ON DECK
Utah Valley University travels to California for a three-game WAC series at CSU Bakersfield beginning Thursday at 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT. Friday's middle game will also start at 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT and will air on the WAC Digital Network before the series finale on Saturday at noon PT/1 p.m. MT. All league series start a day early this week due to Easter Sunday. 

IN THE HOLE
After the weekend, the Wolverines return home for the next four games beginning with three against Chicago State in a conference series. The following Tuesday, on April 25, the Wolverines will host Utah at 6 p.m. MT. 

LAST TIME OUT
BYU jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after two innings and rode that to an 8-3 win in the first of three midweek games between the neighboring schools in the UCCU Crosstown Clash on Tuesday night. Trevor Howell had a career-high four hits, going 4-for-4 at the plate. 

Last weekend the Wolverines took two of three from Incarnate Word in a non-conference series at Brent Brown Ballpark. After dropping the series opener in game one of a doubleheader on Friday, 6-4, the Wolverines came back to win 5-0 and 11-8 to clinch the series. 

In the 5-0 shutout, junior right-hander Jake Mayer tossed his first career shutout, a three-hitter with seven strikeouts and picked up the WAC Pitcher of the Week award. Jake Berry hit his first career home run in the win and drove in two runs.

In the rubber match, Jackson Overlund had two, two-run doubles and leads the WAC and is 10th nationally with 15 doubles on the season. Trevor Peterson hit his second home run for UVU while Marco Briones came out of the bullpen and pitched 3.2 scoreless innings to pick up his first win of the season and Patrick Wolfe picked up the final out to earn his seventh save. 

ABOUT THE ROADRUNNERS
CSU Bakersfield is 16-12 overall and 3-6 in WAC play. The Roadrunners topped CSUN, 4-2, on Tuesday night at home and have won two straight. Junior Ryan Grotjohn ranks fifth in the country with a .423 batting average while teammates Andrew Penner (.398) and David Metzgar (.387) are the next two top batting averages in the WAC. Metzgar is the reigning WAC Hitter of the Week. Thursday starter Max Carter is 5-1 with a 2.72 ERA and is also batting .359 and is tied with Grotjohn with a team-high 23 RBIs. 

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST CSUB
The Wolverines lead the all-time series 9-2 and have won five straight overall. UVU swept a three-game series in Orem during 2016 and also defeated the 'Runners during the WAC Tournament, 6-4. In the only prior series between the teams in Bakersfield, Utah Valley won two of three.