Utah Softball Opens Home And Conference Play This Week

March 26, 2003

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Live Stats Available

Live stats will be available for both softball games vs. BYU at the following address www.BYUCougars.com

At The Plate

The Utes open home play against Southern Utah on Thursday, March 27 at Ute Field beginning at 3:00 p.m. On Saturday, March 29, the Utes kick off their conference schedule against Brigham Young at Gail Miller Field in Provo, Utah. The doubleheader begins at noon.

Recapping Last Week

The Ute bats finally came to life during the week-long spring break trip. As a team, Utah outhit its opponents .294 to .215. The Utes also dominated at the rubber, boasting a 1.74 ERA to their opponents' 3.62 ERA. Despite the domination, Utah recorded a 3-5 record because of fielding mishaps. Overall Utah committed 20 errors to its opponents eight.

Utah began the week with back-to-back 2-1 losses at San Jose State. The team followed up with a split at the Pacific Mini-Tournament, defeating Illinois-Chicago, 10-4, and falling to Pacific, 4-3, in extra innings. Next, it was the Capital Classic Tournament in Sacramento where the Utes went 2-2. Utah fell to Illinois, 3-2, in extra innings and then defeated Morehead State, 10-1, and Sacramento State, 5-0, before losing to No. 3 Washington, 10-5.

On Deck

Utah plays seven games at home over the next week, beginning Friday, April 4 against Long Beach State. The Utes host UNLV Saturday, April 5, and San Diego State, Sunday, April 6, in conference doubleheaders. The Utes wrap up the homestand against Utah State in a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 9.

Scouting The Thunderbirds

Southern Utah has won four of its last five games, including a three-game sweep of Colorado-Colorado Springs. The T-Birds are led by Jentry Johnson's bat. Johnson is hitting at a .302 clip and has 10 RBI and two home runs on the season. Lacee LePrey has composed a 2.22 ERA and 5-5 record in 13 appearances. LePrey has also recorded 64 strikeouts in 69.1 innings of work.

Scouting The Cougars

BYU is tied for the conference lead with 20 wins on the season. Overall the Cougars are 20-7 and are riding a school record 11-game winning streak. Piloting the Cougs' plate attack is All-American Oli Keohohou. The junior is batting .419 and has a league-leading 10 homers this season. Guiding the BYU pitchers is Mandy Flint, who has a 6-1 record with a 1.41 ERA.

Quoting Stevens

"I'm really glad to see our bats coming around, especially against quality pitching like Washington. I feel our team turned a corner at the last tournament, and it was perfect timing heading into conference play. Now, hopefully our tough schedule will prove itself in conference play. BYU is hitting the ball well and it should be a great match up.

Ups And Downs

Pitchers--Despite having a 6-8 record, Jen Pursell has only given up 17 earned runs in 14 appearances. Freshman Brianna Gourdin earned her first win of the season after holding Morehead State to one run. The freshman also smacked her first hit of the season in the game. Batting--The Utes had 69 hits to their opponents 44 last week. The team also outscored its opponents 37-26. Extra Innings--The Utes are now 0-4 in extra-inning games. Most recently, Utah fell to Illinois and Pacific in the bottom of the ninth.

Streaking Utes

Senior Niki Hayhurst leads the Utes with nine multiple hit games this season. Behind Hayhurst is Jackie Wong with eight multiple hit games. Glennis Donnelly, Hayhurst and Melissa Stahnke each have five multiple RBI games. Stahnke and Lynsey Wall each have a team-high four-game hitting streak.

Stahnke Kong

A struggling Melissa Stahnke made her first long ball of the season a good one. The junior smashed a grand slam against Illinois-Chicago and added a sac fly to compose five RBI in the game. The Washington native finished her eight-game trip with an astounding 14 RBI, four homers and six runs scored.

Niki's Niche

Niki Hayhurst continues to lead the Utes at the plate. The senior has a team-leading .324 average, seven doubles and 14 walks this season. Hayhurst also boasts a stellar .990 fielding percentage with 200 putouts.

JP's Groove

Jen Pursell had more strong outings last week, as she recorded 28 strikeouts in four starts. The hurler set a new career-high with 10 k's against Illinois. She is holding opponents to a .168 batting average.

Mona Stevens

Head Coach Mona Stevens is in her seventh season at the helm of the Utah softball program. Stevens, a well-known coach at the collegiate, national and international levels, has a 227-166-1 overall college record. The Provo, Utah, native is currently serving as President of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. In her spare time, Stevens enjoys performing with her band, the Sister Wives.

MWC Honors

Player of the Week  Pitcher of the WeekLynsey Wall   Feb. 11 Heather Bowlin   Feb. 11                Jen Pursell     Feb. 25

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Utah Softball Opens Home And Conference Play This Week

Players Mentioned

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Utah Softball Opens Home And Conference Play This Week

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