Utah Utes baseball: Fife moving up baseball's draft ladder

April 11, 2008, is a day Utah right-hander Stephen Fife will always remember. It was the day he lost a pitcher's duel to San Diego State's Stephen Strasburg, 1-0.

So, what is so memorable about a loss? Well, that one stands out to Fife.

That day, major league scouts were scattered throughout Tony Gwynn Stadium in San Diego checking out Strasburg, a sophomore right-hander who is expected to be a first-round pick — if not the first pick — in the Major League First-Year Player Draft next year.

Strasburg, the first-team All-American and Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year, definitely didn't disappoint that day. He allowed just one hit and fanned 23 Utes in the impressive complete-game victory.

At the same time, Fife didn't disappoint, either.

In fact, he helped his own cause.

He allowed just five hits and one unearned run in the loss, while striking out five in 6 2/3 innings.

"I went into that game knowing the guy across from me had more talent than I did and more raw ability, but if I could compete the way I knew I could compete and execute one pitch at a time and execute correctly, I could keep us in the ballgame," Fife said.

"That was a turning point in the season and there were a lot of scouts there to see that happen."

Fife, a junior, started the 2008 season as a prospect — a possible eighth- to 12th-round pick. Slowly, Fife, who posted a 2.72 ERA in conference games, continued to improve and move up the draft ladder. He was a MWC first-team selection and was one of the top three pitchers in the league.

"Once conference hit he got in his stride and really made some improvements over the year and a half, two years he was with us," Utah baseball coach Bill Kinneberg said.

Before the head-to-head battle with Strasburg, Fife, who has an above-average fastball and curveball and improving change-up and slider, had moved up to a possible fourth- to eighth-round pick. But with that one outing, he vaulted himself into a possible top 3rd-round pick or even higher, and he could be the highest player ever taken out of the University of Utah.

The outing against San Diego State was the third of three consecutive brilliant performances for Fife.

In the first of the string, he allowed just one hit to Air Force in a complete-game victory, and he followed it with a six-hit outing (in seven innings) in a victory over Utah Valley State College, and then topped it off with five hits in 6 2/3 innings at San Diego State.