By martin renzhofer

| The Salt Lake Tribune

A mixture of snow and rain fell on the University of Utah indoor practice facility, a sure sign that Salt Lake City remained in the grip of this strange winter.

Inside, the pop of baseball against leather echoed the coming of another college baseball season.

At a glance

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Utah baseball

Season opener » Friday at UC-Davis

Conference opener » March 16 at USC

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About the Utes

» Utah relief pitcher Tyler Wagner was named to the watch list for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.

» Ute outfielder Shaun Cooper was a third-team selection on the Louisville Slugger Preseason All-American list.

» Utah has been picked to finish 11th among 11 teams playing baseball in the Pac-12. Stanford is the preseason favorite.

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Utah’s season begins Friday with a three-game series at UC Davis, and one thing is for sure: Ute players say they are ready for the challenge of Pac-12 baseball. But there are questions for the team picked to finish 11th among 11 teams — including how the Utes will replace power-hitting first-team All-American C.J. Cron, now in the Los Angeles Angels organization.

"You don’t. But we know we can execute," outfielder Shaun Cooper said. "For us, we have to do the small things."

Cooper has the tools to be an impact player. This past summer playing in Minnesota’s wooden bat Northwoods League, Cooper was named the Perfect Game Summer Player of the Year. A preseason Louisville Slugger All-American, Cooper hit .332 last season and was third in slugging percentage (.589).

"My swing feels good right now," Cooper said.

However, the difference between the Mountain West and the Pac-12 was best summed up by Utah coach Bill Kinneberg.

"It will be like playing TCU every weekend," he said.

There are no Air Forces in the Pac-12 — no guaranteed victories.

"I look forward to it," Kinneberg said. "We are ready. The guys are really looking forward to it. We’ll play Davis and see where we stack up."

Utah begins its Pac-12 season March 16 at USC.

In 2011, six teams from the conference qualified for the NCAA Tournament, with Stanford progressing to the College World Series.

This season, five of those six teams are ranked in Baseball America’s preseason poll. The names read like a who’s who of college baseball: Stanford, 2; Arizona, 5; UCLA, 14; Arizona State 17 and Oregon State 23.

But Utah is not intimidated.

"Our [pitching] staff is the best I’ve seen in my three years here," said Tyler Wagner, who led the Mountain West Conference and set a school record with 12 saves. He allowed just eight earned runs and had a 2.04 ERA.

A plus is the health of oft-injured starter Zack Adams. The junior pitched in just five games in 2011, but he showed promise when healthy, forging a 2.40 ERA with a 2-0 record and a win against No. 16 Baylor.

"A key for us will be our bullpen," Kinneberg said. "[Tony] Vocca, [Josh] Chapman and [Brock] Duke will be important for us in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings so that we can get to Wagner in a winnable situation."