Completed Event: Softball versus No. 2 Seed Oklahoma State on May 7, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 7
Final Score
Softball
0
vs No. 2 Seed Oklahoma State
7
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Softball Picked Fourth In MWC Preseason Poll
1/28/2009 12:00 AM | Softball
Jan. 28, 2009
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The University of Utah softball team was tabbed fourth in the 2009 Mountain West Conference Preseason Poll, the conference office announced Wednesday. The Utes tallied 14 points in the voting.
Utah finished last season 28-27 overall and earned third place in the final standings with a 10-10 mark after being picked to take sixth place in the 2008 preseason poll.
The Utes enter the 2009 season with a pair of all-conference selections returning for their respective junior seasons: outfielder Kara Foster and right-handed pitcher Ashley Smuda. Foster ended last season ranked eighth in the NCAA in home runs per game (0.33), while Smuda posted a conference-high 69 strikeouts in her first full season with the Utes.
"We return an all-conference pitcher in Smuda, while a lot of other teams lose their top pitchers," second-year Utah head coach Amy Hogue said. "I wouldn't have put it past anyone that we could get votes for No. 1. Whether we got voted No. 1 or not, we still have business to take care of this season. [After being picked sixth in last season's preseason poll] teams will be gearing for us differently and that matters in our game. I don't think teams will ever look past us again, because we've earned that respect."
BYU and San Diego State received 23 points apiece to share the top spot in the poll. UNLV tallied 15 points to place third, followed by Utah, Colorado State (10) and New Mexico (5).
Utah opens its 2009 season at the Red Desert Classic in St. George, Utah, Friday, Feb. 6 against San Jose State. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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