Baseball prepares for GWC opener

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UVU baseball starts its first year of Great West Conference play with a three-game series against the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota beginning April 9.”

As of March 30, the Wolverines are 8-10, which is good considering the teams they have faced in its non-conference schedule.

UVU has faced the likes of Arizona, Florida International, pre-season top 25 Oregon State, UC Riverside, Cal Poly, Portland, Gonzaga, Southern Utah and the University of Utah.

The Wolverines are led by its play at the plate, with the team hitting .331 and averaging just over eight runs a game.

Utah Valley has five players hitting over .300 and three of the five are hitting over .400.

Junior center fielder Chris Benson leads the way, batting an unbelievable .494 with three home runs and 23 runs batted in. Senior catcher Sage Thorpe is right behind, hitting .406 and senior third baseman Jace Brinkerhoff, who is hitting .402, leads the team with four home runs.

The pitching staff for the Wolverines has been the weak point, posting an earned run average of 7.50; however, the Fighting Sioux may be just what they needed.

North Dakota, as of March 30, is a dismal 1-13. The Fighting Sioux are hitting .200 as a team and have scored just over three runs a game.

Much like the Wolverines, North Dakota’s pitching staff has struggled with a team earned run average of 9.63.

The Wolverines will try to take advantage of the struggling Fighting Sioux and play in its first Great West Conference game at Brent Brown Ballpark.