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Show BY KIM BRENNEISEN/sTAFF WRITER PHOTO BY CHRIS SAMUELS tah held its last practice of spring camp on Thursday, leading up to Saturday's Red-White game. Players took this practice lighter than others — they didn't wear pads and seemed to be saving their energy for Saturday. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said there will be about a dozen guys not participating in Saturday's game because the coaching staff doesn't want to risk injury. Some of these players include Kenneth Scott, Jason Whittingham, Isaac Asiata and Devontae Booker. This will give more of the newer players a chance to shine. "It gives the young guys an opportunity to step up and show what they can do,' Whittingham said. Tyrone Smith, a true freshman at wide receiver, said he has learned a lot through this spring and hopes to garner some more attention by hauling in a few touchdowns. "[My goals are] just knowing all my plays and executing," Smith said. Since the players are being split up, the majority of them think the game will be both fun and competitive. "[I'm looking forward to it] a lof," Smith said. "It's my first spring game and it'll be fun just competing against the other side': The players split up into their teams at the end of practice, but with the offensive line not having too many players to choose from, they will be playing for both sides. Other than this, no other players should be playing for both teams. Linebacker Sharrieff Shah Jr. said he cannot wait to go back out on the field for the final time this spring. He is hoping to make some big plays for the defense. "I'm excited,' Shah said. "It's a chance for us to go out there and have some fun against each other and go all out." Whittingham said he is expecting his defense to show a good front considering all the work defensive coordinator John Pease has put in with them this off-season. "We've had a few tweaks, but [Pease] put his stamp on the defense,' Whittingham said. "He's a fan of the odd fronts. Couple new blitzes that we really like and things that have helped us there. Coverages haven't changed a whole lot, but the mentality of turnovers and stripping the ball, he's really emphasized that." Cornerback coach Sharrieff Shah said he is proud of what his guys have been able to do so far — the only problem he has is that he wants to continue working with them. "Wish we had a little bit more time to refine,' Shah said. "When you feel like your boys are starting to play well and understand some of the things you've been pounding on them, they finally start to get it ... Happy with the progress we've made since day one." A lot of former Utes will be in attendance and Whittingham said this only adds to the team's excitement. "Always great to have alumni around," Whittingham said. "We could not be more proud about our alumni and we've got a great relationship with them and we feel that they have a great relationship with us': Before things get going on Saturday, the MUSS will be playing a flag football game and Whittingham said he will be keeping his eye on that after recruiting the MVP from last year's game to his team. "I'll be out there scouting,' Whittingham said. "We'll see what we got this year and if there's someone who stands out then they may very well get the nod." Travis Wilson will be taking command of the Red side and Chase Hansen will be leading the White come Saturday afternoon in RiceEccles Stadium at 1 p.m. k.brenneisen@chronicle.utah.edu @kbrenneisen U UTES HOPETO STARTWINNING CLOSE GAMES BY IAN SMITH /STAFF WRITER ith the regular season winding down, the Utah baseball team is starting to feel the pressure. Sitting with a record of 13-23, 5-10 in conference play, the Utes will have to win these final games of the season if they hope to make it to the postseason. Utah is coming off of an emotional loss to in-state rival BYU on Tuesday, dropping the contest to the Cougars by a lone run. This wasn't the first time the Utes have been involved in a close game. So far this season, 17 of the team's 36 games have been decided by two runs or less, as Utah has been in position to win most of its games. However, crucial mistakes by the Utes have made it difficult to pull out victories in those tight games. "Those are the reasons we are losing right now,' junior Dalton Carroll said. "I think right now when the seventh, eighth and ninth [innings] come, everyone is kind of worried, not so much of blowing the lead, but if we can get to the point where we feel secure in every game." Another aspect with which the team has struggled this season is winning the opening-night game of a series. Junior AJ Young said that it's very important to win that first game because it gives the winning team all the momentum throughout the weekend. "We haven't won a Friday game since I think our opener,"Young said. "That was the first game of the season. That's a big aspect, starting off hot and keeping the momentum on our side": Pitching in that Friday game is pivotal. Utah head coach Bill Kinneberg has said in the past that he has full confidence in typical Friday-night starter Nolan Stouder to lead the Utes to a strong performance at the start of the weekend. Whether it's Stouder on the mound or Cody Scaggari in the box, the motto "take one pitch at a time" has been ingrained in the Utes' minds. "We like to take it one day at a time, one step at a time and one game at a time,' Scaggari said. "We need to make sure to be ready to go every single day, every single game because every game matters. At this point and throughout the season." Utah will look to rid itself of its first-game struggles when the Utes host Washington State on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. MT from Smith's Ballpark. i.smith@chronicle.utah.edu @ISmithAtTheU W UTAH T he Utah softball team will travel to Tempe, Ariz. this weekend to play Arizona State in a three-game series. They still have another home series against Washington remaining on their schedule, but it will be the end of the road games after this weekend. Against the Sun Devils, the Utes will be hungry to continue making strides in what has already become an accomplished season. "We just need to keep doing the same things physically' captain Hannah Flippen said. "We'll take the confidence we gained from the series win overArizona into the Arizona State series': Flippen is the perfect example of confidence right now. The second baseman just earned her second straight Pac-12 Player of the Week award, as she is averaging .374 at the plate, and is tied for the team-high in runs scored and home runs. But Flippen will need some help when Utah travels to Tempe — the entire team will need to bring its 'A game. The Sun Devils enter the series with an overall record of 29-16, 7-7 in conference play, and is a very comparable team to the Utes. As the season winds down, this series has postseason implications. Utah and ASU — along with Washington — are tied for fourth place in the Pac-12 standings, and while time will sort these ties out, both teams will be fighting to win this series as they vie to get that invite to an NCAA Regional. Arizona State comes into the series on a good note, winning its last series against Oregon State. As it was last week against Arizona, the most important test for the Utes will be trying to stop this Sun Devil offense. Utah and its BY BROCK JENSEN /STAFF WRITER PHOTO BY KIPPER CREVELING 6 { THECHRONY I NEWS I OPINION I ARTS I SPORTS I FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2015 } pitching stood up to the test last weekend and hopes to do the same this time around. One Sun Devil that Utah will need to watch out for is Amber Freeman, who leads her squad with an admirable batting average of .433 and 14 home runs. Freeman is a rare player who not only has the power to be the top longball hitter on her team, but also the lead contact hitter for ASU. If Utah hopes to leave Tempe with the series win, it will have to start with stopping Freeman. The Utes don't worry all that much about what their opposition brings to the table — rather they are more concerned with their own game. The Utes are playing under the old adage that if they play their game, it won't matter who they are playing against. "We just need to keep doing what we have been doing',' assistant coach Cody Thomson said. "We need to keep knowing and believing that we are one of the best teams in the country:' Utah has certainly been playing like a top team, validating Thomson's statement after four consecutive series victories. All elements of the game are clicking for the Utes right now, and the coaches know they need to consistently bring that game each night if they hope to rack up some more wins. "We won't play anyone that will just give us a game," Thomson said. The first game of the series is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. MT on Friday. bjensen@chronicle.utah.edu @brockjensen02 $141110, |