With first pitch only a few days away, it’s time to preview the 2026 Utah Tech University baseball season as the program gears up for its swan song as members of the Western Athletic Conference.
Last season
The 2025 season certainly had its share of highs and lows for Utah Tech, as the team finished with a 24-31 record, including 9-15 in Western Athletic Conference play.
The Trailblazers stumbled out of the gate with a 7-11 start before ripping off a seven-game winning streak, highlighted by a 10-3 victory at BYU.
Not long after the winning run, UT dropped seven straight games, leaving the team just 1-8 in conference action.
With their backs against the wall as the calendar flipped to May, the only way to go was up.
“We got hot late. We won our last three series, which helped us get into the conference tournament,” head coach Chris Pfatenhauer said.
Appearing in its first WAC Tournament, the Trailblazers defeated California Baptist University before dropping matchups against Grand Canyon University and Abilene Christian University to end the season.
“We played really well all three games in the tournament. Won the first one and came up a couple runs short in the other two late in games, but I really liked where we were,” he added.
“It’s hard to say a sub .500 season is a success, but I think the way our trajectory is going in our first five years of Division 1 is certainly a positive.”
Returning talent
While Utah Tech lost a few notable contributors from a season ago, they return two starting pitchers (seniors Dakoda West and Ryan Martinez) and the infield trio of junior second baseman Kyle McDaniel, junior shortstop Petey Soto Jr., and junior third baseman Ryan Kroepel.
McDaniel, a management major from Pahrump, Nevada, led the Trailblazers in hits last season and was recently named the third-ranked second baseman in the country among mid-majors by D1 Baseball.
“I think we established new standards early,” he said of this year’s team.
“I just want to contribute and help the team any way I can. Just being the best teammate that I can and helping the guys win.”
Sophomore outfielder Finnegan Stewart, senior third baseman/utility player Kace Naone, and senior catching duo Andrew Pyle and Ty Johnsen are the remaining returning position players.
Redshirt sophomore Easton Brooks and junior Aaron Morris are the other key returners on the mound. Ryan Kroepel will continue to pitch out of the bullpen and start at third base.
New faces
Utah Tech was also busy in the offseason, adding 12 players to the roster, eight of whom are transfers.
“We love the pieces we added. We love the young guys, the freshmen to the junior college transfers, and really like our depth this year as well,” Pfatenhauer said.
One that fans can look out for to contribute right away is freshman pitcher David Sheppard.
“He’s making a push to be our Friday night starter right now,” Pfatenhauer said.
Among transfers, junior outfielder Hudson Manwaring (Salt Lake CC), junior first baseman Miller Durham (College of Southern Nevada), and the trio of junior pitchers Brandon Wyland (Cypress College), Jackson Price (Chaffey College), and Brandon Kosel (Scottsdale CC) will likely see the field early and often.
“Hudson has a chance to play center or right field for us,” Pfatenhauer said.
“We’re really excited about Miller at first base. Then we’ve got three guys (Wyland, Price, Kosel) that are actually vying for starting roles right now on the mound and will pitch huge innings,” he added.
Expectations
Coming off a WAC Tournament berth – and first D1 postseason win – expectations are high for Utah Tech in their final season in the conference.
In the summer, the program will become a member of the Mountain West Conference.
McDaniel, a 2025 All-WAC Second team selection, expects the Trailblazers to take a big step forward in 2026.
“We’re expecting to win a lot more games, be more competitive, just being in a lot more games and to be one of those top teams in the WAC instead of hanging on by a thread,” McDaniel said.
Local product Petey Soto Jr., a sports and recreation management major who attended Crimson Cliffs High School, has even higher hopes for the new season.
“The expectation? Win, win, win, win,” Soto said about the 2026 Trailblazers.
“Coming off the tournament, we have an idea what it’s like to be in it. So it just made us hungrier. We just want to keep winning, win the whole thing, and beat all of the teams,” he added.
The schedule
The Utah Tech baseball season begins Feb. 13, as the Trailblazers start with a four-game road series at the University of California, Riverside.
Following an eight-game road trip across the Golden State to start the season, the Trailblazers begin the home portion of their schedule Feb. 27 with the first of four games against the University of Northern Colorado.
“We can’t wait,” McDaniel said of playing in front of the home fans at Bruce Hurst Field.
“We’ve talked about it a ton, just having our friends, family, the fans there. It’ll just be an awesome atmosphere,” he added.
The 2026 home schedule also includes matchups with 2025 NCAA Tournament participant Fresno State University and back-to-back Atlantic Sun Conference champions Austin Peay State University. It also includes games against local rivals UNLV, BYU, and the University of Utah.
You can find the entire 2026 Utah Tech baseball schedule here.
This article was originally written for Utah Tech’s student newspaper, Sun News.
Photo credit: Utah Tech Athletics.
