STEPHENVILLE, Texas - Tarleton State Baseball (17-25, 5-7 WAC) will return home this weekend to host the Utah Tech Trailblazers (17-21, 4-9 WAC) in a three-game series ranging from Friday to Sunday.

The Texans will look to extend their WAC winning streak after taking home a 2-1 series victory last weekend against the Utah Valley Wolverines. The Purple and White currently rank sixth in the conference while the Trailblazers rank last.

SERIES HISTORY:

• This will be the third all-time series between the Texans and Trailblazers.
• Utah Tech holds a 4-3 all-time record against Tarleton State heading into the weekend.
• This will be the first series played in Stephenville since 2021 when the Trailblazers went 3-1.
• The Texans took their most recent matchup against Utah Tech, winning 10-7 in St. George.
• Tyson Drake and Trace Morrison posted two hits apiece against the Trailblazers on 4/14/24.
• Ike Shirey and Morrison both registered a three hits to open up the last series on 4/12/24.

OPPONENT SCOUTING REPORT:

• The trailblazers just took their most recent series against WAC No. 1 Grand Canyon, winning 2-1.
• Last Saturday against GCU, Ryan Kroepel led the team with three hits and three runs en route to a 9-1 victory.
• Kyle McDaniel leads the team with a .379 batting average, followed by Kroepel with a .348.
• Hunter Kastsche posts a team-high eight home runs. The senior notched two home runs against GCU last Saturday.
• Utah Tech has three players with a .300 batting average or better.

TEAM COMPARISON:

• The Texans have stolen 85 bases this season, 53 more than Utah Tech's 32 steals.
• The Trailblazers hold a 6.02 overall ERA while the Purple and White hold a 7.03.
• The Purple and White have 285 strikeouts on the season while UTU has 287.
• Tarleton State has 43 home runs this season. The Trailblazers only have 31.
• The Texans have an overall batting average of .301 while Utah Tech posts a .273.

PANNETON GETS THE NOD FOR FRIDAY:

• Brian Panneton will receive his 11th start against the Trailblazers on Friday night.
• Panneton holds a 4-2 record, accounting for the most pitching wins across the Texan bullpen.
• He leads the team in strikeouts (47) and innings pitched (50.2).
• The junior notched a season-high eight strikeouts against Seattle U on 4/5/24.
• This will be Panneton's first appearance against Utah Tech in his career.

RAYNER STAYS ON FIRE:

• Following Wednesday's game against Texas State, Rayner Heinrich now leads the team with a .356 batting average.
• Heinrich registered a team-high three hits against Texas State, marking his eighth consecutive game with at least one hit.
• The freshman holds the longest active hit streak on the squad.
• On Wednesday, he became the second Texan to register at least 50 hits this season. Slade McCloud leads the team with 56, followed by Heinrich with 52.
• Heinrich has totalled multiple hits in five of his last seven performances.

NEXT UP:

• Following their series against the Trailblazers, Tarleton State Baseball will play their final midweek game of the year against Houston Christian at Husky Field in Houston, Texas.