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
`The Streich Zone' With Stephen Streich
4/1/2011 12:00 AM | Baseball
April 1, 2011
Utah senior pitcher Stephen Streich will be sharing his thoughts throughout the season on UtahUtes.com in `The Streich Zone.'
Being the closer of a team brings a great deal of respect and trust to seal the deal in close games. Here at Utah we have a pretty good one in sophomore Tyler Wagner, who is nationally ranked in the top 10 in saves with 7 already this season. I caught up with "Wags" to talk a little bit about the job he has done this season.
Streich: You came to Utah out of Las Vegas, and they recruited you to play shortstop. Tell me a little about the transition to pitching.
Wagner: I came to the University of Utah to play shortstop. My freshman year I played short and started to pitch a little. Towards the end of my freshman year I was pitching in games for the Utes.
Come summer time, my coaches and I decided that it would be in the best interest of me and my team to focus on pitching.
Streich: You already have 7 saves this season. The Utah record is 9. Tell me about the success you've been having on the mound.
Wagner: I think the success I have on the mound is achieved not only by me, but the team as well. I pretty much only pitch in one situation, when we have the lead in the 8th or 9th inning. There are many things that have to be done to get to that ideal situation. First, our starting pitching has been great this year. All of our starters have been solid through at least 6-to-8 innings. Also, our offense has been putting up enough runs to keep us ahead in most games. I just come in and do the job that I'm supposed to do.
Streich: Some people say closing is the toughest job for a pitcher. Others say it's just another three outs. Talk to me about your position as a closer, and what kind of attitude you bring to the job.
Wagner: think my attitude is a lot like every closer in the game. I think that as a closer you can't be afraid of failure. You have to understand that sometimes you're gonna fail, it's a normal thing. I also believe that you have to focus on the task at hand. You can't get ahead of yourself and you can't think about the past.
I think that another characteristic a closer should have is confidence. Even if I don't have my best stuff that day, you have to know that you can still get any hitter out in any situation. All that has to be done is make good pitches.
Players Mentioned
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