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
2010 Baseball Preview
2/12/2010 12:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 12, 2010
Last year, the Utah baseball team had one of its best seasons in its history, winning its first Mountain West Conference tournament and reaching the NCAA Baseball Championship for the first time since 1960, capping it off by winning two games in the regional round.
With the memories of their accomplishments still fresh in their minds, the seven position starters and seven pitchers returning look to continue that success.
"There is a different attitude and a confident air about them, which I really like," head coach Bill Kinneberg said. "Last year gave us a lot of confidence going into fall ball and adding the new guys, the confidence level of the team rose tremendously to where it is now.
"Our returning players got a taste of being successful, and I believe that they are very determined to do it again. If we can stay healthy on the pitching side I feel like we have enough depth on offense to have a chance to be a very good ballclub."
Infield
Leading the infield are returning starters Nick Kuroczko at third base and Michael Beltran at shortstop. Kuroczko led Utah with a .353 batting average and .558 slugging percentage last season and was second in the country with nine triples. He also had 24 multiple-hit games and 11 multiple RBI games. Beltran hit a team-high .381 during the MWC Tournament last year. He hit .309 for the season with 23 multiple-hit games.
"Kurozako and Beltran have both matured into really quality baseball players," Kinneberg said. "Nick developed into one of the better hitters in the league and a good defensive third baseman. Michael is in my opinion one of the best defensive shortstops in the league and hopefully he can improve on his offensive numbers."
The right side of the infield will see some new faces with the graduations of All-MWC second baseman Corey Shimada and first baseman Austin Jones. Tyler Yagi, a natural infielder who started 38 games in the outfield last year, is slated to start at second base. Yagi, who hit .343 last year, came on strong at the end of last season with 10 hits and eight RBI during the MWC Tournament to earn MVP honors. He was also named to the regional all-tournament team.
At first base, newcomer Mark Moorman will get the nod. He was an all-region player at Cochise College. In addition, All-America catcher C.J. Cron will also see action at first base.
"Bringing Yagi into second base allows us to put our best nine guys on the field, "Kinneberg said. "He is a natural second baseman and I don't think we lose anything defensively. At first base with Mark and C.J. we have a chance to be very good on both offense and defense. Mark adds the element of being left-handed with some power. He is an intriguing player for us."
Nik Gumeson, who redshirted in 2009 after transferring from Lamar University, has the ability to play anywhere on the field and will see action as a utility player.
"Nik can play all four infield positions and will also see a lot of action in the outfield," Kinneberg said. "He has worked himself into the lineup and has to be there somewhere."
 C.J. Cron was a Freshman All-American last season.  | |
Catcher
Utah has its most depth at catcher, with three players all capable of starting for the Utes. Last year Cron and Devin Walker rotated between the catcher and designated hitter spots. Cron earned Freshman All-America honors from Baseball America, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Collegiate Baseball. The MWC Freshman of the Year led Utah in hits (83), doubles (19), home runs (11) and RBI (58). He was also named to the MWC All-Tournament team. Walker, who was also on the MWC All-Tournament team, hit .314 with 14 doubles and eight home runs and a .550 slugging percentage. Both catchers only had two errors all season. Also in the mix is JoJo Sharrar, who hit .185 in 21 games with seven starts.
"The player who has made the most improvement in the offseason is JoJo," Kinneberg said. "He is probably the best pure catcher of the three. Devin and C.J. have to be in the lineup somewhere. Early in the year all three will catch and we will see what their roles will be to best fit our team.
"C.J. has proven to be one of the better hitters not only in the conference, but in the Western U.S, in my opinion. He has really improved his mobility and his body to where he is catching much better, and he is really athletic at first base."
Outfield
The Utes return two of their three starters in the outfield in center fielder Cooper Blanc and right fielder Rick Cornu. Although both players spent time on the bench with injuries, Cornu started 38 games with eight homers and a .281 batting average while Blanc played in 42 games, batting .227 with seven home runs and 10 stolen bases.
Players who also spent significant time in the outfield last year are Kevin Hussey, Gavin Green and Zach Jones. Hussey hit .262 in 33 games (26 starts), including seven multiple hit games. Green had a .247 batting average (39 games) and Jones hit .213 on the year (36 games).
Others include newcomer Tyson Gonzalez, who played two years at Salt Lake CC (2006-07). He was an all-state player at Timpanogos High School in 2005. Gumeson is also part of that mix, while Austin Shackelford, another redshirt, started for two years at Whitman College.
 Cooper Blanc returns for his third season in the outfield. | |
"I feel like we have a lot of depth in the outfield because of everyone we have returning," Kinneberg said. "We will probably have six guys playing early on and we will see how that shakes out. Tyson is probably the best defensive outfielder we have and some of our other players have a year of experience under their belts."
Pitchers
The pitching staff is anchored by second-team All-MWC selection Jordan Whatcott. Whatcott was drafted in the 31st round of the MLB draft by the Los Angeles Angels, but decided to return to school for his senior year. He had a 4.91 ERA with a 5-3 record and 61 strikeouts.
In addition to Whatcott, starters Andrew Wilding and Bryn Card also return. Wilding started 13 games last year with a 6.29 ERA and 49 strikeouts. Card went 6-2 with a 5.61 ERA and 55 strikeouts, pitching primarily in Utah's weekday games.
Rick Anton, who was an NJCAA All-America pitcher at Yavapai College, has earned a spot in the starting rotation. He had 22 wins over two years with 189 strikeouts.
"It's really a luxury to have three of our four starting pitchers back," Kinneberg said. "Our pitching staff, from top to bottom, has more quality this season and it's going to be important that we stay healthy.
"Jordan will again anchor the staff on Friday nights and hopefully he can improve on a great year last year. Rick Anton has come in and solidified the No. 2 spot. Both Andrew and Bryn have improved from last year. We will see who will throw the weekend and Tuesday games. The good thing is that we have some four-game series early in the year and can mix and match and evaluate the first month of the season."
Stephen Streich leads the returning relievers. He pitched 45 innings last year with a 6.80 ERA and a 2-4 record. Tyler Andersen was 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA in 23.1 innings.
A pair of newcomers who are expected to make an immediate impact are Brock Duke and Zach Adams. Duke, who led Spanish Fork to two state titles, was a high school All-American, the 5A MVP as a senior and a three-time first-team all-state selection. Adams was also a first-team all-state pick in 2009 and led Cottonwood to three state titles. Both were rated among the top players in their class in the state of Utah.
"Both Brock and Zach are going to be tremendous pitchers for us in the future," Kinneberg continued. "They will get very important innings for us this year in roles to be determined. Having Streich back will also be important for us."
 Jordan Whatcott was drafted by the Angels after the 2009 campaign and opted to return to Utah for his senior year. | |
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