Kaden Carpenter has had a promising baseball future for a long time.
The former American Fork High star was on his way to becoming Utah Valley’s Pitcher of the Year in 2022 and was among the top three prospects in the state when Gary Henderson was tabbed Utah’s coach.
“He was the first guy I went looking for to put together our team,” Henderson said.
Carpenter is no longer pitching but his bat and defense were on display this weekend when the Utes took on BYU at Smith’s Ballpark.
Carpenter had a three-run homer in the sixth inning Saturday, and that was the difference in Utah’s 9-6 win over the Cougars in a Big 12 Conference game.
Utah had 16 hits and played errorless ball. With the win, the Utes also claimed the rubber match of the three-game series and improved to 15-17 overall and 4-11 in league play.
Carpenter said Utah may not yet be one of the league’s top contenders but he has been a fan of the direction the program is going ever since he signed with the Utes in 2022.
“Playing (the Cougars) raises our competitiveness,” he said. “I know a lot of those guys … two of them were high school teammates, and I know we’ll always get their best when we play them.”
“It feels good (to beat them),” said Henderson. “We’ve scouted them pretty well. They know us and we know them but we still have to play it on the field.
“I’m really pleased that we showed up and played well. We haven’t always done that.”
