BYU baseball to host Utah in two fall exhibition games

PROVO, Utah — BYU baseball will feature its 2023 lineup in two Saturday exhibition games in October versus the University of Utah.

Both games are scheduled to be played in Provo at Miller Park. The first game is set for Saturday, Oct. 22, with the second game on Saturday, Oct. 29. Admission is free to both games, with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. MDT.

The Cougar baseball team will also play its annual Blue and White game on Friday, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. Admission for that game is free as well. 

BYU is coming off a 33-21 season, good for a fourth-place finish (16-11) in the WCC and a trip to the West Coast Conference Tournament. The Cougars were 10-5 versus Power Five programs in 2022, including a three-game sweep at Arizona State, three victories at Nebraska, as well as wins over No. 4 Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Utah and Washington State. 

The 2023 squad returns seven starters who received post-season honors in 2021, including third baseman Austin Deming who was named to the 2022 All-WCC First Team. Shortstop Brock Watkins and pitcher Jack Sterner were named Second Team All-WCC, while infielder Ozzie Pratt, pitcher Bryce Robison and outfielder Ryan Sepede were named All-WCC Honorable Mention. In addition, BYU newcomer catcher Collin Reuter and Pratt were selected to the WCC All-Freshman team. 

The Cougars are led by head coach Trent Pratt, who enters his first full season at the BYU helm in 2023. In 25 games as the interim head coach last season, Pratt guided the Cougars to an overall record of 16-9 (.640) and was 10-6 (.626) in WCC contests, including nine wins in the final 10 regular-season games.

Four members of the 2022 BYU baseball team—Andrew Pintar (Arizona), Cy Nielson (Pittsburgh), Nate Dahle (Tampa Bay) and Cooper McKeehan (Kansas City)—were selected in the MLB Draft in July. The four picks in the first 20 rounds matches the highest total in BYU history. In addition, pitcher Ryan Brady inked a free-agent deal with Milwaukee following the draft.

Utah is coming off a 26-27-1 season and a 10th-place finish in the Pac-12. The Utes are led by second-year head coach Gary Henderson, who took over the program in 2022. 

The second exhibition game versus the Utes will be broadcast live on the BYUradio app and on BYUradio.org.