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BYU pitcher Wayland Crane (16) is greeted by teammates and coaches during a Big 12 baseball game against Utah at Miller Park on Thursday, April 30, 2026.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU pitcher Dan Brousseau enters the dugout in a Big 12 baseball game against Utah at Miller Park on Thursday, April 30, 2026.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU second baseman Luke Anderson (right) attempts to tag a Utah runner in a Big 12 baseball game at Miller Park on Thursday, April 30, 2026.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Ashton Johnson throws a pitch in a Big 12 baseball game against Utah at Miller Park on Thursday, April 30, 2026.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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Perhaps the best description of how much BYU pitching has improved in 2026 comes from when things don’t go exactly as planned.

Such was the case in Thursday’s Big 12 opener of a three-game series with Utah, the 386th time the two rivals have met on the baseball diamond.

Lefty starter Wayland Crane struggled with control, walking three batters and hitting two others as the Utes took a 3-1 lead midway through the fifth inning.

But Crane got picked up by not only the Cougar bats but his bullpen and his defense, resulting in a 6-4 victory in front of 2,468 fans at Miller Park.

New pitching coach Adrian Dinkel, along with Director of Pitching Development Bradon Zastrow, have mentored the staff in the right direction.

“Adrian and Bradon have done a good job of getting guys to develop a couple more pitches, the pitch calling, understanding what they are and what they can do,” BYU head coach Trent Pratt said. “The guys are believing in it.”

The numbers bear out the improvement. In 2025, BYU’s team earned run average overall was 8.53. In Big 12 play, it was 7.04, last (14th) in the league. In 2026, the overall team ERA is 6.41. In the Big 12, the number is 6.56.

How much is roughly half of a run per game worth? The Cougars are currently eighth in the league in team ERA. BYU is 12-10 in Big 12 play after finishing 10-20 last season.

“I think the coaches make all the difference,” said junior right hander Dan Brousseau, who pitched three strong innings in relief against the Utes. “I really appreciate Adrian Dinkel and Bradon Zastrow, that they’re really focused on the their scouting reports going into weekends like this. And so we know how to attack certain hitters. There’s a real emphasis on winning each pitch. So just one pitch at a time, making sure we’re executing and doing our jobs has definitely helped.”

Utah (21-19 overall, 9-13 Big 12) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Matt Flaharty and a two-run throwing error by Ryder Robinson allowed two more Utah runs to score in the fifth. BYU managed a run in the bottom of the third on an RBI single from Robinson. But the Cougars were frustrated early, going just 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position through the first three innings.

Crane was mostly able to work his way out of trouble in the early innings, including a key double play with the bases loaded in the third.

BYU broke through offensively in the fifth with four consecutive RBI singles. Bryker Hurdsman, Crew McChesney and Tua Wolgramm all drove in a run and catcher Ridge Erickson knocked in two with a single, pushing the Cougars to a 6-3 lead.

Brousseau retired nine of the 11 batters he faced in his three innings of work, and Ashton Johnson closed things out by getting three quick outs on nine pitches in the top of the ninth inning for his fifth save of the season.

Ezra McNaughton was 3 for 5 for BYU (23-21, 12-10) and Robinson finished 3 for 4. In his first start in more than a month due to an injury, McChesney was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Crane went five innings, allowing five hits and three runs for his second win of the season.

“It (Crane’s performance) was just gutsy,” Pratt said. “That big double play was kind of the turning point of the game. They had all the momentum and that kind of just killed it. He wasn’t sharp but he found a way to make pitches and we played good defense behind him. Brousseau was awesome and came through, just throwing strikes.”

At times, BYU’s pitching staff has been dominant: The Cougars allowed just five runs in a three-game sweep of Houston and after losing the first of three at Arizona 6-0 won the next two games 5-1 and 8-4.

There is no doubt that if BYU gets good pitching performance, it can play with any team in the league.

“I think we have some guys with experience,” Pratt said. “Adrian and Bradon have done a great job with our pitching staff. We’ve been more consistent on the mound this year than in the past, and those two things combined, it’s just been good. We’ve been able to keep our key players and I think that says a lot about our program and our kids, that they want to be here and want to win at BYU.”