Colter McAnelly Earns Big 12 Honor, Utah Baseball Sweeps Pepperdine
Feb 18, 2025, 3:28 PM
Utah baseball players celebrate together after sweeping the Pepperdine Wave in the 2025 season-opening series February 14-17, 2025. (Utah Athletics, Ryan Gallant)
(Utah Athletics, Ryan Gallant)
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah baseball couldn’t have opened the 2025 campaign any better, sweeping the Pepperdine Waves to begin non-conference play. The Utes outscored their opponent 30-8, pounding out 17 extra-base hits and 26 RBI while slashing .308/.390/.474 in the four-game triumph.
Sophomore starting pitcher Colter McAnelly earned Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week honors after winning in game one. Baylor Ethan Calder joined MAcAnelly for the Big 12 honor.
1️⃣ is the Week 1️⃣ @Big12Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week
Congrats @ColterMcanelly 👏👏👏
📰 https://t.co/SZUs8oqzYV#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/JGC9A5NQOA
— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) February 18, 2025
The Cheyenne, Wyoming native flummoxed Pepperdine all afternoon, limiting the Wave to two hits and one run in six innings. McAnelly retired 16 of 18 batters faced after surrendering a leadoff home run.
Game One
Utah 3
Pepperdine 1
Grad student Tyler Quinn clubbed his first homer of the year, accounting for Utah’s lone RBI in the tightest game of the series. The sixth-inning long ball evened the score at one, eventually forcing extra innings.
Touch ‘em all, TQ!
📊 https://t.co/a5mTNO7alG
📺 https://t.co/62B2BH8Wyf#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/8lEYzk6GoV— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) February 14, 2025
Quinn reached on an error in extras, allowing Austen Roellig and Kaden Carpenter to score the game-winning unearned runs.
Three Utah pitchers took the ball, led by a gem from sophomore righty Colter McAnelly. McAnelly kicked off his second year by allowing two hits and one earned run while striking out four and walking one.
👀 👀 @ColterMcanelly
📊 https://t.co/a5mTNO7alG
📺 https://t.co/62B2BH8Wyf#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/lPgA1FqtQI— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) February 14, 2025
Game Two
Utah 11
Pepperdine 2
Tied 2-2 after three innings, the Utes exploded for six runs in the fourth before putting the Waves to bed with a three-run seventh.
Three Pepperdine errors and a trio of extra-base hits helped Utah grab a considerable lead in the fourth inning. Kaden Carpenter came up with a one-out, two-RBI double to give his team an 8-2 advantage.
🚨 Big Inning Alert 🚨
Six-spot for us in the fourth and it’s 8-2 good guys
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/1cbYV9TwIv
— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) February 15, 2025
Santino Panaro started the scoring in the seventh with a solo bomb to right center. Austen Roellig and Matt Flaharty followed with hits to put two in scoring position for Tyler Quinn. Quinn brought both runners home when he lined a 2-2 pitch back up the middle.
See ya @santinopanaro‼️
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/7cXMbzMzDU
— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) February 15, 2025
Payton Riske got his first win on the mound, while Dylan Gazaway tossed four shutout innings to get the save. Riske scattered five hits while striking out three and walking two. Gazaway threw 41 pitches, giving up two hits and striking out a pair.
Game Three
Utah 10
Pepperdine 4
Utah didn’t disappoint with a chance to clinch the series in game three, scoring double-figure runs for the second straight day in a 10-4 win.
Merit Jones went six innings, giving up four runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Easton Jones went three shutout frames to earn his first save in his collegiate debut.
Utah fans, introducing @eastonjonesy for his collegiate debut
3️⃣3️⃣ on to relieve Merit here in the seventh inning
Utah 10, Pepperdine 4 pic.twitter.com/1uFAEMHVis
— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) February 16, 2025
The Utes opened a 7-0 lead after two innings. Cam Gurney doubled in the first, scoring Quinn and Core Jackson for the first runs of the day.
.@Corejackson32 thru 2 innings…
2 hits
2 SB
2 runs scoredPlus he’s got an RBI after driving in @MattFlaharty here…
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/OQrc2oxZvG
— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) February 16, 2025
Back-to-back singles from Jackson and Gurney staked Utah to a commanding lead in the second. The duo finished the day with three hits each.
Game Four
Utah 6
Pepperdine 1
Core Jackson’s first home run gave the Utes a lead they would never relinquish, sweeping the Wave with a 6-1 victory in the series finale. Panaro Santino went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
There is now one less baseball inside Eddy D. Field Stadium
2-0 Utah!#GoUtes x @Corejackson32
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/Ylos8tawpI
— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) February 17, 2025
Four Utah pitchers combined to scatter 12 hits and struck out four with one base on balls. Cameron Nielson earned his first save, pitching the final three innings.
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The Utes will travel to San Diego, California, on Friday, February 21, for the Tony Gwynn Legacy event. Utah will open the series against the San Diego State Aztecs, with the first pitch at 7 p.m. MT.
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Brian Preece is a KSLSports.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on Twitter and Instagram at @bpreece24.
