Childhood Friends Reunite for NCAA Baseball Tournament

OREM, Utah — Three childhood friends from southern Utah have reunited on the baseball diamond as they prepare for the NCAA tournament. The trio, who grew up just a few houses apart in Santa Clara, are now teammates on the Utah Valley University Wolverines, which will face Oregon in their tournament opener on Friday.

The friends—Zane Frei, Landon Strong, and Ty Herman—all started their college baseball journeys at different schools after dominating together at Snow Canyon High School, where they won a Utah 4A state championship in 2021. Frei plays infield, Strong is a catcher, and Herman is a pitcher.

“We all played on the same travel baseball team since we were like 7,” Frei said. “We’ve had a lot of years playing on the same teams.” The friendships formed through years of competition and cooperation now guide their efforts as they aim to make history for their school.

After high school, Frei signed with the University of Utah, Strong began at BYU before transferring to Oklahoma, and Herman spent three years with Utah Tech. “I never thought we would be playing college baseball together,” Herman admitted. Despite the distance, the trio kept in touch and supported each other during their college careers.

In an unexpected turn of events, each of them transferred to UVU for the 2025 season, reuniting as teammates. “The odds of all that happening has got to be close to zero,” Frei laughed. They quickly demonstrated their old chemistry, reviving their effective pitcher-catcher partnership.

The Wolverines, who have never won a game in the NCAA tournament, are entering as underdogs after recently taking home the WAC tournament title. Strong was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for hitting two home runs in the championship against Abilene Christian. “We’re not supposed to be here, so we have absolutely nothing to lose. That’s a fun way to play,” Frei said.

As they gear up for the regional, both Frei and Herman expressed excitement for the opportunity to create new memories, hoping to add to their collection of shared achievements over the years. They are focusing on enjoying the experience while looking ahead to the possibility of future celebrations beyond baseball.

The Wolverines will compete against Oregon, the No. 12 overall seed in the tournament, at 7 p.m. MDT on Friday at PK Park. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.