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
Clarkson Earns Pac-12 Player of the Week
3/6/2023 3:00 PM | Baseball
Redshirt junior hit four homers last week, including two while in the game pitching
SAN FRANCISCO – Utah's TJ Clarkson has been named Pac-12 Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday.
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The redshirt junior from Gilbert, Arizona, hit .500 last week in Utah's four games, with four of his seven hits going on the books as home runs. In the end he tallied nine RBI at the plate, five runs scored and a pair of walks.
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It was highlighted by a two-way performance for Clarkson in the Utes' Feb. 27 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, one of the more memorable two-way games in recent program history. He began the game as Utah's designated hitter in the cleanup spot of the batting order, then moved to pitcher during the fifth inning in relief of starter Merit Jones.
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During his 2.2 shutout and hitless innings of relief which earned Clarkson the win, he also hit two home runs. His first was a two-run shot that tied the score at two during the sixth inning, before he broke the tie with a three-run homer in the eighth.
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He struck out one batter and surrendered just two walks and a hit batsman. Once Zac McCleve entered from the bullpen for Clarkson, an NCAA rule then allowed Clarkson to return to DH, though his spot in the batting order did not come up again.
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Clarkson then spent Utah's series at UTSAÂ (March 3-5) in the outfield, hitting 5-for-10 in the series and clubbing two more home runs in the series opener and rubber game. It included a season-high three-hit game for him in the finale.
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The Pac-12 Player of the Week nod for Clarkson is the first of his career. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper lauded him on its National Players of the Week in March 2022.
Clarkson and the Utes are in the midst of their Spring Break trip and travel to California today; the ballclub returns to action on Tuesday with a 7 p.m. MT game at Cal State Fullerton.
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Follow Utah baseball on social media (@utahbaseball).
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The redshirt junior from Gilbert, Arizona, hit .500 last week in Utah's four games, with four of his seven hits going on the books as home runs. In the end he tallied nine RBI at the plate, five runs scored and a pair of walks.
Â
It was highlighted by a two-way performance for Clarkson in the Utes' Feb. 27 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, one of the more memorable two-way games in recent program history. He began the game as Utah's designated hitter in the cleanup spot of the batting order, then moved to pitcher during the fifth inning in relief of starter Merit Jones.
Â
During his 2.2 shutout and hitless innings of relief which earned Clarkson the win, he also hit two home runs. His first was a two-run shot that tied the score at two during the sixth inning, before he broke the tie with a three-run homer in the eighth.
Â
He struck out one batter and surrendered just two walks and a hit batsman. Once Zac McCleve entered from the bullpen for Clarkson, an NCAA rule then allowed Clarkson to return to DH, though his spot in the batting order did not come up again.
Â
Clarkson then spent Utah's series at UTSAÂ (March 3-5) in the outfield, hitting 5-for-10 in the series and clubbing two more home runs in the series opener and rubber game. It included a season-high three-hit game for him in the finale.
Â
The Pac-12 Player of the Week nod for Clarkson is the first of his career. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper lauded him on its National Players of the Week in March 2022.
Clarkson and the Utes are in the midst of their Spring Break trip and travel to California today; the ballclub returns to action on Tuesday with a 7 p.m. MT game at Cal State Fullerton.
Â
Follow Utah baseball on social media (@utahbaseball).
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