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Utah Baseball Faces Washington This Weekend
2/26/2002 12:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 26, 2002
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Utah vs. Washington Notes The two teams last faced in 1995 at a tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. Utah won 7-5 and is 2-0 all-time against Washington.
This season Washington is 5-2 overall, and will face Portland this Tuesday before taking on the Utes. Tyler Davidson is leading the Huskies' plate attack. Davidson has started all seven games and is batting .429 with three home runs, three doubles and eight RBI. Pitcher Shawn Kohn has two wins and a 0.64 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 14.0 innings.
Last Week
The Utes took two-of-three from Southern Utah last week. In game one, Utah trailed, 3-2 heading into the ninth inning, but scored two runs to take a 4-3 victory after Nate Weese homered and Mike Westfall hit a sacrifice fly. Game two was all Utah as Cheyenne Rushton (1-0) shutout the T-Birds, 5-0, while striking out six and allowing just three hits in his first complete game as a Ute. SUU knocked out a pair of two-out two-run homers in the first and second inning to jump out to a 4-0 lead and eventually a 7-4 victory in game three.
Next Week
The Utes play their home series opener, March 8-10 against Southern Utah at Franklin Covey Field. All three games have a noon start time. Tickets can be purchased at Franklin Covey. Adult tickets are $4.00, children are $3.00 and U. of U. students receive free admission with their student ID.
Esmay Insights
"Washington is a very good Pac-10 team. This series will be a tough test for us. We put the tougher teams on our schedule to push us and help us better prepare for conference play."
Who's Hot
Adam Castleton finished the weekend batting .429. Castleton's six hits included two doubles and two home runs. The senior second baseman scored four runs and drove in five.
Cheyenne Rushton (1-0) had his best outing as a Ute. Rushton threw a three-hit shutout against the Thunderbirds in his first complete game at Utah, while striking out six.
Take Note
Senior Nate Weese extended his hitting streak to 10 games after hitting safely in each of the Utes' games against Southern Utah last week. On the season, Weese is batting .317 with four home runs, five doubles and 14 RBI.
Player/Pitcher Of The Week
Cheyenne Rushton was named Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 25. Rushton threw a three-hit shutout to help the Utes defeat Southern Utah, 5-0, on Feb. 22. The senior right hander struck out six of the 31 batters he faced and didn't give up a walk in the game.
Brit Pannier earned MWC Player of the Week for Feb. 11 after hitting .500 (7-of-14), knocking in seven runs and scoring three runs against Pacific. The senior outfielder helped the Utes finish 2-1 against the Tigers. This is the second time Pannier has received Player of the Week honors during his career.
Tabbing Utah
Comprising the Utes are nine seniors, eight juniors, four 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 play 18 straight road games before hosting Southern Utah on March 8 at noon at Franklin Covey Field. However, this won't be the Utes first time playing in Utah during the 2002 season, as they faced SUU in St. George, Utah , Feb. 21-23 at Bruce Hurst 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 Home Runs
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. Eeles is 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.
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