OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University baseball team will welcome WAC newcomer Tarleton State University to town for a four-game league series Friday to Sunday, April 16-18, at UCCU Ballpark. 
 
The series will open on Friday with a 6 p.m. contest. The two teams will then play a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m., followed by the series finale on Sunday at 11 a.m. Originally scheduled for a noon start on Sunday, the weekend finale has been moved up an hour to accommodate Tarleton's travel plans.
 
All four games will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network as well as the GoUVU channel on YouTube. Live audio will also be available for all four contests by visiting GoUVU.com/Watch as well as live stats via UVUStats.com.
 
UVU will enter the series with a 6-23 overall record and a 4-12 conference clip after taking one of four at the defending WAC champion UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros last week. After dropping the opener as well as the first game of last Saturday's twin bill by scores of 6-1 and 5-4, the Wolverines then responded by pulling out an 11-inning thriller in the nightcap on Saturday by a score of 6-5. Then looking for a series split in the finale on Sunday, and all tied up at 2-2 in extra innings again, UTRGV managed to hit a 10th-inning walk-off home run to take the finale 6-2 and the series. 
 
In Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning victory, Andrew Hacker was the hero for UVU by blasting out a go-ahead two-run home run to left in the 11th inning to give the Wolverines a 6-4 advantage at the time. With the international tiebreaker in effect and the go-ahead run being placed on second base in Kyle Coburn, Hacker led off the 11th with his first collegiate round tripper down the leftfield line to give the Wolverines the lead. The right-hander Devin Smith then came on for UVU in the bottom of the 11th and picked up his second save of the season after limiting the Vaqueros to just one unearned run in the last of the inning. With a run in and one out in the frame and with UTRGV threatening for more with the tying run on second and the winning run on first, Smith and the UVU defense managed to seal the victory thanks to a 6-4-3 double play to end the ballgame. 
 
Freshman Tavyn Lords led UVU offensively in the UTRGV series by batting .385 with a double, while senior Kade Poulsen followed with a .375 clip, two RBIs and two runs scored, and the redshirt freshman Hacker batted .368 with a homer, two RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base. Last Sunday's starter Mason Gray led UVU's rotation against the Vaqueros by allowing just one earned run on four hits while striking out seven over 6.0 innings of work. Relievers Logan Petet, Jaxson Otis and Smith all pitched scoreless relief appearances, while Smith picked up the save and Spenser Triplett earned the win in Saturday's victory.
 
Junior Mitch Moralez leads the Wolverines on the season with a .280 average, 33 hits and four stolen bases, while senior Alexander Marco is next with a .274 clip. Marco also tops the team and the WAC with 13 doubles and is tied for the team lead with three home runs and second in RBIs with 12. Marco's 13 two-baggers are enough to tie him for the fourth most in the nation currently. Poulsen is next with a .253 batting average and leads the way in RBIs with 16 and is tied for Marco with the team lead in homers with three. Junior RHP Bobby Voortmeyer leads UVU's starting rotation with a 2-3 record and a 3.58 ERA, while Gray tops the team in strikeouts with 41 in 36.1 innings of work. Freshman reliever Carson Brown has the best ERA on the team with a 2.08 earned-run average and will enter the series holding opponents to a team-best .154 batting average. 
 
SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHERS FOR THE SERIES
Senior right-hander and Preseason All-WAC selection Jesse Schmit (1-5, 9.64 ERA) is scheduled to start on the mound for Utah Valley in Friday's series opener and will face Tarleton southpaw Alex Pinedo (2-4, 4.76 ERA). On Saturday, the Wolverines are slated to start a pair of righties in second-year freshman Nick Sims (1-4, 5.34) in the first game of the doubleheader followed by the junior Voortmeyer (2-3, 3.58 ERA) in the nightcap. The Texans are slated to start righties Luke Baley (3-3, 4.03 ERA) and Bryce Hackett 1-3, 8.03 ERA on Saturday. The righty Gray (1-4, 4.95 ERA) is then scheduled to get the ball for UVU on Sunday and will face-off against Tarleton RHP Ryan Jacobs (0-1, 8.59 ERA). 
 
ABOUT THE TARLETON TEXANS
The Tarleton Texans, who are in their first year of transitioning from NCAA Division II to Division I Athletics, are from Stephenville, Texas—which is located an hour and 15 minutes southwest of Fort Worth. Tarleton will come to town with a 12-23 overall record and just ahead of UVU in the WAC standings with a 5-11 conference clip. After dropping three of four to Dixie State two weeks ago, the Texans responded by winning three of four at Seattle U last weekend. Tarleton then dropped a 10-2 midweek contest to No. 12 TCU in Fort Worth on Tuesday. The Texans also hold wins on the season over WAC foe Sacramento State, as well as non-conference opponents Abilene Christian, Northwestern State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Missouri State, Lamar and Dallas Baptist. Tarleton was picked to tie for ninth in its first season of competition in the WAC after going 14-10 at the Div. II level in 2020. 
 
Jordan Parker leads Tarleton with a .308 batting average, while Tyler Fowler follows with a .290 clip, three home runs, 15 RBIs and 21 runs scored. Colby Seltzer and Kemuel Rivera front the squad in the power numbers, as they each have five home runs, along with 22 and 19 RBIs respectively. The right-hander Luke Baley fronts Tarleton's starting rotation with a 3-3 record and a 4.03 ERA. He and Friday's starter Pinedo are tied for the team lead in strikeouts with 46 apiece. 
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. TARLETON
Friday's opener will mark the first all-time meeting between the Wolverines and the Texans on the baseball diamond. 

TICKET INFORMATION
Fans will be allowed to attend the series and socially distanced reserved seats will be sold in pods of four for $5 per ticket ($20 total for the pod). General admission tickets will also be available for purchase in the grass berm for $5 per ticket. Concessions will be unavailable for purchase this weekend, but fans will be allowed to bring in outside drinks and/or snacks. To purchase reserved seats, please call 801-863-7468 or buy them at the gate. All grass berm tickets can be purchased online by clicking here.
 
Face coverings will be required, and fans must adhere to all state and local government guidelines.