Local champion, Utah Tech’s Kyle McDaniel earns player of the week honors
Former local state champion and current D1 product Kyle McDaniel hasn’t quite finished catching fire yet.
The junior at Utah Tech University was recently named the University Credit Union Western Athletic Conference Baseball Player of the Week.
And for good measure. Beyond the box score, McDaniel continued rewriting the record book.
He stretched his NCAA-era school-record on-base streak to 49 consecutive games and pushed his career-best hitting streak to 22 straight. Last Saturday’s RBI knock etched his name alone atop the program’s record list, surpassing the previous 21-game mark set by former standout Jake Engel (2019-21).
“It definitely is a cool thing to do, but I would much rather have the team wining games,” McDaniel said. “I think just going up to the plate trying to help put the team in a better position will take care of all the personal accolades.”
Setting the tone at the top of the lineup, Kyle has been batting a blistering .389 (7-for-18) across four starts in the leadoff spot.
The senior racked up two extra-base hits, six RBI, two stolen bases and two runs scored, serving as the catalyst behind Utah Tech’s explosive week at the plate in which they outscored opponents 27-14.
McDaniel wasted no time igniting the offense in last Wednesday’s 14-4 road rout of CSU Bakersfield, turning in a career night.
The junior went 3-for-6 with a career-high five RBI, swiped a bag and crossed the plate once, powering the Trailblazers to a statement victory.
The momentum carried into the Trailblazers win at Pacific, where McDaniel hit .333 (4-for-12) and recorded a hit in all three contests.
He opened the set with a 2-for-5 performance that included a double and a run scored, then delivered the decisive blow in Friday’s 2-1 thriller with a solo home run before capping the weekend with an RBI single in Saturday’s 8-5 series-clinching triumph.
“My approach has been pretty consistent. With the solo shot I just got in a plus count and was sitting on the heater. I was able to hit it good and was just excited to be able to get us on the board early,” McDaniel said.
Fresh off a dominant 7-1 run through its season-opening eight-game road swing, Utah Tech now turns its focus homeward.
“Yeah it is a great start for us! We have just been going into each game with an 0-0 mentally. Not worrying about who we are playing and just taking care of what we need to do, and that has lead to success,” McDaniel said. “We are excited on how we have started but we have a lot ahead of us still, keeping our heads down and getting after it.”
The Trailblazers will launch their 2026 home schedule with an eight-game home stand, beginning with a four-game series against Northern Colorado this Friday through Sunday at Bruce Hurst Field.
The program will makes its way down to Las Vegas to take on UNLV on March 21 at 7:05 p.m and March 22 at 1:05 p.m.
“I am super excited! I love playing close to home,” McDaniel said. “I’m just excited to get after it in front of family and friends.”
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
