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SACRAMENTO, Calif. \u2014 A busy five-game week continues as the Sacramento State baseball team will battle both Mother Nature and Western Athletic Conference rival Utah Valley this weekend at John Smith<\/a> Field.<\/p>\n With the threat of rain playing havoc with start times for the three-game set, the Hornets and Wolverines are scheduled to open with a doubleheader on Friday (April 10) at 10 a.m., followed by a 10 a.m. start on Saturday (April 11). If necessary, games will be resumed or started on Sunday (April 12) at a time to be determined.<\/p>\n PLAY BALL! GAME NOTES: Sacramento State (https:\/\/hornetsports.com\/documents\/2026\/4\/9\/26-BSB-notes-UVUseries-041026.pdf) | Utah Valley (https:\/\/gouvu.com\/sports\/baseball) | Western Athletic Conference (https:\/\/wacsports.com\/sports\/baseball?path=baseball)<\/p>\n PROBABLE STARTERS ABOUT THE WOLVERINES SERIES NOTABLES MILESTONE WATCH LIST AND THE AWARD GOES TO TEAM TIDBITS HORNETS AT THE PLATE HORNETS ON THE MOUND HORNETS IN THE WAC INDIVIDUAL (AS OF 4\/7) HORNETS IN THE NCAA INDIVIDUAL (AS OF 4\/7… TOP 100 RANKINGS ONLY)
\nWHAT: Utah Valley (14-17, 0-0 WAC) at Sacramento State (13-21, 1-2 WAC)
\nWHEN: Friday (DH)-Saturday, April 10-11, 2026
\nTIME: 10 AM PT (Fri.) \/ 10 AM PT (Sun.)
\nWHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
\nSTADIUM: John Smith<\/a> Field
\nTICKETS: HornetSports.com (https:\/\/hornettickets.evenue.net\/list\/BSB)
\nFOLLOW:
\nGame 1:\u00a0 ESPN+ (https:\/\/www.espn.com\/watch\/player\/_\/id\/a035f8a6-803e-41df-af71-b6f195f31233) | WAC International (https:\/\/www.wacinternational.tv\/?S=hornetsports) | Live Stats (https:\/\/stats.statbroadcast.com\/broadcast\/?id=631309)
\nGame 2:\u00a0 ESPN+ (https:\/\/www.espn.com\/watch\/player\/_\/id\/878de216-3fb5-460f-9ba5-828dfaa956e7) | WAC International (https:\/\/www.wacinternational.tv\/?S=hornetsports) | Live Stats (https:\/\/stats.statbroadcast.com\/broadcast\/?id=631310)
\nGame 3:\u00a0 ESPN+ (https:\/\/www.espn.com\/watch\/player\/_\/id\/f92def7e-d2f9-4308-a56f-df018230dbf8) | WAC International (https:\/\/www.wacinternational.tv\/?S=hornetsports) | Live Stats (https:\/\/stats.statbroadcast.com\/broadcast\/?id=631311)<\/p>\n
\nFri. (Game 1): TBA at RHP Ethan Lay<\/a> (8 GS, 2-1, 2.17 ERA)
\nFri. (Game 2): TBA at RHP Carson Timothy<\/a> (8 GS, 2-3, 4.65 ERA)
\nSat.: TBA at RHP Chase Sorlie<\/a> (5 GS, 0-0, 2.96 ERA)<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Utah Valley, the reigning Western Athletic Conference Tournament champions, enters the week with a 14-17 overall record\u00a0
\n\u2022 This weekend’s series is the league opener for the Wolverines — the lone WAC school which has yet to start conference play
\n\u2022 Utah Valley is coming off a series win over future Big West Conference rival Cal State Bakersfield in which it took 2-of-3 and a midweek loss at home against in-state rival BYU on Tuesday
\n\u2022 The Wolverines are just 4-10 away from home this year, having lost five of their last seven
\n\u2022 Senior infielder Chipper Beck leads the team with a .370 average, scoring 18 runs, clubbing eight doubles, and driving in 24
\n\u2022 Senior outfielder Kaden Carpenter is also batting better than .300, entering the week hitting .345 with 36 runs scored, 12 doubles, six home runs and 34 RBI while walking a team-high 25 times
\n\u2022 As a team, Utah Valley is hitting .285 with 37 home runs, ranking second in the league in both doubles and triples while standing third in home runs and batting average
\n\u2022 As a staff, Wolverine pitchers sport a 6.02 ERA and a .266 average against, striking out 220 and walking 155 over 260 innings<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Sacramento State leads the all-time series with its future Big West Conference rival Utah Valley, 42-24, dating back to the first head-to-head meeting between the two programs in 2005
\n\u2022 The Hornets took 2-of-3 from the Wolverines on the road during the regular season last year, but Utah Valley avenged the series loss by handing Sacramento State its first loss of the WAC Tournament in a rematch two weeks later in Mesa, Ariz.
\n\u2022 The two schools have split the last eight meetings evenly after the Hornets had won six straight
\n\u2022 Sacramento State is 25-12 at home against Utah Valley, last taking 2-of-3 during the regular season in 2024 and winning seven of the last nine games played at John Smith<\/a> Field
\n\u2022 One team has scored at least 10 runs in a game in three of the last five meetings with one team scoring nine runs in each of the last two
\n\u2022 That followed a run where four of the previous five games had been decided by two runs or fewer and the fifth by three scores<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Sacramento State enters the weekend needing just five more victories to reach 1,000 all-time wins in the program’s Division I history
\n\u2022 Since it’s first full Division I season in 1990, the Hornets have posted a 995-1,078-4 record<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Senior RHP Ethan Lay<\/a> and junior RHP Kurt Marton<\/a> were two of more than 140 Division I pitchers from across the country named to the College Baseball Foundation’s initial National Pitcher of the Year watch list for 2026 the organization announced on March 11
\n\u2022 The duo are two of four total hurlers honored from the WAC, joined by California Baptist right-handers Michael Malki and Bryan Peck on this year’s list
\n\u2022 Lay was named the Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second time in his career on March 23 after facing just one over the minimum in eight shutout innings and striking out 11 in the series opener against Winthrop
\n\u2022 He retired the first 11 batters of the game before Winthrop broke up the perfect game with a double in the fourth, then proceeded to retire the final 13 batters he faced — seven via strikeout — holding the Eagles to an .040 average
\n\u2022 Junior outfielder Erick Dessens<\/a> was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week for the first time in his career on April 6 following a red-hot weekend at Utah Tech in the Hornets’ WAC opening series
\n\u2022 It was the first award for a Sacramento State player since Tyler White<\/a> was named the league’s player of the week on March 3, 2025
\n\u2022 Dessens hit .643 (9-for-14) with a 1.738 OPS for the series while adding four runs scored, clubbing a pair of home runs, and driving in nine.
\n\u2022 He finished with multiple hits in all three contests, including a perfect 5-for-5 effort in the finale during which he reached base six times thanks to an intentional walk in the third inning.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 With its 12 hits in the win over Nevada on Monday (April 6), Sacramento State posted its 12th game with 10-or-more hits this season — 11 of those coming in the last 18 games
\n\u2022 Prior to that, Sacramento State had only been able to collect 10-or-more hits three times in its first 16 games
\n\u2022 The Hornets are 9-5 when they have 10-or-more hits and have won six of their seven games when scoring 10-or-more runs
\n\u2022 Of Sacramento State’s 21 defeats this year, 12 of those have been decided by two runs or fewer, with eight of those coming by a single run
\n\u2022 Three of the Hornets’ last four losses have come by a single run
\n\u2022 Sacramento State’s 38 hits at Utah Tech were the most in a three-game series since the Hornets finished with 50 in a series win at Grand Canyon on May 2-4 last season
\n\u2022 When the Hornets hit a home run this season, they are definitely getting their money’s worth as 17 of their 21 long balls have been multi-run home runs
\n\u2022 The only solo homers hit by Sacramento State have come from Dessens against Saint Joseph’s (Feb. 19), Poturnak against Pacific (March 11), and both Harry and Dessens against Nevada (4\/6)
\n\u2022 Outside of those, Sacramento State has hit six two-run home runs, nine three-run blasts, and two grand slams
\n\u2022 14 of the team’s 21 home runs have come in the first four innings and the Hornets are 10-5 this year when leaving the yard compared to just 3-16 when they don’t
\n\u2022 Both of the team’s grand slams have come in the eighth inning or later
\n\u2022 This marks the ninth consecutive season (not counting the 2020 pandemic year) that the Hornets have hit at least one grand slam, and the seventh time in that stretch that they have hit multiple grand slams in a single year
\n\u2022 Sacramento State has started quickly, scoring 80 of its 199 runs (40.2 percent) in the first three innings this season
\n\u2022 46 of those 199 runs this year have come in the second inning alone — the most of than any inning\u00a0
\n\u2022 The Hornets have scored first in all 13 of their wins this year, going 13-8 when they crack the runs column before their opponents
\n\u2022 However, Sacramento State, which has yet to win in 13 tries when the opponents get on the board first and posted its first come-from-behind win of the year on March 25 in the 7-4 win at Kansas after trailing 3-1 entering the sixth inning
\n\u2022 Sacramento State has posted a “big inning” (four or more runs) 16 times this season, finishing 8-4 in games in which they have done so
\n\u2022 The seven-run second inning in the series finale against Pacific on March 15 were the most in single inning this season and the most since the Hornets put up seven in the seventh inning of a 9-2 win at Utah Valley on May 11 of last year<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 It may have taken eight innings, but freshman Sam Harry<\/a> came through with a late single to extend his team-best hitting streak to 13 games on Tuesday against Fresno State, surpassing a pair of 12-game streaks by Dessens (3\/6-3\/21) and Jakob Poturnak<\/a> (3\/8-3\/25) earlier this year
\n\u2022 Harry’s run at the plate is the longest hitting streak by a Hornet since Poturnak hit in 14 consecutive games and Cameron Sewell<\/a> did so in 13 straight last season
\n\u2022 Harry’s six RBI are tied for eighth on the school’s single-game list
\n\u2022 During his current streak, Harry is batting .521 (25-for-48) with 18 runs scored and 12 RBI, collecting four doubles and slugging the first two home runs of his collegiate career to go with six walks
\n\u2022 In the process, he has elevated his batting average 106 points to .341 on the year — ranking second on the team
\n\u2022 Harry also has multiple hits in six of his last seven games — and nine of the 13 contests overall during the streak — collecting 13 multi-hit games overall this season to rank second on the team
\n\u2022 With his two home runs in the win over Nevada, Harry became the first Hornet to hit two home runs a game and drive in six since Sewell accomplished both feats at Pacific on March 18, 2025
\n\u2022 Senior Ryan Ellis<\/a> has been an absolute walk machine as of late, drawing multiple walks in each of his last four games (nine total) while working the count for at least one walk in eight of his last 10 contests
\n\u2022 Of his 20 walks this season (good for second on the team behind Luis Pimentel-Guerrero’s<\/a> 23 free passes), 15 of those have come in that 10-game span
\n\u2022 Ellis’ three walks against Fresno State on Tuesday (April 7) were the most in his Sacramento State career, while he has drawn two walks in a game on six other occasions
\n\u2022 He also became the second Hornet to draw three walks in a game this season after Pimentel-Guerrero did so twice against Saint Joseph’s (Feb. 20) and Winthrop (March 19)
\n\u2022 Dessens’ 5-for-5 performance in the series finale against Utah Tech made him the first Hornet to collect five hits AND finish 5-for-5 at the plate since Gunner Gouldsmith did so against Stephen F. Austin on May 11, 2024
\n\u2022 Following his three-hit effort against Nevada on Monday (April 6), Dessens now has a team-high 15 multi-hit games this year
\n\u2022 His three RBI against the Wolf Pack also marked his team-high 13th multi-RBI game of the season — nine more than Harry in second place
\n\u2022 Dessens has hits in 20 of his last 22 games — 11 of those with multiple hits — batting .432 (41-for-95) with 19 runs scored, six doubles, a triple, seven home runs, and 34 RBI
\n\u2022 In addition to his second three-hit game of the series at Utah Tech, senior Luis Pimentel-Guerrero<\/a> tied his Sacramento State career high with four RBI in the finale \u2014 a mark originally set against Nevada on March 10 of last season and matched earlier this year against Saint Joseph’s on Feb. 22<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 In his last four starts, Lay is 2-0 with a pair of no-decisions and a 0.72 ERA, having allowed just two earned runs over 25 innings of work, walking only three and striking out 29
\n\u2022 The Hornets are a combined 3-1 in those starts against Pacific (March 11), Winthrop (March 19), Kansas (March 25), and Utah Tech (April 2)
\n\u2022 Opponents are hitting just .191 (17-for-89) in those starts while Sacramento State has outscored the opposition, 36-12
\n\u2022 Lay’s 11 strikeouts against Winthrop (without a walk) was the third career double-digit strikeout performance of his Hornet career, joining the 11 K’s against Pacific on March 9 of last year and a career-high 13 strikeouts (without a walk) in game two against Saint Joseph’s (Feb. 20) this season
\n\u2022 He became the 16th Hornet in school history to strikeout at least 13 batters in a game and the first since Travis Adams (who made his Major League debut with the Minnesota Twins last summer) finished with 13 at Northern Colorado in 2021
\n\u2022 He has also struck out eight-or-more batters in a game six times as a Hornet
\n\u2022 Lay has five “quality starts” on the year following his start on April 2 at Utah Tech — his 12th such start in his Sacramento State career after doing so seven times in 2025
\n\u2022 Sophomore RHP Chase Sorlie<\/a> is slated to get his first career weekend series start — and his sixth of the season overall — in the series finale against Utah Valley
\n\u2022 In his previous five starts, Sorlie has surrendered only five runs on nine hits over 15.1 innings, posting a 2.93 ERA while striking out 12 and walking six
\n\u2022 Opponents are hitting just .170 against the right-hander in those five games after giving up just one hit in two innings at Creighton (March 29) in his last appearance
\n\u2022 His 3.1 innings at Kansas on March 24 marked his second-longest outing this year, trailing the four innings of work in a start at Pacific on Feb. 25
\n\u2022 In 12 appearances overall this season, Sorlie has posted a 2.96 ERA over 24.1 innings — which ranks behind only Ethan Lay<\/a> for those with 15-or-more innings pitched this year — striking out 18 and holding opponents to a .195 average against
\n\u2022 Freshman RHP Devin James<\/a> picked up his first collegiate win in his first collegiate start on Monday (April 6) against Nevada, throwing three hitless shutout innings and striking out one while facing just one over the minimum
\n\u2022 In six appearances overall (7.2 innings) this year, James has held opponents to a .154 average
\n\u2022 Junior RHP Konner Entz<\/a> made his first Division I start against Fresno State on Tuesday (April 7), allowing two hits, walking two, and striking out three in a career-high three innings against the Bulldogs
\n\u2022 Senior RHP Elijah Rogalski’s<\/a> comeback story continues as he has not allowed an earned run over his last four appearances (6.1 innings), scattering five hits and striking out eight — a career-high seven of those at Creighton in 3.2 innings on March 28
\n\u2022 Overall, Rogalski has posted a 1.69 ERA and .184 average against in seven appearances (five starts)
\n\u2022 Senior RHP Colin Hunter<\/a> has been stingy over his last seven appearances, allowing just one earned run over 8.2 innings (1.04 ERA) on five hits while striking out 11 and waling four
\n\u2022 Senior RHP Andrew Monson<\/a> has “come in like a lion” in the month of March and has yet to “go out like a lamb”
\n\u2022 In his last eight appearances (10.0 innings), the senior has gone 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA, allowing just two earned on eight hits while striking out 12 and walking a pair
\n\u2022 Opponents are hitting just .222 (8-for-36) against him in that stretch
\n\u2022 He has allowed one or fewer runs in 12 of his 13 appearances this season — including seven shutout appearances — and boasts a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 6-to-1, having issued only three free passes on the year<\/p>\n
\nTEAM (AS OF 4\/7)
\n\u2022 Sacramento State ranks second in the league in ERA (4.90), innings pitched (290.0), strikeouts (282), and batting average against (.246), while standing third in fewest runs allowed (188)<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Dessens leads the league in hits (53) and shares the league lead in RBI (44), while ranking tied for fifth in home runs (9), 10th in average (.353), slugging (.593),\u00a0
\n\u2022 Ellis is fourth in on-base percentage (.500)
\n\u2022 Harry is tied for fifth in being hit by a pitch (8), seventh in runs scored (29) and doubles (10), eighth in hits (44)
\n\u2022 Pimentel-Guerrero is tied for fourth in walks (23)
\n\u2022 Sewell is fourth in being hit by a pitch (9)
\n\u2022 Lay leads the league in fewest walks allowed (5), is second in ERA (2.17), innings (45.2) and strikeouts (54), third in opponent batting average (.217), tied for seventh in fewest hits allowed (38), seventh in fewest runs allowed (20)
\n\u2022 Trevor Wilson<\/a> is tied for third in saves (3)<\/p>\n
\nTEAM (AS OF 4\/7… TOP 100 RANKINGS ONLY)
\n\u2022 Sacramento State ranks 40th in walks allowed per nine innings (3.76), 48th in WHIP (1.37), 59th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.33), 69th in hits allowed per nine innings (8.57), 70th in ERA (4.90), 97th in doubles (60), and 98th in hits (300)<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Lay stands sixth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.80), 10th in games started (8), 13th in walks per nine innings (0.99), 27th in WHIP (0.94), 47th in ERA (2.17), and 53rd in strikeouts (54)
\n\u2022 Dessens is eighth in hits (53), 17th in RBI (44), 29th in total bases (89), 34th in hits per game (1.56), and 42nd in RBI per game (1.29)
\n\u2022 Wilson is 99th in saves (3)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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