SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The second season for the Sacramento State baseball team begins this week as the Hornets remain on the road to open Western Athletic Conference play at Utah Tech.

Due to the Easter holiday, the series begins on Thursday (April 2) at Bruce Hurst Field in St. George, Utah, and runs through Saturday (April 4). Game times are 5 p.m. PT on both Thursday and Friday before an 11 a.m. PT start on Saturday.

The three games this weekend put an end to a run of eight straight road contests for the Hornets that began with last week's midweek series at Kansas.

PLAY BALL!
WHAT: Sacramento State (11-18, 0-0 WAC) at Utah Tech (18-11, 0-0 WAC)
WHEN: Thursday-Saturday, April 2-4, 2026
TIME(S): 5 PM PT (Thurs.) / 5 PM PT (Fri.) / 11 AM PT (Sat.)
WHERE: St. George, Utah
STADIUM: Bruce Hurst Field
FOLLOW:
Game 1:  ESPN+ | WAC International | Live Stats
Game 2:  ESPN+ | WAC International | Live Stats
Game 3:  ESPN+ | WAC International | Live Stats

GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Utah Tech | Western Athletic Conference

PROBABLE STARTERS
Thurs.: RHP Ethan Lay (7 GS, 2-1, 2.27 ERA) at RHP Jackson Price (4 GS, 0-2, 4.82 ERA)
Fri.: RHP Carson Timothy (7 GS, 2-2, 3.81 ERA) at RHP Dakoda West (7 GS, 2-3, 5.50 ERA)
Sat.: RHP Elijah Rogalski (4 GS, 0-0, 2.08 ERA) at RHP Brandon Kosel (7 GS, 2-0, 2.16 ERA)

PUT ME IN COACH!
• While Sacramento State's baseball season approaches the midway point of the 2026 season, three Hornet baseball alumni are just gearing for the start of theirs, making the opening day rosters for their respective Major League Baseball rosters on Thursday
• Rhys Hoskins enters his ninth season at the Major League level with his third different team after joining the ranks of the Cleveland Guardians in 2026 following two years with the Milwaukee Brewers
• Nathan Lukes enters his fourth season with the Toronto Blue Jays after helping his club to the American League pennant and a trip to the World Series for the first time since 1993, eventually falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games
• James Outman enters his fifth season at the Major League level and his second with the Minnesota Twins after being traded from the Dodgers in late July

ABOUT THE TRAILBLAZERS
• Utah Tech enters the week with an 18-11 overall record after taking 2-of-3 on the road at Southern Illinois over the weekend and dropping a mid-week game at Saint Louis on Monday
• This weekend's series ends a run of six straight away from home for the Trailblazers and begins a stretch of nine straight at home for Utah Tech
• The Trailblazers are an impressive 8-3 at Bruce Hurst Field this season, winning their last two back on March 19-20 against Fresno State
• Utah Tech ranks fourth in the league in both batting average (.278) and runs scored (201) while leading the WAC in walks (167) and fewest strikeouts (190)
• On the mound, the Trailblazers sport the WAC's worst ERA (6.46) and average against (.291), but have walked the second-fewest hitters in the league (100)
• The team's 18 wins are third in the league behind California Baptist (24) and Tarleton State (19)

SERIES NOTABLES
• Sacramento State holds an 11-8 lead in the all-time series with Utah Tech
• The two schools have split the six all-time series against one another with the Trailblazers taking 2-of-3 from the Hornets in each of the last two seasons
• Sacramento State won the opener, 13-5, in last year's series before Utah Tech answered with wins of 6-3 and 6-5 in the final two games of the regular season in Sacramento
• This weekend marks only the third series played in St. George, Utah, with the Hornets taking 2-of-3 in 2022 and the Trailblazers answering by taking 2-of-3 in 2024
• Sacramento State has scored double-digit runs in six of their 11 wins over Utah Tech

TWO TO WATCH
• Lay and junior RHP Kurt Marton were two of more than 140 Division I pitchers from across the country named to the College Baseball Foundation's initial National Pitcher of the Year watch list for 2026 the organization announced on March 11
• The duo are two of four total hurlers honored from the WAC, joined by California Baptist right-handers Michael Malki and Bryan Peck on this year's list

MILLENNIAL MILESTONE
• Sacramento State enters the weekend needing just seven more victories to reach 1,000 all-time wins in the program's Division I history
• Since it's first full Division I season in 1990, the Hornets have posted a 993-1,075-4 record

IN "LAY"-MAN'S TERMS
• Although he didn't get the win in the opener against Kansas, Lay was effective in his start against the Jayhawks, striking out seven over four innings while scattering a run on six hits in the eventual 7-4 Hornet victory
• The Sacramento State ace enters the weekend leading the WAC in fewest walks allowed (4) while standing second in innings (39.2), strikeouts (49), and strikeouts looking (11)
• He also stands among the top 10 in ERA (3rd, 2.27) and opponent batting average (3rd, .197) while ranking tied for fifth in fewest hits allowed (30) and seventh in fewest runs allowed (15)
• Lay's 11 strikeouts against Winthrop (without a walk) was the third career double-digit strikeout performance of his Hornet career, joining the 11 K's against Pacific on March 9 of last year and a career-high 13 strikeouts (without a walk) in game two against Saint Joseph's (Feb. 20) this season
• He became the 16th Hornet in school history to strikeout at least 13 batters in a game and the first since Travis Adams (who made his Major League debut with the Minnesota Twins last summer) finished with 13 at Northern Colorado in 2021
• He has also struck out eight-or-more batters in a game six times as a Hornet

ON THE NATIONAL STAGE
• Lay ranks among the nation's top 100 pitchers in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8th at 12.25), walks allowed per nine innings (13th at 0.91), WHIP (21st at 0.86), total strikeouts (45th), ERA (58th), and strikeouts per nine innings (92nd at 11.12)

A "HARRY" SITUATION
• Freshman outfielder Sam Harry has been productive at the top of the Hornets' order as of late, extending his hitting streak to eight straight games with hits in all three games over the weekend at Creighton
• Harry was 5-for-9 (.556) with a pair of walks and two runs scored against the Bluejays, collecting his fourth and fifth multi-hit games during his current hitting streak
• During that eight-game run, the Castle Rock, Colo., native is batting .500 (14-for-28) with nine runs scored and four RBI, collecting three doubles and adding four walks
• In the process, he has elevated his batting average 68 points to .303 on the year -- ranking third on the team
• His nine multi-hit games rank second on the team behind Erick Dessens, while his seven two-hit games are the most on the squad
• With a team-high nine doubles overall on the year, Harry ranks tied for seventh in the WAC
• The eight-game hitting streak enters the weekend tied for the third-longest by a Hornet this season

ERICK THE GREAT
• While his rather lengthy 12-game hitting streak came to a halt in the opener against Kansas, junior outfielder Erick Dessens continued to help power the Hornet offense
• The Scottsdale, Ariz., native has collected hits in 15 of his last 17 games and recording seven of his team-high 11 multi-hit contests in the process -- including a pair of four-hit outings against Pacific (March 14) and Kansas (March 25)
• In his last 17 games, the junior is batting .389 (28-for-72) with 14 runs scored, six doubles, a triple, four home runs, and 20 RBI

DESSENS ASCENDS IN WAC TOP 10s
• Aside from leading the team with a .315 average entering this week's contests, Dessens is also among the WAC's bests in a number of categories
• The junior ranks fifth in the conference in RBI (30) and sixth in the league in hits (40) while standing tied for seventh  in home runs (6)

DOUBLE-DIGIT DAMAGE
• Sacramento State posted its 11th game with double-digit hits in the second game of the series at Kansas (March 28) -- the eighth time in its last 13 games that the Hornets have been able to accomplish that feat dating back to the March 11 contest against Pacific
• Prior to that, Sacramento State had only been able to collect 10-or-more hits three times in its first 16 games
• When scoring 10-or-more runs, Sacramento State is 4-1 this season and 7-4 when posting double-digit hits

ON STRIKE
• The trio of Chase Sorlie, Sean Carey, and Trevor Wilson combined to strikeout 15 Creighton hitters in the series finale -- tied for the second-most in a game by Hornet pitchers this season behind only the 18 strikeouts against St. Joseph's in game two of their series that went 12 innings back on Feb. 20
• In the process, Sorlie tied his career high with three strikeouts, Carey set his career high with five more, and Wilson finished the day with a career-high seven over a career-long 4.2 innings

ROGALSKI RAMPING UP
• Senior RHP Elijah Rogalski's comeback from an injury that has kept him out for the better part of the last two seasons is nearly complete
• Rogalski posted the longest outing of his Sacramento State career with 3.2 innings in game two at Creighton, scattering four hits without allowing an earned run and striking out a career-high seven
• The Sacramento native's previous long outing this year was 2.1 innings at San Francisco on March 17 while he hadn't thrown more than an inning in his three other starts
• The game against the Bluejays surpassed his previous Hornet career-long of 3.1 innings against Loyola Marymount back on Feb. 16, 2024, when he went 3.1 innings and struck out four before going down to injury

MONSON "MARCH"-ING ON
• Senior RHP Andrew Monson has "come in like a lion" in the month of March
• In five appearances last month, Monson is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA, having allowed just one earned run over 7.2 innings of work, scattering six hits, walking one, and striking out 10
• He has allowed one or fewer runs in nine of his 10 games this season, including five shutout appearances
• In the process, he has dropped his season ERA by more than half, down to 5.84 on the year and boasts a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 6-to-1, having issued only three free passes on the year

CAREY THAT LOAD
• After picking up his first collegiate save in the 7-4 win at Kansas on March 25, junior LHP Sean Carey followed that performance with two brilliant innings against Creighton in the series finale
• Carey faced just one Bluejay over the minimum in the appearance allowing one hit while striking out a career-high five -- the third time this season he has struck out four or more hitters in a relief appearance
• The two performances last week dropped his overall season ERA by more than two runs as he has allowed one run or fewer in nine of his 11 appearances this year
• He posted a 1.80 ERA in the two games (5.0 innings), striking out eight while walking only one
• Carey's 23 strikeouts are fourth on the staff behind Lay (49), Kurt Marton (27), and Trevor Wilson (24), and he is holding opponents to a .197 average against

CUTTING TO THE CHASE
• Need a starting pitcher? Sophomore RHP Chase Sorlie has stepped in as one of the Hornets' most reliable options in 2026
• The Las Vegas native started a pair of contests last week at Kansas (March 24) and at Creighton (March 29), allowing two runs on one hit over 5.1 innings and striking out five combined
• In five starts overall this year, Sorlie has surrendered only five runs on nine hits over 15.1 innings, posting a 2.93 ERA while striking out 12 and walking six
• Opponents are hitting just .170 against the right-hander in those five starts after giving up just one hit in two innings against the Bluejays in his last appearance
• His 3.1 innings against the Jayhawks marked his second-longest outing this year, trailing the four innings of work at Pacific on Feb. 25
• Ranking tied for second on the team with 11 appearances, Sorlie has posted a 2.62 ERA over 24.0 innings -- which ranks behind only Ethan Lay for those with 10-or-more innings pitched this year -- striking out 18 and holding opponents to a .169 average against

I'VE GOT A "COLIN" TO THE BULLPEN
• Senior RHP Colin Hunter has been stingy over his last five appearances (7.0 IP), allowing just one earned run for a 1.29 ERA on four hits while striking out 10 against only two walks in that span
• He threw a season-high 3.0 shutout innings in the opener at Creighton (March 27), allowing two hits and striking out three -- tying his season-high in the latter

CUBBY CAUGHT 'EM
• Senior catcher Jacob Cortez enters the weekend ranked tied for third among WAC catchers with four runners thrown out attempting to steal

THIS CLOSE
• Of Sacramento State's 18 defeats this year, 10 of those have been decided by two runs or fewer, with six of those coming by a single run

TOUCH 'EM ALL!
• When the Hornets hit a home run this season, they are definitely getting their money's worth as 12 of their 14 long balls have been multi-run home runs
• The only solo homers hit by Sacramento State this season have come from Dessens against Saint Joseph's (Feb. 19) and Poturnak against Pacific (March 11) -- both leading off an inning
• Outside of those two, Sacramento State has hit three two-run home runs, seven three-run blasts, and the two aforementioned grand slams
• Nine of the team's 14 home runs have come in the first four innings and the Hornets are 8-4 this year when leaving the yard compared to just 2-12 when they don't
• However, both of the team's grand slams have come in the eighth inning or later
• Thanks to grand slams by Cameron Sewell (game two at No. 2 LSU) and Jakob Poturnak (game two vs. Winthrop) It is the ninth consecutive season (not counting the 2020 pandemic year) that the Hornets have hit at least one grand slam, and the seventh time in that stretch that they have hit multiple grand slams in a single year

STRIKE FIRST! STRIKE HARD! NO MERCY, SIR!
• Sacramento State has gotten out of the gates quickly this year, scoring 38 percent (62) of its 165 runs in the first three innings thus far
• 36 of those 165 runs this year have come in the second inning alone -- the most of than any inning 
• The Hornets have scored first in 10 of their 11 victories, going 11-6 this season when they crack the runs column before their opponents
• However, Sacramento State, which has yet to win in 12 tries when the opponents get on the board first, posted its first come-from-behind win of the year on March 25 in the 7-4 win at Kansas after trailing 3-1 entering the sixth inning

GOING BIG
• Sacramento State has posted a "big inning" (four or more runs) 13 times this season, finishing 6-3 in games in which they have done so
• The seven-run second inning in the series finale against Pacific on March 15 were the most in single inning this season and the most since the Hornets put up seven in the seventh inning of a 9-2 win at Utah Valley on May 11 of last year

CYCLE SEEKING
• Both Dessens and Ott came achingly close to hitting for the cycle during the series with Pacific with Dessens falling a triple short in both games two and three against the Tigers and Ott missing out on the triple in the finale
• Those two join Pimentel-Guerrero (Feb. 22 vs. Saint Joseph's) and Poturnak (March 11 vs. Pacific) as Hornets who have come close to hitting for the cycle this year -- all missing the accomplishment by a triple
• The last Sacramento State player to hit for the cycle was Jason Beeman at CSUN on April 24, 1994, finishing 4-for-6 with two runs and six RBI while also throwing a complete game on the mound in a 14-6 victory

WALK THE WALK
• The Hornets' staff enters the week having walked only 94 hitters while striking out 256 through the first 29 games, ranking No. 16 in the NCAA in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (3.40)
• Sacramento State also ranks No. 22 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.72) and No. 36 in WHIP (1.31)

"QUALITY" YOU CAN COUNT ON
• Lay logged his fourth "quality start" of the year with his win over Winthrop -- his 11th such start of his career after doing so seven times in 2025
• Marton has thrown a pair in five starts as a Hornet, throwing six shutout innings against UC Irvine (2/14) and allowing just two runs over 6.2 innings with nine strikeouts against Saint Joseph's
• Timothy's start in the series finale at No. 2 LSU was his first "quality start" as a Hornet