RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist baseball program returns to home turf this weekend as the Lancers welcome the University of Utah and UC Riverside to Totman Stadium. CBU is coming off a tough previous weekend in San Diego, falling to three Big West schools during the Tony Gwynn Classic hosted by San Diego State. Gary Adcock's squad enters the new week 4-4 and will be looking to return to the winning ways they flashed during Opening Weekend.

The Lancers started the previous week well after taking the final game of the four-game series against Portland on Monday in a commanding 18-4 win for the first series win of the season. CBU continued its domination into Thursday evening, where Pepperdine returned to Riverside to be run-ruled by the Lancers in seven innings 12-2. The two-game winning streak was halted in San Diego after California Baptist was bested by Long Beach State, UC San Diego, and #21 UC Santa Barbara in back-to-back losses. Ryan Kim led the way with five hits, posting a .385 batting average and coming in clutch during several instances as the DH, including a three-run bomb against the Tritons on Saturday evening.

Despite the three frustrating losses, the Lancers still showed glimpses of solid baseball that they will look to put on display against the Utes and Highlanders this weekend. CBU's offense will be looking to Kim for more runs as the senior owns eight RBI this season while boasting a .370 batting average this season. Naturally, Nicholas Dumesnil leads the Lancers in batting average at .375 and in hits with 12 while tallying four doubles. True freshman Chris Ramirez has also caught a few eyes this season after going on a seven-game hit streak that was unfortunately broken on Sunday against UCSB. Ramirez still owns the second most hits this year with 11 while toting five RBI and five runs. On the pitching front, Cody New has been the go-to guy for CBU as the sophomore leads with nine innings pitched and eight strikeouts. The lefty is 1-1 and has given up just three earned runs this season, leaving him with a 3.00 ERA.

California Baptist will open the four-game spread against Utah, who has had a stellar opening to their season. The Utes are 7-1 after sweeping Pepperdine during Opening Weekend in Malibu before going 3-1 at the Tony Gwynn Classic. Common opponents for CBU and Utah include the Waves, Long Beach State, and UCSD. While both squads handled Pepperdine efficiently, Utah picked up a secure 9-1 win over the Dirtbags but also fell to the Tritons in a tight 9-8 affair.

Utah's pitching staff has been electric this season thus far, holding a team ERA of 2.50 and dealing nearly 60 strikeouts. Leading the way is Colter McAnelly, a sophomore right-hander with a .69 ERA. McAnelly has been named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for the second week in a row, earning his most recent honors for his seven-inning outing against SDSU in Utah's shutout victory. The sophomore became the first Ute since 2022 to sit down ten batters in a single outing, lifting his team to the second-straight season that has started with seven wins in their first eight games. Utah's hitting also boasts impressive power as the Utes are hitting .305 as a team with 25 doubles during their first eight games. Leading the way at the plate is senior Santino Panaro, who got off to a shaky start but has since become the front-runner for the Utes. Panaro boasts a .414 batting average with 12 hits on the year while tallying a .485 on-base percentage. The senior hitter is all about extra bases, too, posting the doubles, two triples, and a home run this year so far.

After opening the weekend against Utah, the Lancers will then welcome UC Riverside for the infamous Crosstown Showdown to close out Friday. UCR comes into the weekend 5-3 and will face off against LMU on Wednesday evening in a mid-week tilt. The Highlanders split a four-game series against Utah Valley before taking the series against Utah Tech, both of whom the Lancer will face during Western Athletic Conference play.

Matthew Flores leads the UCR pitching staff with the team's lowest ERA at .84 after fairing well against Utah Valley. The junior right-handed pitcher posted nine strikeouts during his 2025 debut against the Wolverines across five innings of work. Relievers also look strong for the Highlanders, who seem to be reaching for Nolan Milliman and Joshua Martinez most often. Milliman enters the weekend with a 1.80 ERA and has allowed just four hits in five innings of action, while Martinez has made four appearances this season and struck out 13 across eight innings. The other side of the mound has seen success in Jayden Lopez for UCR after the local senior jumped out to a hot start with 14 hits and two home runs in eight games. Lopez is batting .452 with a .514 on-base percentage paired with a double and a triple.

The weekend will begin on CBU's side of town with an afternoon game against Utah beginning at 2 p.m. and the game against UCR beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday will see CBU and the Utes face off once more at 2 p.m. before Sunday's rematch with the Highlanders will take place at UCR's home stadium at 5 p.m.