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 Notes
2/4/2003 12:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 4, 2003
SALT LAKE CITY -
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SEASON OPENER
The Utes kick off their 2003 season on the road with three games at Mesa State College, an NCAA Division II school in Grand Junction, Colo. Utah faces the Mavericks at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, and at noon on Sunday, Feb. 9.
SERIES NOTES
Last year, the Utes went 3-2 against Mesa State, with both losses decided by one run. In a three-game road series, Utah won 8-6 (Feb. 15), lost 6-5 (Feb. 16) and won 12-3 (Feb. 17). In a doubleheader at home on April 9, the Utes lost the first game 8-7 and won the night cap 4-2.
UTAH UPDATE
Hoping to ride the momentum of their second-best winning season in program history, the Utes are optimistic for great things in 2003. Last season, Utah posted a 33-26 overall record and was 16-14 in Mountain West Conference play, good for second place. The team also led the nation in doubles (154) and ranked in the top 25 nationally in batting average, scoring and slugging percentage.
The Utes lost six starters and 12 letterwinners from last year's squad, including pitchers Mitch Maio, Cheyenne Rushton and Jason Wylie, infielders Nate Weese, Donald Hawes and Adam Castleton, and outfielder Brit Pannier. Maio compiled a 9-1 record and was the Co-MWC Player of the Year. Rushton posted an 8-6 record with 63 strikeouts and Wylie was 7-7 on the year with 76 strikeouts in 19 starts.
Weese had a team-high 17 home runs, 60 RBI, 148 total bases and 19 stolen bases, while Pannier knocked a team-leading 26 doubles, which ranked fifth in the NCAA. Hawes was third on the team in stolen bases, while catching nine runners stealing, and Castleton led the team with a .369 batting average and ranked 18th nationally in runs per game (1.24). Weese, Hawes and Castleton were all second-team all-MWC picks.
Utah will look to junior Mike Westfall and sophomore Matt Ciaramella as the offensive leaders this year. Westfall, a two-time all-conference honoree, was second on the team last season with a .356 batting average and 80 hits. In his debut season, Ciaramella excelled defensively in centerfield and notched the third-best batting average on the team of .345. He was the lone Ute named to the MWC Tournament all-tournament team.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Mesa State, which was ranked No. 13 nationally in Division II in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll, opened its season with four losses to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz., last weekend. The Mavericks lost by the scores 27-14, 7-4, 9-1 and 7-2.
On the series, senior shortstop Landon Wareham led Mesa State, going 8-11 for a (.727) with a double and an RBI. Sophomore Ben Thompson went 2-2 with one RBI.
The Mavericks returned three position players and two starting pitchers from last year's squad that went 39-23 and placed second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
QUOTING HEAD COACH TIM ESMAY
"We always like to play Mesa State because they give us a good gauge of where we stand. They are aggressive and talented and it's a tough place to play."
HEAD COACH TIM ESMAY
Tim Esmay enters his seventh season as Utah's head baseball coach. He comes into the season with a 167-167-1 overall record and a 87-91 career conference mark. During his six seasons at the U., 14 of his athletes have gone on to play professional baseball. Most recently, Nate Weese, Mitch Maio, Donnie Saba, Jason Wylie and Donald Hawes signed with professional teams.
Last season, Esmay guided Utah to a 33-26 overall and 16-14 conference record. The 33 wins is the second most in school history since 1963, and the second-place league finish is the Utes best since joining the MWC in '99. Senior pitcher Mitch Maio garnered 2002 MWC Co-Player of the Year honors. Last year also saw the fall of several team and individual records under Esmay's direction.
In 1997, his first season directing the program, Esmay did what no Ute coach had done in 32 years when he led Utah to a WAC division title and a 36-21-1 record. The Utes posted a 22-8 record in the Northern Division that year. They also set nine school records and Esmay was named the 1997 Louisville Slugger WAC Coach of the Year.
The Scottsdale, Ariz., native started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Arizona State. He stayed at ASU for five years as an assistant coach under Jim Brock and Jeff Pentland (the current hitting coach for the Chicago Cubs). Esmay coached for two years at Brophy College Prep High School in Phoenix, Ariz., before returning to Arizona State as a volunteer assistant to Brock in '94. He coached at Grand Canyon University in 1995, then made his move to Utah as Bill Kinneberg's assistant in '96. He also served as a head coach in the Arizona Summer Collegiate League from 1988-93.
A talented player in his own right, Esmay played at Arizona State from 1986-87 and was a member of the ASU team that appeared in the 1987 College World Series. Esmay hit .308 in his two years as a Sun Devil and was named to the all-West Region team. He played at Scottsdale Community College from 1985-86, where he was named a junior college All-American. Esmay earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Arizona State in '88.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Utes will play 21 road games before hosting Mesa State for a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 18, at Ute Field.
ACADEMIC HOME RUN
Fourteen Utes were named to the fall semester honor roll after finishing the semester with a 3.00 GPA or higher. They are: Matt Anderson (3.387); Jake Basham (3.510); Mike Basham (3.400); Eric Chevalier (3.636); Matt Ciaramella (3.333); T.R. Gourley (3.100); Ryan Khoury (3.283); Tyler Kmetko (3.533); Derek Larsen (3.492); Doug Mackay (3.000); Jason Price (3.067); Nate Schlieman (3.023); Jake Waldram (3.507); and Cort Wilson (3.327).
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, the Stingers, an affiliate of the reigning major-league champion Anaheim Angels.
ON DECK
The Utes travel to Northridge, Calif., where they will play three games against Cal State Northridge Feb. 14-16. On Friday, Feb. 14, the teams face off at 2 p.m. (PST). The games on Feb. 15 and 16 both begin at 1 p.m. (PST).
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