Upcoming Event: Softball versus UCSB on February 6, 2026 at 2 p.m.
2 p.m.
Softball
vs UCSB
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Softball Notes
5/3/2005 12:00 AM | Softball
May 3, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The Lineup: And, down the stretch it comes as the University of Utah softball team (18-25, 6-10 Mountain West) wraps up regular season play this week. First up is the final conference doubleheader on Wednesday, May 4. Utah will play at Brigham Young at 5 p.m. The season concludes with a pair of home non-conference doubleheaders. Utah Valley State invades Salt Lake City on Friday, May 6 at 1 p.m., while Florida State comes in on Saturday, May 7, at noon.
Quoting Head Coach Mona Stevens:
On the last weekend of regular season play: "I think this is going to be a good week. Our pitchers always do better when they get the chance to throw a lot. Plus, our team is well-rested and now that exams are done, there is less pressure on everyone.
"With the teams we have this week, we're going to get some good games under our belt and I think it's going to be a great tune-up as we head into the conference tournament."
On the freshman class: "I am so pleased with our freshmen this season. They need some seasoning, but they are getting that as the season progresses. They are showing a lot of determination and I am very excited about the input and effect that they are having on the team.
"This season has been a great experience for them and it will definitely help them in the future."
On last week: "Ivette Hernandez hit so well and Devina Quintero has gotten over her injury and will be back and ready to play. But, I was very happy with how the top of the batting order played. It was very good with the short game and it put a lot of pressure on the opposing defense."
Scouting This Week's Opponents:
Brigham Young: The Cougars are 38-11 on the season and sit atop the Mountain West with a 14-2 mark. BYU swept the Utes when the two met in Salt Lake earlier this season, 13-0 and 5-3. Ariel Capra leads the Cougars in hitting. She boasts a .448 average. Summer Tobias leads the way in pitching. She is 16-5 on the year with a 1.66 earned-run average.
Utah Valley State: The Wolverines and Utes will tangle for the third time this season when UVSC (13-34-1) comes to town. Rachel Hartgrove is the top offensive threat on the team, hitting a team-best .404 with 17 doubles and 10 home runs. The Wolverines' top hurler is Jackie Roberts. She is 8-14 in the circle with a 3.91 earned-run average.
Florida State: Comes to the Beehive State with a 32-20 overall mark. The Seminoles saw their five-game winning streak snapped with two losses last week. Natasha Jacob leads the team in hitting .338 on the year and Lesley Palmer leads FSU with 12 doubles. In the circle, the Seminoles boast two pitchers with a sub-2.00 ERA. Tiffany McDonald leads the way with a 1.43 ERA and a 14-6 mark.
A Look Ahead: With the final week of conference play on the docket, things are starting to shape up for the tournament. With two MWC games left, the Utes enter the week as the No. 4 seed, two games ahead of New Mexico. Utah is assured a four or five seed while San Diego State would be the sixth, four games behind Utah.
Lucky Sevens: Jackie Wong stretched her hitting streak to seven games with a stellar weekend at the plate. She was an impressive 3-for-4 in game one with New Mexico and was 1-for-3 in the night cap. She also scored three of the team's seven runs in the twinbill. Wong needs hits in the next two games to tie for the longest hitting streak this season. Both Devina Quintero and Diana Phillips tallied nine-game streaks earlier this season.
Tumbling Routines: Lindsie Nielsen continues to see her earned-run average improve with each passing week. The right-hander went into action last week with a 3.14 ERA and came away with 5-3 win over New Mexico. With only two of the runs earned, her ERA tumbled to 3.08. That's a vast improvement over her 5.28 earned-run average after the loss to Iowa on March 17. Since that fateful day, Nielsen has allowed 22 earned runs in 80.1 innings tossed. That's a 1.92 ERA. Nielsen's conference ERA eclipses her season average at 1.95.
Three's Company: Diana Phillips had a three-hit outing in the first game against New Mexico last weekend. She was 3-for-4 with one RBI and a run scored. That was Phillips' third three-hit game this season. She leads the team in that category. However, Ivette Hernandez and Jackie Wong both had three hits in game one too. They're both second on the team with two three-hit games.
Diaper Dandies: While Diana Phillips has posted outstanding numbers as a freshman, fellow classmate Meghan Crouse is starting to make some noise as well. Crouse has started in the last four games and is nursing a four-game hitting streak as well. In the last four games, the outfielder has hit 4-for-9 (.444), well above her .213 season average.
Hit and Runs: The Utes pounded out 13 hits in the win over New Mexico last weekend. That was the second most hits in a game by Utah this season. They tallied 14 in the season-opening win over Utah Valley State on Feb. 4. However, it is the most hits by Utah in conference play ... Ivette Hernandez tied the season high with six total bases in game one against New Mexico last weekend. It was the second time this season Hernandez has tallied six total bases in a game (vs. Cal-Riverside, April 15) ... Sharee Fonoti is the only Ute to play in all 43 games ... Diana Phillips has played eight games as the No. 1 batter in the lineup, hitting .192 in those games. However, when she leads off an inning, she is hitting .459. The top leadoff batter on the team is Bryanne Durrence (.480) ... Diana Phillips' .408 conference only batting average is third in the MWC.
At the Helm: Mona Stevens is in her ninth season as Utah's softball head coach. Stevens is 278-235-1 all-time and owns a 106-82-1 record in conference play. She has led her squad to four NCAA regional appearances and has coached three All-Americans. Stevens has also coached 12 all-West Region players including Glennis Donnelly and Melissa Stahnke in 2004. Her teams have won one MWC regular season title and three MWC tournament titles, including the 2004 tournament championship.
On Deck: With regular season play over, the second season begins. The double-elimination Mountain West Conference Tournament is on tap for the Utes next week. The tournament will feature all six MWC teams and will be held on the campus of San Diego State University from May 12-14.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
SS
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
2B
/ SoftballUtah Softball's Hailee White Feature
Tuesday, April 15
Utah Softball's Jolie Mayfield Feature
Friday, March 28
Utah Softball - The Inaugural 1976 Team
Wednesday, March 19
University of Utah Athletics - A Storied History
Friday, August 02