OREM, Utah – Fresh off a 14-3 victory over in-state foe Utah on Tuesday, the Utah Valley University baseball team will head to the Pacific Northwest this weekend for a three-game WAC series at Seattle U. With inclement weather scheduled for later in the week, the series has been shifted up a day and will now be contested Thursday to Saturday, April 7-9, at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue, Washington.
 
Thursday's opener is scheduled for a 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT time start. The two teams are then slated to play on Friday at 5 p.m. MT/4 p.m. PT and close the series on Saturday at 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT. Game times may be altered, however, due to rain. All three games will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network and live stats will be available via SeattleStats.com.
 
"We're excited to get after it this weekend. We just want to continue playing quality baseball," head UVU coach Eddie Smith said. "If you look at what we've done since the Bakersfield series, we have taken a step up in the quality of baseball we've played overall. This is a game where you want to have sound habits and sound fundamentals, and when you do that, you tend to end up on top the majority of the time. And that's what we're looking to continue to do."
 
Utah Valley will enter the series with a 10-19 overall record and a 3-9 clip in WAC play. The Wolverines have won four of their last eight ballgames, which includes taking one of three from Sacramento State at home last weekend as well as a 14-3 rout over Pac-12 and in-state foe Utah on Tuesday afternoon at UCCU Ballpark.
 
In the 14-3 win over the Utes on Tuesday, UVU banged out season-high tallies of 21 hits and four home runs as well as tied a season high in runs scored with 14. A total of 10 Wolverines tallied hits in the game and senior Mitch Moralez led the way by going 4-for-6 with two home runs and three RBIs while Mick Madsen also tallied a four-hit outing by going 4-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Kyle Coburn and Spencer Olsen also homered in the game for UVU, while Paul Vossen recorded three hits by going 3-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.
 
UVU trailed 2-0 early in the game but responded with a seven-run second inning en route to pulling out the in-state midweek victory. Luke McCollough earned the win in relief for Utah Valley after surrendering just one run over 3.0 innings of work, while Blake Zeleny, Bobby Voortmeyer, and Andrew Hauck all tossed scoreless outings in the late innings. 
 
Over UVU's last eight games, Moralez is leading UVU offensively by posting an impressive .500 batting average (18-for-36) with three homers, four doubles, 10 RBIs and seven runs scored. Madsen is next by batting .471 during the stretch with six extra-base hits, 10 RBIs, and eight runs scored, while Olsen is also hitting .471 with two homers and six RBIs, and Vossen follows with a .419 clip, four extra-base knocks and seven runs scored. Kayler Yates has led UVU on the mound during the stretch by going 1-0 and posting a perfect 0.00 ERA over 4.2 innings, while Nick Sims is 2-0 during the stretch with a 1.04 ERA and five strikeouts over 8.2 innings. 
 
On the season, Moralez paces the Wolverine offense and is tied for fifth in the WAC with a .393 batting average. He also fronts the team with four homers, nine doubles, 16 RBIs, a .573 slugging and a .427 on-base clip. Madsen is next with a .327 average, eight extra-base hits, 18 runs scored and tied for the team lead in RBIs with 16, while Vossen follows with a .310 clip, seven extra-base hits and a team-high seven stolen bases. On the mound, Nick Sims fronts the staff with a 4-0 record and a 1.25 ERA in 21.2 innings of relief work. Carson Brown fronts UVU's rotation with an 0-1 record, 4.74 ERA and a team-best 20 strikeouts over 19.0 innings of work.
 
SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHERS
Right-hander Devin Smith (0-2, 5.79 ERA) will get the start for UVU in Thursday's series opener and will face SU RHP Brady Liddle (1-3, 6.13 ERA). On Friday, righty Mason Gray (0-2, 6.08 ERA) is scheduled to get the ball for UVU and will face Seattle lefty Peter Chronowski (2-3, 3.23 ERA). On Saturday, UVU's starter is TBA and the Redhawks will go with RHP Nestor German (0-2, 8.53 ERA).
 
ABOUT THE REDHAWKS
Seattle University will enter the weekend with a 7-17 overall record and tied for fourth in the WAC West Division with a 5-7 conference clip. SU most recently dropped all three games at California Baptist last weekend but prior to that won two of three from both New Mexico State and Sac State as well as took one of three from Dixie State. The Redhawks were picked to finish seventh in the West Division of the WAC this season after going 18-33 overall and 10-22 in league play last year.
 
Matt Boissoneault fronts Seattle with a .368 batting average 12 extra-base hits, 21 RBIs and 14 runs scored, while Derek Gellos is next with a .343 clip. Shane Jamison and Grant Heiser are tied for the team lead in home runs with four. The southpaw Chronowski leads the SU pitching staff with a 2-3 record, a 3.23 ERA, and 32 strikeouts in 39.0 innings of work. 
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Thursday's opener will mark the 34th all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Redhawks. SU will enter play holding to a slight 19-14 advantage after taking four of five from the Wolverines last season. UVU's lone win last year was a 14-5 victory in the regular-season finale to earn a spot to compete at the 2021 WAC Baseball Tournament. Moralez led the way for UVU in that game by going 4-for-5 with a homer, five RBIs, and four runs scored.  
 
ON DECK FOR UVU
The Wolverines will continue the trip by heading across the bridge to Seattle to face Pac-12 foe Washington on Monday, April 11 at 7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT. UVU will then return home for a three-game WAC series in the Old Hammer Rivalry against Dixie State next weekend at UCCU Ballpark (April 14-16).