Utah Softball Starts Season at Kajikawa Classic

Friday, February 7

Tempe, AZ

10:00 AM

University of Utah

Northwestern

Photo by: Steve C. Wilson

Utah Softball Starts Season at Kajikawa Classic

2/3/2020 2:02 PM | Softball

2020 Utah Softball Game Notes

Utes travel to Tempe for beginning of 2020 campaign

2020 Kajikawa Classic
Fri, Feb. 7	No. 14 Northwestern @ 10 a.m. \| Western Michigan @ 2:30 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 8	Portland State @ 2 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 9	Kansas @ 9 a.m. \| Seattle @ 11:30 a.m.
LOCATION	Farrington Stadium (NW, PSU, KU, SU) \| Tempe Sports Complex (WMU)
TELEVISION	Pac-12 Network (NW, KU) \| Pac-12 Arizona (PSU, SU)
LIVE STREAM	Pac-12 Network
LIVE STATS	UtahUtes.com
GAME INFORMATION	Complete Game Notes (PDF)

ON DECK
Utah opens at the Kajikawa Classic for the eighth time in 10 years. The Utes went 4-1 at this tournament to open 2019 and are back again for a quintet of contests in Tempe

BARRERA BREAKOUT
Alyssa Barrera earned all-region honors for a second time from the NFCA after pacing Utah with a .376 batting average (13th – P12), 59 hits, 37 RBI and a .432 on-base percentage in 2019.

She also finished second on the team with 30 runs scored, nine doubles and a .599 slugging percentage (15th – P12). Her seven triples topped the conference and ranked fifth nationally while also matching the school record.

Defensively, she registered 71 putouts and led the Pac-12 with seven outfield assists. She has started all 157 games of her career and has the fifth-best batting average for a Ute (.361).

NEXT STEP FOR NOSKIN
Julia Noskin picked up her first NFCA honor after leading Utah with 36 runs scored and nine stolen bases. She was second on the team with 54 hits and ranked third in batting (.318).

Noskin also paced the Pac-12 with 130 fielding assists and her prowess in the field helped Utah turn a league best 28 double plays.

In her first season, Noskin led Utah in total hits and batted .333 with a .455 on-base percentage en route to Pac-12 All-Freshmen honors.

BONSTROM AT BAT
In Pac-12 play, Ellessa Bonstrom led all freshmen with four homers. She ranked second in runs scored and walks, third in RBI, fourth in slugging and ninth in OBP.

She also excelled defensively, ranking second among all fielders in assists during conference play with 53.

DYNAMIC DUO TURNING TWO
Utah turned 28 double plays, the most in the Pac-12 and 22nd nationally. The Utes turned three in a game vs. Ohio State last season.

Julia Noskin and BreOnna Castaneda combined for 223 assists, 44 more than any other duo in the conference (Inouye/Young, STAN). In league play, Noskin and Ellessa Bonstrom registered 110 assists, 32 more than the next best pair.

SANDEZ STARTING CAREER
Sydney Sandez's 38 appearances were second most in the Pac-12 and she also finished 10th in innings pitched (130 1/3), tops among conference freshmen.

Sandez also won six of Utah's seven Pac-12 games with a pair of victories over Cal and Oregon, as well as out-dueling Gabby Plain and No. 3 Washington

UTES AT THE 2020 OLYMPICS
Utah Softball's Hannah Flippen was named to the U.S. Olympic Softball Team roster. The three-time All-American is Utah's all-time leader in runs, hits and batting average. She concluded a stellar career (2014-17) by becoming the first four-time All-Pac-12 honoree in school history.

Flippen was also the first Ute named Pac-12 Softball Player of the Year in consecutive seasons and the first person in the history of the conference to win that award, along with Defensive Player of the Year honors, in the same campaign. The U.S. Roster has five Pac-12 players on its roster.

In Tokyo, Flippen will see a familiar face in the opposing dugout as former teammate Anissa Urtez is part of the Mexican National Team roster. She helped lead her country to its first Olympic tournament by winning the World Baseball Softball Confederation Americas qualifier in September.

Urtez, a three-time All-Pac-12 honoree, started every game in her Utah career. A Pac-12 All-Academic selection, she ranks in the top five all-time in both doubles (42) and runs batted in (161) for the Utes.

At the 2017 World Cup, she led Mexico in singles and runs scored, and at the 2018 International Cup, she hit .313, pacing her squad in hits. Current teammate include former ASU pitcher Dallas Escobedo and UA hurler Danielle O'Toole.

UTES SET PAC-12 ACADEMIC STANDARD
Utah placed a record 10 student-athletes on the Pac-12 All-Academic teams, tops in the conference.

.Two-time NFCA All-Region honoree and All-Pac-12 performer Alyssa Barrera received her second academic award. Julia Noskin, another Ute recognized as an All-Pac-12 player, notched her first academic honor along with BreOnna Castaneda and Alyssa Palacios.

Utah has had 29 student-athletes earn 45 Pac-12 All-Academic honors since joining the conference in 2012.

UTAH SOFTBALL EARNS NATIONAL AWARD
Utah Softball was one of five schools from the Pac-12 Conference recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches of America as an Easton All-Academic Team.

The Utes registered a 3.39 GPA, the second-best mark among Pac-12 teams. Six student-athletes were recognized as Easton/NFCA Division 1 Scholar Athletes, including Katie Faulk, Claire Feldman, Jordyn Gasper, Ellessa Bonstrom and Haley Denning.

UTE NEWCOMERS AT A GLANCE
Destiny Quiles was a First Team All-Monticello Empire honoree in California where she led the league in home runs and finished second in runs batted in and walks. She also helped her club team to a PGF Platinum National Championship runner up position and was the MVP of the UA Softball Factory World Series.

Flo Softball ranked Madi Jacobus the No. 71 player in the nation. She was a Second Team All-State selection at Bishop Montgomery in Torrance, Calif.

Mary Beth Feldman, younger sister of current Ute Claire, was a member of back-to-back ASA Florida state championships.

Charlee Pond Pond spent her freshman season at Ohio University, primarily playing in the infield. She started 41 games and hit .323 with 24 runs scored, five home runs and 23 RBI. She also slugged .528 and led the team with four triples.

Halle Morris was named to FloSoftball's Hot 100 and was ranked the No. 8 player in the state of Arizona by MaxPreps.com. Morris also captured a 4A state title at Canyon Del Oro High School.