Utes Come To Provo For Rivalry

For the only time this season in Provo, BYU and Utah meet on the baseball field on Tuesday in a non-conference game at 2 p.m.

Lefthanded transfer Jared Miller (3-1, 5.06) gets the starting nod on the mound for the Cougars in Tuesday's game at Larry H. Miller Field. Utah will start righthander Andrew Wilding (1-1, 6.19). Fans can download a A HREF coupon for entry in the game from www.byucougars.com. BYU brings a 14-17 overall (5-4 in the MWC) record into this week, while Utah is 12-14 ( 3-2 in the MWC).

BYU leads the baseball series between the two schools, 206-89-1. Coach Vance Law has a 37-12 record against Utah in his eight years at the BYU helm, but the Utes have won the last two non-conference games between the two teams.

Unique to this rivalry is the fact that brothers play on both teams. Brandon Relf is a second baseman/shortstop for BYU, while younger brother, Tyler, is a freshman infielder for Utah.

This is the first of four scheduled games between BYU and Utah on the baseball field this season, with points going towards the newly-established Deseret First Duel. The rivalry series includes competition in the 12 sports the two universities compete head-to-head during regular-season play. The Mountain West Conference series between BYU and Utah in baseball will be at Franklin Covey Field on May 15-17.

BYU leads, 28-22, in the current rivalry standings. The Deseret First Duel uses a system that awards points to the winner of each head-to-head competition. A team trophy is awarded to the individual winner of each sport -- football, basketball, softball, etc. Points won by the individual sports count toward each school's overall total. At the conclusion of each school year, a granite traveling trophy will be awarded to the overall rivalry series champion.

The Utah vs. BYU rivalry actually began with a baseball game in 1895, when Brigham Young Academy played the first ever intercollegiate event in Utah against the Utes. That game ended in a 0-0 tie and a bench-clearing brawl. Thanks to a partnership with Deseret First Credit Union, the rivalry now has an official name and a traveling trophy to signify yearly supremacy. The Deseret First Duel sponsorship between the two universities and Deseret First Credit Union is for five years.

For more information please see the PDF at the top of this page.