The sign adorns the backstop of the Utah practice field, a reminder of how the baseball team won the Ute athletic department's only Pac-12 championship in men's sports.
Ute coach Bill Kinneberg believes his program is where that 2016 group once was – in its developing stage, anyway.
“I hate to call it rebuilding or anything, but we are young,” said Kinneberg, whose team opens the season Friday at Texas State. “It's somewhat close to where we were two years before we won the championship.”
The Utes enjoyed a two-year stay in the top half of the Pac-12, before reverting to the program’s former status. Utah finished last among the 11 teams in each of its four years in the conference, won the 2016 title, tied for fifth in 2017 and faded to 11th last season. The Utes, again picked 11th by the league’s coaches, have one major goal: turning 2018 into a distant memory.
“We've got to have a bounce-back year,” Kinneberg said. “This group, they weren't happy about last year. We need to redeem ourselves. They need to redeem themselves personally as well, so I'm looking forward to that.”
Youth, injuries and a horrible start that coincided with Kinneberg’s suspension all played into Utah’s 16-39 record (8-22 Pac-12). Kinneberg missed the first 14 games, stemming from NCAA violations of a former staff member’s impermissible coaching activities. The Utes started 0-13, with six one-run losses, and never really recovered.
The vibe is different now. “We're in a really, really good spot,” second baseman Oliver Dunn said. “We're heading in the right direction, and we have the pieces to get it done. Offensively, we can be really good.”
Utah will be boosted by the return of catcher Zack Moeller, who had Tommy Johnson surgery last season. He’ll help a young pitching staff that should improve, mostly by staying heathy.
The Utes have practiced outside for only three days, during a late January trip to St. George. That creates some unknowns as they open the season with an unusual schedule. Utah will play 11 different opponents in its first 11 games, with teams from around the country converging at three schools: Texas State, San Diego State and East Carolina.
Utah’s home-opening series is March 8-10 vs. Niagara at Smith’s Ballpark. The Utes will launch Pac-12 play March 15-17 at Arizona.
UTAH BASEBALL
Key loss: OF DaShawn Keirsey Jr., fourth-round pick of the Minnesota Twins.
Key returnees: C Zack Moeller, 2B Oliver Dunn, 3B Rykker Tom, OF Chandler Anderson, P Brett Brocoff.
Key newcomer: P Zac McClure.
