Utes Host Falcons This Weekend

April 11, 2002

Utah Quick Hits

The Utes are 21-17 overall, 5-7 in conference play and 8-3 at home. Utah is hitting .318 as a team, and is holding opponents to a .298 average. On the mound, the Utes have a team ERA of 6.07. Senior Adam Castleton has a team-high .383 average and four triples, while fellow senior Brit Pannier leads the Utes with 43 RBI and 18 doubles. Mitch Maio and Cheyenne Rushton guide the pitching staff with five wins each, and Maio has a team-high 51 strikeouts and a team-low 4.10 ERA.

Utah vs. Air Force Notes

Utah finished 4-2 against the Falcons last season, taking the first two games in Colorado Springs and in Salt Lake City. The Falcons avoided series sweeps by winning game three in both series.

Scouting The Falcons

Air Force was picked to finish last in the conference, but has since been a surprise with a 5-7 league record to date. The Falcons are tied with three other teams, including Utah, for third place. Leading the Falcons' offense is Bowie Frost, who boasts a .414 batting average with 33 RBI and 16 doubles. Johnny Koegel (4-3) and Matt Kaercher (5-6) pilot the pitching staff.

Last Week

Utah lost its conference series to Brigham Young, 1-2 in Provo, Utah. In game one, the Utes struggled offensively, and only avoided being shutout after Brit Pannier ripped a home run in the top of the ninth to make it a 5-2 final. Game two was all Utah, as it knocked in 12 runs in the first inning and went on to win, 17-3. In the bottom of the 12th in game four, the Cougars loaded the bases with no outs and went on to score the winning run off a walk (10-9), to take the series.

Esmay Insights

"This is the best team Air Force has had since I've been at Utah. This is another big conference battle because everybody is neck and neck right now."

Who's Hot

Brit Pannier finished the BYU series with eight RBI off six hits, including four doubles and a home run. The senior outfielder also scored six runs and had a perfect fielding percentage.

Donnie Saba smacked seven hits, including four doubles and a home run against BYU. The junior knocked in four runs and crossed the plate six times himself.

Take Note

Matt Ciaramella and Brit Pannier have team-high eight game hitting streaks heading into the Air Force series. Call them fans of the two-bagger, as the Utes have connected for at least one double in all but three of their 38 games.

Ute Leaders

Avg.    Adam Castleton  .383   ERA     Mitch Maio 4.10Hits    Donnie Saba     54    Wins    Maio, Rushton      5HR      Nate Weese       10    SO      Mitch Maio   51RBI     Brit Pannier   43    O/BA    Mitch Maio .278Runs    Donnie Saba     43    Saves   Mitch Maio        3

2002 Ute Honors

Mountain West Conference Player/Pitcher of the Week

Mitch Maio         Apr. 2  Cheyenne Rushton Feb. 25Mitch Maio    Mar. 25  Brit Pannier     Feb. 11Mitch Maio    Mar. 6

Career Clips

Nate Weese is Utah's new career hits leader with 248 hits as of Apr. 10, with a lot of the season left to boost that number. The senior first baseman needs just three more home runs to tie the career record of 46. Adam Castleton needs one double and two triples to tie the Ute career doubles and triples records.

On Deck

Utah travels hosts UNLV Apr. 19-21 in a three-game conference series.

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Utes Host Falcons This Weekend

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