College Baseball in Utah – Week 8 – April 4th, 2026

Utah gave up 40 runs to Kansas while getting swept by the Jayhawks at home. Utah will try to bounce back this week with games in the desert. On Tuesday, the Utes will head to St. George to play Utah Tech. They’ll stay in the south for the weekend series at Arizona State. At least the week wasn’t a total loss for Utah. They traveled down I-15 to Orem to battle Utah Valley in the Wolverines ballpark. Utah got the better of UVU with a 15-9 win, the only bright spot of the week.

Utah Valley 14-16 (0-0 in the WAC)

Despite their early week loss to Utah, UVU had a more bearable week than some of their Beehive State brethren. UVU was on the road at Cal State Bakersfield, and their series led off on Thursday. Utah Valley jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third inning and never looked back. The Wolverines would win the first game of the series, 14-4.

Game two would be more tightly contested, but UVU would get a 4-1 lead. They would hold fast to it and prevail in game two, 5-4. Utah Valley couldn’t complete the sweep on Saturday, falling behind early before losing to CSU Bakersfield, 8-2. This week, beginning on Tuesday, UVU will host BYU at home in Orem. Then, the Wolverines will head to California for a three-game road trip at Sacramento State. They’ll then play a game on Monday at Air Force in Colorado Springs.

BYU 14-16 (5-7 in the Big 12)

The week got off to a bad start for BYU. They hosted Kansas State for a standalone game on Tuesday, and the Wildcats mauled the Cougars. Kansas State never left it in doubt, crushing BYU 16-3. Licking their wounds, BYU would head to Waco, Texas, to battle Baylor. The first matchup against the Bears went just as poorly, with BYU falling, 12-5. Friday saw things bounce BYU’s way. Home runs from Ridge Erickson, Patrick Graham, and Tualau Wolfgramm propelled BYU to a 10-4 victory.

Unfortunately, that would be the only bright spot for BYU this week. They’d lose the series and their third game in four this week, 3-1 on Saturday. The Cougars will return to Utah for a game at crosstown rival Utah Valley on Tuesday, but will then return to Texas to play three games at Houston. They’ll follow that up with a game at Beaumont on Monday.

Utah Tech 20-12 (2-1 in the WAC)

Despite losses to BYU earlier in the year, the Trailblazers are still having the best baseball season in the state of Utah. They would continue their successful campaign while hosting Sacramento State. Utah Tech would win the first game in a back-and-forth contest. The Trailblazers would emerge victorious, 7-6.

There would be less doubt on Friday. Tech would pummel Sacramento, jumping out to a 4-0 lead, building it into a 9-2 lead, and never looking back. The Trailblazers would win 13-3. This would secure the series for Tech. Saturday, Utah Tech went for the series sweep. This time, Sacramento State got out to a fast start. They led 7-0, and despite Utah Tech scoring five runs in the bottom of the ninth, Sacramento State won, 13-11. UT got an important WAC series win, though, and are 2-1 in the conference standings to start the season. Tech will host Utah on Tuesday. They will then welcome Azusa Pacific to St. George for a weekend series.

The Utah Four

1. Utah Tech 20-12 (2-1 in the WAC)
2. BYU 14-16 (5-7 in the Big 12)
3. Utah 16-13 (5-7 in the Big 12)
4. Utah Valley 14-16 (0-0 in the WAC)

Wally Joyner Player of the Week

Petey Soto Jr. of Utah Tech had a good week. The Trailblazers’ shortstop had four hits, four runs, six runs batted in, a stolen base, and the highlight of the week, a grand slam. Soto is one of Utah Tech’s best hitters. His batting average of .368 leads the team so far this season. His 42 hits are second-best on the team. Soto is one of the top players on the state’s top team in 2026.