OREM, Utah — Utah Valley baseball returns home this weekend for a three-game series against Utah Tech. The two programs will renew the Old Hammer Rivalry, as the Wolverines have won seven straight in the series. The series is slated to begin Friday, April 17, with a 4:05 p.m. MT first pitch before continuing Saturday and Sunday.
 
BROADCAST INFO
All three games of the series will air on ESPN+, with Jordan Bianucci and Brice Larson on the call for Friday and Sunday. Bianucci will be joined by Michael Forgione for Saturday's game. Fans can also listen on the radio on 103.9 and 98.3 ESPN The Fan and follow along with live stats at GoUVU.com/stats.
 
UVU LAST TIME OUT
The Wolverines fell to Sacramento State last weekend in the conference opener and battled an on-the-rise Air Force team in Colorado. Five different hitters finished the five-game span with at least a .400 batting average, led by Kaden Carpenter, who went 6-for-18 with two home runs and nine RBIs. Mason Hamlin, Mason Strong, Chipper Beck and Derek Houston also reached the mark, with Hamlin and Houston both adding home runs.
 
Jacob Heppner added another strong outing against Sacramento State, finishing with 5 2/3 innings pitched and a career-high nine strikeouts. Maddax Peck went 2 2/3 innings in relief with a pair of strikeouts to aid the UVU pitching staff.
 
SCOUTING THE TRAILBLAZERS
Utah Tech enters the weekend series at 23-14 and 2-1 in the WAC. The Trailblazers had their WAC bye week last weekend and won a home series against Azusa Pacific. They won two of three against Sacramento State to begin conference play earlier in April.
 
Utah Tech is hitting over .300 as a team, with Ty Johnsen batting .366 and Petey Soto Jr. close behind at .359. Miller Durham leads the team with six home runs.
 
WAC Preseason Player of the Year Ryan Kroepel has five home runs and a .313 batting average this season and also serves as the closer, recording eight saves in 18 1/3 innings pitched.
 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST UTAH TECH
Utah Valley has dominated the series recently, winning seven straight games, including three by run rule. The last Trailblazers win in Orem came in 2022, and they have never won a series played in Orem. Overall, UVU holds a 16-13 record in the series since 2007.
 
UP NEXT
The Wolverines will hit the road for four games next week, starting Tuesday, April 21, at Utah in Salt Lake City. It marks the first of two trips north UVU will make this season. Utah Valley returns to conference action next weekend at Tarleton State.