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OREM, Utah \u2014 Utah Valley baseball travels for a three-game series this week at former WAC foe and future Big West rival Cal State Bakersfield. The series begins Thursday, April 2, with a 7:30 p.m. MT first pitch from Hardt Field. The series continues Friday at 7:30 p.m. MT, then concludes Saturday at 2 p.m. MT.
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\nBROADCAST INFO
\nThursday and Friday’s games against the Roadrunners will air on ESPN+. No broadcast is scheduled for Saturday’s finale. Fans can follow along via live stats on gorunners.com.
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\nLAST TIME OUT
\nThe Wolverines won their weekend series against Cal State San Bernardino, as the UVU offense came alive, outscoring the Coyotes 30-4 in the final two games. Utah Valley scored a season-high 15 runs in each of those contests.
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\nIn midweek action, in-state rival Utah defeated Utah Valley.
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\nAcross four games, UVU hit .376 with nine home runs. Hunter Katschke<\/a> and Derek Houston<\/a> each hit two homers, while Chipper Beck<\/a>, Jimmy De Anda<\/a>, DJ Massey<\/a>, Mason Strong<\/a> and Jayden Smith<\/a> also went deep. The Wolverines hit a season-high four home runs against the Utes on Tuesday.
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\nKaden Carpenter<\/a> went 7-for-12 with four extra-base hits during the stretch, while Strong hit 7-for-15. Houston added a 4-for-9 performance.
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\nJacob Heppner<\/a> continued his consistency on the mound, tossing six innings against CSUSB last weekend. George Albrecht<\/a> made his first career start, setting career highs with three innings pitched and three strikeouts. Washington transfer Bradley Gilbert<\/a> logged four innings in his first start of the season.
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\nSCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
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\nCal State Bakersfield enters the series 12-16 overall and 5-7 in the Big West. The Roadrunners have won their last two series against CSUN and Long Beach State and nearly upset No. 11 USC in Los Angeles.
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\nCSUB is hitting .274 as a team, led by Evan Cloyd (.360, four home runs, 28 RBIs) and Kanoa Morisaki (.355, four home runs, 17 RBIs). The lineup features five hitters batting over .300.
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\nOn the mound, the Roadrunners have struggled, entering the series with a team ERA above 7.00. Jacob Gutierrez is 3-1 with a 3.28 ERA in 12 appearances, all out of the bullpen. Friday starter Ryan King is coming off one of his best outings of the season, pitching five innings while allowing one run and two walks to improve to 2-2.
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\nLEADING THE WAC
\nAs the season approaches its midpoint, the Wolverines rank near the top of several WAC statistical categories. Hunter Katschke<\/a> ranks third in home runs and slugging percentage and fifth in OPS.
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\nCarpenter enters the series fourth in OPS, second in runs scored, fourth in RBIs and doubles, and leads the WAC in walks. DJ Massey<\/a> ranks second in on-base percentage and fourth in hit by pitch. Mason Strong<\/a> is tied for third in stolen bases.
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\nWHERE’S OUR CARR?
\nIn 2019, Utah Valley visited CSUB, and senior right-hander Jake Carr threw the program’s last nine-inning complete game. The Norwalk, California, native threw 124 pitches, allowing seven hits and three earned runs.
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\nUtah Valley earned a 5-3 win behind a grand slam by Ryan Eastburn
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\nUP NEXT
\nUtah Valley returns home Tuesday, April 7, for a 6:05 p.m. MT matchup against BYU in the Crosstown Clash.
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\nThe Wolverines will then head back on the road for five games in five days, including their WAC-opening series at Sacramento State before traveling to Air Force.
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