Photo by Brigham Berthold
The baseball team faces crosstown rival BYU Tuesday night for the second matchup against an in-state foe this season. The Cougars sport a record just above .500 with a winning mark at home and losing record on the road. They have a plus-70 run differential over UVU on the season, showing a potent offense. The Cougars biggest threat in the lineup is outfielder Brock Hale, who is batting .398 with a .624 slugging percentage. He has 13 extra-base hits and 17 RBIs to round out impressive offensive numbers. Hayden Rogers anchors the pitching staff with a 2-1 record and a 2.23 ERA. Whether BYU will throw its ace in a mid-week matchup remains to be seen.
The Wolverines will then open up a three-game set with Cal State Bakersfield Thursday evening for the third conference series this season. The Runners have had a slow start to conference play having been swept by Grand Canyon and losing two of three to UTRGV. CSUB’s lineup will be a tough test for Wolverine pitchers as four Runners own batting averages above .300 and two players above .400. The Runners have a horse in Max Carter, who has pitched 40.2 innings thus far, limiting batters to a .240 batting average.
The UVU softball team wraps up its two-week home stand this weekend as it welcomes Seattle University to campus for a three-game series beginning with a Friday double header. The Redhawks have recovered from an 0-5 start to battle their way to a 13-22 record through their first 39 games. Following the five-game losing streak, SU has been consistent. The team has lost more than two consecutive games only once since then, but has also only managed consecutive wins one time, a four-game winning streak from March 25-31.
Paige Bouska leads the Redhawks’ batting percentages with a .397 and an on-base percentage of nearly 41 percent. Bouska is also second on the team with eight extra-base hits, second only to Madison Cathcart with 10. Cathcart also leads the team in RBIs with 25, despite batting only .277. On the mound, most of SU’s games are started by Andie Larkins and Alyssa Reuble, who sport ERAs of 4.22 and 4.27 respectively. Reuble was the only starting pitcher with a winning record through 39 games at 7-6 in 13 starts. Scoring early will be key for the Wolverines against SU, which is 2-14 when the opponent scores the first run.
