Completed Event: Baseball versus No. 11 seed Kansas State on May 19, 2026 , Loss , 5, to, 9
Final Score
Baseball
5
vs No. 11 seed Kansas State
9
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Baseball Faces Mesa State This Weekend
2/12/2002 12:00 AM | Baseball
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Utah vs. Mesa State Notes
The Utes split a double header with the Mavericks last season in Grand Junction, Colo. Utah dropped game one, 8-17, but came back to win game two, 6-2.
Mesa State is 3-5 on the season. This will be the first series the Mavericks have played at home this season. Brandon Halcomb leads Mesa State at the plate, batting .357 with nine RBI and three doubles on the year. With the season still young, Mesa State doesn't appear to have a dominant pitcher yet. Three Mavericks have one win each and two have one save each.
Last Week
Utah took two-of-three from Pacific last weekend in Stockton, Calif. The Utes came back and grabbed game one after trailing 0-3. A grand slam by Jed Chrisman in the top of the sixth inning propelled the Utes to a 10-5 victory. In game two, the Tigers outhit the Utes as they went on to even the series at a game a piece (7-15). Donald Hawes nailed a three-run homerun as part of his five RBI, and Brit Pannier added three RBI as the Utes beat the Tigers 12-10.
Next Week
Utah will play Southern Utah University Feb. 21-23 at Bruce Hearst Field in St. George, Utah. All three games will be played at 6:00 p.m. (MT).
Esmay Insights
"I'm very happy with the progression this team continues to make, especially during last weekend's series."
"The upcoming series will be a tough test because Mesa State always plays well against us."
Who's Hot
Brit Pannier broke out of an early season slump by going 7-of-14 with seven RBI and scoring three runs during last weekend's series. Before the Pacific series, Pannier was batting .160 with three RBI. Overall, the senior outfielder is batting .282 on the season with 10 RBI and three doubles.
Pitcher Mitch Maio has two wins and two saves in his four appearances. Against Pacific last week, Maio threw 4.3 scoreless innings and allowed only two hits. He earned a win in the Utes' game one victory and a save in the game three win. On the season, Maio is 2-0-2 with an 0.93 ERA.
Player Of The Week
Brit Pannier earned Mountain West Conference Player of the Week honors for his performance against Pacific last weekend. Pannier hit .500 (7-of-14) while knocking in seven runs against the Tigers. This is the second time the senior outfielder has received player of the week honors during his career.
Take Note
Seniors Nate Weese and Brit Pannier, along with junior Mike Basham, take a their four-game hitting streaks into the Mesa State series.
Utah is the only team to beat Arizona (10-1) on the season. The Wildcats are currently ranked No. 20 in the latest Baseball Weekly/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll.
Tabbing Utah
Comprising the Utes are nine seniors, seven juniors, five sophomores and eight freshmen. Six starters return from last year's team that finished third in the Mountain West Conference (27-29 overall, 14-16 MWC). Utah also returns 15 letterwinners this season, including T.R. Gourley and Spencer Hunn who rejoined the team after serving two-year LDS Church missions at the conclusion of the 1999 season. On the mound, the Utes return five pitchers to accompany one of the best recruiting classes Utah has had.
On The Road Again
The Utes will play 18 straight road games before hosting Southern Utah on March 8 at 12:00 p.m. at Franklin Covey Field. However, this will not be the Utes first time playing in Utah during the 2002 season, as they face SUU in St. George, Utah, on Feb. 21-23 at Bruce Hearst Field.
Returning Resources
The Utes return 6-of-20 statistical leaders from a year ago, including first team all-Mountain West Conference first baseman Nate Weese.
At bats Nate Weese 250 Triples Donnie Saba 6 Stolen bases Donnie Saba 11 ERA Mitch Maio 3.26 Appearances Mitch Maio 21 Opp. Bat. Avg. Mitch Maio .248
2001 Stand Outs
Sophomore third baseman Mike Westfall was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year. Chris Shelton, now with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, was voted MWC Player of the Year after leading the Utes in 10 statistical categories.
Six Utes garnered MWC honors. Shelton, Nate Weese and Ryan Bailey were named to the first team, while Travis Palmer, Sam Swenson and Westfall were voted second team.
Academic Homeruns
Ten Utes, including T.R. Gourley, Sean Overholt, Donald Hawes and Ryan Reisbeck were named to the fall semester honor roll after finishing with a 3.00 GPA or higher. Adam Castleton, Mitch Maio, Spencer Hunn, Matt Ciaramella, Doug Mackay and Brett Baldwin received further distinction by being named to the Dean's List with a 3.50 GPA or higher.
Welcome Back
Two former Utes were welcomed back to the program as they signed on as assistant coaches. Matt Eeles played outfield for the Utes in 1996 and '97 and will be in charge of the defensive and base running strategies as an assistant coach. Ryan Hilts is the volunteer assistant coach. Hilts was an outfielder for the Utes in 1998 and '99.
Franklin Covey Field
Utah plays its home games at state-of-the-art Franklin Covey Field (15,500). The 13,000-seat facility (not including the general admission area), also serves as the home to Salt Lake's AAA baseball team (Stingers), which is an affiliate of the Anaheim Angels.
The 2002 Winter Olympics
The world is coming to Salt Lake City for the XIX Olympic Winter Games and the welcome mat is out at the University of Utah. The Olympic Games will be held Feb. 8-24, while the Paralympic Winter Games take place March 7-16. A major "player" in hosting the Games, the U. will be site of the Olympic Village and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Heritage Commons, the beautiful new on-campus student housing complex located on the east side at the mouth of Red Butte Canyon, will serve as the Olympic Village for some 3,500 athletes and officials. Rice-Eccles Stadium, the home of the Utah football team, will be temporarily expanded from its current capacity of 45,634 to 56,000 seats for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The University will be on semester break from Feb. 1-26.
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