Neil K. Warner

Daily Herald

If you'll follow me, I'll show you around Utah Valley State's campus.

Up here on the left is the newly named MSTAR softball field, home of Todd Fairbourne's Wolverines. You might be interested to know that coach Fairbourne won a national championship in 2000, the only national championship for any sport in school history.

On your right, through those doors is the office of the Orem Owlz. Did you know that the Owlz won the Pioneer League Championships in 2004 and '05?

Speaking of baseball, check this UVSC's baseball field. Does that scream "recruits, come here" or what?

And look at that. Down there on the field, now that's something you don't see every day. See that guy wearing No. 10? It's UVSC's Jace Brinkerhoff, he's a third basemen and pitcher, a combination so rare that he has just been added to the list of must-sees for those taking a campus tour.

So what's the big deal about pitching and playing third base?

It's kind of like trying to play both offense and defense in football at the Division I level.

Once you get past the high school level, multi-position athletes usually disappear like a multi-sport athlete.

In baseball, an arm was not meant to pitch and play third. The throw from third base to first base can be especially taxing on an arm, especially a day after it has thrown 100 pitches. Only select players can pull it off, which is why in Brinkehoff's case, UVSC couldn't help but make an exception.

"You don't really see it that often because most of the time as a pitcher, you want that to be the number one thing they work on," said UVSC coach Steve Gardner. "When Jace came in, we knew he could do it (play both). He has quick feet, a good glove and he's hit the ball well for us. He's really done a good job for us."

Perhaps most impressive is that Brinkerhoff has done it as a true freshman. Less than a year ago, he helped Spanish Fork win the state 5A championship on UVSC's field.

Now he's changed uniforms, but he's making a similar impact.

"I take a lot of ibuprofen and I run," Brinkerhoff said with a laugh. "Running the next day has really helped me. When I first decided to come over here and pitch, I was just going to be a pitcher. But then I had a pretty good senior year and they gave me the chance to do both. It has been sore, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

UVSC is beginning to experience the same problem Spanish Fork coach Jim Nelson had. It's tough not having Brinkerhoff in the lineup somewhere. One of the ways Gardner is helping lessen the stress on Brinkerhoff's arm is by using him as a designated hitter after he pitches.

Last week, Brinkerhoff threw 120 pitches in a complete-game victory over Gonzaga and earned a DH spot in the final two games of the series. That may be OK once in a while, but in addition to pitching and hitting, he would like to continue to play defense.

It's hard to argue with his logic because it seems to be working. Brinkerhoff is third on the team with a .321 batting average. He has one home run and 10 RBI. He shares the team lead in wins (two), is third in ERA (4.62), and leads the team in complete games with two.

Brinkerhoff is scheduled to pitch again on Thursday when the Wolverines play their first game of the season at home against South Dakota State. The Wolverines played their first 22 games on the year, posting a 7-15 record overall record heading into today's game at Utah.

"I'm excited. I can't wait to finally play at home," Brinkerhoff said. "It will be nice to get caught up on my school work and sleep."

Playing on both sides of the ball can be exhausting.

Neil Warner can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it