PROVO, Utah — BYU baseball continues an eight-game home stand at Miller Park this week with games versus Utah Tech on April 16, followed by a three-game series with Oklahoma April 18-20.
| Utah Tech (9-26) at BYU (14-18) | Miller Park | Provo, UT | |||
| Game Dates & Times (MDT) | Watch | Listen | Live Stats |
| Tuesday, April 16 at 6 p.m. | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | BYU Radio 107.9/BYU Radio App | Follow Here |
| Oklahoma (21-14, 11-4) at BYU (14-18, 6-12) | Miller Park | Provo, UT | |||
| Game Dates & Times (MDT) | Watch | Listen | Live Stats |
| Thursday, April 17 at 6 p.m. | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | BYU Radio 107.9/BYU Radio App | Follow Here |
| Friday, April 18 at 6 p.m. | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | BYU Radio 107.9/BYU Radio App | Follow Here |
| Saturday, April 19 at 1 p.m. | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | BYU Radio 107.9/BYU Radio App | Follow Here |
WEEK NINE REVIEW
After a midweek win over Utah on April 9 and losses to Baylor April 11-13, BYU is currently 12th in the Big 12 standings with league leading Oklahoma coming to Miller Park on Thursday.
BYU first baseman Cooper Vest had a strong showing against the Bears last week, totaling nine RBI, seven runs and 16 total bases in four games. Vest also recorded the Big 12’s fourth-best weekly slugging percentage at 1.143. The junior from St. George, Utah went 3-for-4 with 7 RBI and two triples in BYU’s 18-17 loss to Baylor on Saturday. Vest joined Cincinnati’s Tommy O’Connor as one of just two Big 12 players to record multiple triples in week nine.
The Cougars’ 12 triples on the season are good for second in the Big 12, just in front of Oklahoma’s 11.
BYU's 18-17 barnburner loss to Baylor on April 13 featured the Big 12’s highest combined runs scored (35) and triples recorded (3) in a game this season.
While the Cougars came up short versus the Bears on Saturday, several underclassmen came away with key experience. Sophomore catcher Parker Goff entered the game midway through the contest on Saturday and went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a home run. Freshman Kuhio Aloy recorded two hits in four at bats with four RBI and a double, while freshman Crew McChesney came off the bench to record an RBI and a triple on 2-for-3 from the plate.
Mason Olson and Stone Cushing continue to rank among the top pitchers in the Big 12. Olson’s 3.03 ERA is fourth in the Big 12, his 18 appearances tied for third and his .211 batting average allowed ranks ninth. Cushing maintains a tie for first in the league with seven saves on the year.
KNOW THE FOE
UTAH TECH (9-26): BYU and Utah Tech meet for the 18th time on Tuesday. The Cougars lead the all-times series 14-3 and 10-0 when facing the Trailblazers in Provo. Luke Anderson, Chipper Beck and Aloy led BYU to an 11-6 win over Utah Tech in the teams’ first meeting in St. George on March 19. Anderson went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run, while Beck went 2-for-3 for an RBI and two runs. Aloy tacked on a run and three RBI.
Trailblazer head coach Chris Pfatenhauer is in his 12th season at the helm and holds a career head coaching record of 322-258-1. Pfatenhauer’s club finished 13-39 and 13th in the Western Athletic Conference in 2023.
Utah Tech was picked to finish 11th in the 2024 WAC Preseason Coaches Poll and is currently 9-26 (7-11) on the season, including 4-13 on the road and ninth in the WAC standings. The Trailblazers are coming off a series loss to Tarleton State (2-16, 4-1, 7-10) April 12-14 and setbacks in seven of their last eight overall with two losses at UNLV along with three at Utah Valley. Utah Tech’s 2024 campaign has been highlighted thus far by a 9-8 win at now No. 15 Oklahoma State on March 5.
Catcher Hank Dodson and outfielder Hunter Katschke headline the Trailblazer offense. Dodson bats .320 with 16 runs on 40 hits and 17 RBI. Katschke comes to Provo batting .316 with 22 runs on 37 hits and a team-leading 23 RBI. Right-handed pitcher Aaron Morris leads Utah Tech with 2.25 ERA and .220 average allowed in 15 appearances.
OKLAHOMA (21-14, 11-4): Thursday marks the 11th all-time meeting between BYU and Oklahoma, and the first-ever meeting in the series at either team’s home ballpark. The Cougars’ 10 previous matchups with the Sooners have come at neutral sites, with the most recent played in Las Vegas Feb. 26-28, 2015, and the first at the Riverside Baseball Invitational in Riverside, California on March 23, 1971.
Oklahoma leads the all-time series 8-2. BYU took one of four games with the Sooners in 2015 (1-7, 2-3, 4-3, 6-7) and won 21-13 on March 1, 1997 at the Fiesta Diamond Classic in Tempe, Arizona.
Sooner headman Skip Johnson is 210-146 in his seventh season at the helm in Norman. Johnson’s team finished 45-24 and national runner-up to Ole Miss at the 2022 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. In 2023, Oklahoma finished 32-28 (11-13) and seventh in the Big 12 before falling to East Carolina as a No. 3 seed in the Charlottesville Regional at the NCAA Tournament.
The Sooners were picked to finish tied for sixth with West Virginia in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll but both teams are tied for first through 15 league games. Oklahoma arrives in Provo following a three-game sweep at home versus Kansas State (12-5, 11-4, 8-7) April 12-14. The Sooners’ 2024 campaign also includes wins over now No. 4 Tennessee, No. 15 Oklahoma State and No. 22 West Virginia.
Infielder Jackson Nicklaus leads Oklahoma in batting average (.378) and the Big 12 in on-base percentage at .511. Four Sooners have 25 RBI or more to their name this season. Outfielder Bryce Madron leads the Big 12 with 45 runs scored on the season. Pitchers Kyson Witherspoon and Braden Davis have combined for 103 strikeouts through 35 games with Witherspoon a team-leading 3.51 ERA.