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The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Softball Heads To Las Vegas, Nev.
2/13/2001 12:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 13, 2001
Salt Lake City - COMING UP: No. 25 ranked Utah (1-4-0) continues its' 2001 campaign at the UNLV Softball Classic, taking on California at 9:00 a.m. and Florida International at 2:00 p.m. on Fri., Feb. 16, in Las Vegas, Nev. On Sat., Feb. 17, the Utes meet Portland State at 11:30 a.m. and Central Michigan at 4:30 p.m. Utah will face the Oregon State Beavers at 11:30 a.m. on Sun., Feb. 18.
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH: Utah enters this weekend's tournament 1-4 overall. At the ASU Fiesta Bowl Tournament on Fri., Feb. 9, the Utes lost 4-1 to Wisconsin-Madison and 4-1 to Oregon. Utah picked up the first win of the season on Sat., Feb. 10, when they shut-down New Mexico State, 7-2. In the late game on Sat., Feb. 10, the Utes lost 9-2, to Texas Tech. On Sun., Feb. 11, Utah lost to Arizona State, 4-0.
Utah entered the 2001 season ranked No. 25. The Utes return five starters and eight letterwinners from last year's squad. The Mountain West Conference regular-season and tournament champion, Utah ended its 2000 campaign with a 42-23 (.646) overall record and a 15-5 (.750) conference mark. Last year, Utah made its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1997 and its ninth NCAA appearance overall. The Utes own a 16-21 NCAA record, including a 15-13 mark in NCAA regional play, and have advanced to the Women's College World Series four times (1982, `85, `91 and `94) with a 1-6 slate.
The Utes received 67 votes and a No. 25 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 preseason poll, released Fri., Jan. 26. The Division I Women's Softball Committee produces a poll which is used as part of the championship tournament selection process. They rank the top ten teams in each region and last year, Utah was ranked fourth in the West Region in the Mar. 30, April 13, April 27 and May 11 poll. Utah received 156 votes to rank 20th in the 2000 final USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll.
UP NEXT: On Feb. 23-25, the Utes will compete in the Santa Barbara Tournament in Santa Barbara, Calif. Utah hosts the 2nd annual Red Desert Classic on Mar. 2-4 in St. George, Utah. The Utes will travel to Tampa, Fla. to play in the South Florida Speedline Tournament on Mar. 8-11. On Mar. 16-18, Utah plays in the Florida State Tournament in Tallahassee, Fla. On Mar. 23 and 24, the Utes will take on the nationally prominent Arizona Wildcats in a non-conference match-up in Tucson, Ariz. Both games are set for 7:00 p.m. Utah will host in-state rival Utah State on Mar. 28 at 3:00 p.m. at Ute Field. On Fri., Mar. 30, the Utes open MWC play at New Mexico at 1:00 p.m.
TOURNAMENT QUICKFACTS: The UNLV Softball Classic is an annual event hosted by UNLV. Six of the 16 teams are ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 with two more teams receiving votes. The teams come from all over the country and represent several different conferences. The tournament is a three-day event with teams playing in a round robin fashion, There are no brackets, pools or champion crowned. Games will be played on four different fields at Desert Breeze throughout each day.
Kit Strief of the UNLV sports information office is the softball contact for the tournament. He can be reached at (702) 895-3208.
UTAH'S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: The Utes will get a tough early season test this weekend, playing two teams ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 pre-season poll.
Friday (No. 7) California 9:00 a.m. Florida International 2:00 p.m. Saturday Portland State 11:30 a.m. Central Michigan (received votes) 4:30 p.m. Sunday (No. 16) Oregon State 11:30 a.m.
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA: California enters this weekend's tournament 2-0 overall and recorded victories over UC Riverside, 1-0 and 9-1 on Sat., Feb. 10. Cal (2-0), which went 5-0 at the UNLV Classic last season, opens with Utah. The Bears are 14-7 all-time against the Utes, having last beaten them, 2-1 in nine innings, at the Capital Classic in Sacramento on March 18, 2000. Cal then faces Kansas (4-1 all-time), Nebraska (6-11 all-time), UNLV (5-5 all-time) and Fordham (first meeting). Cal has eight of the nine starters from the 2000 team in the starting line-up for 2001, missing only Lisa Iancin who was lost to graduation
Diane Ninemire, the winningest softball coach in Golden Bear history, is in her 14th year as head coach at Cal with a school and career record of 545-299. The 1991 Pac-10 Coach of the Year, she has led Cal to 13 NCAA Tournament berths and four College World Series appearances (1992, '96, '99, 2000). Ninemire is assisted by John Reeves, who is in his eighth season, and Kim Maher, who is in her second.
SCOUTING FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL: The Florida International Golden Panthers have an 8-1 overall record after opening its 2001 campaign in late January. On Sun., Feb. 11, FIU defeated Florida State, 2-1, Florida A&M, 9-0, 9-0 and on Mon., Feb. 12, the Golden Panthers lost 3-2 to Florida State.
The Golden Panthers went 38-28 last season. They return seven starters and 11 letterwinners, along with three newcomers added to the roster. Head coach Kim Gwydir posts a 205-157 career record in seven years and an 89-88 record at FIU in three years. Seniors Shannon Carey and Mila Nelson return along with juniors Kelly Nicosia and Ingrid Garcia to lead the Golden Panthers in 2001.
SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE: The Portland State softball team will kick off the 2001 season at the UNLV Softball Classic, Feb. 16-18.
Last year, the Vikings posted a 22-34 overall record. Head coach Teri Mariani has a 561-418 career-record in 24 years at Portland State. In terms of experience, Portland State is well balanced with seven upperclassmen and seven underclassmen. Four seniors will finish their careers in 2001, led by second-team All-Conference outfielder Kiauna Anderson. The team will be strong at the top of the lineup with Anderson, sophomore Megumi Hackett and senior Marissa Smith. Anderson, a co-captain along with Smith, led the team with 54 hits from the leadoff spot in 2000 and finished second in batting with a .284 average. Hackett gives the Vikings a solid contact hitter in the number two slot and Smith, who was second on the team with five home runs last year, will provide the power.
SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN: The Central Michigan softball team will kick off the 2001 season at the UNLV Tournament this weekend.
Last year, the Chippewas racked up a 33-13 overall record, 15-5 (2nd place) in Mid-American Conference play. Head coach Margo Jonker has a 730-393-5 career record in 22 years at Central Michigan. Returning for the Chippewas are a pair of first-team All-Mid-American Conference picks. Kim Burke is back at second base after hitting .338 with 10 doubles a year ago while Jen Skuta returns to her spot in left field where she hit .338 with six double, five triples and 19 RBI in 2000. Also back are starters Hope Robertshaw, Becky Manson, Lindsay Horvath and Amy Morrison. Robertshaw returns to her starting job at third base and Manson at shortstop, Horvath at catcher and Morrison in center field.
SCOUTING OREGON STATE: The No. 16 ranked Oregon State Beavers have an 8-2 overall record after opening its 2001 campaign at the Southern Utah Tournament. The Beavers went 5-1, with wins over Mississippi State, Texas A&M-CC and Tennessee at the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Tourney last weekend.
OSU went 40-21-1 overall, 7-13 (6th place) in Pac-10 play last season. They return seven starters and 12 letterwinners, along with three newcomers added to the roster. Head coach Kirk Walker posts a 171-186-2 career record in six years at Oregon State.
TOURNAMENT RECAPS: The Utes lost to No. 6 ranked Arizona State, 4-0 on Sun., Feb. 11, in Phoenix, Ariz. Utah defeated the New Mexico State Aggies, 7-2, in the early game and lost to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 9-2 in the late game on Sat., Feb. 10. On Fri., Feb. 9, the Utes lost to No. 20 Oregon, 4-1. Utah dropped its first game of the tourney, 4-1 to the Wisconsin-Madison Badgers.
Against ASU, junior Molly McLean went 2-for-3 and teammate Masie Ota was 1-for-2 with a double. Senior Kristin Arbogast (1-3) recorded the loss for the Utes. Arbogast went the full seven innings and gave up six hits, three earned runs and struck out six.
"After today's game, I thought that things are starting to come together really well," said Head Coach Mona Stevens. "It was a really good game, and this tournament was a place for us to come and test ourselves early on. By our fifth game in this tournament, I could see a big difference in the way we played, and I'm excited with the potential we have on this team," said Stevens.
Junior Lyndsey Trevis went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run in the Utes' win over New Mexico State. Teammate Melissa Stahnke was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer. Arbogast got her first win of the season, striking out six with no earned runs.
For the Aggies, Mel Briggs went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Stahnke went 2-for-2, scoring two runs against Texas Tech. Freshman Heather Bowlin (0-1) took the loss for the Utes and struck out seven in the game.
Against Oregon, Stahnke went 2-for-3 with a double. Arbogast totaled six strikeouts before taking the loss for Utah.
Oregon's Andrea Vidlund hit a solo homerun as teammate Connie McMurren recorded the win for the Ducks.
"Our defense was good," said Stevens. "We had some really good things happen defensively, and we just sputtered offensively. We just had to see the ball well, hit the ball well, and we'll be in good shape," said Stevens.
Utah manufactured only one run on six hits and committed one error in the game. Arbogast took the loss for the Utes. Wisconsin-Madison managed four runs on seven hits and one error as the Badgers improve to 1-0-0 overall. Sophomore Andrea Kirchberg (1-0) recorded the win for the Badgers.
For the Utes, senior Amberly Jeppson went 2-for-4 and sophomore Niki Hayhurst went 1-for-3 with an RBI. McLean scored the Utes' lone run in the first inning as the Badgers held the Utes scoreless for the remainder of the game.
The Badgers scored three runs in the second inning and one run in the fifth inning to clinch the win. Freshman Diana Consolmagno went 2-for-3 with one run and teammate Anna Jones went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
NCAA STATISTICAL LEADERS: As a team, Utah was sixth in the nation last year in home runs (58), ninth in slugging percentage (.450), 17th with a .301 team batting average and 18th in scoring (5.14). Many Utes ranked among the nation's statistical leaders in the individual categories.
MWC PRESEASON POLL: Utah has been selected to repeat as Mountain West Conference softball champions in a vote by the league coaches. Utah received five first place votes for a total of 25 points to capture the top spot in the poll. New Mexico was picked second after collecting 20 points and the only other first place vote. San Diego State was third with 15 points followed by Colorado State (11), BYU (10) and UNLV (9).
USA TODAY/NFCA PRESEASON POLL: The University of Utah softball team received 67 votes and a No. 25 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 preseason poll. The Mountain West Conference regular-season and tournament champion, Utah ended its season with a 42-23 (.646) overall record and a 15-5 (.750) conference mark. Utah made its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1997 and its ninth NCAA overall. The Utes own a 16-21 NCAA record, including a 15-13 mark in NCAA regional play, and have advanced to the Women's College World Series four times (1982, `85, `91 and `94) with a 1-6 slate.
"I think it is good that we made the Top 25," said head coach Mona Stevens. "I'm glad we are No. 25 because I think it will give our kids motivation to work harder. There are a lot of teams in the Top 25 that we beat last year, but that was last year, and this year, we need to prove ourselves once again. I'm glad that we had the recognition to get in the Top 25 and we'll have our work cut out for us. We want to move up in the poll and, although we are excited to be recognized, it will motivate us towards moving higher."
Utah was the only Mountain West Conference team to enter the 2001 season in the top 25. New Mexico was the other MWC team recognized in the preseason poll with 10 votes.
HEAD COACH MONA STEVENS: Mona Stevens, who has built a reputation as one of the top coaches in the nation on both the national and international levels, embarks on her fifth season as head coach at Utah.
A former Ute player and assistant coach, the Provo, Utah, native 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 head coach at UMass in June of `96, three months prior to being hired by her alma mater.
Stevens has the best winning percentage in school history. She posts a 151-93 (.619) career overall record and a 64-39 (.621) career conference record in four seasons. Her 2000 team was the NCAA Region 1 Tournament runner-up, and placed third in the NCAA Regional Tournament in 1997. Stevens was selected as the 2000 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year and posted her 150th career win at the NCAA Region 1 Tournament with a 4-1 win over Mississippi State on May 20.
COVERING THE UTES: The sports information office at the University of Utah welcomes your interest in the Utah softball program and will make every effort to ensure that your coverage of the Utes is an enjoyable experience. Press credentials, weekly releases and game results are available by calling Assistant Sports Information Director Julie Lapomarda at (801) 581-3771. To request permission to broadcast Utah home games, send a request on station letterhead to the attention of: Julie Lapomarda, Assistant Sports Information Director, University of Utah, 1825 E. South Campus Dr. Front, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0900.
WEEKLY INTERVIEWS: Members of the media who wish to interview head coach Mona Stevens should contact her at her office (801) 581-3514 in the morning on weekdays. Interviews with the athletes should be arranged through Julie Lapomarda (801) 581-3771.
POST-GAME SERVICES: Head coach Mona Stevens and Utah players will be available for interviews outside the Utah dug out following a 10 minute cooling off period. A member of the Utah sports information staff will gather interview requests immediately following the game. Box scores will be provided and faxed upon request.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE MEDIA INFORMATION: Javan Hedlund, Assistant Director of Communications, handles all information requests related to softball at the Mountain West Conference office. The MWC address is 15455 Gleneagle Drive, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80921. The MWC telephone number is (719) 488-4040. The fax number is (719) 487-7241. Hedlund can be reached at (719) 487-4051.
2000 UTE NOTES: The University of Utah women's softball team received an at-large selection to compete in the 48-team NCAA Division I Softball Championships. The Utes were the No. 3 seed in Region 1 which was played in Seattle, Wash. on May 18-21. Utah defeated Western Illinois, 1-0 in eight innings to open play in the tourney. The Utes lost to Mississippi State, 11-3 in its second game of the double-elimination tournament, but came back the next day to defeat Tennessee-Chattanooga, 2-1 and Mississippi State 4-1, advancing to the championship game. Utah lost to Washington 9-0, in the NCAA Region 1 Championship game.
The Mountain West Conference regular-season and tournament champion, Utah ended its season with a 42-23 (.646) overall record and a 15-5 (.750) conference mark. Utah made its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1997 and its ninth NCAA appearance overall. The Utes own a 16-21 NCAA record, including a 15-13 mark in NCAA regional play, and have advanced to the Women's College World Series four times (1982, `85, `91 and `94) with a 1-6 slate.
Head coach Mona Stevens has the best winning percentage in school history. She posts a 150-89 (.628) career overall record and a 64-39 (.621) career conference record in four seasons. Her team was the NCAA Region 1 Tournament runner-up in 2000, and placed third in the NCAA Regional Tournament in 1997. Stevens was selected as the 2000 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year and posted her 150th career win at the NCAA Region 1 Tournament with a 4-1 win over Mississippi State on May 20.
Junior Kristin Arbogast, sophomores Molly McLean and Lyndsey Trevis and freshman Niki Hayhurst were selected to the 2000 NCAA Region 1 All-Tournament Team.
Utah senior Sunny Smith was selected as a 2000 Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I second-team All-American.
Utah had four athletes selected to the All-West Region Team. Trevis claimed first team honors at third base as did Smith at catcher. Arbogast took second team pitching honors along with Hayhurst as the designated player.
Utah had five players selected as members of the inaugural All-Mountain West Conference Softball Team. Seniors Jenny Monson and Smith, Arbogast, McLean and Hayhurst were all first-team selections. Utah swept the MWC special awards as pitcher Arbogast was named the Player of the Year, designated player Hayhurst claimed Freshman of the Year and Stevens was selected Coach of the Year.
Monson, Smith, Arbogast, Trevis and Hayhurst were named to the MWC All-Tournament Team. Pitcher Arbogast was selected as the MVP of the tournament.
Utah had four athletes selected as MWC Players of the Week. Sophomore outfielder McLean was named Player of the Week on April 4th and again on April 24th. Arbogast was named Pitcher of the Week on April 4th and again on May 1st. Monson was named Player of the Week on May 1st and sophomore third baseman Trevis was named Player of the Week on March 13th.
Senior Nicole Wilkinson was named to the 2000 GTE Academic All-District VIII Women's Softball Team.
Smith ended her career as Utah's single-season leader in home runs (18), RBI (59), total bases (143), doubles (17), slugging percentage (.753) and walks (31). Smith is Utah's all-time career-leader for sacrifice flies and is second on Utah's career leader list in home runs, doubles and RBI. She is fifth with a .327 career batting average.
Arbogast virtually rewrote Utah's single-season pitching records in 2000. She holds the Utah record for appearances (64), games started (59), complete games (44), wins (40), losses (19), innings pitched (370.2), hits allowed (388), runs allowed (216), earned runs (147), doubles (58), home runs (19), walks allowed (199) and hit batters (17). As a junior, Arbogast is Utah's all-time career-leader for hits allowed (656), walks allowed (277) and is third on Utah's career leader list in appearances (119) and strikeouts (353), and is fourth in wins (61). She is fourth in complete games (69) and innings pitched (697.2), and fifth in shutouts (15). Arbogast posted a 40-19 overall record, and a 14-5 conference mark. She ended the season with a 2.78 ERA with 59 starts in 64 appearances. Arbogast struck out 215 batters and held opponent hitters to a .268 average.
The Division I Women's Softball Committee produces a poll which is used as part of the championship tournament selection process. They rank the top ten teams in each region and Utah was ranked fourth in the West Region in the Mar. 30, April 13, April 27 and May 11 poll. Utah received 156 votes to rank 20th in the final USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll.
Senior Lisa Hashimoto-Hall was selected to the National Invitational Softball Tournament All-Tourney team on Sun., Mar. 12. Teammate Wilkinson was selected to the Sacramento State Capital Classic Tournament All-Tourney team on Sun., Mar. 19.
Utah ended the 2000 season with a 7-12 (.368) record against Top-25 teams. Utah posted a 13-2 (.867) home record, 7-4 (.636) away record and a 22-17 (.564) neutral site record in 2000. In eight games at home, including doubleheader match-ups, the Utes brought in 2,568 fans, an average of 321 fans per game.
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