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Imagine this: after years of scraping by, you manage to build up a small cushion and get a little financial breathing room. Your job is steady, but not necessarily guaranteed. Would you spend that cushion now? Or protect it, knowing how hard it was to build?

Most of us would protect it. So why aren’t we doing the same with our water?

Less than three years ago, northern Utah was in the grips of one of the most severe droughts in living memory. Reservoirs dropped to alarming lows. Cities and utilities scrambled to prepare for possible restrictions. In response, Utahns stepped up. We cut back. We conserved. And it worked.

Today, thanks to those efforts, good management and a few solid snow years, our reservoirs look healthy again, hovering around 80 to 90% full. But that’s not a license to use water like it’s going out of style.

Think of our reservoirs as a savings account. When we withdraw more water than we deposit, our balance drops. Unlike money, water doesn’t come with overdraft protection. When supplies run low, the trade-offs are real: lawns or drinking water? Car washes or fire protection? Backyard pools or a healthy Great Salt Lake? We shouldn’t wait for those choices to be forced on us.

As the pressure has eased, our habits have slipped.

In 2022, Utahns rose to the challenge of historic drought conditions and achieved record-breaking conservation. Even with reservoirs dipping to critically low levels (42% statewide), our collective effort helped avoid serious service cuts or restrictions. Since then, water use has steadily climbed, not from growth, but from individual behavior. Early 2025 data show a 20% increase per person over last year, which was already up 12.5% from the year before.

To return to our savings analogy: our emergency fund is shrinking, our future income — snowpack — is uncertain, and our spending is accelerating. We don’t need Warren Buffett to tell us that’s a bad plan.

The good news? We’re not too late. There’s still time to change course, and the solutions are well within reach.

Before anyone points fingers at agriculture, let’s clarify: agricultural water is a different system than the one that serves our homes, schools and businesses. The water we use day to day is part of the municipal system — that’s the one we can directly protect.

How to save water in Utah

The biggest opportunity for savings? Our yards. Outdoor watering, especially turf grass, is far and away the largest driver of summertime water use. Replacing traditional lawns with waterwise landscaping can reduce water use by up to 60%, and rebate programs can help cover the cost. But if a full yard renovation isn’t practical, start small: update a park strip, convert a side yard or reduce lawn to the areas you actually use.

Another option: install a smart irrigation controller, which adjusts watering based on weather and soil conditions. There are rebates for that, too.

The simplest step of all? Water efficiently. The average lawn watering session uses about 2,000 gallons, and the average Utah homeowner waters much more than necessary. Following the Utah Division of Water Resources weekly watering guide can help you determine just how much your lawn needs.

Slowtheflow.org provides even more water-saving tips. For example, raising your mower blades and leaving your grass at a longer length helps protect the root system from drying up, resulting in less water needs for your lawn.

It’s human nature to move on and forget hard times. But when it comes to water, we can’t afford complacency. The future of our families, communities and the Great Salt Lake depends on what we do today.

We’re asking every household to do just a little better than last year. Even small reductions add up. If we hit our conservation targets, we’ll be able to send an equivalent volume of water to the Great Salt Lake this fall, a direct investment in Utah’s environment, economy and health. At the very least, we’ll be shoring up our savings account for the next dry year.

Let’s not waste what we worked so hard to protect. Let’s show that conservation isn’t just a crisis response; it’s a shared commitment to a secure future.

EUGENE, Ore.—Arizona has built its team to succeed in its own ballpark, the cavernous Hi Corbett Field. In exchange for not hitting many home runs—just 27 in 30 games this season—the Wildcats lead the nation in triples and get plenty of doubles.

But put this UA team in a smaller park, with the wind blowing out, and boy can it be fun to watch.

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Arizona hit a school-record eight home runs, three by Mason White, in a 14-4 win over Utah Valley in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night at PK Park. The win advances the Wildcats (41-18) into the Eugene Regional final on Sunday night.

“The bats came out today, a little more than yesterday,” UA coach Chip Hale said.

White homered on his first three at-bats, banging a 2-run shot off the right field foul pole in the top of the 1^st inning, then going to right-center in the 3^rd and dead center in the 4^th for the 9^th 3-homer game in school history and first in the postseason. He finished 4 for 5 with a double to give him 110 extra-base hits, tying Dave Stegman’s school mark from 1973-76.

“We saw the wind when we got here, saw it in BP, and then nothing changed,” said White, who is up to 18 homers this season with nine in May. “We just hit like how we hit. And you see in Hi Corbett, it really doesn’t help out the wind blowing in, but playing in a park like this it really shows.”

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Tommy Splaine, Brendan Summerhill, Aaron Walton, Adonys Guzman and Garen Caulfield also homered, with Caulfield’s opposite-field shot in the 8^th breaking the previous school record set in 2001 against Washington State.

“They hit eight home runs, and they didn’t hit eight cheap home runs,” Utah Valley coach Nate Rasmussen said.

Arizona belted out 19 hits, including a school-record 14 for extra bases. The Wildcats had scored only five runs on eight hits in the previous two games, managing only two in Friday’s 3-2 win over Cal Poly.

“We actually talked about it before we left the hotel, just get our best swing off,” Hale said. “Get our best swing off, hit low, hard contact. Sometimes people think you’re trying to hit the ball in the air. They’re not, they’re trying to hit low line drives, and they end up going a long way.”

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White’s first homer spotted Raul Garayzar a 2-0 lead before he got on the mound but that edge was gone quickly. Utah Valley (33-28) got the first two on and scored twice, aided by a dropped relay by Caulfield on what would have been a double play.

Easton Breyfogle’s sacrifice fly gave Arizona the lead for good in the 2^nd, and White’s second homer upped it to 4-2. Splaine, Summerhill and White hit solo shots in the 4^th to make it 7-2.

Garayzar put the first three on in the bottom of the 4^th on a single and two hit batters and was pulled, the shortest outing for a UA starter since May 10. Casey Hintz came on with the bases loaded and got a trio of ground balls, the first two bringing in runs.

“You look at the scoreboard, I think at the time it was 7-2,” said Hintz, who would throw three scoreless innings and record seven outs on grounders, the other two on strikeouts. “At the time, it’s just get outs, get ground balls, turn a double play, just minimize what’s going on. All you can do is minimize, go pitch by pitch, and just don’t let them get more damage.”

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Michael Hilker Jr. then finished it out with three shutout innings and seven strikeouts to get the save as the UA bullpen allowed one hit over six innings.

Arizona put the game away with a 6-run 8^th that included 2-run homers by Walton and Guzman. For Walton, who was 3 for 6 after coming in 9 of 56, it was his first since homering twice on May 2, while Guzman’s deep oppo shot to right-center came after he was robbed of a homer to center by Utah Valley’s Nate Bach.

The UA now waits to see who it will face Sunday at 7 p.m. PT, getting the winner of a 3 p.m. PT elimination game between Utah Valley and Cal Poly (42-18). The Wildcats need to win once more to advance to their first Super Regional since 2021.

“Mission hasn’t changed,” White said.

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Utah Valley’s pitchers were no match for Arizona’s batters Saturday night, as the Wildcats handed the Wolverines a 14-4 loss in NCAA baseball regionals action at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon.

As a result, UVU finds itself in a must-win scenario to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament.

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One day after the Wolverines beat No. 12 overall seed Oregon for the program’s first NCAA Tournament win, UVU gave up 19 hits, including eight home runs and 14 extra-base hits, to Arizona in a winner’s bracket matchup.

The Wildcats chased UVU starter Colton Kennedy after 3 1/3 innings, as they hit three solo home runs in the fourth inning to take a 7-2 lead. Kennedy gave up six of those runs, all earned.

Arizona then slammed the door shut with a six-run seventh inning that pushed its advantage to 13-4. UVU relief pitcher Garrett Miller gave up four earned runs in the inning against just one out, as he faced only five batters.

Mason White hit three of Arizona’s single-game program-record eight home runs. White’s first homer came just three batters into the matchup, and it gave Arizona a quick 2-0 lead.

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White ended up going 4 of 5 with four RBI while adding home runs in the third and fourth innings.

UVU had three of its four hits in the first inning. The Wolverines turned that into two runs, thanks to RBI singles from Mason Strong and Dominic Longo II.

The Wolverines also scored a pair of runs in the fourth after loading the bases, briefly making the game interesting again after cutting Arizona’s lead to 7-4.

After going scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings, the Wildcats then put the game on ice with their six-run seventh.

What’s next for Utah Valley?

The loss pushes Utah Valley into the one-loss bracket. The Wolverines will play Cal Poly on Sunday at 4 p.m. MDT, with the winner moving on to play Arizona Sunday night and the loser being eliminated.

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Cal Poly eliminated regional host Oregon Saturday in one-loss bracket play, beating the Ducks 10-8. Oregon was the first top 16 seed to be eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.

Utah Valley would need two wins Sunday — one against Cal Poly, then one against Arizona — to stay alive and force a winner-take-all matchup with Arizona Monday, with a spot in the Super Regionals on the line.

There are widespread expectations for the three FBS programs in the state of Utah this fall.

For BYU, the Cougars are hoping to use an 11-2 season last year to springboard to further success in 2025 and are viewed as one of the favorites to win the Big 12.

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For Utah, the Utes are looking to overcome a rare losing campaign and regain their footing as one of college football’s top 25 programs — all with a new offensive identity.

For Utah State, the Aggies are trying to forge ahead and regain some stability under a familiar face — first-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who was the coach at BYU from 2005-2015.

Those expectations are reflected in the post-spring ESPN SP+ rankings from Bill Connelly, which were updated last week.

There are three main factors that go into Connelly’s rankings — the returning production for a team, its recent recruiting efforts and the program’s recent history.

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Connelly explained that his SP+ rankings “aren’t intended to be a guess at what the AP Top 25 will look like at the end of the year. These are simply early offseason power rankings based on the information we have been able to gather to date.”

What do these post-spring rankings — with the transfer portal closed — say about the 2025 prospects for BYU, Utah and Utah State?

Where does BYU football rank in ESPN’s post-spring SP+ rankings?

• BYU is ranked No. 27 overall in the SP+ rankings with a 11.5 rating, including No. 29 on offense, No. 30 on defense and No. 10 on special teams.

• The Cougars are ranked fourth among Big 12 teams, behind only Kansas State (No. 18), defending league champion Arizona State (No. 22) and Texas Tech (No. 26).

• BYU is ranked No. 64 nationally in strength of schedule, with nonconference matchups against the ACC’s Stanford (No. 88), the American Athletic Conference’s East Carolina (No. 90) and FCS opponent Portland State (not ranked).

• Connelly said the SP+ rating gives BYU a 7% chance of going 11-1 or better, tied for second in the Big 12 — Kansas State is at 17% and Texas Tech is tied with BYU at 7%, with Arizona State next at 5%.

• The Cougars are 52nd in returning production at 59%, including 38th on offense at 65% and 72nd on defense at 52%.

Where does Utah football rank in ESPN’s post-spring SP+ rankings?

• Utah is ranked No. 31 overall in the SP+ rankings with an 11.0 rating, including No. 54 on offense, No. 16 on defense and No. 36 on special teams.

• The Utes are ranked sixth among Big 12 teams, behind only Kansas State (No. 18), defending league champion Arizona State (No. 22), Texas Tech (No. 26), BYU (No. 27) and TCU (No. 29).

• Utah is ranked No. 55 nationally in strength of schedule, with nonconference matchups against the Big Ten’s UCLA (No. 51), the Mountain West’s Wyoming (No. 105) and FCS opponent Cal Poly (not ranked).

• The Utes are 17th in returning production at 65%, including 11th on offense at 75% and 60th on defense at 56%.

Big 12 teams in the ESPN post-spring SP+ rankings

• No. 18: Kansas State

• No. 22: Arizona State

• No. 26: Texas Tech

• No. 27: BYU

• No. 29: TCU

• No. 31: Utah

• No. 32: Iowa State

• No. 35: Baylor

• No. 50: Kansas

• No. 52: Colorado

• No. 57: West Virginia

• No. 58: Oklahoma State

• No. 59: Houston

• No. 60: Arizona

• No. 61: UCF

• No. 66: Cincinnati

Big 12 observations from ESPN’s post-spring SP+ rankings

• The Big 12’s highest-ranked team in the SP+ rankings — Kansas State at No. 18 — is lower than the highest-ranked program from each of the other power conferences, with the SEC having 10 teams ahead of the first Big 12 team, the Big Ten four and the ACC two.

• Half of the the Big 12’s 16 teams are ranked in the top 35. That’s behind the SEC (12 in the top 35) and the Big Ten (nine).

• The Big 12’s lowest-ranked team in the SP+ rankings — Cincinnati at No. 66 — is higher than the lowest-ranked program from each of the other power conferences, including the SEC (Mississippi State, No. 71), Big Ten (Purdue, No. 101) and ACC (Stanford, No. 88).

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• The average ranking of Big 12 teams in the SP+ rankings is 42.7, with an average rating of 6.3. By comparison, the SEC has an average ranking of 22.4, with an average rating of 15.3, the Big Ten with averages of a 38.2 ranking and a 9.5 rating and the ACC with a 47.3 ranking and a 5.0 rating.

• The Big 12 has the highest average returning production amongst all FBS conferences, at 61.8%, per Connelly’s numbers.

• The Big 12 is fourth in average strength of schedule rating by conference (0.902), just below the ACC (0.891).

Where does Utah State football rank in ESPN’s post-spring SP+ rankings?

• Utah State is ranked No. 119 overall in the SP+ rankings with a minus-14.8 rating, including No. 88 on offense, No. 132 on defense and No. 76 on special teams.

• The Aggies are ranked 10th among Mountain West teams, ahead of only Nevada (No. 124) and New Mexico (No. 130).

• Utah State is ranked No. 82 nationally in strength of schedule, with nonconference matchups against the SEC’s Texas A&M (No. 15) and Vanderbilt (No. 55), Conference USA’s UTEP (No. 123) and FCS opponent McNeese State (not ranked).

• The Aggies are 133rd in returning production at 31%, including 135th on offense at 19% and 98th on defense at 43%.

Mountain West teams in the ESPN post-spring SP+ rankings

• No. 33: Boise State

• No. 75: UNLV

• No. 83: San Jose State

• No. 89: Fresno State

• No. 94: Air Force

• No. 97: Colorado State

• No. 102: San Diego State

• No. 105: Wyoming

• No. 108: Hawaii

• No. 119: Utah State

• No. 124: Nevada

• No. 130: New Mexico

Mountain West observations from ESPN’s post-spring SP+ rankings

• Boise State, at No. 33, is the highest-ranked Group of 6 conference team in the SP+ rankings. The Broncos are 15 spots ahead of the next-highest Group of 6 team, No. 48 Tulane of the American Athletic Conference.

• The AAC has five teams — Tulane, Memphis (No. 53), UTSA (No. 62), Army (No. 67) and Navy (No. 68) — before the second-highest ranked MWC team, UNLV at No. 75.

• Half of the Mountain West’s 12 teams are ranked in the 100s in the SP+ rankings.

• The average ranking of MWC teams in the SP+ rankings is 96.6, with an average rating of minus-8.6.

• The Mountain West’s average rating per school of minus-8.6 is third among Group of 6 conferences, behind the AAC (minus-7.8) and Sun Belt (minus-8.1).

• The MWC has an average returning production of 46.5%, per Connelly’s numbers.

• The Mountain West is seventh in the nation in average strength of schedule rating by conference (0.959) and third among Group of 6 conferences.

EUGENE – Oregon baseball coach Mark Wasikowski raced up the stairs to the East Endzone Terrace at Autzen Stadium following his team’s 6-5 loss to Utah Valley in the first round of the Eugene Regional Friday night at PK Park.

Wasikowski was visibly displeased while sitting at a table awaiting players Drew Smith and Jason Reitz to join him for the postgame press conference.

The loss to the regional’s No. 4 seeded Wolverines was enough to place Wasikowski in a bad mood. But the play that proved to be the difference only added gasoline to his competitive fire.

The Ducks trailed 6-4 in the eighth inning after Smith hit his second home run of the night. Next, catcher Anson Aroz walked, then moved to third on a single by Maddox Molony.

Chase Meggers hit a sacrifice fly to left that resulted to Aroz scoring from home.

On the play, Aroz crashed into Utah Valley catcher Mason Strong at the plate after he mishandled the throw. Aroz touched the plate and the score changed to 6-5.

Wolverines coach Nate Rasmussen asked the umpires to look at the play because he felt Aroz had committed “malicious contact” while running over Strong.

Several minutes later, the umpire reversed his decision, called Aroz out because of the malicious contact, which comes with an ejection and an automatic suspension for Saturday’s game against Cal Poly. The run was wiped off the board, returning the score to 6-4.

The run proved to be enormous, as the Ducks added a run in the ninth, only to lose by a run.

Following the game, a stone-faced Wasikowski was at first matter-of-fact about the call, saying that the umpires told him the reversal came from Pittsburgh, where the NCAA’s replay command center is located.

“All they said is it came from Pittsburgh,” Wasikowski said. “I feel bad for the umpires.”

When further asked about what he was told, Wasikowski again said the call came from Pittsburgh and that it was out of the umpires’ hands. He then praised Aroz for doing what he could to score.

“I’m really proud of the way Anson Aroz went into home plate the way he did,” Wasikowski said. “I was taught to play hard. I was taught to get after it by my dad and my coaches growing up. And, unfortunately, playing hard was not rewarded tonight by whatever rule was supposedly violated by a player that was playing hard.”

Rasmussen said didn’t want to burn a challenge so he asked the umpires to review the play and they agreed.

“I just didn’t think he slid,” Rasmussen said. “That was the big thing. It just felt like he didn’t go down for an actual baseball move. That’s what I saw in the moment … All I know was that our catcher got hit hard and I was right there for his safety. And I’m glad that it obviously went in our direction.”

Despite being upset over the call, Wasikowski gave the Wolverines (33-17) credit for winning the game.

“I thought they did a tremendous job being able to capitalize on the opportunities that they had,” he said. “Very proud of the effort of the team that I coach. I guess the silver lining is we get a chance to be able to play for a regional championship four more times at PK Park.”

The Ducks (42-15) are faced with an elimination situation when they play Cal Poly (41-18), a 3-2 loser to Arizona on Friday.

Oregon must win four consecutive games to claim the regional title.

The loss included a stellar performance by 6-foot-11 junior pitcher Jason Reitz. He recorded 14 strikeouts in six innings. However, he allowed four runs in the third inning, and put two runners on base with a walk and hit by pitch in the seventh. Both runs scored to give the Wolverines a 6-3 lead.

“The 14 Ks, it is what it is but the bottom line is, I didn’t feel like I did my job to the standard that I needed to, to help us win the game,” Reitz said.

Wasikowski had considered removing Reitz before the seventh but said that the pitcher asked to remain in the game.

Oregon out-hit the Wolverines 10-5 but left eight runners on base, compared to three for Utah Valley.

“We didn’t do enough with our opportunities,” Wasikowski said. “I think we left quite a few guys on base compared to Utah Valley … We weren’t able to cash them in when we needed to.”

Wasikowski said he expects the Ducks to shake off the loss and respond well on Saturday.

“I think they’ll play great tomorrow,” Wasikowski said. “Backs against the wall … I think we’ll play much better and cleaner, probably more than we did today.”

— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (X), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook). Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts

Nate Rasmussen and his suddenly hot Utah Valley baseball team delivered an unforgettable memory for players and fans alike Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Regionals.

Thanks to some clutch pitching and timely hitting, along with a fortuitous challenge that went UVU’s way, the Wolverines beat No. 12 overall seed Oregon 6-5 at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon, for Utah Valley’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win.

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Make no mistake: the Wolverines earned their upset, as they never trailed against the Big Ten’s Ducks.

“What a fun night. It would have been the best night anyways, even if we lost that, with the way competed all night,” Rasmussen said in an ESPNU interview after the game.

“I thought we did an awesome job to come out with the win.”

Jimmy De Anda finished with a team-high three RBI — “I couldn’t be prouder of the kid,” Rasmussen said of his left fielder who was 2 of 4 on the night — and Carston Herman pitched a tough 4⅔ innings in relief to earn the win, striking out six.

Behind those two star efforts, UVU put together a solid, winning performance for Rasmussen, the program’s first-year coach who earned a contract extension earlier this week after getting the Wolverines (33-27) back to the NCAAs for just the second time in school history.

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The night’s most controversial moment came in the eighth inning, when UVU was nursing a 6-4 lead after the Ducks’ Drew Smith hit his second home run of the night to start the bottom half of the frame.

Oregon then got two more runners on base with no outs thanks to a walk and a single, leaving runners at the corners, and it felt like the Ducks were due to grab their first lead of the night.

Facing an 0-2 count, Oregon’s Chase Meggers hit a shot to left field that was caught by De Anda for an out. Anson Aroz tagged up at third, and De Anda’s throw home took a high hop and went off the top of the glove of UVU catcher Mason Strong moments before Aroz ran into Strong and was initially ruled safe at home on the play.

Rasmussen challenged the ruling, asking for malicious contact from Aroz on the play that left trainers coming out to check on Strong after the hard play at the plate.

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Following a review of more than seven minutes, umpires overturned the call and Aroz was called out for the second out of the inning due to malicious contact. Aroz was also ejected from the game, meaning he won’t be available Saturday.

As such, instead of a 6-5 game with one out, the Wolverines were up 6-4 with two outs in the eighth and Herman was able to get out of the inning without any further damage.

The theatrics weren’t done though.

After Utah Valley went down in order in the top of the ninth, Herman stayed in and got into some trouble early with a leadoff walk.

Herman fought, though, and struck out Mason Neville for the first out.

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On the next at-bat, a wild pitch moved Carter Garate over to second, and then Dominic Hellman singled to move runners to the corners with one out.

After a meeting at the pitcher’s mound, Herman stayed in and faced Jacob Walsh, who got a hold of a Herman pitch and sent it deep, but it was caught on the warning track for the second out.

Though it ended up as a sac fly and made the score 6-5, UVU was one out from the win.

That’s when Rasmussen called on his closer, Cooper Littledike.

Smith, who led the Ducks with three RBI, all on home runs, was next at bat, but Littledike got him to ground into an out, ending the game and starting the celebration for UVU.

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“Carston Herman, I don’t know how many pitches he’s thrown in the last 10 days. Don’t ask me that question later, please, but he’s been a stud,” Rasmussen said.

“Cooper Littledike’s a walk-on in our program, became the closer and comes in there and gets the final out. It’s just awesome.”

With the win, Utah Valley advances to face the Arizona Wildcats in the winners bracket on Saturday, with first pitch set for 7 p.m. MDT.

Oregon, meanwhile, takes on the Cal Poly Mustangs in the one-loss bracket Saturday in the double-elimination event.

The Wildcats beat the Mustangs 3-2 in the regional’s first game Thursday.

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Friday after a slow start offensively, the Wolverines pushed ahead in the top of the third with a four-hit, four-run inning.

Brody Block walked to open the inning, then CJ Colyer singled to left field on a play wherein the left fielder lost the ball in the sun.

De Anda followed that up with a full-count shot down the left field line to score Block.

In the next at-bat, Luke Iverson hit an RBI single to right field early in the count to make it 2-0.

Then after two outs, Strong doubled the lead to 4-0 on a single to left.

It looked like UVU might get out of the third with the 4-0 lead intact after two quick outs for Oregon in the bottom half of the inning, but after a Ducks single, Smith hit a two-run homer. Then on the next pitch, Aroz blasted a home run to left field to make it 4-3.

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Over the next several innings, both teams saw their fair share of solid pitching and defense to keep the score a one-run game.

The Wolverines then pounced when an opportunity presented itself.

Oregon starting pitcher Jason Reitz, who had a career-high 14 strikeouts and retired 10 straight UVU batters at one point, finally wore down in the seventh.

A first-batter walk gave the Wolverines their first base runner since the third, and a hit by pitch put two on with no outs and out went Reitz.

Immediately after the pitching change, an Oregon error on a pick-off pushed UVU’s base runners to second and third and De Anda capitalized with a two-run single up the middle to make it 6-3.

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That was enough of a lead for Herman and Littledike to hang on to, after UVU starting pitcher Corbin Kirk went four-plus innings.

With that elusive first NCAA win in tow, the Wolverines move forward Saturday with the chance to build off what’s now a five-game win streak, all in postseason play.

“It’s huge,” Rasmussen said. “I got here four years ago as a recruiting coordinator. The team had just gone 10-47, and to be here four years later … our first program postseason win, (it’s) just huge and nobody deserves it more than these guys.”

This is why baseball is the greatest sport.

Sometimes it can be exhilarating, and then at times it can absolutely break your heart.

Oregon baseball suffered that heartbreak Friday night at PK Park as the Ducks dropped their opening game in the Eugene Regional of the NCAA tournament 6-5 to Utah Valley.

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So much went down in this game it could have been an entire season’s worth. But the biggest play of the contest came in the bottom of the eighth inning with Oregon doing it best to erase a 6-3 deficit. The Ducks scored one on Drew Smith’s second home run of the game. They had eventually put runners on the corners with no outs when Chase Meggers hit a fly ball to left.

Anson Aroz, who homered himself earlier in the contest, tagged up to score, but the Utah Valley catcher, Mason Strong, was seemingly blocking the plate and Aroz ploughed into him. Watching the play live, it looked as if Strong didn’t give Aroz a path to the plate in order to score. Knowing it was a crucial play, the Wolverines challenged, thinking Aroz was malicious in his intent to score.

After a nearly 10-minute review, the umpires decided the play was malicious and Aroz was out. Not only was he out, but he is disqualified from playing Saturday’s elimination game against Cal Poly. It was a double whammy that the Ducks just couldn’t recover from. They scored one in the ninth, but Smith grounded out to end the game.

Lost in all the controversy and action late in the game was the effort from Oregon starting pitcher Jason Reitz. The lanky 6-foot-11 hurler went six innings, allowed five earned runs, but struck out 14 Wolverines. The five earned runs are misleading as the Oregon defense didn’t exactly play its best. Aroz lost a fly ball in the outfield and then let another ball get by him for a two-base error.

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Utah Valley scored four big runs in third to grab a 4-0 lead. But the Ducks quickly bounced back on a Smith two-run homer and Aroz followed that up with a 426-foot bomb off of his bat. It was 4-3 until the seventh when the Utah Valley scored two insurance runs off of reliever Santiago Garcia.

Oregon will try to forget what just happened and focus on beating Cal Poly, who lost to Arizona 3-2 earlier in the day. First pitch is scheduled for 12 pm on Saturday.

This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon baseball faces uphill climb in Eugene Regional after 6-5 loss

EUGENE – The Oregon Ducks baseball team’s run in the NCAA tournament got off to a poor start Friday night at PK Park.

No. 4 seed Utah Valley beat the top-seeded Ducks 6-5 in the first round of the Eugene Regional, sending Oregon to an elimination game against Cal Poly at noon Saturday.

The Wolverines (33-27) play No. 2-seed Arizona (40-18) at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Wildcats won 3-2 over No. 3-seed Cal Poly (41-18) in Friday’s early game.

Oregon (42-15) watched starter Jason Reitz put together a mostly magnificent performance outside of two innings.

The 6-foot-11 junior struck out 14 in six innings but allowed four earned runs in the third and put two runners on base in the seventh. Both scored after Reitz was removed from the game.

Reitz’s 14 strikeouts are tied for fourth at Oregon in the modern era and are the most by a Ducks pitcher in postseason history.

UO right fielder Drew Smith hit two home runs and drove in three runs, but left the tying run on base in the ninth when he recorded the game’s final out on a grounder to short.

Oregon played from behind all night. Utah Valley’s first assault came in the third, when the Wolverines scored four runs. Jimmy De Anda got things started with a double to left that scored Brody Block. CJ Colyer also had a run-scoring single, followed by a two-run single by Mason Strong.

Reitz got out of the inning with another strikeout.

The Ducks responded with three runs in the bottom of hte inning, two coming a two-run homer by Smith. Aroz also homered, cutting the UVU lead to 4-3.

Reitz dominated the next three innings, striking out seven batters to keep the score at 4-3. But trouble popped up in the seventh, when Reitz put the first two batters on base with a walk and a hit batter.

A pick off throw by reliever Santiago Garcia sailed into the outfield, allowing the runners to advance. Two hitters later, De Anda delivered a two-run single for a 6-3 Wolverines lead.

The Ducks trimmed the deficit to 6-4 in the eighth on a homer by Smith. Then came the fireworks.

Aroz walked, then moved to third on a single by Molony. Chase Meggers followed, teasing with a couple of long balls that drifted just foul. He then lofted a sacrifice fly that initially plated Aroz, pulling the Ducks to within one.

But Utah Valley coach Nate Rasmussen asked the umpires to review the call, saying that Aroz caused “malicious contact” in bowling over UVU catcher Mason Strong at the plate. After a review conducted at the NCAA’s replay command center in Pittsburgh, the game officials announced that Aroz was out and ejected him.

Aroz is automatically suspended for Saturday’s game against Cal Poly.

The Ducks mildly threatened in the ninth. Carter Garate led off with a walk, and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Walsh. But closer Cooper Littledike slammed the door, getting Smith to ground out and seal the upset win.

Gov. Spencer Cox’s emergency drought declaration has now expired, but state water managers say conservation should “remain a top priority” as the state’s typically driest season approaches.

“Rising temperatures and increased demand will be a cause for concern this summer. Our reservoirs will get us through this year, but another year like this will stress our water supply,” Candice Hasenyager, director at the Utah Division of Water Resources, said in a state water update on Thursday.

Cox declared a state of emergency for 17 of Utah’s 29 counties late last month, citing extreme and severe drought conditions already in place across large swaths of central and southern Utah. Below-average snowpack levels in those regions were also a factor in the emergency.

The governor ordered the Utah Drought Response Committee to review “hardships and other circumstances” caused by drought in the affected counties, recommend actions to address those challenges, and create a way for “interagency coordination” tied to those actions. It also recommended that water supplies and irrigation companies across southern and central Utah “encourage efficient landscape watering,” among other things.

Under state law, a governor’s emergency declaration may only last 30 days unless extended by the Utah Legislature. The legislative body had no special session this month, meaning it declined to extend the order.

Although Utah’s reservoir system remains at 87% of capacity, drought continues to be a challenge heading into summer.

About 70% of Utah remains in drought, including 46% of the state that is either in severe or extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s final report before meteorological summer begins. Most areas not in drought are still considered “abnormally dry,” leaving only a section of the Wasatch Backcountry out of any type of drought category for now.

While storms and cooler temperatures could return to the state next week following a heat wave this weekend, long-range forecasting models favor above-normal temperatures throughout most of the summer.

Those models are also uncertain about precipitation, but summer is still the state’s driest season on average. The state averaged 2.65 inches of statewide precipitation during meteorological summer between 1991 and 2020 — more than 0.8 inches below any other season, according to federal climate data.

Monsoonal moisture is beneficial for improving wildfire conditions and soil moisture levels, as well as lowering evaporation rates across the state’s reservoirs. Yet, it does very little to pad the state’s water supply, which is generally shaped by snowpack collection that melts in the spring.

State water managers are optimistic about water availability this year, regardless of how this summer plays out, but they caution there’s no way of knowing if next winter’s snowpack will help recharge the system. That’s why they’re still calling on residents to cut back on watering as much as possible this summer.

Despite its expiration, Hasenyager said she believes Cox’s drought declaration still sent a message that “water conservation is essential for Utah’s future.” She encourages residents to find ways to reduce water consumption this summer, especially since water usage typically increases during the warmer months.

“Let’s be mindful of how we use water,” she added. “Most of our water use happens outdoors — start there.”

The state also opened up applications last week for an Emergency Disaster Relief Loan program for farmers and ranchers before the drought order expired.