This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
During a bye week in the team's Pac-12 baseball schedule, Utah maintained a slim lead in the conference standings. The Utes (8-4) are only one game ahead of the two teams tied for fourth place, with Stanford and Oregon at 7-5. Between them are California and Washington at 9-6. Utah got some help from Arizona State against Cal and Washington against Stanford this past weekend, as those series victories for the Sun Devils and Huskies only illustrated the Pac-12's depth. There's a long way to go for the first-place Utes, who took two of three games in a nonconference series with UC Riverside and stand 13-19 overall. The Utes will host Utah Valley on Tuesday. The Utes then will play Oregon State (6-6) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Smith's Ballpark. The Pac-12 schedule goes until nearly the end of May, with no conference tournament. – Kurt Kragthorpe