OREM, Utah – Opening Day is upon us, as the new-look Utah Valley University baseball team will head to San Marcos, Texas to open its 2022 campaign in a four-game series this weekend at Texas State. Friday's opener will mark the NCAA Division I coaching debut of new UVU skipper Eddie Smith.
 
The four-game non-conference series will run Friday to Sunday, Feb. 18-20, at Texas State's Bobcat Ballpark. Friday's season opener will begin at 5 p.m. MT/6 p.m. CT and will be followed by a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. MT/2 p.m. CT. The opening-season series will then close on Sunday with an 11 a.m. MT/noon CT first pitch. Both Friday and Sunday's contests will be streamed live on ESPN+, but Saturday's doubleheader unfortunately will not be streamed due to a basketball conflict. Live stats will be available for all four games, however, by visiting UVUStats.com. Live audio will also be available for Friday and Sunday's games by clicking HERE.
 
"I'm thrilled to open the season this weekend. We have put in a lot of time in trying to invest in building this foundation as we go forward here and I can't wait to start things up on Friday," Smith said. "To be a Division I head coach has been a dream for me. This is my 16th year in coaching and it's obviously been something that has been in the back of my mind for a long time (to be a Division I head coach). I can't wait for the umpire to say, 'play ball', and for us to get after it with a really great group of guys."
 
Smith marks just UVU's third head coach at the NCAA Division I level (since UVU jumped to the Division I ranks prior to the 2004 campaign) and the fifth all-time, which includes the program's Junior College days. He comes to UVU from SEC power LSU where he spent two seasons as the team's hitting coach, and prior to that spent two years as the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator at Tulane. He also spent four years as a Junior College head coach at Lower Columbia College in Longview, Washington, from 2014-17, where he compiled a 146-49 record, won three region titles, two conference championships, and was named the 2015 ABCA National Coach of the Year at the JuCo level. Prior that that he also spent time as an assistant at his alma mater of Notre Dame, as well as at Santa Clara, and began his coaching career with five seasons at Virginia. He also brought a whole new staff with him to Orem, as Nate Rasmussen (recruiting coordinator), Grant Kukuk (pitching coach), Kade Kryzsko (first base coach), and Michael Forgione (student manager) are all in their first season's of coaching on Coach Smith's staff at UVU.
 
Smith and the staff aren't the only newcomers to the program this season, as the team welcomes in 20 newcomers to the squad. Of the newcomer group, 16 are transfers and half of those are Division I transfers, while seven are JuCo transfers, and one comes from an NCAA Division II school. The Wolverines also welcome back 17 letterwinners from the 2021 squad that includes six returning position player starters and three returning starting pitchers. A season ago, UVU went 10-47 overall and finished 10th in the WAC with an 8-28 conference record.
 
"Transfers in baseball have been more common than in other sports for years, especially the Junior College transfer. This is something that we are not a stranger to at all, since I have played, coached and recruited at the Junior College level in the past, but the Division I transfer portal is somewhat of a new dynamic and we are in a unique time with everyone having an extra year of eligibility (due to the COVID-19 pandemic)," Smith said. "Naturally the system is overflowing with good players in the transfer portal, and I think we have been the beneficiary of that. I'm excited with what our newcomers will bring to the table, and I feel that they will really help our team be successful."
 
Of the 20 newcomers, one is sophomore shortstop Kayler Yates who comes to UVU from the University of Utah where he spent the last two seasons. He is originally from St. George, Utah and was drafted out of high school in the 31st round by the Dodgers. He is also expected to spend some time on the mound this season for the Wolverines as well. 
 
"Coach Smith reached out to me over the summer, when I was in the transfer portal, and made me realize that this was a good fit for me and that I wanted to play here. With the new coaching staff and with him coming from the SEC, he brings a lot to this program, and we are excited to try to turn things around," Yates said. "We can't wait to get things going this weekend."
 
A number of other newcomers are expected to make big contributions this season in first baseman Brody Ponti (a junior transfer from Everett CC), outfielder Trey Cutchen (a sophomore transfer from Chandler-Gilbert CC), outfielder and speedster Paul Vossen (a sophomore transfer from Iowa), catcher Copper Hansen (a junior transfer from Lamar), left-handed pitcher Andrew Hauck (a sophomore transfer from Southern Nevada), right-handed pitcher Josh Brown (a sophomore transfer from Houston), lefty Cameron Scudder (a junior transfer from Hawaii-Hilo), and fellow southpaw Cal Beardsley (a senior transfer from Little Rock) as well as others. 
 
"It has been a pretty easy adjustment for me getting used to Coach Smith's system and we're all excited about our coaching staff this year. It has been fun seeing them grow as well as seeing the guys come together as we get closer to the season," senior transfer and Orem native Bearsley said. "I wanted to finish my career back home and I am in the process of getting a second degree, so it worked out well for me to play at UVU this season. I think there is a lot of exciting potential around this team. We have a lot of really good bats and some really good arms, so it's going to be fun to watch everyone mesh together as a team."
 
Of the returners, UVU welcomes back a number of returning starters including senior outfielder/infielder Mitch Moralez, who led the team in batting last season with a .274 average. He also led the way in runs scored with 28 and stolen bases with five, and finished second on the squad in RBIs (25) and doubles (8), and third in home runs with four. The Wolverines also welcome back fifth-year senior catcher Drew Sims, junior infielder Mick Madsen, sophomore infielder Garrett Broussard as well as a number of others. On the mound, UVU welcomes back a trio of starting pitchers from last year's squad in junior RHP Mason Gray, senior RHP Bobby Voortmeyer, and sophomore RHP Nick Sims. A number of other pitchers from last season also return in senior southpaw Blake Zeleny, sophomore righty Devin Smith, and sophomore lefty Dylan Cook who led the team with a 4.01 ERA in 2021. 
 
"On the mound, there's a lot of excitement around Devin Smith. He's shown some really encouraging progress and has been throwing hard and pounding the strike zone. We're also looking for big things from Blake Zeleny, Mason Gray, as well as others from our returning pitching group," said Smith. "Offensively, Mick Madsen and Garrett Broussard both had great fall seasons for us and we're hoping that they can just keep that momentum going along as well as strong play from a number of our other returners." 
 
SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHERS FOR THIS WEEKEND'S SERIES
The sophomore right-hander Smith (1-3, 10.22 ERA in 2021) will get the ball in the season opener for UVU on Friday in just his third career start and will face Texas State RHP Zeke Wood (3-5, 4.45 ERA in 2021). On Saturday, senior lefty Beardsley (transfer from Little Rock) will start for UVU in game one while junior RHP Mason Gray (3-7, 5.70 ERA in 2021), who led the team last season in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched, will get the ball in the nightcap. They will face TXST RHP Triston Dixon (0-2, 8.20 ERA in 2021) and RHP Levi Wells (transfer from Texas Tech). On Sunday, UVU is yet to announce its starter, while the Bobcats will go with RHP Tony Robie (0-2, 5.26 ERA in 2021).
 
ABOUT TEXAS STATE
The Bobcats will enter this weekend's opening series off of a 21-36 record a year ago which included a sixth-place finish in the Sun Belt's West Division with a 9-15 conference record. Texas State finished the season on a nine-game losing streak, but earlier in the year knocked off No. 9 TCU, as well as Big 12 foe Oklahoma, WAC foes New Mexico State, UTRGV and Sam Houston, as well as UVU rival BYU twice. The Bobcats were picked to finish seventh in the Sun Belt this season and return 25 players from last year's squad and also welcome in 18 newcomers. 
 
The Bobcats welcome back their top hitter from last season senior infielder Justin Thompson, who batted .284 and a team-high 37 RBIs. Power hitter Jose Gonzalez is also back after leading the team a season ago in extra-base hits with 24, as he had 14 doubles, seven homers and three triples while hitting .274. From the pitching staff, Friday's scheduled starter Wood led TXST in 2021 with a 4.45 ERA, as he went 3-5 with 56 strikeouts. Closer Tristan Stivors is also back after leading the team with five saves a season ago. 
 
ALL-TIME HISTORY
Friday's season opener will mark the first all-time meeting between UVU and Texas State on the baseball diamond. 
 
UVU ALL-TIME ON OPENING DAY
Utah Valley begins its 19th season of NCAA Division I baseball in 2022. The Wolverines are 5-13 all-time in season openers and 13-48-1 all-time on opening weekend. Last season, UVU defeated Saint Mary's by a score of 2-1 in Moraga in the season opener en route to splitting the four-game series. 
 
UP NEXT FOR UVU
Following this weekend's season opening series, the Wolverines are scheduled to host their earliest home game in the program's NCAA Division I history on Tuesday, Feb. 22 as in-state and Pac-12 rival Utah is set to come to UCCU Ballpark for a 4:05 p.m. first pitch. After that contest, UVU is then set to again hit the road for a four-game non-conference series at San Francisco next weekend (Feb. 25-27).