This weekend for the second time in school history BYU’s baseball team will play regular season games in the Midwest.

Following final exams, the Cougars fly to Stillwater, Okla., for two games against No. 29 Oklahoma State.  In between the Friday and Saturday games with OSU, the Cougars will play a third non-conference game with Western Illinois.

BYU, now 19-25 overall and 7-13 in the Western Athletic Conference, opens with OSU, 29-10, on Friday evening.  On Saturday at noon the Cougars tangle with the Leathernecks of Western Illinois, 11-22.

“We wanted to play teams with great tradition and give our team a chance to see another part of the country,” says BYU Coach Gary Pullins.  “We hope to get our team back on track by using a lot of players, with the goal towards consistency.”

The games will not be broadcast on any local Utah station.

The Cougars are scheduled to start freshman Paul Jacinto (1-0, 9.22) against OSU on Friday, Curtis Rodriguez (3-6, 7.18) vs. Western Illinois and Jordan Opdahl (2-6, 9.53) in the Saturday rematch with the Cowboys.

This marks the first time since 1989 that BYU has played a regular season game in the Midwest.  BYU has a 12-26 (.316) record in games played east of the Rocky Mountains.  In 1989 the Cougars split a four-game series at Wichita State in Kansas.

BYU has a 3-3 record against Oklahoma State and has never played Western Illinois.  All of BYU’s games with OSU have been played in Las Vegas.  The Cougars and Cowboys have split two games each year in 1986, 1984, and 1979. 

Last week, the Cougars lost five of six games last week to Southern Utah and San Diego State.  The three-game sweep by SDSU was the first time in over 40 years that a league opponent has swept the Cougars at home.

Pullins hopes to have David Jensen (lacerated finger) and Michael Davies (sore wrist) back in the lineup at first base, and DH, respectively.  Pitcher Jeremy Thomas is scheduled to make the trip despite graduating this week in management information systems.

Following the games in Oklahoma, BYU returns to play at Utah on April 27 for a non-conference game, then goes on the road again for a three-game WAC series at Fresno State on April 29 through May 1.

Source: BYU Press Release

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