sunday and then to BYU on Tuesday.
The Wolverines faced BYU in the first of three mid-week games this season against the neighboring Cougars. After BYU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Derrick Thomas gave UV its first lead with a bases-loaded two-out double to drive in three runs.
Jace Brinkerhoff and Austin Heaps added to the run total in the sixth with RBI singles and helping Utah Valley to a 6-1 lead with all six runs coming with two outs.
Thomas drove in his fourth run of the game in the fourth when he grounded into a fielder's choice with the bases loaded, allowing Garretson, who led off the inning with a bunt single, to score.
From there it was all BYU though as the Cougars scored five in the bottom of the fourth and three each in the sixth and seventh.
Heaps finished with three hits to lead Utah Valley while Brinkerhoff had two hits. Dan Christensen (1-2) took the loss for the Wolverines after coming on in relief of starter Bryan Smith.
Eli Slesk leads the team with a .365 average while Dan Bulow is batting .333 with a home run and 17 runs batted in.
Life on the Road
Utah Valley won't play a home game until March 29th when South Dakota State comes to town. The first 23 games on the road, with five of the games coming in Utah. The Wolverines played three times at Southern Utah, once at BYU and will face Utah in Salt Lake City on March 27th.
In all, UV has 22 home games this season, including series with new Division II Dixie State, a former JC opponent who is in its first season transitioning from JC to D II. Pac-10 Washington comes to Orem April 26-28, the first time a Pac-10 school will play UV in Orem.
Scouting the Wolfpack
Nevada is 10-12 and coming off of a three-game sweep at the hands of UC Irvine. Prior to that though, the Wolfpack had won six straight with a two-game sweep of Buffalo and three-game sweep of UNLV.
Nevada and Utah Valley have faced one common opponent so far this season in Saint Mary's. The Wolfpack has split four games with the Gaels while the Wolverines were swept at Saint Mary's earlier this season.
Konrad Schmidt has shown impressive power numbers so far this season, smacking six home runs to go along with 22 RBI and five doubles while batting .353 and slugging .691.
Matt Suleski, in limited plate appearances is batting .364 with Jason Rodriguez hitting .357.
The all-time series between the two teams is in Nevada's favor after the Wolfpack won two out of three last season in Reno in the only prior meeting between the clubs.
In the lone UV win, former Wolverine Kam Mickolio, currently in the Seattle Mariners farm system, threw the first shutout in the history of Nevada's Peccole Park.
Up Next
Utah Valley will travel to Spokane, Washington next weekend for a three-game series against Gonzaga. The following Tuesday, the Wolverines will play at Utah before finally opening the home schedule with South Dakota State two days later.
