Utes Bulletin: Things Happening In Utah Athletics (Week Of 5/8/23)
May 8, 2023, 11:00 AM
SALT LAKE CITY – Things are winding down for Utah Athletics and the Utes Bulletin as the spring sports wrap up for the quieter summer months.
This week’s Utes Bulletin still has several key highlights ranging from graduation, conference titles, sweeps, and more from last week as well as things to look forward to this week. If you missed anything from the previous week, you can check that out here.
Without further ado, here is this week’s Utes Bulletin that includes stories from the week before and what is on the radar for the coming week of 5/8/23.
𝗨𝘁𝗮𝗵 𝗔𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸
⚾️ @utahbaseball
🥎 @Utah_Softball
🏃♀️ @Utah_trackfield
🥍 @UtahLacrosse🎟️ https://t.co/pL7bwJzVjf#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/IW9nZVSfBQ
— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) May 8, 2023
Utah Lacrosse
Last week was a huge week for the fledgling Utah lacrosse team who hauled in the postseason awards, won the ASUN Championship outright, and stamped their ticket to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
🔴⚫️𝓣𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓽 𝓟𝓾𝓷𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓭⚫️🔴
Utah will take on No. 3-seed Notre Dame in the first round of the @NCAALAX Championships on Saturday, May 13 at 12:30 p.m. MT on @ESPNU ‼️#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/BIwvVj5f21
— Utah Lacrosse (@UtahLacrosse) May 8, 2023
The Utes are just in their fourth year of existence as a Division I program making their quick climb up the college lacrosse ladder very impressive.
Up Next For Utah
Utah turns their attention this week to three-seed Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament. The action starts on Saturday, May 13, with a 12:30 pm MT faceoff on ESPNU.
Utah Softball
✅ No-hitter for Mariah Lopez
✅ Birthday homer for Aliya Belarde
✅ First-ever sweep of OregonThe Utes put the 🙌 in Eugene this weekend.#GoUteshttps://t.co/9fYaT40WiS
— Utah Softball (@Utah_Softball) May 8, 2023
Up Next For The Utes
Utah softball will now be focusing in on the Pac-12 Tournament in Tucson where they will take on California. The Utes’ game is set for Thursday, May 11 with a 10:00 am MT first pitch.
Utah Tennis
While not the ending they hoped for, Utah men’s tennis wrapped up a season of firsts to be proud of over the weekend in the NCAA Tournament.
Final score against North Carolina.#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/K1bDd2AvJN
— Utah Tennis (@UtahTennis) May 7, 2023
Utah Baseball
The Utes were up in Corvallis this weekend to take on the No. 15 Oregon State Beavers. Utah ended the series going 1-2.
Jake Gish homered and Jaydo had a pair of hits, but Game 3 went to Oregon State this afternoon
We're back at Smith's Tuesday to begin a five-game homestand vs. BYU
📊 https://t.co/3oSnoZd6iB
📰 https://t.co/Je4ZWhRuYq#GoUtes— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) May 8, 2023
The Utes will now turn their attention to a series of non-conference games this week starting with BYU on Tuesday, May 9, moving to New Mexico State on Wednesday May 10, and wrapping up with the start of the Cal Poly series on Friday, May 12.
Utah Basketball
View this post on Instagram
Utah Women’s Basketball
Utah women’s basketball had four of their players selected to compete in the USA Basketball 3X3 Nationals last weekend in Alissa Pili, Jenna Johnson, Dasia Young, and Wisconsin transfer Maty Wilke.
Good Luck to @alissa_pili @Dasia_Young11 @MatyWilke and @jenna_johnson22 at the @usab3x3 tournament this weekend!#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/ywLWjeORma
— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) May 2, 2023
Utah Athletics Celebrate High Academic Achievements, Graduation
It was a big week for Utah Athletics in the academic realm as the Utes were recognized for high achievements in the classroom ahead of graduating 109 student-athletes.
Congratulations to all our amazing student-athletes that graduated today 🎓
We can't wait to see all the incredible things you will go on to do!!#GoUtes | #UtahGrad23 pic.twitter.com/TtIa6TEH98
— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) May 6, 2023
Utah Football
The Utes picked up a massive transfer wide receiver commitment in Mycah Pittman on Sunday. Utah has not been shy about needing to upgrade the position ahead of the 2023 season, and they took a first step toward that goal over the weekend.
We also took a look at the leadership culture being developed in the offensive line room last week with the help of position coach Jim Harding. Not only are the Utes great in the trenches on game day, but off the field in the community as well.
Finally, we turned our eyes to the not-so-distant future examining the Utes’ first opponent of 2023 in Florida, while also taking a peek at where one major publication has Utah ranked in the Top-25.
Pro Utes Stuff
Just a week ago, former Utah tight end turned Buffalo Bill Dalton Kincaid received a life-changing phone call. He recapped the day the Bills drafted him and his desire to be part of the Bills Mafia.
With the excitement of the 2023 NFL Draft still in the air, we took an early look at Utah’s current roster to talk about some of the potential 2024 NFL Draft talent to watch for in the year ahead.
Pac-12 Media Negotiation Notes
Admittedly, not much has really changed since I wrote this piece back in March from what I can gather and that’s not a bad thing.
Based off of what I’ve been told from a few places for a while now, the Pac-12 appears to be close to finalizing things and is in the finishing stages. (I’ve been told that could mean a few different things- the linear part of the deal is done or close to done, with the streaming still being worked on, or the Pac-12 has the financial portion agreed upon but is sorting out how the split between linear vs. streaming might work).
Could this turn out to be wrong? Of course, but the things I’ve been told lately do seem to align fairly well with other Pac-12 reporters, as well as what some of the Pac-12 Presidents, Chancellors, and ADs have recently said on the subject.
Obviously, it’s not over till the ink is dried, but in the interval, it does seem like a good time to post a reminder about thinking critically about the information being put out there in regard to the Pac-12 and their TV negotiations.
- Who would actually be involved in these discussions?
- Are the sources being cited reasonably specific to who would be involved?
- Has the messaging/attitude changed from those who would be involved?
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
