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The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Softball To Host UNLV and San Diego State
4/23/2001 12:00 AM | Softball
April 23, 2001
Salt Lake City -
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COMING UP: The University of Utah softball team (31-18-1, 8-3-1 MWC) continues its 2001 campaign at home, with the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (23-30), on Apr. 24 at 4:00 p.m. (MDT) at Ute Field. Utah is back in action at home on Fri., Apr. 27, taking on the UNLV Rebels (25-21, 6-6 MWC) for a twinbill at 1:30 p.m. (MDT). On Sat., Apr. 28, Utah will face San Diego State (29-20, 4-6 MWC) in a doubleheader at 12:00 p.m. (MDT) at Ute Field.
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH: Utah enters this week's games 31-18-1 overall, 8-3-1 in MWC play. The Utes are currently leading the conference standings and are among the MWC statistical leaders as well.
Last week, the Utes defeated Southern Utah, 5-2 and 9-0 in Cedar City, Utah. Utah swept Colorado State, 9-1 and 5-1 at Ute Field, on Fri., Apr. 20. The Utes split two games with the New Mexico Lobos, losing game one 2-1 and winning game two in six innings, 9-1, on Sat., Apr. 21, in Salt Lake City.
The Utes received six votes in the Apr. 17th USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll. Utah entered the 2001 season ranked No. 25 and has received votes in the past 10-out-of-12 weeks. 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: The Utes will face in-state rival Brigham Young on Fri., May 4, at 2:00 p.m. (DH) in Salt Lake City, and on May 5th, Utah will play BYU at 12:00 p.m. (DH) in Provo, Utah. The Utes will vie for their second-consecutive MWC Tournament Championship on May 10-12, in Albuquerque, N.M.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH: The Southern Utah women's softball team is currently 23-30 overall. The Thunderbirds are on a two-game win streak. SUU defeated the University of Missouri- Kansas City, 1-0 on Apr., 20, and 1-0 again on Apr. 21. The Thunderbirds are currently in second place in the Mid-Continent Conference standings. Utah has defeated the Thunderbirds twice earlier this season.
SCOUTING UNLV: The UNLV Rebels are currently 25-21 overall, 6-6 in MWC play. The Rebels split a conference doubleheader with San Diego State on Saturday in San Diego, Calif. The Aztecs (28-20, 4-6) took game one 1-0 and the Rebels (25-21, 6-6) won game two 8-2. UNLV is currently in fourth place in the MWC standings. Utah and UNLV split games in their last meeting on Apr. 8, with the Utes taking game one 5-2 and the Rebels winning game two, 7-4.
SCOUTING SAN DIEGO STATE: The Aztecs are currently 29-20 overall, 4-6 in MWC play. San Diego State split with UNLV, winning the first game 1-0 and losing the late game, 8-2, on Sat., Apr. 21, in San Diego, Calif. The Aztecs are currently in fifth place in the MWC standings. Last time Utah and San Diego State met, the Utes lost 7-1 in the first game, and won 6-3 in the second game, in San Diego, Calif.
NEW MEXICO RECAP: The Utes had a sluggish start in game one against New Mexico and lost 2-1, on Sat., Apr. 21. They came back in the late game and mercy-ruled the Lobos with a 9-1 win in five innings at Ute Field. New Mexico has a 32-19-1 overall record, 7-6-1 in the MWC.
Utah scored its only run of the first game in the first inning on an RBI double by Lyndsey Trevis. She was a perfect 3-of-3 at the plate, while teammates Christa Pfeninfer and Molly McLean tallied one hit each. Kristin Arbogast took the loss and went the distance on the mound, giving up six hits, two earned runs, one walk and struck out five in 29 batters faced. As a team, the Utes went 5-for-26, with one run and one RBI in the game.
For the Lobos, Krissy Keene notched one hit and one RBI. Teammate Kathy Moore also had a hit and an RBI. Hayley Punter posted the win for New Mexico. She improves to 13-4.
New Mexico scored first in game two, but Utah came back with a three-run homer by freshman Melissa Stahnke. Stahnke's two-run homer in the sixth inning sealed the win for the Utes. Stahnke broke the Utah single-season home run record in the game. She has 19 total home runs to date. With five RBI in game two alone, Stahnke is just four RBI away from breaking the single-season RBI record. Trevis was perfect in game two, with a double, three runs and an RBI. Senior Amberly Jeppson went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs. Michele Larsen batted .500 with an RBI, while freshman Masie Ota notched her first home run of her career. Arbogast recorded the win for Utah, giving up five hits, one earned run, two walks and struck out seven in 25 batters faced. She improves to 23-13.
Amy Dumas recorded the loss for New Mexico. She dropped to 14-6 overall.
"In the first game, we struggled with their pitcher Hayley Punter," said Head Coach Mona Stevens. "I thought we played flat and didn't show up to play, but we started turning that around in the second game. Melissa Stahnke's first home run that put us up by three made us more relaxed and then everyone started hitting the ball. Lyndsey Trevis was awesome, and when it started raining again, Kristin (Arbogast) just handled them. In fact, I think she had about five strikeouts in a row and then they started to fall apart mentally. Melissa's (Stahnke) home run in the sixth inning was great, it won us the ball game with a mercy rule. For her to break the single-season home run record as freshman, that is awesome. I am happy for our team and the way they came back to win the second game convincingly."
COLORADO STATE RECAP: The Utes were victorious at home over the Colorado State Rams, winning 9-1 in five innings and 5-1 in the late game, on Fri., Apr. 20, at Ute Field. Colorado State fell to 6-31 overall, 3-8 in the MWC.
Utah scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning and four runs in the bottom of the fourth to seal the victory in five innings. For the Utes, junior Angie Kenney was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and two runs. Michele Larsen went 1-for-3 with a home run, one run and one RBI, while Melissa Stahnke had one hit, one run and one RBI. Lyndsey Trevis hit a three-run homer in the win. Kristin Arbogast tallied the win for Utah. Arbogast pitched five innings, giving up two hits, one earned run, five walks and struck out five in 22 batters faced. As a team, the Utes went 8-for-21, with nine runs and seven RBI.
For the Rams, Katie Koch notched one hit and one RBI. Kyla Kiester (5-13) took the loss for CSU.
In game two, Utah combined for seven hits in 28 at bats, along with five runs and four RBI. Larsen recorded a career-high two home runs in the game. She was a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI. Stahnke racked up her 17th homer of the season, batting .500 in the game. Arbogast posted the win for Utah, giving up two hits, zero earned runs, one walk and struck out six in 25 batters faced.
Erin Murray recorded the loss for Colorado State. She drops to 0-9 overall.
"You can never say that one person won a ball game for you, especially in a team sport, but a couple of names popped to mind," said Head Coach Mona Stevens. "Michele Larsen and Kristin Arbogast are both roommates and are both from Eugene, Ore., and they had a great showing. Michele had three home runs and that is a career-high for her and Kristin had a great day on the mound. When her change-up is on, she is very tough to hit. I am proud of the way our team came to play."
SOUTHERN UTAH RECAP: The Utes defeated the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, 5-2 in nine innings and 9-0 in six innings, on Tues., Apr. 17, in Cedar City, Utah.
Utah broke the game open in the ninth inning, scoring three runs to seal the win over the Thunderbirds. For the Utes, junior Angie Kenney went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Michele Larsen went 2-for-4 with a double, one run and one RBI, while Christa Pfeninger had one hit, one run and one RBI. Kristin Arbogast tallied the win for Utah. Arbogast pitched nine innings, giving up six hits, one earned run, four walks and struck out 10 in 35 batters faced. As a team, the Utes went 10-for-33, with five runs and five RBI.
For the Thunderbirds, Emily Cederholm notched one hit and one RBI. Mandy Flint (12-14) took the loss for Southern Utah.
In game two, Utah combined for eight hits in 26 at bats, along with nine runs and seven RBI. Molly McLean tallied one hit, one run and two RBI. Freshman Melissa Stahnke went 2-for-3 with a double, one run and one RBI, while teammate Niki Hayhurst racked up her 11th home run of the season. Freshman Heather Bowlin posted the win after pitching six innings for her third shut-out of the season. Bowlin gave up five hits, zero earned runs, three walks and struck out one in the game. She improves to 8-5 overall.
Lacey Leprey took the loss for Southern Utah. She dropped to 1-2 overall.
SOFTBALL REACHES 750TH WIN: Utah, as a team, reached its 750th career win. The Utes notched their 750th win on Fri., Feb. 23, with a 7-0 shut-out win over UC Riverside.
MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Apr. 4): Utah first baseman Niki Hayhurst was named the Mountain West Conference Softball Player of the Week, for the week of April 4th. This was the first player of the week honor for Hayhurst this season.
Hayhurst, a sophomore from Keizer, Ore. (McNary HS), hit .600 (9-for-15) with 11 RBI, six runs scored, three home runs and a triple in four games last week. She recorded multiple-hits in three of the four contests, while drawing two walks and striking out twice. In the first game of a double-header at New Mexico, Hayhurst went 3-for-5 with two runs and nine putouts in the Utes 14-5 victory. In the second game of the twinbill, she went 1-for-4 as the Utes and Lobos tied 5-5. Her lone hit of the game was a two-run single to center field that gave Utah a 5-2 lead. Hayhurst went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a double in the 6-2 win at Colorado State Sunday. In the second contest vs. the Rams, she was a perfect 3-for-3, with all three hits being home runs. The three home runs tied a Utah single-game record as did her seven RBI.
MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK (MAR. 19): Utah shortstop Lindsey Trevis, a junior from Glendora, Calif. (Glendora HS), was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week on Mar. 19. Trevis went 9-for-19 (.474) with seven RBI, seven runs scored and a pair of home runs and doubles in six games last week at the Florida State Tournament. She recorded at least one hit in five of six contests, including three multi-hit games, while striking out four times and walking once. Her best outings of the week came against Georgia State, Connecticut and Bethune-Cookman. In the 2-0 win over Georgia State, she went 1-for-2 with a home run and two runs scored. In the 4-2 victory vs. Connecticut, Trevis connected on 2-of-3 from the plate with a home run and two RBI. Her best performance came in the Utes 10-0 victory over Bethune-Cookman where she went 3-for-4, with three RBI, two doubles and one run scored. The Utes went 4-2 last week and Trevis was one of nine players selected from 14 teams to the all-tournament team. This was the second player of the week honor in a row for Trevis.
MWC PLAYER AND PITCHER OF THE WEEK (MAR. 12): Utah third baseman Lyndsey Trevis and right-handed pitcher Kristin Arbogast were the Mountain West Conference Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week, on Mar. 12. This was the first player and pitcher of the week award for both players this season.
Trevis, a junior from Glendora, Calif. (Glendora HS), went 11-for-24 (.458) with 11 RBI, three home runs, two doubles, and eight runs scored, while walking five times in eight games last week. She had at least one hit in seven of the eight contests, with her best outing coming in the Utes 10-0 victory over Massachusetts where she went 3-4 at the plate, with all three hits coming via the home run (Utah school record). Trevis also tallied seven RBI and three runs scored vs. the Minutemen. She collected two more multiple-hit games in the tournament vs. Georgia Southern and Temple. She went 2-for-4 vs. Georgia Southern with a double and a run scored, while recording three RBI and three runs scored in a 2-for-3 day at the plate vs. Temple. The Utes went 6-2 and finished third out of 24 teams at the South Florida Speedline Tournament.
Arbogast, a senior from Eugene, Ore. (North Eugene HS), went 5-2 in eight appearances for Utah at the South Florida Speedline Tournament. She pitched 44.1 innings and had five complete games, while posting a 1.43 ERA. In those eight appearances, Arbogast gave up only nine earned runs and nine walks, while striking out 35. She was also one of nine players (out of 24 teams), along with teammate Lyndsey Trevis, selected to the all-tournament team.
Arbogast's best performances came in two shutouts vs. Temple (11-0) and Massachusetts (10-0). Against the Owls, she allowed a pair of hits and walks, while striking out four in five innings of work. In six innings on the mound vs. the Minutemen, she gave up just one run and struck out six.
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).
UTES IN THE POLLS: Utah entered the 2001 season ranked No. 25 and has received votes in the past 10-out-of-12 weeks. The Utes received six votes in the Apr. 17th USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll. Utah broke into the national rankings (25th in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll, 67 votes) for the first time this season on Fri., Jan. 26.
Utah climbed into the Top 25 for the first time ever during the 1980 season (6th in the 1980 national final poll.
USA TODAY/NFCA PRESEASON POLL (Jan. 24): The University of Utah softball team received 67 votes and a No. 25 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 preseason poll released on Jan. 24. 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, is in 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 currently posts a 181-107-1 (.620) career overall record and a 73-42-1 (.634) career conference record in five 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.
TREVIS AND STAHNKE PURSUE THE UTAH SINGLE-SEASON rbi RECORD: Freshman Melissa Stahnke is just four RBI away from setting the single-season RBI record. Teammate Lyndsey Trevis is just 10 RBI away from setting the single-season RBI record. The current record of 59 RBI was set by Sunny Smith on Fri., May 19, 2000 in the NCAA West Regionals vs. Mississippi State.
UTAH VS. RANKED OPPONENTS: Utah is 1-7 (.125) vs. ranked opponents this season. The Utes lost to the then-No. 20 ranked Oregon Ducks 4-1 on Feb. 9. The then-No. 6 ranked Arizona State softball team shut-out Utah, 4-0 on Feb. 11. The Utes lost 4-0 to then-No. 7 ranked California on Feb. 16. Utah upset then-No. 16 ranked Oregon State, 12-6, on Feb. 18. The Utes lost, 8-0 to the then-No. 12 ranked Washington Huskies on Mar. 2. On Mar. 23 and 24, the then-No. 3 ranked Arizona Wildcats defeated Utah, 8-3 and 10-2.
Utah played two other teams that are currently ranked, but weren't ranked when the Utes matched-up with them. The now-No. 3 ranked Stanford defeated Utah, 8-1 on Mar. 3. The Utes defeated the now-No. 23 ranked UMass, 10-0, in six innings on Mar. 10.
FABULOUS FRESHMEN: Utah continues to receive a boost this season from its four freshmen Heather Bowlin, Sidney Lewis, Masie Ota and Melissa Stahnke. Stahnke is second on the team with a .364 batting average and leads the team as the single-season home run record holder with 19 home runs. She posts a .799 slugging percentage (1st on team) and has recorded 56 RBI (1st on team) to date. Bowlin is second on the team with a 3.20 ERA in 78.2 innings pitched. Ota has seen time in 42 games and posts a .254 on base percentage. Lewis has seen time in 14 games this season and has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
STAHNKE CLAIMED THE UTAH SINGLE-SEASON HOME RUN RECORD: Utah freshmen Melissa Stahnke set the single-season home run record last weekend. The current record is now 19 home runs and was set by Stahnke in Utah's 9-1 victory over New Mexico at Ute Field on Sat., Apr. 21. The old record of 18 home runs was set by Sunny Smith on Fri., May 12, 2000.
NCAA STATISTICAL LEADERS: Many Utes ranked among the nation's statistical leaders in the individual categories this season. Lyndsey Trevis is currently 24th in the nation with a .408 batting average and 12th in RBI (50). Melissa Stahnke is 5th in home runs (19) and 11th in RBI (56), while Niki Hayhurst is 25th in home runs (11). Molly McLean is 12th in stolen bases (31) and Kristin Arbogast is 11th in saves (3).
Last year, Utah was sixth in the nation in home runs (58), ninth in slugging percentage (.450), 17th with a .301 team batting average and 18th in scoring (5.14).
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.
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