ON DECK
Utah Valley University begins its stretch of nine remaining WAC regular season games this weekend at home against second-place New Mexico State. The series starts Friday at 6 p.m. with Saturday's middle contest -- also at 6 p.m. -- on the WAC Digital Network. The series finale is Sunday at noon. 

IN THE HOLE
Next week UVU hosts league-leading Grand Canyon in the final home series of the season, beginning Friday, May 12. 

WAC UPDATE
Utah Valley is currently tied for third with CSU Bakersfield in the WAC standings at 8-7 overall. Grand Canyon is 16-2, 3.5 games in front of New Mexico State (11-4) for the top spot. Chicago State (6-9), and Sacramento State (7-11) are fourth and fifth, respectively. Northern Colorado (5-10), Seattle U (5-10) and UT Rio Grande Valley (6-12) are tied to round out the standings. The top six teams (minus Grand Canyon) make the WAC Tournament at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona. 

WOLFE SETS SAVES RECORD
Senior left-hander Patrick Wolfe set UVU's new single-season saves record after recording No. 10 in the April 30, series-clinching win over Northern Colorado. Wolfe broke the old mark of nine, set in 2016 by Kyle Valgardson. 

LAST TIME OUT
UVU fell in a lopsided midweek to neighboring BYU, 23-4, on Tuesday. Prior to that, UVU won two out of three over Northern Colorado on the road over the weekend as the second half of WAC play began. The Wolverines won the opener, 6-1, in a game that was suspended on Friday after seven innings due to rain. The Wolverines led 6-0 when the game was halted, and finished it off on Saturday. Jackson Cofer got the win after throwing 6.1 innings of shutout, one-hit baseball while David Modler had four hits. 

In a Sunday doubleheader to wrap up the weekend, Northern Colorado won 7-0 to even the series before the Wolverines came from behind to steal the rubber match and win the series. 

Trailing 5-3 in the eighth, Utah Valley scored five times, taking advantage of a pair of Northern Colorado errors to score four unearned runs after there were two outs. In the win, Jake Berry went 3-for-3 with four RBIs while Patrick Wolfe closed the door with a two-inning appearance. 

ABOUT THE AGGIES
New Mexico State (27-19 overall) won a rivalry game with in-state foe New Mexico on Tuesday in Albuequerque, 12-5. Tristen Carranza hit two home runs -- including a grand slam -- in the same inning, a nine-run fourth that propelled the Aggies to the win. Over the weekend, NM State was swept at home by Grand Canyon in a battle for first place in the WAC standings. Prior to that the Aggies had won four straight in conference play. 

Carranza leads the WAC with 14 home runs while teammate Dan Hetzel has 48 RBIs. Carranza and Austin Botello are tied for second with 44 runs batted in. On the pitching side, Saturday starter Marcel Renteria leads the WAC with 76 strikeouts while Friday starter Kyle Bradish is allowing opponents to hit just .188, tops in the league. All three weekend starters for NM State are in the Top 10 in ERA in the conference.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST NM STATE Utah Valley is 9-5 all-time against New Mexico State and has won three straight including a 3-2 win in last year's WAC Tournament. The teams have met in just one series in Orem so far, with the Wolverines winning two of three during the 2015 season. UVU also took two of three in Las Cruces during the 2016 regular season.