Utah Utes baseball: Yagi, rest of Utah's freshmen continue to contribute

Tyler Yagi considers it a bonus.

Winning Most Valuable Player honors wasn't what motivated the Utah freshman in last week's Mountain West Conference baseball tournament.

The former Skyline High star said he just wanted to go out there and play hard for his teammates.

It worked. Yagi wound up with a tournament-high 10 hits in leading the sixth-seeded Utes to the championship and their first NCAA tourney appearance in 49 years.

"Tyler just kept having big hit after big hit after big hit. RBI after RBI that either opened the game up for us or started our scoring," said Utah coach Bill Kinneberg. "He didn't play like a freshman."

Nor, Kinneberg added, did Yagi's teammate C.J. Cron. Both collegiate newcomers were named to the MWC's all-tournament team.

"I'm happy for them," Kinneberg said. "What a great experience they've had in their first year."

With these guys in the fold, the future of Ute baseball is bright.

Cron, a catcher from Phoenix, was named MWC Freshman of the Year. He enters Friday night's NCAA opener at Cal State Fullerton with a .341 batting average — leading the Utes with 16 doubles and nine homers.

Yagi, an outfielder, is batting .323. The jump from high school to college ball, he explained, wasn't overwhelming.

"I've always played better with older guys. It lifts my game a little bit playing with better teammates," Yagi said. "Playing with older guys, who are bigger and stronger, kind of gives me motivation to prove that I'm worthy of being on this team and worthy of competing at this level."

Yagi and Cron, who was a 44th-round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox, headline a talented cast of freshmen in Utah's program. LHP Stephen Streich also saw action in the tournament championship game against San Diego State. LHP Gavin Green, RHP Joe Pond and catcher Jo Jo Sharrar round out the rest.

"This freshman class is pretty special. We all lived in the dorms this year. We all kind of grew together. We've got a special bond," Yagi said. "We're all best friends, and when one does something good we all feel like we need to top it. We're all pushing each other."

As such, there's constant communication between the players.

"It's great. Our friendship is just going to continue to grow," Yagi said. "And we'll be better for years to come."

E-mail: dirk@desnews.com

NCAA BASEBALL REGIONALS

CS Fullerton (42-14) vs. Utah (26-29),

Friday, 8 p.m. (MT); Goodwin Stadium (Fullerton, Calif.)