MESA, Ariz. – As has been the case in recent seasons, the first day of the University Credit Union WAC Baseball Tournament provided plenty of fireworks for everyone in attendance at Hohokam Stadium. No. 7 seed UT Arlington blitzed No. 6 Tarleton State 11-1 in the opening game before No. 8 seed Utah Tech earned a 6-5 comeback win over No. 5 seed California Baptist in the nightcap on Tuesday night.

The 2025 University Credit Union WAC Baseball Tournament resumes with two games on Wednesday. No. 3 Utah Valley and No. 7 UTA are set to square off at noon MST, and No. 8 Utah Tech advanced to face No. 4 Grand Canyon at 4 p.m. MST.

The winner of game three between Utah Valley and UTA will earn a winner’s bracket showdown against No. 2 Abilene Christian on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. MST, with the advancing team from the fourth contest pitting Utah Tech versus CBU drawing top-seeded Sacramento State Thursday at 12:30 p.m. MST. All games will air on ESPN+.

Game 1 – No. 7 UT Arlington 10, No. 6 Tarleton State 1 (Box Score)
No. 7 UT Arlington caught fire in the first inning and never looked back, scoring four runs in the top half of the frame and holding Tarleton State without a hit for over six innings. The Mavericks outhit the Texans 17-4 on the afternoon, which included five UTA hits for extra bases.

Xavier Melendez contributed a 4-for-5 day at the plate for UTA, driving in a run and scoring twice for the Mavericks in the win. Larry Haskins ripped three base hits, including his second home run of the season, and plated four runners for UTA. Caylon Dygert was brilliant on the mound for UTA, throwing 6.1 innings of three-hit baseball with five walks and six strikeouts on 128 pitches to earn the win. Caden Noah spun 2.2 innings of scoreless relief with three punchouts to close out the victory.

Game 2 – No. 8 Utah Tech 6, No. 5 California Baptist 5 (11) (Box Score)
No. 8 seed Utah Tech battled back from a 3-0 deficit after the fourth inning to earn its first postseason win in its Division I era. The Trailblazers scored one in the fifth, two in the seventh and one in the eighth to force the game to extra innings. A one-out RBI to straightaway center field in the top of the 11th by all-conference first teamer Ryan Kroepel provided the winning margin for Utah Tech.

Along with his game-winning hit, Kroepel tossed the final four innings in relief to earn the win on the mound, allowing an unearned run on four hits while striking out one. Kyle McDaniel and Kace Naone each drove in two runs for the Trailblazers.

WAC Player of the Year Nick Dumesnil went 4-for-5 with a double and a run scored, while Julian Alvarez went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Ben Castelli finished the game 2-for-5 with two runs scored.