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Softball Travels to Las Vegas to Play in UNLV Classic this Weekend
2/11/2015 12:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 11, 2015
ON DECK
The Utah Softball team (2-3) will hit the road for its annual trip to Las Vegas this weekend to compete in the UNLV Wilson/DeMarini Classic, which will begin this Friday, Feb. 13 and run through Monday, Feb. 16.
The Utes will face six different squads throughout the weekend, opening up with Long Beach State (3:45 p.m. PT) and Seattle (6 p.m.) on Friday, followed with games against Cal State Fullerton (11:15 a.m.) and Cal State Northridge (6 p.m.) on Saturday, and a single game against Nevada on Sunday (1:30 p.m.) before closing out the four-day event against tournament host UNLV (10 a.m.) on Sunday.
COVERING THE UTES
Live stats will be provided for games played at UNLV's Eller Media Stadium this weekend, but live stats will not be available for those contests being played at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park.
Live stats will be available for Utah's games against Cal State Fullerton, Nevada and UNLV and can be found at www.UtahUtes.com or www.UNLVRebels.com.
Follow the Utah Softball team on Twitter (@Utah_Softball) for live in-game updates when the Utes face Long Beach State, Seattle and Cal State Northridge this weekend.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah went 2-3 to open the season in Los Angeles this past weekend. The Utes dropped top-25 contests to No. 24 Texas A&M (5-1) and No. 22 Notre Dame (3-1) last Friday and then opened Saturday's doubleheader with a loss to Long Beach State (4-1).
Utah got things going in Saturday's second game with a 2-0 win over Idaho State and then closed out the tournament with a 5-3 victory over LBSU.
2015 SEASON FIRSTS
• Freshman Heather Bowen (Las Vegas, Nev.) recorded Utah's first hit of the season - a two-out single to left field in the second inning against Texas A&M.
• Freshman Miranda Viramontes (Chino, Calif.) registered the first strikeout for the Utes when she sat down Texas A&M's Cali Lanphear in the top of the third inning.
• Senior Maddy Woodard (Murray, Utah) recorded the first double of season with a two-base knock in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Aggies.
• Sophomore Hannah Flippen (Bonita, Calif.) drove in the first run of the season with a single up the middle in the seventh inning against Texas A&M, which scored Kendal Bergman (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) on the play.
• Senior Kate Dickman (Mission Viejo, Calif.) tallied the first triple of the season with a three-bagger down the right field line in the fourth inning against Idaho State.
• Freshman Katie Donovan (Salem, Ore.) earned up Utah's first win in the circle, as well as the team's first shutout of the season with a one-hitter over Idaho State.
• Sophomore Bridget Castro (Bellflower, Calif.) blasted Utah's first home run of the season - a two-run blast in the top of the first inning against Long Beach State.
• Junior Kayce Nieto (Farmington Hills, Mich.) registered the first save of the season in a three-inning relief appearacne against the 49ers.
TWO DOWN, 10 TO GO
Utah head coach Amy Hogue recorded her 189th and 190th career wins at the helm of the Ute Softball program this past weekend and is now just 10 wins shy from collecting career-win No. 200.
SAY IT ISN'T NO
Making just her second collegiate start, Utah freshman Katie Donovan came within a strike away of recording her first career no-hitter with the Utes, but with two outs and a 3-2 count in the top of the seventh inning, Idaho State's Hailey Breakwell blooped in a single over shortstop for the Bengals' only hit of the game.
Donovan did however earn the win - the first of her career - yielding just the one hit and striking out three in Utah's 2-0 victory over ISU.
DICKMAN AT THE DISH
Senior Kate Dickman went 0-for-3 at the plate in Utah's first game of the season, but then quickly snapped out of the minor slump and went 7-for-11 (.636) the rest of the weekend with a pair of doubles, a triple and three runs batted in.
Dickman heads into this weekend's slate of games leading the Utes with a .500 batting average, .786 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage.
DON'T RUN ON ME
Top-25 ranked teams, Texas A&M and Notre Dame, both found out the hard way that trying to score will be a tough test against the Utah outfield.
Seniors Shelbi Everett (Cottonwood Heights, Utah) and Kate Dickman were both spot-on with their respective relay throws in from the outfield and gunned down runners trying to advance from second base while coming home.
Everett had another assist from the outfield, as well, when she managed to gun down a Long Beach State runner at second base following a fly out that resulted in a double play to end the second inning.
THREE UTES EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Senior Kate Dickman, along with sophomores Hannah Flippen and Sammy Cordova (Huntington Beach, Calif.) were each named to the College Sports Madness Preseason Pac-12 All-Conference team last week.
All three players were each named preseason second-team selections, with Dickman earning the honor in the outfield, Flippen taking the honor as part of the infield, and Cordova earning the selection as a pitcher.
FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTIONS
All four of Utah's incoming freshmen managed to see action this past weekend and all four players made an immediate impact for the squad.
Miranda Viramontes and Katie Donovan both tallied a pair of starts for the Utes inside the circle this past weekend. Viramontes, who was Utah's opening day starter, recorded five strikeouts in 8.1 innings of work, while Donovan fanned nine batters in her 17.2 innings of work this past weekend.
Heather Bowen got the opening day start in right field for the Utes and she managed to collect a base hit in her first career bat, while Samantha Glantz (Northridge, Calif.) recorded a hit in her first career at bat, as well - a pinch-hit single through the left side against the Aggies.
NIETO IN FOR THE SAVE
Kayce Nieto tossed three scoreless innings of no-hit softball in Utah's 5-3 win over Long Beach State on Sunday, earning the first save of her career and notching Utah's first save since April 6, 2013.
Nieto struck out three batters and had just one walk, while making her first appearance of the season.
RAMIREZ IN RELIEF
Senior Mariah Ramirez (Hawaiian Gardens, Calif.) picked up her first win of the season after pitching 1.1 innings of scoreless softball in Utah's 5-3 win over Long Beach State. Ramirez entered the game in the third inning and yielded just two hits, while earning her first win since defeating California back on May 2 last season - which also came in a relief effort.
GOING, GOING, GONE
Bridget Castro recorded Utah's first home run of the season - a two-run blast in the first inning, which helped lead to Utah's 5-3 win over Long Beach State on Sunday.
Castro, who ranked second on the team last season with six bombs, also has a double on the season and ranks second on the team with a pair of runs batted in.
MULTIPLICITY
Four Utah players recorded multiple-hit games this past weekend. Kate Dickman led the way with three, two-hit games and Maddy Woodard followed with a pair of two-hit games. Marissa Mendenhall (Stansbury Park, Utah) and Hannah Flippend both have a two-hit game to their credit, as well.
SCOUTING THE UNLV CLASSIC FIELD
- Long Beach State
Utah will face a familiar foe to kickoff the tournament this weekend, facing Long Beach State in the first game on Friday.
The Utes and 49ers faced each other twice in the So Cal Collegiate Classic last weekend, with each team earning a win for a split decision.
The 49ers are 3-2 overall coming into the tournament after posting wins against the Sacramento State, Northwestern State and Utah, while falling to Idaho State and the Utes.
The 49ers are hitting .301 as a team and have a collective 2.52 team earned run average.
LBSU's Lauren Lombardi leads her squad with a .556 batting average and a team-high six runs batted in. Haley Tobler leads the team with a pair of doubles and Leilani Tupa-Tautalatasi has the squad's only triple of the season.
Amanda Hansen leads the team with a 2-1 record inside the circle and she also has a team-best 1.40 ERA with six K's on the young season.
- Seattle
The Redhawks went 2-3 overall at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. this past weekend. Seattle dropped its first two games of the season against New Mexico and San Jose State before picking up back-to-back wins against Western Michigan and Bradley. Seattle closed the tournament with a loss to UC Riverside.
Breanna Timmons has a team-high .714 batting average and is tied for the team lead with three doubles. Five different Redhawks are tied for the team lead with four RBI each, following a weekend where Seattle tallied 28 RBI as a team.
Slyssa Reuble and Mandie Sugita both have one win each for the Redhawks and both are tied for the team lead with four K's.
The Redhawks are hitting .331 as a team, while the pitching staff has a combined 5.31 ERA.
- Cal State Fullerton
The Titans, who are currently ranked No. 25 in the latest NFCA Top-25 Poll, went 4-1 in the So Cal Collegiate Classic this past weekend. CSUF won its first four contests (Purdue, Idaho State, Notre Dame, Northwestern State) before falling to the Fighting Irish in the final game.
The Titans are hitting .296 as a team and are led at the plate by Missy Taukeiaho's .563 batting average. She leads the team with four home runs and has scored a team-high six runs, as well.
Desiree Ybarra has a pair of wins on the season and is tied with Jasmin Antunez for the team lead with six strikeouts. The Titans have a combined 5.56 ERA heading into the weekend.
- Cal State Northridge
The Matadors are 4-1 on the season after picking up wins against Wisconsin, Stanford, New Mexico and No. 16 Arizona at the Kajikawa Classic. CSUN's only loss came to Fresno State on the weekend.
The Matadors, who are hitting .310 on the season, are led by Maylnn Mitchell's .500 batting average and seven RBI.
Brianna Elder is 2-0 for the Matadors inside the circle and she has a 2.21 ERA in 19.0 innings of work last weekend. She has 24 of CSUN's 33 K's on the season.
CSUN has a collective 2.14 ERA as a team heading into the weekend.
- Nevada
The Wolf Pack opened the season with a win over Fordahm in the Kajikawa Classic, but then dropped its next for contests to Portland State, North Carolina, Oregon State and Oregon.
The Wolf Pack is hitting .281 as a team and are led by Alyssa Mendez who is hitting .400 after the opening weekend of play. Karley Hopkins has a team-high three doubles and is tied for the team lead with four RBI.
Chase Redington picked up Nevada's only win inside the circle this past weekend and while Megan Dortch is just 0-1 in three appearances, she does lead the team with 16 K's in 12.1 innings of work. Nevada has a combined 5.47 ERA on the year.
- UNLV
Utah will face tournament host UNLV to close out the tournament this weekend. The Rebels went 3-2 over the past weekend at the Sportco Kick Off Classic in Las Vegas, with wins over Louisville, UC Davis and UC Bakersfield. UNLV's losses came to Washington and Minnesota in the tournament.
Merina Ili leads the team with a .429 batting average, among players with five or more at bats. Alyssa Cordova, who is hitting .333 on the year, leads the team with two home runs and 10 RBI.
Kwyn Cooper leads the pitching staff with a 2-1 record and seven K's, while Francesca Foti's 2.33 ERA is a team-best among starting pitchers.
UNLV is hitting .336 as a team and has a combined 6.07 ERA heading into a second-straight home tournament.
PAC-12 PRESEASON POLL
The Utes were picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12 in 2015, according to a the league's preseason release on Jan. 29.
Last season's conference champions, Oregon, was picked to repeat as winners of the league after receiving five of the nine first-place votes, while UCLA picked to finish second after earning the final four first-place votes.
Arizona and Washington tied for third-place in the preseason poll, while Arizona State was tabbed to finish in fifth ahead of the Utes.
California, Oregon State and Stanford followed Utah to round out the poll, respectively.
UP NEXT
Utah will make a return trip to the Los Angeles area next weekend to compete in the Mary Nutter Classic, which will be held at Big League Dreams Park in Cathedral City, Calif.
The Utes will open the tournament against UC Santa Barbara and will follow with games against Nevada, Tennessee, Ohio State and Cal Poly.
The tournament will run Friday, Feb. 20 through Sunday. Feb. 22.
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| UTAH at UNLV Wilson/DeMarini Classic | |
| Friday | vs. Long Beach State | 3:45 p.m. PT • vs. Seattle University | 6 p.m. PT |
| Saturday | vs. #25/RV Cal State Fullerton | 11:15 a.m. PT • vs. Cal State Northridge | 6 p.m. PT |
| Sunday | vs. Nevada | 1:30 p.m. PT |
| Monday | vs. UNLV | 10 a.m. PT |
| Location | Las Vegas, Nev. | Eller Media Stadium, Stephanie Lynn Craig Park |
| Live Stats | www.UtahUtes.com or www.UNLVRebels.com (Games at Eller Media Stadium only) |
| Game Info | Complete Game Notes | 2015 Utah Softball Media Guide |
ON DECK
The Utah Softball team (2-3) will hit the road for its annual trip to Las Vegas this weekend to compete in the UNLV Wilson/DeMarini Classic, which will begin this Friday, Feb. 13 and run through Monday, Feb. 16.
The Utes will face six different squads throughout the weekend, opening up with Long Beach State (3:45 p.m. PT) and Seattle (6 p.m.) on Friday, followed with games against Cal State Fullerton (11:15 a.m.) and Cal State Northridge (6 p.m.) on Saturday, and a single game against Nevada on Sunday (1:30 p.m.) before closing out the four-day event against tournament host UNLV (10 a.m.) on Sunday.
COVERING THE UTES
Live stats will be provided for games played at UNLV's Eller Media Stadium this weekend, but live stats will not be available for those contests being played at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park.
Live stats will be available for Utah's games against Cal State Fullerton, Nevada and UNLV and can be found at www.UtahUtes.com or www.UNLVRebels.com.
Follow the Utah Softball team on Twitter (@Utah_Softball) for live in-game updates when the Utes face Long Beach State, Seattle and Cal State Northridge this weekend.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah went 2-3 to open the season in Los Angeles this past weekend. The Utes dropped top-25 contests to No. 24 Texas A&M (5-1) and No. 22 Notre Dame (3-1) last Friday and then opened Saturday's doubleheader with a loss to Long Beach State (4-1).
Utah got things going in Saturday's second game with a 2-0 win over Idaho State and then closed out the tournament with a 5-3 victory over LBSU.
2015 SEASON FIRSTS
• Freshman Heather Bowen (Las Vegas, Nev.) recorded Utah's first hit of the season - a two-out single to left field in the second inning against Texas A&M.
• Freshman Miranda Viramontes (Chino, Calif.) registered the first strikeout for the Utes when she sat down Texas A&M's Cali Lanphear in the top of the third inning.
• Senior Maddy Woodard (Murray, Utah) recorded the first double of season with a two-base knock in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Aggies.
• Sophomore Hannah Flippen (Bonita, Calif.) drove in the first run of the season with a single up the middle in the seventh inning against Texas A&M, which scored Kendal Bergman (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) on the play.
• Senior Kate Dickman (Mission Viejo, Calif.) tallied the first triple of the season with a three-bagger down the right field line in the fourth inning against Idaho State.
• Freshman Katie Donovan (Salem, Ore.) earned up Utah's first win in the circle, as well as the team's first shutout of the season with a one-hitter over Idaho State.
• Sophomore Bridget Castro (Bellflower, Calif.) blasted Utah's first home run of the season - a two-run blast in the top of the first inning against Long Beach State.
• Junior Kayce Nieto (Farmington Hills, Mich.) registered the first save of the season in a three-inning relief appearacne against the 49ers.
TWO DOWN, 10 TO GO
Utah head coach Amy Hogue recorded her 189th and 190th career wins at the helm of the Ute Softball program this past weekend and is now just 10 wins shy from collecting career-win No. 200.
SAY IT ISN'T NO
Making just her second collegiate start, Utah freshman Katie Donovan came within a strike away of recording her first career no-hitter with the Utes, but with two outs and a 3-2 count in the top of the seventh inning, Idaho State's Hailey Breakwell blooped in a single over shortstop for the Bengals' only hit of the game.
Donovan did however earn the win - the first of her career - yielding just the one hit and striking out three in Utah's 2-0 victory over ISU.
DICKMAN AT THE DISH
Senior Kate Dickman went 0-for-3 at the plate in Utah's first game of the season, but then quickly snapped out of the minor slump and went 7-for-11 (.636) the rest of the weekend with a pair of doubles, a triple and three runs batted in.
Dickman heads into this weekend's slate of games leading the Utes with a .500 batting average, .786 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage.
DON'T RUN ON ME
Top-25 ranked teams, Texas A&M and Notre Dame, both found out the hard way that trying to score will be a tough test against the Utah outfield.
Seniors Shelbi Everett (Cottonwood Heights, Utah) and Kate Dickman were both spot-on with their respective relay throws in from the outfield and gunned down runners trying to advance from second base while coming home.
Everett had another assist from the outfield, as well, when she managed to gun down a Long Beach State runner at second base following a fly out that resulted in a double play to end the second inning.
THREE UTES EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Senior Kate Dickman, along with sophomores Hannah Flippen and Sammy Cordova (Huntington Beach, Calif.) were each named to the College Sports Madness Preseason Pac-12 All-Conference team last week.
All three players were each named preseason second-team selections, with Dickman earning the honor in the outfield, Flippen taking the honor as part of the infield, and Cordova earning the selection as a pitcher.
FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTIONS
All four of Utah's incoming freshmen managed to see action this past weekend and all four players made an immediate impact for the squad.
Miranda Viramontes and Katie Donovan both tallied a pair of starts for the Utes inside the circle this past weekend. Viramontes, who was Utah's opening day starter, recorded five strikeouts in 8.1 innings of work, while Donovan fanned nine batters in her 17.2 innings of work this past weekend.
Heather Bowen got the opening day start in right field for the Utes and she managed to collect a base hit in her first career bat, while Samantha Glantz (Northridge, Calif.) recorded a hit in her first career at bat, as well - a pinch-hit single through the left side against the Aggies.
NIETO IN FOR THE SAVE
Kayce Nieto tossed three scoreless innings of no-hit softball in Utah's 5-3 win over Long Beach State on Sunday, earning the first save of her career and notching Utah's first save since April 6, 2013.
Nieto struck out three batters and had just one walk, while making her first appearance of the season.
RAMIREZ IN RELIEF
Senior Mariah Ramirez (Hawaiian Gardens, Calif.) picked up her first win of the season after pitching 1.1 innings of scoreless softball in Utah's 5-3 win over Long Beach State. Ramirez entered the game in the third inning and yielded just two hits, while earning her first win since defeating California back on May 2 last season - which also came in a relief effort.
GOING, GOING, GONE
Bridget Castro recorded Utah's first home run of the season - a two-run blast in the first inning, which helped lead to Utah's 5-3 win over Long Beach State on Sunday.
Castro, who ranked second on the team last season with six bombs, also has a double on the season and ranks second on the team with a pair of runs batted in.
MULTIPLICITY
Four Utah players recorded multiple-hit games this past weekend. Kate Dickman led the way with three, two-hit games and Maddy Woodard followed with a pair of two-hit games. Marissa Mendenhall (Stansbury Park, Utah) and Hannah Flippend both have a two-hit game to their credit, as well.
SCOUTING THE UNLV CLASSIC FIELD
- Long Beach State
Utah will face a familiar foe to kickoff the tournament this weekend, facing Long Beach State in the first game on Friday.
The Utes and 49ers faced each other twice in the So Cal Collegiate Classic last weekend, with each team earning a win for a split decision.
The 49ers are 3-2 overall coming into the tournament after posting wins against the Sacramento State, Northwestern State and Utah, while falling to Idaho State and the Utes.
The 49ers are hitting .301 as a team and have a collective 2.52 team earned run average.
LBSU's Lauren Lombardi leads her squad with a .556 batting average and a team-high six runs batted in. Haley Tobler leads the team with a pair of doubles and Leilani Tupa-Tautalatasi has the squad's only triple of the season.
Amanda Hansen leads the team with a 2-1 record inside the circle and she also has a team-best 1.40 ERA with six K's on the young season.
- Seattle
The Redhawks went 2-3 overall at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. this past weekend. Seattle dropped its first two games of the season against New Mexico and San Jose State before picking up back-to-back wins against Western Michigan and Bradley. Seattle closed the tournament with a loss to UC Riverside.
Breanna Timmons has a team-high .714 batting average and is tied for the team lead with three doubles. Five different Redhawks are tied for the team lead with four RBI each, following a weekend where Seattle tallied 28 RBI as a team.
Slyssa Reuble and Mandie Sugita both have one win each for the Redhawks and both are tied for the team lead with four K's.
The Redhawks are hitting .331 as a team, while the pitching staff has a combined 5.31 ERA.
- Cal State Fullerton
The Titans, who are currently ranked No. 25 in the latest NFCA Top-25 Poll, went 4-1 in the So Cal Collegiate Classic this past weekend. CSUF won its first four contests (Purdue, Idaho State, Notre Dame, Northwestern State) before falling to the Fighting Irish in the final game.
The Titans are hitting .296 as a team and are led at the plate by Missy Taukeiaho's .563 batting average. She leads the team with four home runs and has scored a team-high six runs, as well.
Desiree Ybarra has a pair of wins on the season and is tied with Jasmin Antunez for the team lead with six strikeouts. The Titans have a combined 5.56 ERA heading into the weekend.
- Cal State Northridge
The Matadors are 4-1 on the season after picking up wins against Wisconsin, Stanford, New Mexico and No. 16 Arizona at the Kajikawa Classic. CSUN's only loss came to Fresno State on the weekend.
The Matadors, who are hitting .310 on the season, are led by Maylnn Mitchell's .500 batting average and seven RBI.
Brianna Elder is 2-0 for the Matadors inside the circle and she has a 2.21 ERA in 19.0 innings of work last weekend. She has 24 of CSUN's 33 K's on the season.
CSUN has a collective 2.14 ERA as a team heading into the weekend.
- Nevada
The Wolf Pack opened the season with a win over Fordahm in the Kajikawa Classic, but then dropped its next for contests to Portland State, North Carolina, Oregon State and Oregon.
The Wolf Pack is hitting .281 as a team and are led by Alyssa Mendez who is hitting .400 after the opening weekend of play. Karley Hopkins has a team-high three doubles and is tied for the team lead with four RBI.
Chase Redington picked up Nevada's only win inside the circle this past weekend and while Megan Dortch is just 0-1 in three appearances, she does lead the team with 16 K's in 12.1 innings of work. Nevada has a combined 5.47 ERA on the year.
- UNLV
Utah will face tournament host UNLV to close out the tournament this weekend. The Rebels went 3-2 over the past weekend at the Sportco Kick Off Classic in Las Vegas, with wins over Louisville, UC Davis and UC Bakersfield. UNLV's losses came to Washington and Minnesota in the tournament.
Merina Ili leads the team with a .429 batting average, among players with five or more at bats. Alyssa Cordova, who is hitting .333 on the year, leads the team with two home runs and 10 RBI.
Kwyn Cooper leads the pitching staff with a 2-1 record and seven K's, while Francesca Foti's 2.33 ERA is a team-best among starting pitchers.
UNLV is hitting .336 as a team and has a combined 6.07 ERA heading into a second-straight home tournament.
PAC-12 PRESEASON POLL
The Utes were picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12 in 2015, according to a the league's preseason release on Jan. 29.
Last season's conference champions, Oregon, was picked to repeat as winners of the league after receiving five of the nine first-place votes, while UCLA picked to finish second after earning the final four first-place votes.
Arizona and Washington tied for third-place in the preseason poll, while Arizona State was tabbed to finish in fifth ahead of the Utes.
California, Oregon State and Stanford followed Utah to round out the poll, respectively.
UP NEXT
Utah will make a return trip to the Los Angeles area next weekend to compete in the Mary Nutter Classic, which will be held at Big League Dreams Park in Cathedral City, Calif.
The Utes will open the tournament against UC Santa Barbara and will follow with games against Nevada, Tennessee, Ohio State and Cal Poly.
The tournament will run Friday, Feb. 20 through Sunday. Feb. 22.
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