PROVO, Utah — Fresh off its first Big 12 series win in baseball, BYU hits the road for a Tuesday meeting with Utah Tech on March 19 followed by a three-game showdown with Texas Tech March 21-23.
| BYU (9-8) at Utah Tech (5-15) | Bruce Hurst Field | St. George, UT | |||
| Game Date & Time (MDT) | Watch | Listen | Live Stats |
| Tuesday, March 19 at 6:05 p.m. | ESPN+ | BYU Radio 107.9/BYU Radio App | Follow Here |
| BYU (9-8, 3-3) at Texas Tech (14-6, 2-4) | Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park | Lubbock, TX | |||
| Game Dates & Times (CDT) | Watch | Listen | Live Stats |
| Thursday, March 21 at 6:30 p.m. | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | BYU Radio App | Follow Here |
| Friday, March 22 at 6:30 p.m. | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | BYU Radio 107.9/BYU Radio App | Follow Here |
| Saturday, March 23 at 2 p.m. | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | BYU Radio 107.9/BYU Radio App | Follow Here |
BYU IN WEEK FIVE
BYU (9-8, 3-3) captured a Big 12 series win over Houston (2-9, 4-2, 10-8) with consecutive victories March 15-16 at Miller Park. Following the weekend’s wins, the Cougars are tied for sixth in the conference standings with Cincinnati and Kansas.
Infielders Easton Jones and Crew Robinson were integral to BYU’s success versus Houston. Jones hit .455 for the series with three runs on five hits, including three home runs for three RBI. Robinson recorded three runs on four hits while hitting .400 on the weekend. The senior from Cedar Hills, Utah put up a double, triple, home run and four RBI in Saturday’s win alone.
Catcher Collin Reuter also bolstered BYU’s offense with four runs on five hits, two doubles, two RBI and .500 in three games against UH.
Jones leads BYU on the season with .377 for 10 runs on 23 hits, four doubles, six homers and 13 RBI. The third baseman enters week six ranked second in the Big 12 in slugging percentage at .738.
Pitchers Mason Olson and Candon Dahle earned BYU’s wins over Houston. Olson maintains his hold on the conference’s top pitching spot with 0.89 ERA in 20.1 innings pitched. The Cougar reliever also ranks third in the Big 12 in opponent batting average at .189.
Stone Cushing got the save in BYU’s 4-2 win on Friday and is now tied with UCF’s Chase Centala for a league-leading four saves.
The Cougar pitching staff ranks fifth in the Big 12 with a combined ERA of 4.53 and will face the Big 12’s best batting order (.327) this week at Texas Tech. BYU’s bats, meanwhile, will see the conference’s 11th-ranked pitching staff (5.83 ERA) this weekend in Lubbock.
KNOW THE FOE
UTAH TECH (5-15): BYU and Utah Tech will meet for the 17th time on Tuesday. The Cougars lead the all-time series 13-3 but are tied at three wins a-piece with the Trailblazers when playing in St. George. BYU’s last meeting with Utah Tech resulted in an 8-5 Cougar win in Provo on April 11, 2023.
Utah Tech head coach Chris Pfatenhauer is in his 12th season at the helm and holds a career head coaching record of 318-247-1. Pfatenhauer’s Trailblazers went 13-39 and 11-18 at home while finishing 13th in the WAC in 2023.
Utah Tech was picked to finish 11th in the 2024 WAC Preseason Coaches Poll and is off to a 5-15 (3-3) record, including 3-8 at Bruce Hurst Field. The Trailblazers have won three of their last four games with a series win versus Sacramento State (9-7, 4-9, 5-4) March 15-17 and a 6-5 victory at UT Arlington on March 10. Hank Dodson and Hunter Katschke lead Utah Tech with a combined 20 RBI and nine doubles.
BYU starting centerfielder Bryker Hurdsman transferred from Utah Tech following the 2023 season. Hurdsman recorded two hits, a homer and two RBI for the Trailblazers’ in their matchups with BYU a season ago.
TEXAS TECH (14-6, 2-4): The Cougars and Red Raiders meet for the ninth time on Thursday. Texas Tech leads the all-time series 6-2 and won the teams’ last meeting 4-2 in Lubbock on February 24, 2014. BYU is 1-6 all-time at Texas Tech and last beat the Red Raiders in a 4-1 decision at the Rawlings Phoenix Invitational on February 19, 1998.
Tim Tadlock is in his 12th season at the helm in Lubbock and holds a 868-360 record with three Big 12 titles and four College World Series appearances. Tadlock’s Texas Tech team went 30-7 at home in 2023 on the way to a 41-23 (12-12) record and sixth-place finish in the Big 12. The Red Raiders capped 2023 with a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and game-seven loss to No. 1 seed Florida at the Gainesville Regional.
The Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll picked Texas Tech to finish fourth in the league in 2024. The Red Raiders held a spot in the D1Baseball.com Poll through each of the season’s first five weeks before falling from the rankings on March 18.
Texas Tech went 2-2 a week ago with a series loss at Baylor (2-0, 1-5, 2-7) following a 9-7 win versus New Mexico State. The Red Raiders will face Abilene Christian on March 19 prior to the weekend series with BYU.
Texas Tech enters the week tied for ninth in the Big 12 standings with Baylor and UCF. The Red Raiders’ Damian Bravo leads the league with 32 hits and ranks second in batting average (.432) and runs scored (27).