OREM, Utah – After playing its first 13 games on the road, the Utah Valley University baseball team returns home for the first time on the season to welcome two-time defending WAC champion California Baptist to UCCU Ballpark for a three-game league series this weekend.
 
Due to cold temperatures expected in the Orem area on Friday, the series will now start on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 11:05 a.m. (game two of the twin bill will follow approximately 40 minutes after the conclusion of game one). UVU and CBU will then close the weekend series on Sunday at 12:05 p.m. All three games of the series will be streamed live on ESPN+ and the ESPN App. Live audio will also be available by visiting GoUVU.com while live stats can be followed for all three contests at UVUStats.com.
 
"It will be a great opportunity to compete against a tough opponent in our own ballpark. We come off of a nice finish to a long road trip and need to keep playing quality baseball. When we do that, we put ourselves in a good position to get the results we want," head UVU coach Eddie Smith said.
 
UVU, who has won three straight games, will enter this weekend's action with a 5-8 overall record and a 1-2 start to WAC play. After taking one of three in the conference-opening series at in-state foe Dixie State last weekend, the Wolverines then went on to cap a five-game in five-day road trip by sweeping a pair of midweek games at UNLV (who was picked to finish second in the Mountain West this season). In the midweek set at UNLV, strong pitching and aggressive baserunning helped the Wolverines pull out Monday's opener, 3-2, before the offense banged out 13 hits en route to scoring 12 runs on Tuesday to sweep the two-game set with a 12-9 win on Tuesday.
 
In Monday's opener at UNLV, the Wolverines managed to break a 2-2 tie in the eighth as Cole Jordan came around to score when Kyle Coburn put a sacrifice bunt into play and UNLV airmailed the throw to first allowing Jordan to come around to score from second base and give UVU a 3-2 lead. Freshman Hunter Tueller then came on and pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth and shortstop Kayler Yates moved to the mound in the ninth and went on to record his first collegiate save after escaping a jam in the ninth. 
 
In Tuesday's contest, UVU built an early 6-0 lead after jumping out with a crooked number in the top of the first. The Wolverines later extended their advantage to 12-4 in the fifth after four more runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth. The Rebels then tried to make things interesting by adding runs in the sixth, eighth and ninth innings to pull within three at 12-9, but Utah Valley's Bobby Voortmeyer did a nice job of limiting the damage down the stretch on the mound to help the Wolverines pull out the victory and sweep the two-game midweek set. 
 
Jordan led UVU in Monday's opener at UNLV by going 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Mick Madsen went 2-for-4. On Tuesday, all nine Wolverines recorded hits and Mitch Moralez led the way by going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base while Trey Cutchen went 2-for-5 with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI. 
 
Over the five-game in five-day span, Cutchen led the Wolverines at the plate by hitting .471 (8-for-17) with a double, a triple, two RBIs and five runs scored. He will also enter this weekend's series on a team-best 10-game hitting streak. Moralez also hit well by batting .450 (9-for-20) with a home run, a double, three RBIs, five runs scored and two stolen bases, and has also hit safely in eight straight games. Coburn, Garrett Broussard, Paul Vossen and Jordan also hit .333 for UVU over the last five games. Coop Rust, Luke McCullough and Nick Sims led the way on the mound during the five-game span by each going 1-0 with perfect 0.00 ERAs. Josh Brown and Yates also each recorded a save during the stretch while holding perfect 0.00 ERAs.
 
On the season, Moralez leads UVU with a .420 batting average and team-high tallies of four doubles and eight runs scored. He also has a homer, three stolen bases, six RBIs and leads the team in both slugging (.560) and on-base percentage (.473). Cutchen is next with a .346 clip, three doubles, a triple, five RBIs and seven runs scored. Vossen and Madsen are next with respective .294 and .273 averages, while Brody Ponti and Copper Hansen are tied for the team lead in RBIs with eight. On the mound, the reliever Josh Brown holds an unblemished 0.00 ERA with a save while striking out five over 5.0 innings of work. Fellow reliever Nick Sims is next with a 1-0 record, 1.29 ERA and a team-high two saves over 7.0 innings. Mason Gray leads UVU's starting rotation, as he holds a 0-0 win-loss record, 4.38 ERA and eight strikeouts over 12.1 innings. McCullough and Voortmeyer are tied for the team lead in strikeouts with 10. 
 
SERIES SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHERS
Sophomore right-hander Devin Smith (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will get the start on the mound for UVU in Saturday's opening game and will face a yet-to-be-announced pitcher from CBU. The Wolverines' starter in game two is to-be-announced, while CBU will go with RHP CJ Culpepper (2-0, 0.53 ERA). On Sunday, UVU RHP Gray (0-0, 4.38 ERA) will get the ball against RHP Drew Necochea (1-1, 3.00 ERA) of the Lancers. 
 
DREW SIMS NAMED TO BUSTER POSEY WATCH LIST FOR THIRD TIME
The Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission released the watch list for the 2022 Buster Posey National Catcher of the Year Award on Thursday and fifth-year senior Drew Sims has made the cut for the third time in his career. After being named to the prestigious award's watch list as a freshman in 2018, Sims has now been named to the watch list for the award in back-to-back seasons as he was also named to the watch list in 2021. Sims is again primed for another solid season behind the plate for the Wolverines as he is one of the top defensive catchers in the WAC after throwing out 13 would-be base stealers a season ago to tie for the conference lead in that category.
 
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
The two-time defending WAC regular-season champion CBU Lancers will come to Orem with an 8-3 overall record and a 0-3 WAC clip. California Baptist won its first seven games of the season (three vs. Coppin State and four vs. Purdue Fort Wayne) before getting swept in its WAC-opening series at home against Grand Canyon last weekend. The Lancers then responded, however, by claiming a 4-3 midweek victory at CSU Bakersfield on Tuesday. CBU earned a share of the conference title last season after going 40-16 overall and 29-7 in WAC play. The Lancers were picked to finish third in the West Division of the WAC this season.
 
Michael Carpentier leads CBU at the plate with a .533 average while Jake Skipworth is next with a .474 clip and team-high tallies of seven doubles and 14 RBIs. Harrison Spohn is batting .385 and Chad Castillo follows with a .381 average and leads the team with three home runs. Preseason all-conference selection Culpepper leads CBU's pitching staff with a 2-0 record, 0.53 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 17.0 innings of work. Ryan Silva, Seth Mattox, Liam Rocha and Mason McGarvey are all yet to allow a run in relief work, as they all hold 0.00 ERAs. 
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's opener will mark the eighth all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Lancers. CBU will enter play with a perfect 7-0 record after having swept both previous series, a three-game set in Riverside in 2019 and a four-game series in SoCal last season. 
 
ON DECK FOR UVU
Following this weekend's home-opening series, the Wolverines will return to the road for a three-game league series at the defending WAC Tournament champion Grand Canyon Lopes next weekend in Phoenix (March 18-20). UVU will then host neighboring rival BYU for a UCCU Crosstown Clash at UCCU Ballpark on Tuesday, March 22.