Utah Baseball’s Colter McAnelly Earns Third Big 12 Pitching Award
Mar 25, 2025, 4:27 PM | Updated: 4:29 pm
Utah sophomore starting pitcher Colter McAnelly delivers a pitch at Smith's Ballparks on Friday, March 21, 2025. The Utes beat Oklahoma State 11-0 to secure the program's first Big 12 win. (Sophia Kuder, Utah Athletics)
(Sophia Kuder, Utah Athletics)
SALT LAKE CITY – Eight shutout innings and equaling the Utah baseball program record with a dozen punchouts was good enough to earn starter Colter McAnelly his third Big 12 Pitcher of the Week award. He is the first Big 12 pitcher to earn three weekly awards in the same year since 2022. His 12 Ks are the most for a Utah pitcher since Brett Brocoff at Oral Roberts in 2018.
The Cheyenne, Wyoming, native is making a case for Big 12 Pitcher of the Year after scattering five hits and walking three, while shutting down a powerful Oklahoma State squad that was predicted to win the conference regular season title.
McAnelly faced a lineup loaded with five lefties and a switch-hitter, holding them to 1-for-18 at the plate in Utah’s 11-0 series-opening win.
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With McAnelly on the bump, Utah took a 3-0 lead in the third when catcher Derek Smith sent a three-run homer onto the left field berm. The Utes broke the game open with a six-run seventh inning, highlighted by Smith’s second three-run shot of the night, this one caroming halfway up the light pole beyond the left field fence.
Utah dropped the middle game of the series 5-4, before earning its first Big 12 series win with a 12-3 Sunday victory.
3 innings, 3 K's@ColterMcanelly
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/XTNROnl07q
— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) March 22, 2025
McAnelly’s 2.23 ERA and .183 opponents’ batting average against are fourth in the conference. He has a Big 12-leading 40.1 innings pitched through six starts this season.
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Following a Tuesday night tilt against the Utah Tech Trailblazers, the Utes (13-9, 2-4) host the Arizona State Sun Devils (16-8, 4-2) at Smith’s Ballpark March 28-30. The first pitch on Friday, March 28, is at 6 p.m. MT.
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