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The University of Utah Athletics
Softball Opens Season at Fiesta Bowl Tournament
6/21/1999 12:00 AM | Softball
February 9, 1999
THIS WEEK: The Utah Utes open their 1999 season at the Arizona State's Fiesta Bowl Tournament, Friday through Sunday at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex in Phoenix, Ariz.
Fiesta Bowl Tournament
Feb. 12-14 - Rose Mofford Sports Complex - Phoenix, Ariz.
UTAH Batting Order:
Pos. No. Player B/T Yr. Hometown (Previous School) LF 3 Lisa Hashimoto L/R Jr. Brigham City, Utah (Box Elder HS) RF 21 Amberly Johnson L/R So. Sandy, Utah (Alta HS) SS 23 Michele Larsen R/R Fr. Eugene, Ore. (Chuchill HS) CF 4 Jenny Monson R/R Jr. South Jordan, Utah (Bingham HS) C 32 Sunny Smith R/R Jr. Pleasant Grove, Utah 1B 39 Nicole Wikinson R/R Jr. Sandy, Utah (Louisiana State) 3B 16 Lyndsey Trevis R/R Fr. Glendora, Calif. (Glendora HS) DP/P 7 Sarah Farnworth R/R So. Upland, Calif. (Upland HS) 2B 18 Carrie Kosderka R/R So. Roseburg, Ore. (Roseburg HS)Pitching Rotation:
Pos. No. Name B/T Yr. Hometown (Previous School) (1) 7 Sarah Farnworth R/R So. Upland, Calif. (Upland HS) (2) 24 Kristin Arbogast R/R So. Eugene, Ore. (North Eugene HS) (3) 00 Jeanette Herbert R/R Fr. West Valley, Utah (Granger HS)Off the Bench:
Pos. No. Name B/T Yr. Hometown (Previous School) C/3B 10 Stacey Farnworth R/R So. Upland, Calif. (Upland HS) 2B/OF 12 Stacy O'Farrell L/R Jr. Sandy, Utah (Ricks JC) UT 13 Molly McLean L/R Fr. Riverton, Utah (Bingham HS) C/OF 22 Stephanie Johnson R/R Fr. Rockford, Ill. (Guilford HS)POLL WATCH: Utah received 29 votes to rank 30th in the USA Today/NFCA pre-season poll released on Jan. 27. Other Western Athletic Conference teams ranked or receiving votes were defending national champion Fresno State, voted No.1; Hawai'i, placed 17th; and Colorado State, receiving nine votes to place 39th.
TOURNAMENT QUICK FACTS: The Fiesta Bowl Tournament is an annual event hosted by Arizona State University. Each of the 18 teams in the field will play in five pre-determined match-ups. This year's tournament field includes nine teams ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 pre-season pollfive of which are ranked in the top 10and three other teams just outside of the Top 25.
UTAH'S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: The Utes will get a tough early season test this weekend by playing four teams ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll, two if which are in the top 10.
Friday (No. 7) Texas 9:00 a.m.
(No. 21) Florida State 1:00 p.m.
Saturday (No. 19) Alabama 11:00 a.m.
(No. 3) UCLA 3:30 p.m.
Sunday Maryland 10:00 a.m.
THE OPPOSITION: Third-ranked UCLA is 2-0 following a sweep of Santa Clara (14-1, 3-0) last Friday ... No. 21 Florida State is 1-1 after splitting a doubleheader with Georgia Southern on Feb. 6, losing 3-1 and wining 2-0 ... Maryland is 3-2 after posting wins over Florida International, Nichols State and South Florida last weekend ... No. 7 Texas is 3-0 after opening with a 9-0 win at St. Edward's last Wednesday and then swept a 9-6 (10 inn.), 5-1 doubleheader at UT-Arlington on Sunday ... 19th-ranked Alabama opens its 1999 schedule this weekend.
COMING UP: Utah takes next week off before playing in New Mexico State's Troy Cox Softball Classic, Feb. 26-28 in Las Cruces, N.M.
HEAD COACH MONA STEVENS... is in her third season as Utah's head coach. Stevens owns an 80-39 overall record and a 41-23 mark against Western Athletic Conference teams. In her first season, Stevens led Utah to the NCAA Tournament and a third-place finish in the WAC. Last year, Stevens guided a Utah team that started seven freshmen to a 36-21 overall record and a third-place finish in the WAC at 19-13. Stevens hasn't slowed down during the off-season. Last fall, she was named head coach of the USA Softball Junior National Team that will compete in the 1999 World Games in Taipei, Taiwan, June 17-27.
The former Ute player and assistant coach came home in September of 1996 following a two-year stint at the University of Massachusetts. Stevens was the associate head coach for the Minutewomen during the 1995 and 96 seasons, and was named UMass' head coach in June of 96, three months prior to being hired by her alma mater. In each of her two seasons at UMass, Stevens helped the Minutewomen reach the NCAA Tournament and win the Atlantic-10 Conference regular-season and tournament championships.
Stevens began her coaching career as an assistant at Utah from 1981-84. In addition to her collegiate coaching portfolio, Stevens has been a nationally recognized pitching instructor over the past 14 years. She has also worked internationally, and was the owner of Mona Stevens Enterprises from 1989-99.
QUOTING STEVENS: On the start of the season - "I feel more prepared at this time of the season than I have the last two years. We, as a coaching staff, keep looking at each other because we're so impressed with what we're seeing from our team. This team is looking very good right now, and is very confident in what it's doing. I have a hunch that this is going to be a very successful and exciting year. Our pitching has looked good and our hitting has looked great. Our defense is also working extremely well together. The chemistry of this team is the icing on the cake. It's right where we want it to be as a coaching staff. We really couldn't ask for more. You take those things, tied in with the fact that we have a very clear focus and mission in our head, and we are ready to go. Our focus is not on wins and losses. We feel that if we focus on the small things, the wins will be a result of that".
On the Fiesta Bowl Tournament - "We're going to open with four of our first five games against top rated teams. This will be a heavy duty test for us. We are also probably going to face two of the top pitchers in the nation this weekend. I feel like we are ready, and ready to be tested. We're going to go down there and play our best, and then come back and work on the things that we had problems with. We'll also know that we won't have another weekend the rest of the year where we're going to face that many top teams, but we are ready."
WAC PRE-SEASON POLL: Utah was picked to finish third in the Western Athletic Conference softball race this season in a poll of the league's coaches. The Utes received 52 points in the voting. Fresno State, the defending NCAA Champion, was picked first with 64 points and garnered eight of the nine first-place votes. Hawai'i received the remaining first-place vote was placed second with 54 points - just two more than Utah. Colorado State was picked to finish fourth with 40 points, followed by UNLV (35), San Diego State (30), San Jose State (21), New Mexico (14) and Tulsa (14).
1999 OUTLOOK
OVERALL: Seven starting position players and the top two pitchers return to a team that amassed a 36-31 overall record and finished third in the WAC with a 19-13 mark. The only significant loss is two-time All-American Sandy Rhea, who ranked in the top 10 in the WAC with a .372 batting average and 20th in the nation with 34 stolen bases.
INFIELD: After breaking in an entirely new infield last season, Utah's defense should be much more consistent in 1999. The most significant change was moving Nicole Wilkinson from shortstop, where she was the everyday starter last year, to first base. Taking over Wilkinson's former residence will be freshman Michele Larsen. Stevens feels Larsen could be a great one for the Utes. Both second basemen from last year return in sophomore Carrie Kosderka and junior Stacy O'Farrell (formerly Holmes). Kosderka will continue to get the majority of the playing time. Lyndsey Trevis, a freshman from Glendora, Calif., and Stacey Farnworth, a sophomore from Upland, Calif., will handle the duties at third. As was the case last season, Stevens wants Farnworth to also see time at catcher. Having Trevis on board will make that option more readily available. Trevis is one of the strong, power-hitting newcomers that has Stevens excited about her team's ability to score runs. She also gives the Utes a strong arm and a great glove in the infield.
OUTFIELD: Once again the most seasoned area of the team, three starters return in the outfield. Among those patrolling the lawn will be co-captains Lisa Hashimoto and Jenny Monson. Monson, a native of South Jordan, Utah, possesses the rare combination of both speed and strength, and was the only player to rank in WAC's the top seven last season in both stolen bases (15 in 19 attempts) and slugging percentage (.545). She also ranked 15th in the conference in batting (.343), seventh in RBI (37), eighth in home runs (6) and fourth in triples (6).
Hashimoto is also a tough out at the plate. A misleading .252 hitter in '98, the junior from Brigham City, Utah, is a deft slap-hitter who also has the ability to swing away, making it difficult to align an effective defense against her. Although Hashimoto is the returning starter in left field and Monson in center, Stevens may shuffle her outfield around and play Hashimoto some in center this season.
Allowing Stevens that flexibility is the potential talent playing next to her two juniors. Sophomore Amberly Johnson started the second half of last season in right field. Also inserted into the line-up at times as the designated player, the Sandy, Utah, native hit .312 in 51 games to post the fourth-best batting average on the team. Much like the rest of the Ute outfield, Johnson is extremely fast and covers a lot of territory. The latest addition to the outfield is freshman Molly McLean, a three-time first-team all-state pick from Riverton, Utah. Originally recruited as an infielder, McLean was moved to the outfield on a trial basis this fall and appears to be there to stay.
PITCHERS AND CATCHERS: Last year, Stevens was faced with the daunting task of breaking in an entirely new pitching staff, as well as a sophomore catcher with limited experience and a freshman catcher. Despite the youth movement, Utah had the third-best earned run average in the WAC (2.09). With her top two pitchers and catchers returning, Stevens lists these positions as team strengths heading into the 1999 season. Kristin Arbogast, who posted a 12-7 record in '98, had the 12th-lowest ERA (2.72) in the WAC. She also surrendered the fifth-fewest walks (1.64) and the sixth-lowest opponents' batting average (.240) per seven innings.
With a 19-11 record in '98, Sarah Farnworth ranked fourth in the WAC in wins and also owned the league's fifth-lowest ERA (1.68). Her effectiveness was further demonstrated by opponents' .233 batting average against her, the fourth-lowest mark among league hurlers. She also gave up the sixth-fewest hits (6.31) and the third-fewest walks (1.55) per seven innings. A real iron horse, Farnworth threw 216-1/3 innings and completed 25 startsboth second-best marks in the WAC. She also made the fourth-most appearances in the conference (36).
The third pitcher on the staff is Jeanette Herbert, a redshirt freshman from West Valley City, Utah, who is looking to make her debut. The former Granger High School standout puts good movement on the ball, and has a nice curve ball and change-up.
Sunny Smith, a junior from Pleasant Grove, Utah, started the majority of the games behind the plate last year. Smith, who hit .304 on the season with five home runs and 22 RBI, picked up her productivity during the conference season to rank 20th in the WAC in hitting (.330) and seventh in home runs (4). Stacey Farnworth, the cousin of pitcher Sarah Farnworth, will also be inserted into the line-up at catcher. The third catcher on the team is freshman walk-on Stephanie Johnson from Rockford, Ill.
OFFENSE: Without question, Utah will be a better offensive team in 1999. One of the newcomers expected to make an immediate impact is Larsen, who, in Stevens' opinion, was Utah's best offensive player at the Colorado State tournament last fall. Along with Larsen, Kosderka is another solid line drive hitter. Those two will not only give Utah solid defense up the middle, but also two dangerous bats in the line-up. Trevis will add some power to the batting order, and with Monson and Smith will give the Utes three legitimate home run threats.
The Utes also have some serious speed to contend with. Between Hashimoto, Monson, McLean, Johnson and Holmes, the Utes have five people who will start at a position or designated player that can fly. Because of that, Utah will put some pressure on other teams with its speed. Out of that same group, with the exception of Jenny Monson, the Utes have four lefty slappers who should be able to get on base frequently. And, all four can stand in and hit.
Kristin Arbogast - 24
P - R/R - 5-6 - Fr.
Eugene, Ore. (North Eugene HS)
Career Notes: 1998: has won her last three starts ... pitched Utah to a 2-1 win over third-ranked Fresno State on May 2 ... recorded four strikeouts against the Bulldogs ... had a season-high seven strikeouts while giving up just one unearned run and two hits in a complete-game win over Southern Utah on April 28 ... shutout Georgia Tech on March 25, striking out five while only surrendering two hits and a walk in six innings ... blanked Indiana State, recording four strikeouts, on March 27 in the Holiday Inn Buzz Classic ... also got a win over Florida State at the Buzz Classic ... won her first collegiate start against Ohio State on Feb. 13 in the Arizona State Tournament ...
Kellie Culligan - 13
UT - R/R - 5-8 - Sr.
Sandy, Utah (Southern Utah)
Career Notes:
1998: delivered with a pinch-hit three-run double against Wright State at the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic on March 27 ... drove in a run with a double and scored a run against San Jose State on March 1 ...
Sarah Farnworth - 7
P/DP - R/R - 5-3 - Fr.
Upland, Calif. (Upland HS)
Career Notes:
1998: equally valuable on the mound and at the plate ... ranks in the WAC ... leads the team in ... led Utah to a 6-1 win over eighth-ranked California on Feb. 21 on the mound and at the plate ... gave up a run on just five hits, and went 3-for-3 with a home run, a triple two runs scored and two RBI against Cal ... had five-consecutive wins from March 1-8 ... season-high eight strikeouts in seven innings in a win over Utah State on April 22 ... in a win over San Jose State on May 1, struck out seven and gave up just four hits and one unearned run ... six strikeouts in win over Southern Utah (April 28) ... five strikeouts in three games ... hit a home run and had two RBI in a 2-for-3 effort against Georgia State (March 28) in the Holiday Inn Buzz Classic ... 2-for-3 with a double in win against Florida State (3-for-4 with a run scored at Tulsa on April 3.
Stacey Farnworth - 10
INF/C - R/R - 5-3 - Fr.
Upland, Calif. (Upland HS)
Career Notes:
1998: has been used in the line-up primarily as a third baseman, but has also been uses as a catcher ... has been used primarily as a third baseman the last two months of the season ... hit her first collegiate home run, a three-run shot, in the second game of a doubleheader against UNLV on April 17 ... went 3-for-3 in that game ... went 5-for-13 with a triple and two RBI in the four-game series against Tulsa (April 3-4)
Jeanette Herbert - 00
P - R/R - 5-9 - RS-Fr.
West Valley, Utah (Granger HS)
Career Notes:
1998: Redshirting.
Lisa Hashimoto - 3
OF - L/R - 5-3 - So.
Brigham City, Utah (Box Elder HS)
Career Notes:
1998: third on the team with 25 runs scored ... .248 batting average ... successful on all six stolen base attempts ... went 3-for-4 with one of one of her two triples, and RBI and two runs scored against San Jose State on May 1 ... also had a triple against Illinois-Chicago in the championship of the Holiday Inn Buzz Classic on March 29 ... 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI at Colorado State on April 11 ... 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double against Hawai'i on April 24 ...
Stacy Holmes - 12
INF - L/R - 5-3 - So.
Sandy, Utah (Ricks JC)
Career Notes:
1998: starting second baseman most of the season ... had a season-best six-game hitting streak from April 18-24 ... first career triple against Utah State (April 22) ... 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI against Detroit Mercy (Feb. 14) in the Arizona State Tournament ... went 2-for-2 with an RBI against Georgia Tech (March 25) ... 2-for-3 with an RBI against San Jose State on May 1.
Amberly Johnson - 21
OF - L/R - 5-6 - Fr.
Sandy, Utah (Alta HS)
Career Notes:
1998: day-to-day starter in right field the last half of the season ... also started as a designated player ... five-game hitting streak from April 3-10 ... 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI against Detroit Merchey on Feb. 14 at the Arizona State Tournament ... 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored against Georgia State in the Holiday Inn Buzz Classic on March 28 ... 3-for-3 with a double, a triple and two RBI against Southern Utah on April 28 ...
Carrie Kosderka - 18
INF - R/R - 5-3 - Fr.
Roseburg, Ore. (Roseburg HS)
Career Notes:
1998: started off the season with a four-game hitting streak ... first career home run against Florida Atlantic (March 29) in the Holiday Inn Buzz Classic ... went 1-for-3 with two RBI, a run scored and a stolen base in that game ... 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored against Ohio State in her first collegiate game (Feb. 13) in the Arizona State Tournament ... 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and three RBI at New Mexico on March 8 ... 2-for-3 with two runs scored against UNLV on April 17.
Jenny Monson - 4
OF - R/R - 5-8 - So.
South Jordan, Utah (Bingham HS)
Career Notes:
1998: had the second-best batting average on the team at .341 ... led the team and ranked xth in the WAC with a .371 batting average in league games ... led the team and ranked xth in the WAC with six home runs ... also ranked xth in the conference with a team-best 36 RBI ... hit home runs on back-to-back days against San Jose State (May 1) and Fresno State (May 2) at Ute Field ... launched a two-run shot against SJSU, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and had a solo homer, going 2-fof-2, against FSU ... homer ... hit solo homers in both ends of the doubleheader against Tulsa on April 3 ... went 3-for-7 with four runs scored on the day ... was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Feb 16 after having an outstanding tournament at the Arizona State Coca-Cola Classic ... in four games, went 6-for-15 (.400), drove in six runs and scored four times ... also jacked a three-run home run in the top of the eighth to give Utah a 6-3 win over then-No. 25 Tennessee on Feb. 13 ... went 2-for-4 with five RBI against UT ... 2-for-3 with a home run, a triple, two RBI and two runs scored against Georgia State in the Holida Inn Buzz Classic on March 28 ... had a season-best seven-game hitting streak from Feb. 8 through Feb. 25 ... hit .391 during that time ...
Sandy Rhea - 8
OF - L/L - 5-9 - Sr.
South Jordan, Utah (Bingham HS)
Career Notes: with 128 career stolen bases, has moved into the top 10 all-time on the NCAA's career stolen base chart ... currently in ninth place and needs one more to move into a tie for eighth place ... on the Utah career charts, ranks ... on the WAC career charts, ranks ...
1998: broke the Utah and WAC single-game record with five stolen bases against San Jose State on March 1 ... tied the school single-season record with seven triples this season ... ranks 19th in the nation in stolen bases with an average of 0.58 per game ... ranks in the WAC ... hit safely in 13 of 14 games, including a string of seven-consecutive games, from March 1-27 ... had 23 (or 24) consecutive stolen bases to start the season ... went 4-for-4 with two runs against New Mexico on March 8 ... 2-for-4 with three RBI and a runs scored at Georgia Tech (March 25) ... two triples in a 2-for-4 effort against Nicholls State (March 29) ... 4-for-4 with a triple, RBI and two runs at Colorado State on April 11 ... in a doubleheader against Southern Utah on April 28, went 5-for-7 with a double, triple and three runs.
Sunny Smith - 32
C - R/R - 5-7 - So.
Pleasant Grove, Utah (Pleasant Grove HS)
Career Notes:
1998: xhit .370 during the WAC season ... currently on a seven-game hitting streak ... hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to give Utah a 5-2 win over New Mexico on April 18 ... had a home run in a 2-1 Utah win over No. 3 Fresno State on May 2 ... two-run home run in the first game of a doubleheader against San Jose State on May 1 ... went 4-for-6 with two doubles, a triple, three runs and four RBI in the two games against the Spartans ... hit a two-run homer at UNLV on March 6 ... 2-for-3 with two RBI in the season-opener against Ohio State in the Arizona State Tournament on Feb. 13 ... had a three-run double against Detroit Mercy on Feb. 14 in the Arizona State Tournament ... in a doubleheader against Tulsa on April 3, went 6-for-8 with two doubles, two runs and two RBI ...
Jamie Wilkes - 23
P - R/R - 5-8 - Jr.
Garden Grove, Calif. (Cypress JC)
Career Notes:
1998: threw seven innings, giving up two runs, to get her first WAC win over San Jose State ... shut out Detroit Mercy at the Arizona State Tournament on Feb. 14, striking out three and walking none ... shut out Georgia State on March 28 at the Holiday Inn Buzz Classic, striking out two in seven innings ... picked up a win in relief over New Mexico on April 18 ...
Nicole Wilkinson - 39
SS - R/R - 5-8 - So.
Sandy, Utah (Louisiana State)
Career Notes:
1998: had a five-game hitting streak from April 25 through May 1 ... hit a grand slam home run against Hawai'i on April 25 ... three-run homer in the second games at Georgia Tech on March 25 ... went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI in the first game against the Yellow Jackets ... 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI in the season-opener against Ohio State in the Arizona State Tournament on Feb. 13 ... 2-for-3 in both games of a doubleheader against third-ranked Fresno State on May 2 ... 2-for-2 with two RBI against Wright State (March 27) ...
Records set in 1998
Sarah Farnworth
195 hits and 84 runs allowed most by a Utah pitcher
Team Hitting
60 2B - needs 3 to tie season record
18 HB - new record
Team Pitching
360 Hits - new record
171 Runs - new record
115 ER
Team Fielding
111 Errors - new record
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