Utah Baseball Receives Significant Gift From C.J. Cron
May 4, 2022, 12:07 PM | Updated: 12:08 pm
The Utah baseball team prepares to take on BYU in a fall exhibition on Oct. 15, 2021 at Smith’s Ballpark (Axe Tang/Utah Athletics)
(Axe Tang/Utah Athletics)
SALT LAKE CITY- The University of Utah announced baseball alumnus C.J. Cron donated a significant gift to the baseball program Wednesday morning. Cron became the Utes’ first-ever first-round MLB draft pick in 2011 and has been an avid supporter of the program ever since.
Incredibly thankful to receive a significant gift from Utah alum and @Rockies first baseman @CCron24, which will enhance the development and experience of our student-athletes.
We are grateful to call C.J. part of our Utah family!
📸 Rockies#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/xqMDPuG2Q7
— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) May 4, 2022
“I am extremely honored and humbled to be able to give back to the University of Utah baseball program,” Cron said. “Both the University and baseball program hold a special place in my heart. I would not be the person or ball player I am today without the unwavering support from everyone I crossed paths with at Utah. I will forever be a Ute!”
On The Rise
Utah baseball has steadily been on the rise since joining the Pac-12 and the donation from their most notable alum will go a long way to continuing those growth efforts. In 2016, Utah baseball became the first men’s program to win a Pac-12 Title. The 2022 season has been a good one with the Utes being competitive in most of their matches. Utah baseball currently sits in sixth place in the conference with a season record of 25-17-1 (10-11-0 in conference).
“Our sincere gratitude goes out to C.J. for his generosity toward our program,” head coach Gary Henderson said. “We are grateful to call C.J. a member of our Utah baseball family, and appreciate everything he has done over the years to support our team.”
As A Ute
Cron is entering his ninth season in the MLB and second season for the Colorado Rockies. As a Ute, Cron played three seasons under former coach Bill Kinneberg. Cron set the Utah career record with a .396 batting average. He would go on to to be a two-time first-team All-American in his last two seasons at Utah. Cron also was a semi-finalist for the Golden Spikes award and Dick Howser Trophy.
“We are incredibly grateful for this generous gift by C.J., which will make a significant impact for our student-athletes,” Director of Athletics Mark Harlan said. “This really speaks to the high regard that C.J. feels for the University of Utah and our baseball program, and his desire to invest in its future growth.”
