Baseball Readies for No. 3 Oregon State at Smith's Ballpark - University of Utah Athletics (2024)

This Weekend's Fan Experience Rundown

• Once again throughout the 2024 season, parking on Utah Baseball gamedays is free. Park in the lot on 13^th South, directly North of home plate.
• Fans can also ride TRAX for free with a valid game ticket or University of Utah UCard—just hop on the Red, Blue or Green Lines to Ballpark Station.
• Friday's series opener vs. Oregon State will also be Fry-Day. The first 50 fans through the gates will receive a concession stand voucher for a free order of fries. Everyone can also collect their very own season schedule poster and magnet.
• On Saturday, kids are invited to run the bases postgame and meet the Utes for autographs as well. Schedule magnets will be available again for fans who missed them on Friday night.
• The series finale on Sunday will be the Green Game to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and sustainability. Concession stand sodas will be 50% off, and the first 300 fans into the ballpark will receive a free reusable cutlery set.

The First Pitch: Things to Know
The first Pac-12 home series of the 2024 season is here for the Utah Baseball team, and it brings a test for the Utes as No. 3-ranked Oregon State makes the trip to Salt Lake City. The series runs from Friday through Sunday inside Smith's Ballpark.

• Please note, Sunday's game has been moved up to a noon MT first pitch. It had originally been set for 1 p.m. MT, but was moved up an hour to help accommodate the Beavers' return travel itinerary.
• The Utes were slated to begin the home schedule this past Tuesday with a rivalry matchup against BYU, but Mother Nature had other ideas and the game was rained out.
• Utah has won seven of its last 10 games and was last in action with a rubber game win at Washington State on Sunday. Utah snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory in the middle game in Pullman, then knocked off WSU by a 7-6 score on Sunday to take the series—their third straight over the Cougars.
• Center fielder Kai Roberts (Lehi, Utah) is off to the best start of his career, hitting .350 on the season. Roberts slashed .545 / .615 / 1.455 during the Washington State series, going 6-for-11 with a double, a homer in each of the three games, five RBI and a stolen base. Four of his six hits on the weekend went for extra bases.
• As of Thursday, second baseman Bruer Webster is the only Power Conference player (meeting NCAA minimums) to have not yet struck out this season. Webster has had 38 at bats to date; Cameron Gurney had a similar run in 2023, going 49 at bats before his first strikeout.
• NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List member Micah Ashman (Sandy, Utah) had saves in both of his appearances at Washington State and is now tied for the Pac-12 lead (4). He totaled 2.2 innings pitched in his two outings as WSU hitters went 0-for-8 including four strikeouts.
• Utah's pitching staff continues to rank among the nation's best as the home schedule gets underway. At 3.46, the team's ERA ranks second in the Pac-12 and ranks top-14 nationally, while 7.98 hits allowed per nine innings checks in at third-best in the conference and 46^th across college baseball.
• Gary Henderson's club has been more aggressive on the basepaths this season and the numbers show: Utah's 26 stolen bases lead the league and are already approaching the halfway mark of last year's total (62 stolen bases).
• The Utes won the series opener against then-No. 15 OSU last year in Corvallis by a 13-9 score, but dropped the middle and rubber games at Goss Stadium. Utah also won a battle in the 2022 opener, taking a 2-1 decision from the No. 2 Beavers after an outstanding pitching display on both sides.
• Utah's last series win over the Beavers came during the 2018 season, when OSU was the top-ranked team in the land. The Utes won the first game in that series, 8-7, then bounced back to take the rubber game, 11-8, in Salt Lake City.
• Following the weekend series, Utah will get ready to cap off a five-game home stand with a pair against Northern Colorado. Action is set for 6 p.m. MT on Tuesday, March 19, and a 4 p.m. MT first pitch on Wednesday, March 20.