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
2010 Utah Softball Preview: Pitchers
2/4/2010 12:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 4, 2010
2010 Utah Softball Media Guide
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With the first pitch of the 2010 Utah softball campaign eight days away, utahutes.com preps fans for the beginning of the season with a breakdown of the Ute roster as well as a look at the upcoming schedule. This is the fourth in a five-part series about the student-athletes Utah has at each position heading into the season as well as the competition they will face.
Monday, Feb. 1: Infield
Tuesday, Feb. 2: Outfield
Wednesday, Feb. 3: Catchers
Thursday, Feb. 4: Pitchers
Friday, Feb. 5: Schedule
Veteran Pitching Staff Looks to Consistently Throw Strikes:
"We didn't lose anyone on the mound, which is often times the biggest struggle when you begin a new season," Utah third-year head coach Amy Hogue said. "But last season, we left the ball up [in the strike zone] too much and it got hit out of the park," Hogue said. "Our pitching staff learned a lot. We are already good at mixing speeds and we have some great strikeout pitches, but we spent the entire fall season locating low strikes on the inner and outer halves of the plate."
The 2010 Ute pitching staff will feature three experienced returning arms, led by senior Ashley Smuda.
"Smuda's clearly our No. 1 pitcher because she's the most consistent," Hogue said. "Her changeup got a whole lot better during the offseason and it's a great pitch. If she can continue to locate her changeup on both sides of the plate for a low strike, she'll be very successful. She's throwing more strikes now so I'm excited to see if that carries over from fall to spring because I was really happy with her improvement.
"If she consistently throws low and outside strikes," Hogue said. "We'll be right at the top of the conference. If she doesn't, we won't. It's that simple."
A pair of returning pitchers will both get opportunities on the mound behind Smuda, including junior Brittany Parker along with sophomore Joni Cook.
"[Parker] and [Cook] are wild cards for us," Hogue said. "They have some really fun tricks in their bag that are going to get teams out.
"I'm most excited to see if [Parker] can carry over some of the things that she did this fall into the spring," Hogue said. "She showed us some things that made me want to come out of my boots but I've been very cautious because until you can do it against a team in the other dugout, it doesn't matter. I'm hoping that it's going to be a breakout year for her.
"[Cook] is healthier this season," Hogue said. "She's doing some things better mechanically and as you change mechanics you just need more time to get your rhythm back. It's a process that takes a while. But when her timing is on, she moves the ball better than anyone we have. She'll have a lot of batters swing and miss, so there's a potential for more strikeouts."
"We have to focus on winning games with our pitching staff," Hogue said. "We have to use a variety of combinations of our three pitchers to produce wins and we plan on doing that. It's not the traditional way because a lot of programs have one dominant pitcher who gets the ball day-in and day-out, but that's not how our pitching staff will be set up. That's not what we have right now."
Pitcher Notes:
Ashley Smuda
Sr. ? P ? R/R ? 5-8 ? Scottsdale, Ariz. ? Temple University
Became No. 1 starter on the Utah pitching staff last season ... All-MWC selection in 2008, her first season with the Utes ... Utah's most consistent pitcher ... worked during offseason to improve changeup and throw outside for called strikes.
Brittany Parker
Jr. ? P ? R/R ? 5-9 ? Murray, Utah ? Murray H.S.
Poised to have a breakout season in 2010 ... had an injury early in 2009 but came back to appear in 18 games ... recorded win in first career start ... struck out 13 in complete game in 2008 against No. 22 Texas.
Joni Cook
So. ? P ? R/R ? 5-8 ? Eagle, Idaho ? Eagle H.S.
Earned a starting position on the pitching staff in first season at Utah ... made mechanical changes this offseason and is no longer pitching with shoulder pain ... pitches have great movement.
Players Mentioned
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Utah Softball Coach Amy Hogue
Wednesday, May 13
ESPN+ Feature | Behind Game Day: Grass & Turf
Tuesday, May 12
ESPN+ Feature | Utah Softball's Hailey Maestretti
Tuesday, April 28
ESPN+ Feature | Utah Softball: Newcomer Noise
Friday, April 24