BYU baseball preparing for first home games of 2017
After nearly a month, the BYU baseball team is finally coming back to Provo. The Cougars have a four game home stand this weekend.
The 4-6 BYU baseball team is hoping to get something cooking at home this weekend. Miller Park will be used for the first time in 2017 as the Cougars host the 4-7 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.
BYU baseball is hoping to finish the series above .500, but UCSB is 7-1 all-time against the Cougars.
“It’s been three long weeks of tough travel and tough ball games,” BYU skipper Mike Littlewood said in a press release. “To say we’re happy to be back at Miller Park would be an understatement.”
Maverik Buffo will start Thursday night’s game, with Brady Corless and Hayden Rogers following him on Friday. Kendall Motes will start the final game on Saturday. Here’s how each of them have played so far this season:
Buffo: 1-2, 4.50 ERA, 13 K, 16 IP
Corless: 2-0, 1.89 ERA, 23 K, 19 IP
Rogers: 0-0, 2.38 ERA, 6 K, 11.1 IP
Motes: 0-1, 5.14 ERA, 4 K, 7 IP
Corless has pitched like the ace that the Cougars had hoped Buffo would be this season. He’s been a pleasant surprise, and he’ll have to lead the pitching staff this weekend if the Cougars want to take the series.
BYU baseball still has the balanced lineup it sported a season ago. Seven different Cougars have hit a homer this season and five different players are hitting .313 or better.
UCSB was 43-20-1 last season and made the College World Series for the first time in program history.
The Gauchos will send Noah Davis (2-1, 2.14 ERA), Kyle Nelson (1-2, 3.14 ERA), Chris Clements (0-2, 3.18 ERA) and Steven Ledesma (0-1, 5.23 ERA) to the mound for the series.
First pitch Thursday night is scheduled for 5 pm MDT.