April 30, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
OREM, Utah - Utah Valley will begin perhaps its toughest month in five NCAA seasons when the Wolverines travel to #9 Oklahoma State for a four-game series beginning Friday at 5:30 p.m. MT. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday and the series finale Sunday with first pitch scheduled for noon MT on both days.
Among the five remaining opponents on the 2008 schedule, three are ranked in the top 25 in at least one of the major Division I college baseball polls. All but one game (next Monday vs. BYU) are also away from Brent Brown Ballpark, where the Wolverines (12-28-1) are 5-5 on the year.
UV split a Tuesday doubleheader with Northwest Nazarene (3-4, 15-6) but is still 5-3 in its last eight games. During that stretch the team is hitting .405 and has raised the team batting average over 30 points. Adam Openshaw has been the hottest Wolverine at the plate, hitting .548 (17-for-31) while Cole Anderson is batting .519 (14-for-27) and has five stolen bases. Anderson's batting average currently sits at .318, 151 points higher that it was nine games ago.
Scott Croshaw had the best month of his career during the month of April. The Redmond, Washington senior hit .449 with three home runs and 29 runs batted in. Croshaw is hitting a career high .336 with 34 RBI. Jace Brinkerhoff's .343 average, six home runs and 37 RBI lead the team.
Senior pitcher Marcus Moore tied a school record with his seventh win on Tuesday. He is 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA in his last three starts. Moore will not pitch this weekend against Oklahoma State and will start his final home game against BYU. In 20 career starts, Moore has a 3.48 ERA and has pitched at least seven innings in 17 of those starts.
Bryan Smith, who has spent much of the season pitching in a long relief role, has been very good as of late in spots where the Wolverines have needed him. Smith has a 2.79 ERA in his last 19-plus innings, spanning four appearances. He has struck out 18 batters during that stretch, including seven in his last outing on Tuesday when he didn't allow a hit in five and 1/3 innings. Smith is scheduled to start Sunday's finale at OSU.
Oklahoma State (32-11) will be the first Big 12 school that Utah Valley will face in five seasons of NCAA baseball. The Cowboys have won nine straight including a three-game sweep at then #15 Texas and over #7 Wichita State at home. OSU has a well balanced attack and ranks 24th in the country with a team ERA of 3.79, 20th in total home runs and 33rd in team batting average at .323.
