OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University baseball team will close a nine-game homestand by hosting neighboring rival BYU for a UCCU Crosstown Clash on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at UCCU Ballpark. Following the contest, the Wolverines will then head to the Emerald City to open WAC play with three games at Seattle University this weekend (March 22-24). 
 
Tuesday's contest against BYU will mark the first of two big games for the Wolverines that evening, as the UVU men's basketball team will host an opening-round CBI game against CSUN at the UCCU Center at 7 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network. Live audio as well as live stats for the UVU vs. BYU baseball game will also available by visiting GoUVU.com. Admission to the basketball game will be free of charge. 
 
This weekend, the Wolverines will then head to Seattle for the opening WAC series against the Redhawks. All three games will be contested at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue with game times of 5 p.m. MT/4 p.m. PT on Friday, 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT on Saturday, and 1 p.m. MT/noon PT on Sunday. The contests will also be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network and live stats will be available by visiting GoSeattleU.com.
 
UVU will enter the week with a 3-16 record after getting swept at home by No. 22 UC Irvine in a three-game non-conference series over the weekend. The Wolverines have also dropped four straight after falling in a midweek contest to Niagara University last Tuesday. 
 
Thanks in large part from a quality start from junior right-hander Paxton Schultz in Saturday's ballgame, the Wolverines held a 4-1 lead into the eighth inning over the Anteaters in the contest. But UCI would manage to rally, however, with two in the eighth and one in the ninth to tie it at 4-4 and force extra innings. Following a UVU error, UC Irvine then exploded for 13 runs in the 10th to earn a 17-4 come-from-behind victory. 
 
In the series versus UCI, both Michael Beltran and Alexander Marco recorded a four-hit game apiece for the Wolverines. Beltran went 4-for-5 in Sunday's finale with a run scored and four singles, while Marco tallied a perfect 4-for-4 outing in Saturday's near-victory with a homer, a double, a pair of singles and a walk. Marco finished just a triple shy of the cycle in the ballgame and also added an RBI and a pair of runs scored. 
 
In the Irvine series, Marco led UVU offensively by batting an even .500 (5-for-10) with a home run, two doubles, three runs scored and two runs batted in.
 
On the season, Beltran leads the Wolverines with a .362 batting average, three triples and 12 runs scored. Marco is right behind him with a .343 clip and a team-best three home runs, seven doubles and 10 RBIs. Paxton Schultz leads UVU's starting rotation with a 0-2 record and a 4.36 ERA. In five starts, Schultz has thrown one complete game and has struck out 33 and walked just 12 in 33.0 innings of work. Reliever Jesse Schmit fronts the bullpen with a 2-1 record, a save and a 3.24 ERA in 8.1 innings. 
 
Freshman right-hander Mason Gray will get the start on the mound on Tuesday against BYU, while senior right-hander Jake Carr will pitch game one at Seattle, Schultz game two, and senior right-hander Walker Ramsey in game three. 
 
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
BYU will enter Tuesday with a 13-5 overall record and a 1-2 start in West Coast Conference play after dropping two of three to Gonzaga at home over the weekend. After falling in extras in the series opener, 4-2, the Cougars then rallied to win game two, 7-4, before falling in Saturday's rubber match, 4-2. Despite dropping two of three to the Bulldogs, BYU has still won seven of its last nine ballgames. After going 22-28 a season ago and 11-16 in WCC play, Brigham Young was picked to finish sixth in the West Coast Conference this year. 
 
Brian Hsu leads BYU on the season with a .403 batting average, while Noah Hill is right behind him at .382. Jackson Cluff leads the team in the power numbers with two home runs, 10 extra-base hits and 20 RBIs. Reliever Easton Walker leads the Cougar pitching staff with a 1-0 record and a 0.00 ERA in 19.2 innings of work out of the pen, while Jordan Wood is the team's top starting pitcher with a 2-0 record and a 1.76 ERA. A to-be-announced pitcher will start Tuesday's game for BYU.
 
Tuesday's game will mark the 37th all-time meeting between UVU and BYU and the second and final meeting of the season between the two clubs. The Cougars hold a 28-9 all-time advantage after defeating the Wolverines, 5-1, in Provo two weeks ago. Brigham Young has also won 12 of the last 13 meetings and holds a 13-5 advantage in Orem. 
 
Seattle U will enter the week with a 4-15 overall record and having dropped nine straight games. The Redhawks were swept in a three-game series at San Diego State over the weekend. SU holds its wins on the year over UNLV, Pacific and a pair of Nebraska-Omaha. During its current nine-game skid, the Redhawks have fallen to Washington, Minnesota, Portland, SDSU (three games) and UT Arlington (three games). SU was picked to fourth in the WAC this season after going 34-23 overall and taking fourth in WAC play with a 13-11 league record. 
 
Both Kyle Sherick and Jacob Prater lead Seattle on the season with identical .351 batting averages. Sherick has a team-best eight extra-base hits, while Justin Mazzone leads in the power numbers with four homers and 17 RBIs. Southpaw Jake Prizina fronts SU's starting rotation with a 2-1 record and a 1.32 ERA, as he's struck out 27 and walked just four in 34.0 innings of work.
 
Friday's opener will mark the 26th all-time meeting between UVU and SU. Seattle U will enter play holding to a slight 14-11 all-time lead and a 6-5 advantage in Seattle. A season ago, the Redhawks took two of three from UVU in Orem. 
 
UVU IN WAC OPENERS
Since joining the WAC in 2014, UVU holds a 2-3 record in WAC openers. Utah Valley's last WAC-opening win was a 4-3 victory at UT Rio Grande Valley in 2017. 
 
ON DECK FOR UTAH VALLEY
After this week's games, UVU will return home to host the Oregon Ducks in a non-conference midweek game on Wednesday, March 27 at UCCU Ballpark. The Wolverines will then welcome the preseason favorite Grand Canyon Antelopes to town for a three-game league series that weekend (March 29-31).