OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University baseball team will open its 2020 season this weekend with a four-game series at Abilene Christian. The series will run Friday to Sunday, Feb. 14-16, at ACU's Crutcher Scott Field in Abilene, Texas. 
 
The opening series will get underway on Friday at 3 p.m. MT/4 p.m. CT. The two teams will then play a scheduled doubleheader on Saturday with games slated for noon MT/1 p.m. CT and 3 p.m. MT/4 p.m. CT, while the series finale will take place on Sunday at noon MT/1 p.m. CT. Live video and live stats will be available for all four games by visiting ACUSports.com. 
 
"We're excited to get the season going. We need to come out and win some games and we're looking forward to heading to Texas to open up at Abilene Christian this weekend," 12th-year head UVU coach Eric Madsen said. 
 
UVU will enter the year off of a 15-41 season in 2019 and a seventh-place finish in the WAC after going 9-18 in conference play. The Wolverines capped last season by making a deep run at the 2019 WAC Tournament. UVU welcomes back five returning position-player starters this season and a total of 17 returning letterwinners. The Wolverines will also look to welcome in 15 newcomers to the squad -- in 10 true freshmen and five junior college transfers -- after losing nine seniors to graduation as well as right-handed pitcher Paxton Schultz to the MLB Draft from last year's squad. 
 
"Our pitching needs to step up for us this season. We lost the majority of our starting pitching from last year and are young on the mound, but we'll be looking for a number of pitchers to get out there and compete for us," Madsen added. "We also need to play better defense, and that in turn will help us be successful."
 
Utah Valley was picked to finish eighth in the WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll after placing seventh in the league standing in 2019. Sophomore third baseman Mick Madsen earned Preseason All-WAC honors just last week, while senior outfielder Alexander Marco was named to the Perfect Game's Preseason All-WAC team. Mick Madsen led the Wolverines in conference-only play as a freshman last season by hitting .353, while Marco paced the club overall on the season in homers (6), doubles (13), RBIs (42), and slugging (.450). 
 
"We'll look to our upperclassmen and returning starters to help lead the way for us this season. A number of them will be in new roles this year, but we're looking forward to seeing what they can do both on the field as well as behind the scenes in more of a leadership type role," Eric Madsen concluded.
 
Besides Mick Madsen and Marco, UVU also welcomes back fellow returning starters Kade Poulsen (senior, infielder), Drew Sims (junior, catcher), and Pacen Hayes (junior, first baseman/designated hitter), as well as outfielders Jake Berry (senior) and Jake Plecas (sophomore), who also saw time in the starting lineup a season ago.
 
On the mound, senior right-hander Jesse Schmit is back for the UVU. After being one of the top relievers on the squad a season ago with a team-high five saves and 31 strikeouts in 30.1 innings of work, Schmit will look to enter the starting rotation as he is scheduled to start Friday's season opener. Junior college transfer Bobby Voortmeyer (RHP, Holladay, Utah/Columbia Basin College) is slated to start Saturday's first game, while sophomore right-hander Romeo Carrillo -- who came out of the bullpen for UVU last year -- is slated to start Saturday's night cap. Sunday's starting pitcher is yet to be determined, but might feature one of UVU's midweek starters from 2019 in sophomores Mason Gray (RHP) or Cole Yocum (LHP).  
 
Newcomers to the team this season will be transfers Mitch Moralez (INF, Temecula, Calif./Palomar College), Pedro Perdomo (RHP, Bronx, N.Y./Cochise College), Jaxson Otis (RHP, Las Vegas, Nev./Salt Lake CC), Connor Breding (RHP, Pocatello, Idaho/College of Southern Idaho), and Voortmeyer (RHP, Holladay, Utah/Columbia Basin College), as well as true freshmen Trey Newman (C, Phoenix Ariz.), Connor Hall (OF, Riverton, Utah), Ty Mead (INF, Cave Creek, Ariz.), Garrett Broussard (INF, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) Devin Smith (RHP, Lehi, Utah), Dylan Cook (LHP, Chino Hills, Calif.), Nick Sims (RHP, Murrieta, Calif.), Max Kendall (RHP, Phoenix, Ariz.) Cody Johnson (C, Redlands, Calif.), and Jarrett Pille (OF, Chandler, Ariz.).
 
ABOUT ABILENE CHRISTIAN
ACU is a member of the Southland Conference and is coming off of a 26-26 overall record and a 13-17 clip in conference competition a season ago. The Wildcats were recently picked to finish 10th in the 13-team Southland Conference after tying for ninth a season ago. Abilene Christian welcomes back just six players from last year's squad, as it welcomes in an impressive tally of 31 newcomers in 16 transfers and 15 freshmen. 
 
Of the returning group, outfielder Colton Eager leads the way offensively as he hit an even .300 for the Wildcats last year. Infielder Ryne Randle is next with a returning .255 batting average, while Spencer Chirpich is ACU's top returning pitcher after going 7-4 on the mound and compiling a 4.62 ERA. Chirpich is not listed in Abilene Christian's opening weekend rotation, however, as newcomers Austin Wagner (LHP), Austin Reusch (RHP), and Nate Hawkins (LHP) are scheduled to start games one through three, while Sunday's starter is yet to be determined. 
 
Friday's opener will mark the first all-time meeting between UVU and ACU. Utah Valley has played a total of eight all-time games against Southland Conference foes, and will enter play with a 3-5 record against teams from the SC. 
 
UVU ALL-TIME IN SEASON OPENERS
Utah Valley begins its 17th season of NCAA Division I baseball in 2020. The Wolverines are 4-12 all-time in season openers and 11-42-1 all-time on opening weekend. A season ago, UVU took game two of the opening series at Fresno State, but the Bulldogs would go on to take the series two games to one. Now in his 12th season at the helm of UVU, head coach Eric Madsen holds a 4-7 record on opening day and a 10-27 mark in opening series. Madsen will enter the season just three wins shy of 300 for his career, as he holds a 297-318 career record (all at Utah Valley). 
 
ON DECK FOR THE WOLVERINES
After this weekend's opening series, UVU will next head to Portland, Oregon, to face Portland in a four-game series next weekend (Feb. 20-22). With Portland's baseball stadium currently being renovated, the series will be contested at Ron Tonkin Field in Hillsboro. UVU's 2020 home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10 against Air Force.