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
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Up Next For Utah Softball
2/22/2023 1:10 PM | Softball
Utes to take on list of opponents that includes No. 2 Oklahoma
SALT LAKE CITY – Two weekends of softball are in the books for the University of Utah softball team in 2023, but what's up next will provide the Utes with one of the stiffest challenges of the season as they head to one of the nation's most competitive events, the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, which, for Utah, will begin with two contests on Friday before finishing up with their fifth game of the week on Sunday morning.
Utah's Friday schedule begins with a 10:30 a.m. PT (11:30 a.m. MT) matchup against Texas Tech before a 5:30 p.m. PT meeting with LMU. The Utes will start Saturday by taking on No. 2 Oklahoma at 9:30 a.m. PT, then they'll tangle with Iowa State at 12:30 p.m. PT. Utah's final game of the classic is a 9 a.m. PT clash with Ohio State.
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Schedule
How to Follow
All of Utah's games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic will be streamed by FloSoftball. Fans can sign up for a FloSoftball account that will allow them to tune into every game by visiting FloSoftball.com.
Last Time Out
After allowing only two runs across five games during the season's first weekend, Utah's pitching staff continued their excellent work at the Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge. Through the season's first 10 games, the Utes have pitched to a 1.26 ERA, a mark that puts them 15th in the nation and second in the Pac-12, behind only No. 1 UCLA. Only once through Utah's first 10 games has an opponent scored more than two runs.
No one on the Utah staff sports a better ERA than Mariah Lopez's 0.93, as she's permitted only four earned runs in her first 30 innings. That average is the best in the conference among pitchers who've thrown at least 30 frames and her 40 strikeouts have her tied for third. She picked up 10 of those punchouts against Central Arkansas on Feb. 17, a number that matched her career-high.
Utah's lineup was ignited by the trio of Julia Jimenez, Sophie Jacquez and Haley Denning, who combined to hit .564 in Baton Rouge. All three players are in the top 10 in the Pac-12 in hitting, with Jacquez and Jimenez owning two of the league's best slugging percentages, while Denning is at the top of the league and third in the nation in stolen bases. With 11 thefts so far in 2023, Denning is already nearly halfway to the league-leading total of 24 she posted in 2022.
Scouting the Opposition
No team on the Utes' non-conference schedule figures to provide a tougher test than Oklahoma. The back-to-back national champions spent their season's second weekend in Waco, Texas at the Getterman Classic, where they were handed their first loss of the season at the hands of No. 25 Baylor, but outscored their other three opponents, 41-0.
Despite that setback, the Sooners are still a team that leads the NCAA in shutouts, ranks in the top 10 in the nation in runs scored per game and ERA and they are just outside the top 10 in batting average and slugging. One of the main reasons for those gaudy numbers has been the play of freshman Jocelyn Erickson, who owns the country's second-best slugging percentage and is fourth in RBIs per game. Erickson's first collegiate homer came in her third game as a Sooner and she followed it by blasting round-trippers in each of her next three contests.
The Utes will also have to contend with two other squads coming off NCAA Tournament appearances in Ohio State and LMU, both of whom racked up well over 30 wins a season ago. The Buckeyes entered the season having to contend with the loss of a pair of all-conference selections, but their list of returners included second-team all-league pick Sam Hackenbracht, who batted .377 with 16 homers in 2022. Hackenbracht and her teammates will be attempting to bounce back from a weekend in Clemson, S.C., where they managed only one victory in four tries.
The Lions began 2023 with just two wins in their first nine tries, but finished the year's second weekend with consecutive triumphs before nearly pulling off an upset of No. 16 Kentucky. Pitcher Jenna Perez has been the star of the show in the circle for LMU, responsible for more than half the team's total of inning's pitched. She limited the Wildcats to a single run and three hits in seven frames, just two days after shutting out Utah Valley with 12 strikeouts and earning a save against UC Riverside. Utah will also have to account for a Lion offense that leads the West Coast Conference in homers with eight.
Team Stat Leaders (as of 2/22/23)
National Rankings - Individual
National Rankings – Team
More History for Hogue
One season after becoming the all-time wins leader in the history of Utah softball, head coach Amy Hogue has already surpassed two more milestones in 2023. With her team's win on Feb. 10 over Northern Colorado, Hogue became the first coach to reach 400 wins in program and two days later, she picked up the 600th victory of her head coaching career.
Milestone Watch
Ellessa Bonstrom and Haley Denning both entered the year with significant milestones within their reach and they've continued to close in those accomplishments. Bonstrom, who has driven in 11 runs so far in 2023, is 41 away from becoming the program's all-time leader in that statistic and she's also 23 walks and four sacrifice flies from reaching the top of the Utah leaderboard in those categories.
Denning has swiped 11 bases through her team's first 10 games has moved into third place all-tim in that category. She needs 22 more to become only the third Ute to ever reach 100 career stolen bases.
Lopez Named First Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week
For the first time since 2017, a Utah pitcher was honored with a weekly award. Mariah Lopez earned the title of Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week after starting the season with 14 1/3 scoreless innings and three straight victories. The last Utah pitcher to receive a weekly award was Miranda Viramontes, who was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week in 2017.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Softball |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).
Utah's Friday schedule begins with a 10:30 a.m. PT (11:30 a.m. MT) matchup against Texas Tech before a 5:30 p.m. PT meeting with LMU. The Utes will start Saturday by taking on No. 2 Oklahoma at 9:30 a.m. PT, then they'll tangle with Iowa State at 12:30 p.m. PT. Utah's final game of the classic is a 9 a.m. PT clash with Ohio State.
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Schedule
| Date | Game | Live Stats/Watch |
| Feb. 24 | Utah vs. Texas Tech | Live Stats / FloSoftball |
| LMU vs. Utah | Live Stats / FloSoftball | |
| Feb. 25 | Utah vs. No. 2 Oklahoma | Live Stats / FloSoftball |
| Iowa State vs. Utah | Live Stats / FloSoftball | |
| Feb. 26 | Ohio State vs. Utah | Live Stats / FloSoftball |
How to Follow
All of Utah's games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic will be streamed by FloSoftball. Fans can sign up for a FloSoftball account that will allow them to tune into every game by visiting FloSoftball.com.
Last Time Out
After allowing only two runs across five games during the season's first weekend, Utah's pitching staff continued their excellent work at the Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge. Through the season's first 10 games, the Utes have pitched to a 1.26 ERA, a mark that puts them 15th in the nation and second in the Pac-12, behind only No. 1 UCLA. Only once through Utah's first 10 games has an opponent scored more than two runs.
No one on the Utah staff sports a better ERA than Mariah Lopez's 0.93, as she's permitted only four earned runs in her first 30 innings. That average is the best in the conference among pitchers who've thrown at least 30 frames and her 40 strikeouts have her tied for third. She picked up 10 of those punchouts against Central Arkansas on Feb. 17, a number that matched her career-high.
Utah's lineup was ignited by the trio of Julia Jimenez, Sophie Jacquez and Haley Denning, who combined to hit .564 in Baton Rouge. All three players are in the top 10 in the Pac-12 in hitting, with Jacquez and Jimenez owning two of the league's best slugging percentages, while Denning is at the top of the league and third in the nation in stolen bases. With 11 thefts so far in 2023, Denning is already nearly halfway to the league-leading total of 24 she posted in 2022.
Scouting the Opposition
No team on the Utes' non-conference schedule figures to provide a tougher test than Oklahoma. The back-to-back national champions spent their season's second weekend in Waco, Texas at the Getterman Classic, where they were handed their first loss of the season at the hands of No. 25 Baylor, but outscored their other three opponents, 41-0.
Despite that setback, the Sooners are still a team that leads the NCAA in shutouts, ranks in the top 10 in the nation in runs scored per game and ERA and they are just outside the top 10 in batting average and slugging. One of the main reasons for those gaudy numbers has been the play of freshman Jocelyn Erickson, who owns the country's second-best slugging percentage and is fourth in RBIs per game. Erickson's first collegiate homer came in her third game as a Sooner and she followed it by blasting round-trippers in each of her next three contests.
The Utes will also have to contend with two other squads coming off NCAA Tournament appearances in Ohio State and LMU, both of whom racked up well over 30 wins a season ago. The Buckeyes entered the season having to contend with the loss of a pair of all-conference selections, but their list of returners included second-team all-league pick Sam Hackenbracht, who batted .377 with 16 homers in 2022. Hackenbracht and her teammates will be attempting to bounce back from a weekend in Clemson, S.C., where they managed only one victory in four tries.
The Lions began 2023 with just two wins in their first nine tries, but finished the year's second weekend with consecutive triumphs before nearly pulling off an upset of No. 16 Kentucky. Pitcher Jenna Perez has been the star of the show in the circle for LMU, responsible for more than half the team's total of inning's pitched. She limited the Wildcats to a single run and three hits in seven frames, just two days after shutting out Utah Valley with 12 strikeouts and earning a save against UC Riverside. Utah will also have to account for a Lion offense that leads the West Coast Conference in homers with eight.
Team Stat Leaders (as of 2/22/23)
| Batting Avg. | Julia Jimenez | .480 |
| Slugging % | Julia Jimenez | .840 |
| On Base % | Julia Jimenez | .531 |
| Runs Scored | Haley Denning | 10 |
| Hits | Haley Denning | 14 |
| RBI | Karlie Davison Ellessa Bonstrom |
11 |
| Doubles | Sophie Jacquez | 4 |
| Home Runs | Karlie Davison Julia Jimenez |
2 |
| Stolen Bases | Haley Denning | 11 |
| ERA | Mariah Lopez | 0.93 (30.0 IP) |
| K's | Mariah Lopez | 40 |
| Wins | Mariah Lopez Sydney Sandez |
3 |
National Rankings - Individual
- Haley Denning has collected 11 stolen bases, a number that ranks 3rd best in Division I and also leads the Pac-12.
- Mariah Lopez has 40 strikeouts to her credit through six appearances and that puts her in a tie for 20th in the nation and 3rd in the conference.
- Denning has piled up 14 hits so fat in 2023, tying her for 40th in the nation.
National Rankings – Team
- Utah's 36 stolen bases are the NCAA's second-highest total, trailing only Nevada.
- Utah's hurlers have collected five shutouts so far in 2023, tied for second-most in the country.
- The Utes pitching staff also owns a 1.26 ERA, 15th-best in Division I
- The Utes' have struck out 54 batters compared to only nine walks, giving them a 6.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio that is tied for ninth in the nation.
More History for Hogue
One season after becoming the all-time wins leader in the history of Utah softball, head coach Amy Hogue has already surpassed two more milestones in 2023. With her team's win on Feb. 10 over Northern Colorado, Hogue became the first coach to reach 400 wins in program and two days later, she picked up the 600th victory of her head coaching career.
Milestone Watch
Ellessa Bonstrom and Haley Denning both entered the year with significant milestones within their reach and they've continued to close in those accomplishments. Bonstrom, who has driven in 11 runs so far in 2023, is 41 away from becoming the program's all-time leader in that statistic and she's also 23 walks and four sacrifice flies from reaching the top of the Utah leaderboard in those categories.
Denning has swiped 11 bases through her team's first 10 games has moved into third place all-tim in that category. She needs 22 more to become only the third Ute to ever reach 100 career stolen bases.
Lopez Named First Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week
For the first time since 2017, a Utah pitcher was honored with a weekly award. Mariah Lopez earned the title of Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week after starting the season with 14 1/3 scoreless innings and three straight victories. The last Utah pitcher to receive a weekly award was Miranda Viramontes, who was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week in 2017.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Softball |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).
Players Mentioned
UTIL
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INF
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UTIL
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OF
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P
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P
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