Utah Baseball Ranked No. 25 in D1Baseball.com National Poll
SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah Baseball team entered the national rankings on Monday as the Utes were slotted No. 25 in the D1Baseball.com weekly poll.
It marks the first time the Utes have been included in the D1Baseball.com poll since it was established in 2015.
In addition, the team received 40 votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll and received votes in the NCBWA Poll as well. Utah has now received votes in the last five NCBWA weekly polls (since April 1) and last four Coaches Polls (since April 8).
Despite being picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12 Conference Preseason Poll, the Utes have banded together as a club and to date have strung together one of the program's best seasons in history. Utah (29-13 overall, 14-7 Pac-12) begins this week in a tie for first place in the Pac-12 standings, sharing the top spot with No. 21-nationally ranked Arizona.
Nine regular season conference games (and 11 overall) remain for the Utes, beginning with a three-game road series at Oregon this weekend.
Under third-year head coach Gary Henderson, Utah's 29 total wins to date at the most for the program since the 2011 season, its final in the Mountain West Conference before joining the Pac-12. The Utes also reached the 25-win mark faster than any team in recorded program history, doing so in 36 games with the club's win over Washington on April 19.
Six of seven Pac-12 series have been won thus far by the Utes, including five in a row and most recently a three-game sweep of UCLA. The only blip on the radar in league play was against then-No. 3 Oregon State, a series that saw Utah erase a 9-0 deficit in the series finale on the way to a 14-11 victory in an instant classic on March 17. It is one of 18 come-from-behind wins as the Utes continue to embrace the "never give up" mantra.
The Utah pitching staff ranks third in the Pac-12 and 44th nationally with a 4.71 ERA and keeps walks to a minimum; the club is averaging 3.18 walks allowed per nine innings to rank second in the Pac-12 and 11th in the country. Southpaw Bryson Van Sickle (2.62) and Randon Hostert (3.30) each rank top-six in the league in ERA.
In addition, left-handed closer Micah Ashman is on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List with a league-leading 10 saves; it's the third-most in the nation. Ashman also holds the Utah career record for saves, now with 19 in his three seasons as a Ute.
At the plate, shortstop Core Jackson (.367) and Kai Roberts (.364) sit in the Pac-12's top-five for batting average. Roberts also owns 15 doubles on the season to tie his single-season career-high. This past Sunday against UCLA, he stole his Pac-12 leading 28th base of the season to reset a Utah single-season record that stood since 1997. He now has 61 career stolen bases, another program-best.
D1Baseball.com released its Midseason Position Rankings in late March and included Roberts (No. 14 OF), Ashman (No. 22 reliever) and Jackson (No. 35 SS) in their respective breakdowns.
Next Up
Utah is off from midweek action while the Utes complete final exams for the Spring 2024 semester. The team returns to game action on Friday night, May 3, with a series opener at Oregon. First pitch will be at 7:05 p.m. MT at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon.
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