OREM, Utah – Utah Valley University baseball will step out of conference play for a UCCU Crosstown clash against neighboring rival BYU on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Larry H. Miller Field in Provo. 
 
Originally scheduled for a 6 p.m. start, the contest has been moved up a couple of hours due to expected cold and wet weather on Tuesday evening in Provo. 
 
Tuesday's non-conference midweek matchup will be streamed on the BYUtv App as well as BYUtv.org. Live audio will also be available on GoUVU.com while live stats can be followed by visiting BYUStats.com.
 
UVU will enter Tuesday's contest with a 2-13 overall record and an 0-4 start in Western Athletic Conference play after getting swept by the defending WAC Tournament champion Sacramento State Hornets in the home-opening series at UCCU Ballpark over the weekend. The Hornets first took both games of a Friday doubleheader, 8-3 and 8-5, before claiming both games during Sunday's twin bill by a score of 10-4 in game one and an 11-7 come-from-behind late win in Sunday's nightcap.
 
In Sunday's series finale, Utah Valley got a solid start from sophomore Mason Gray and the Wolverines held a 5-0 lead into the seventh. But Sac State's offense responded with an eight-run seventh—that was aided by a pair of UVU defensive miscues—to take an 8-5 lead. The Hornets then tacked on three insurance runs in the top of the eighth and the Wolverines responded with a pair of runs in the last of the eighth, but it wasn't enough as Sac State went on to sweep the series.
 
Senior infield Kade Poulsen led UVU offensively last weekend by batting .412 with a trio of extra-base hits (one homer, one triple and one double), four RBIs and four runs scored. Senior outfielder Alexander Marco was right behind him with an even .400 average with two homers, two doubles, four RBIs and four runs scored. Drew Sims and Pacen Hayes were next by both batting .333, while Mitch Moralez hit .316 with a pair of RBIs and three runs scored. 
 
On the season, junior second baseman Moralez leads the Wolverines with a .323 average. He also has three doubles, seven RBIs, five runs scored and two stolen bases. Poulsen is next with a .289 clip, two doubles, one triple, one home run, five RBIs and six runs scored, while Marco tops the team in the power numbers with two homers, eight doubles, eight RBIs, five runs scored and a .288 batting average. Second-year freshman Nick Sims holds UVU's best numbers from its starting rotation with a 1-2 win-loss record, a 4.41 ERA, and 13 strikeouts in 16.1 innings. Sophomore Mason Gray is next with a 4.64 ERA and a team-high 20 strikeouts in 21.1 innings.
 
TUESDAY'S SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHERS
Junior right-hander Jaxson Otis is scheduled to get his first start of the season for the Wolverines on Tuesday afternoon. Last season as one of UVU's starting pitchers, Otis went 1-2 with a 5.03 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 19.2 innings of work. This year in relief, Otis has made four appearances and will enter Tuesday with a 0-1 record and a 5.40 ERA in 5.0 innings. Freshman lefty Boston Mabeus is scheduled to start for BYU. Mabeus is 1-2 on the year with a 6.75 ERA. He also holds 18 strikeouts in 9.1 innings.
 
ABOUT THE COUGARS
BYU will enter Tuesday with a 6-11 record on the year and a 3-0 start to West Coast Conference play after sweeping a three-game series at Loyola Marymount over the weekend. Prior to the LMU sweep, the Cougars had dropped eight of their last nine ballgames which included a 5-4 midweek game at WAC foe Dixie State last Tuesday. Brigham Young was picked to finish fourth in the WCC this year after going 7-9 last season and 36-17 overall in 2019 and winning the West Coast Conference that year with a 19-8 league record. Tuesday's contest will mark BYU's 2021 home opener.
 
Danny Gelalich leads BYU offensively on the season with a .333 average, while Mitch McIntyre is batting .318 with six extra-base hits (four doubles and two triples), five RBIs and eight runs scored. Joshua Cowden is currently leading the team in home runs with two, while Cole Gambill is tops on the squad with 14 RBIs. Easton Walker is the team's top pitcher with a 1-1 record, a 0.70 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 25.2 innings. 
 
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST BYU
Tuesday's UCCU Crosstown Clash will mark the 40th all-time meeting on the diamond between the neighboring rivals. BYU will enter play with a 30-9 all-time record and having won nine straight contests. UVU's last win against Brigham Young came on May 3, 2016, a 7-6 11-inning affair in Provo.
 
ON DECK FOR UTAH VALLEY
Following Tuesday's contest, the Wolverines will return to WAC play for a four-game series at Northern Colorado this weekend (March 26-28). The two teams will play Friday at 2 p.m., a Saturday doubleheader beginning at noon, and the series finale on Sunday on noon. Following the series, UVU will return home to Grand Canyon for four games at UCCU Ballpark next weekend (April 1-3).
 
DREW SIMS NAMED TO BUSTER POSEY AWARD WATCH LIST
Fourth-year junior catcher Drew Sims has been named to the Buster Posey National Catcher of the Year Watch List for the 2021 season. This marks the second time of his career that Sims has been named to the prestigious watch list, as he was previously named as a freshman in 2018 when it was called the Johnny Bench Award. Arguably the best defensive and receiving catcher in the WAC, Sims has already thrown out two would-be base stealers this season (2-for-3) and a total of 38 would-be base stealers in his career. He has started a total of 102 games in a UVU uniform behind the plate and batted .246 with five doubles, two homers, 26 RBIs and 21 runs scored during his last full season of competition in 2019. Sims is one of 69 catchers to be named to the watch list this season. It will then be narrowed down to semifinalists on May 20 and the finalists will be announced on June 7.