2024 Utah Baseball Game Notes |
Games 40-42
Date // Time (MT) |
Utah (26-13 overall, 11-7 Pac-12) vs. UCLA (13-25 overall, 6-15 Pac-12)
Friday, April 26 // 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 27 // 2 p.m.
Sunday, April 28 // 1 p.m. |
Location |
Salt Lake City, Utah (Smith's Ballpark) |
Tickets |
Click here
Students are always free at Smith's Ballpark with a valid UCard |
Getting to Smith's Ballpark |
Parking: Free parking available on 13th South, in the lot directly North of home plate
TRAX: Take the Red, Blue or Green Lines to Ballpark Station (free fare with a game ticket or valid UCard) |
Live Statistics |
StatBroadcast
Friday // Saturday // Sunday |
Watch |
Utah Live Stream |
Radio (Sat/Sun only) |
ESPN 700 AM / 92.1 FM |
Game Notes |
Utah // UCLA // Pac-12 Weekly Release |
@UtahBaseball Social Media |
Twitter/X // Instagram // Facebook // #GoUtes // #UteNotes |
This Weekend's Fan Experience Rundown
- Once again throughout the 2024 season, parking on Utah Baseball gamedays is free at Smith's Ballpark. Park in the lot on 13th South, directly North of home plate. Fans can also ride TRAX for free with a valid game ticket or University of Utah UCard—just hop on the Red, Blue or Green Lines to Ballpark Station.
- University of Utah students are always admitted to baseball games free of charge— just present a valid UCard at the Smith's Ballpark Ticket Office.
- Friday's series opener vs. UCLA is Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night. All University of Utah faculty and staff across campus can claim a free ticket to the ballgame—just present a valid UCard at the Smith's Ballpark Ticket Office.
- Saturday will be Community Day. All youth baseball players are invited for free admission, just wear your jersey and visit the Smith's Ballpark Ticket Office before first pitch. Also, the first 300 fans through the gates can pick up a free Utah Baseball pennant at the marketing table behind home plate.
- Postgame on Saturday, kids can come down on the field to run the bases, and everyone is invited to meet members of the Utah Baseball team for autographs.
- Sunday's series finale is Heroes Day—first responders, healthcare workers and their families can claim a free ticket at the ticket office. It'll also be Soda Sunday, with all souvenir sodas at half-price from the concession stand.
The First Pitch: Things to Know
For the fifth straight week, the Utah Baseball team has received votes in the NCBWA and USA Today (coaches) top 25 polls. A three-game Pac-12 Conference series awaits the Utes this weekend as
Gary Henderson's club hosts UCLA at Smith's Ballpark beginning Friday.
- The Utes are looking to keep the momentum going in league play as the team has won five of its six Pac-12 Conference series, including four in a row. Three of the five series wins have been on the road. The five Pac-12 series wins are the most for the program since 2017 and trail only the 2016 conference championship team (8) for the most since Utah joined the conference.
- Two of three games went to Utah last weekend vs. Washington, moving the Utes to 11-7 in Pac-12 Conference play. It put the team into a tie for second place in the league standings.
- Utah aims to bounce back from a 5-4 heartbreaker on Tuesday down at BYU. TJ Clarkson belted his eighth home run of the season to spark the Utes, who led after seven innings. But a late rally for the Cougars pushed the home club in front at the end of the night.
- Shortstop and leadoff man Core Jackson hit .400 in the Washington series last weekend. It included four doubles, a home run, eight RBI and four runs scored. He and center fielder Kai Roberts combined for three stolen bases on the weekend—it now gives Roberts a total of 25 on the season, two away from tying the program's single-season record.
- Jackson (.364) and Roberts (.362) continue to pace the Utah bats with the team's top-two batting averages; both rank top-five in the Pac-12. Roberts, a Utah native from Lehi, sits about 100 points North of where he finished the 2023 season hitting .266.
- Roberts also leads the Pac-12 and ranks top-12 nationally with 25 stolen bases. He is two away from tying the Utah single-season record of 27 swipes. Jackson's 16 stolen bases sit second-most in the league.
- Approaching the final month of the regular season, Utah remains one of the Pac-12's higher-scoring offenses at 7.6 runs per game. It ranks third in the conference, top-76 in the country and continues a steady climb over the last three seasons. In part thanks to assistant coach Todd Guilliams' guidance, the Utes averaged 6.2 runs per game in 2022 and rose to 6.7 runs per game in '23.
- The pitching staff also has shown continued progress from a year ago. Now with a 4.83 ERA on the season, the Utes rank fourth in the Pac-12 and 52nd in the country. It's an improvement from a 7.12 tally at the end of the 2023 season.
- Gary Henderson's club reached the 25-win mark in their first 36 games, the fastest in recorded program history. The previous-fastest was when three different Utah teams reached the 26-win mark in 41 games, a five-game difference from the 2024 club.
- Final exams are upon us here at the University of Utah, and accordingly the Utes will be off from midweek competition next week. After the UCLA series, the club resumes game action next Friday to kick off a three-game series at Oregon.