Completed Event: Softball versus No. 2 Seed Oklahoma State on May 7, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 7

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2/17/2016 12:00 AM | Softball
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- DeMarini Desert Classic Tournament Central
ON DECK
Utah Softball (3-3) continues the 2016 season at the DeMarini Desert Classic, which will take place in Las Vegas, Nev. this weekend, Feb. 19-21. The tournament will be hosted by UNLV, with games set to be played at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park and Eller Media Stadium.
The Utes will play five games over three days, beginning with a match-up against Robert Morris on Friday at 9 a.m. PT and follow it with a contest against San Jose State.
The Utes will play another doubleheader on Saturday starting at 11:15 a.m. PT against UC Davis and Boise State. The event closes Sunday with a contest against Hawai'i at 11:15 am. PT.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah split six games this past weekend at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Utes dropped a pair of games to ranked foes (No. 24 Notre Dame and No. 17 Kentucky) as well as one that entered the rankings this week (Fresno State). The Utes did earn victories over Georgia State, Portland State and Boston College.
The Utes out-scored their opponents last weekend, 21-6 as Miranda Viramontes earned a pair of wins and Hailey Hilburn notched her first collegiate victory. Two new comers led the team in hitting as junior Delilah Pacheco went 10-for-20 and scored five runs while freshman Ally Dickman went 7-for-15 with three doubles and a .667 slugging percentage.
PRESEASON RANKINGS
Utah Softball is ranked No. 23 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Preseason Top 25 and is receiving votes in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Preseason Poll, ranking No. 28 nationally.
Following a 36-19 record and an at-large berth into the 2015 NCAA Championship Tournament, the Utes rounded out the 2015 campaign ranked No. 25 in the nation in ESPN.com/USA Softball's final poll.
Utah's 2015 ranking marked just the second time in school history that it finished a season in the Top 25. The Utes finished the 1997 campaign ranked No. 16 in the nation. Utah also finished the 2015 season receiving votes in the NFCA/USA Today Top 25 Poll.
Overall, Utah tallied six weeks of receiving votes in the NFCA/USA Today poll and a total of seven weeks (three weeks receiving votes, four weeks ranked) in the ESPN/USA Softball poll. Utah's highest ranking last year occurred when the team was slotted at No. 22 in the ESPN/USA Softball poll.
The Pac-12 had seven programs ranked in the Top 25 in this year's USA Softball Preseason Poll while six teams were tabbed in the NFCA Preseason Poll. Oregon is the top Pac-12 team in both polls (#4/6) followed by UCLA (#7/7), Arizona (#15/13), Washington (#19/20), Arizona State (#20/24) and California (#22/21)
2016 PAC-12 PRESEASON POLL
1. Oregon (8), 64
2. UCLA (1), 51
3. Arizona, 49
4. Washington, 42
5. Utah, 36
6. California, 32
7. Arizona State, 27
8. Oregon State, 15
9. Stanford, 8
PRESEASON RECOGNITION
Utah's Katie Donovan was tabbed as a Preseason All-American by College Sports Madness and she, along with teammates Hannah Flippen and Heather Bowen, were all named to its Preseason Pac-12 All-Conference team.
Donovan, a sophomore pitcher, was a fourth-team selection nationally and a First Team All-Pac-12 pick. Flippen, a junior infielder, and Bowen, a sophomore outfielder, earned nods to the conference's second team.
As a freshman, Donovan posted a 16-8 record and recorded four shutouts in 25 starts on her way to earning All-NFCA and All-Pac-12 honors. She finished third in the Pac-12 with a 2.66 earned run average and 154 strikeouts.
Opponents batted just .224 against her, third lowest in the Pac-12 and her seven saves placed her third in the nation. Donovan was one out away from a no-hitter in just her second career start but she would eventually get the job done in a contest against Nevada.
Flippen, Utah's last All-American, became the first Ute player to earn back-to-back All-NFCA honors since Diana Phillips since 2008.
The Ute co-captain, hit .348 for the Utes, collecting eight doubles, a pair of triples and seven home runs. She scored 47 runs last season and drove in 28. A staple at second base for the Utes, Flippen recorded a team-high 120 assists and was a part of 23 double plays.
Bowen is the only returnee in the outfield after an impressive freshman season. The Las Vegas native was named All-Pac-12 after starting 43 games, hitting .288 and slugging .407 for the Utes.
A total of 24 players from all nine Pac-12 teams were named to both the first and second teams, with Oregon leading the way with five selections.
UP NEXT
Utah heads to Palm Springs for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic next weekend, Feb. 25-28. The Utes will take on a pair of top-10 teams in Florida and Oklahoma, as well as Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, Cal State Northridge and New Mexico State.