Weber State football coach Eric Kjar lends Ogden Raptors a hand in home opener
Nico Saltaformaggio deals, Carmine Lane homers for Ogden in 9-3 win over Missoula in series opener
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- Weber State head football coach Eric Kjar pictured before the Ogden Raptors’ home opener with the Missoula Paddleheads on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Weber State head football coach Eric Kjar throws out the ceremonial first pitch before the Ogden Raptors’ home opener with the Missoula Paddleheads on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Nico Saltaformaggio winds up a pitch during the Ogden Raptors’ home opener with the Missoula Paddleheads on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Carmine Lane rips it during the Ogden Raptors’ home opener with the Missoula Paddleheads on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Chase Valentine celebrates a run scored during the Ogden Raptors’ home opener with the Missoula Paddleheads on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Dylan Wilkinson laughs with a teammate during the Ogden Raptors’ home opener with the Missoula Paddleheads on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
OGDEN – Rebounding from a two-game losing skid in Boise, the Ogden Raptors uncanned a 9-3 win over the Missoula Paddleheads in Tuesday’s home opener at Lindquist Field – and did so with a pretty big baseball fan in the house.
Weber State head football coach Eric Kjar threw out the game’s first pitch, and Nico Saltaformaggio followed it up with seven innings of one-run, four-hit Raptors (3-4) baseball with four strikeouts in his first home start of the season.
To throw out the first pitch at a Pioneer League opener, Kjar said, wasn’t the kind of opportunity he’d pass up. The Cameron, Wyoming, native grew up working the antenna to catch the Chicago Cubs on WGN.
“My first love of sports was baseball growing up,” Kjar said.
WSU tapped Kjar, the purveyor of seven state championships at Corner Canyon High School, to head up its football program next fall.
Kjar signed 12 different freshmen earlier this offseason, including Weber High running back Dyson Parker and three skill players from Corner Canyon.
This offseason includes building inroads with a passionate Raptors fan base and 53 different home games this summer, Kjar said.
“We’re looking for their support coming to Weber State for some football games,” Kjar said. “They put a good product on the field, so I think any time you get opportunities like this, and you can get in front of the community, and kind of represent this area, I think it’s a great thing.”
Complete with postgame fireworks, the Raptors pulled their end of the deal.
Carmine Lane, who popped out for a run in the first, sent his first home run of the season over the left field wall for a 4-1 lead in the sixth. Bradley Pelle kicked off a four-run eighth, singling up the middle with his first RBI of the night.
Xavier Casserilla produced a two-run homer for Missoula in the ninth, but a 9-3 victory soon followed as Saltaformaggio improved to 2-0 in Year 3 with the Raptors. In two starts, the Nicholls State alum has gone six or more innings, allowing three runs or fewer.
“Nico, right now, is one of the best starters in the league, by far,” Ogden manager Evan Parker said.
“He’s had two quality starts… The dude is just a machine. He’s a strike-thrower machine, he listens, he makes adjustments, he knows how to keep hitters off balance, so it starts with Nico because your starting pitcher is going to give you kind of your pulse for the night, and then our offense just went to work.”
Ogden finished the night with nine runs on 11 hits and seven total RBI.
Connect with sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, X @ctbecker and Instagram @standardexaminersports.
