Upcoming Event: Softball versus Salt Lake Community College on September 23, 2025 at 4 p.m.
4 p.m.
Softball
vs Salt Lake Community College
Friday, April 7
Salt Lake City, UT
4:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
Arizona State
Sun Devils, Cougars, Wildcats On the Docket for No. 18 Utah Softball
4/6/2023 10:08 AM | Softball
Busy two-week stretch includes Utah’s first series at home in nearly a month
SALT LAKE CITY – It has been nearly a month since the No. 18 University of Utah softball team started its home schedule with a sweep of Oregon State and the Utes are preparing get back to work inside Dumke Family Softball Stadium in Salt Lake City with stretch of five games in five days, four of which will be played on Utah's home turf.
The Utes will begin their homestand by hosting the Arizona State Sun Devils in a three-game series that will start with two contests on Friday, the first one starting at 1 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m. rematch. The series finale is scheduled to take place on Saturday, with the first pitch being thrown at 12 p.m. After a day off on Sunday, the Utes will travel south for a Monday meeting with the BYU Cougars at 5 p.m. at Gail Miller Field in Provo, Utah before welcoming the Weber State Wildcats to town on Tuesday for a 4 p.m. contest.
April 7-11 Schedule
How to Follow
Friday's series opener, Saturday's finale and Tuesday's matchup with Weber State can all be found on Utah Live Steam-2, while Friday's 4 p.m. affair will be carried by the Pac-12 family of networks. BYUtv will stream Monday's contest in Provo and links to live stats for all five games can be found on UtahUtes.com.
Game Day Promotions
On Friday, it will be Swing For Life Day at the ballpark and the Utes will be partnering with the Huntsman Cancer Institute to promote breast cancer awareness. Scrunchies and posters will be given away at the entrance to the park, the team will be donning their pink uniforms and fans can stick around after the final out for postgame autographs.
Saturday will serve as Youth Day at the stadium and the festivities will include a postgame an egg hunt will be held on the field and a meet and greet with the Easter Bunny at 2 p.m. It will be $2 Tuesday when the Utes take on Weber State, as fans will be able to purchase hot dogs for just $2.
Last Time Out
Utah will be attempting to bounce back from a difficult series against California, but the team's 6-3 record in Pac-12 play still has them in second place, while the Utes are 22-7 overall.
Utah's time in Berkeley got off to a promising start thanks in large part to the pitching of Sydney Sandez, who earned a win in the series' opener by throwing a complete game in which she allowed only a single run and collected her 11th victory. Sandez is only one victory short of matching the career-high she set in 2021 and in her last 13 appearances, she's allowed more than two earned runs just once.
The top hitters for the Utes against the Golden Bears were Ellessa Bonstrom, who batted .444, and Shelbi Ortiz, who knocked on a team-high three runs to go with a .750 slugging percentage. Ortiz has been a run-producing machine over Utah's last two series, driving in eight runs in her last five games. On March 18 against Arizona, she set a career-high with three RBIs and added her first career home run. Against California, all three of Ortiz's hits went for extra bases and she also added her eighth stolen base of the year without being caught.
Bonstrom has put herself in the top five in the Pac-12 in RBIs, stolen bases, on-base percentage and slugging and continues to close in on the program records for career RBIs, walks and sacrifice flies. Only twice in 29 games has Bonstrom been kept from reaching base safely and her 10 multi-RBI games to far in 2023 are twice as many as any other Ute.
Scouting the Opposition
The Sun Devils will be coming to Salt Lake City after accomplishing the impressive feat of taking two of three from No. 8 Washington for their first series win of the year in conference play. Across all three games, ASU limited the Huskies to just seven total runs and the Sun Devils added to a streak of nine consecutive games in which they've held the opposition to four runs or less.
The victor in both ASU triumphs over Washington was Kenzie Brown, who fired four hitless frames in her team's first victory, then tossed up two more zeroes in the series clincher. Brown has been the most effective hurler on the Sun Devils' staff so far in 2023, owning a 10-1 record with a 2.03 ERA and she hasn't allowed a run over her last six appearances. Brown's work has put her in the top 10 in the Pac-12 in wins, ERAs and strikeout rate and she's accomplished these things in her first season in Tempe after transferring from Tulsa.
The Cougars began 2023 by racing out of the gate, capturing 14 of their first 20 games, including a victory over ASU on Feb. 16. Since then, they've split their last six tilts and they'll spend the weekend prior to Utah's visit to Provo visiting Santa Clara for a three-game series.
The driving force behind much of the Cougars' success has been an offense that leads the West Coast Conference in homers and slugging and owns the league's second-highest totals runs scored and stolen bases. The most dangerous bats in the BYU lineup have been swung by Huntyr Ava and Hailey Morrow, both of whom are slugging over .600, while pitcher Kaysen North has accounted for more than half of her team's triumphs with a 10-2 record.
The Wildcats have not been on the field since March 19 and are attempting to break a six-game losing streak, but several of those defeats came against a pair of nation's top teams, including two losses to No. 1 Oklahoma. WSU is looking to replicate the form that led them to 38 wins in 2022 and a Big Sky Tournament Championship.
Infielder McKell McCuistion and catcher Lauren Hoe have been two of Wildcats' standout performers in 2023. McCuistion owns a .355 average and leads the squad in hits, doubles and total bases, while Hoe's five homers, 18 RBIs and .530 slugging percentage are tops on the team. When the Wildcats split a twin bill with the Utes in 2022, it was McCuistion who struck the first big blow for WSU with a three-run homer in the first inning that eliminated an early Utah lead.
Team Stat Leaders (as of 4/5/23)
Pac-12 Rankings - Individual
Pac-12 Rankings - Team
National Rankings – Individual
National Rankings – Team
Opportunistic Offense
In 13 of their games in 2023, the Utes have forced their opponents into multiple miscues in the field and Utah is currently a perfect 13-0 in contests where the opposition makes multiple errors.
It's Like Stealin'
The Utes currently own the Pac-12's largest differential in stolen bases, as Utah has swiped 76 bases and only allowed six, the second fewest of any team in the conference. The Utes are also the league's second-best team in terms of preventing successful steal attempts, as the squad's catchers have thrown out six of 12 attempted base stealers.
Three is a Charm
Utah's hitters have piled up 14 three-hit games through 29 contests in 2022, already putting them far ahead of last season's total of eight. No Ute had more than two three-hit performances to their credit a year ago, but so far in 2023, Aliya Belarde has accomplished that feat four times and Haley Denning and Ellessa Bonstrom have each done it thrice.
A Consistent Quartet
In 28 of Utah's 29 matchups in 2023, they have installed the same four players into their starting infield. Aliya Belarde, Karlie Davison and Julia Jimenez have started at second base, shortstop and third base, respectively, in every contest and Ellessa Bonstrom has been the team's starter at first in every game but one.
Bonstrom, Dayton Recognized with Pac-12 Weekly Awards
Ellessa Bonstrom and Abby Dayton were recognized by the Pac-12 on March 20. Bonstrom received her second Pac-12 Player of the Week award in two weeks, while Dayton became the first Ute in six years to be named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week. Bonstrom is only the second Utah softball player to ever collect two player of the week awards in one season, matching a feat accomplished by Hannah Flippen in 2015.
Turn It Up to an 11
From Feb. 26 to March 17, the Utes strung together an 11-game win streak, their longest since they also on 11-in-a-row in 2017. Six of the victories during that run belonged to Sydney Sandez, who crafted a 0.49 ERA. At the plate, the Utes hit .369 as a team, led by Aliya Belarde's .500 average and Ellessa Bonstrom's six homers and 20 RBIs.
Starting Fast
For 10 straight games, from Feb. 19 to March 6, the Utes put together a consecutive games streak of scoring the first inning. Utah has outscored its opponents 40-12 in the first inning and the only inning in which they've score more runs is the fourth, where they've piled up 40. The Utes are 16-2 in 2023 when they score in the first inning.
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 33 runs so far in 2023, is 19 away from becoming the program's all-time leader in that statistic and she's also 11 walks and two sacrifice flies from reaching the top of the Utah leaderboard in those categories.
Denning has swiped 23 bases through 26 games and those thefts have pushed her into third-place all-time in school history with 90 steals. She needs 10 more to become only the third Ute to ever reach 100 career stolen bases.
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 Friday 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.
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).
The Utes will begin their homestand by hosting the Arizona State Sun Devils in a three-game series that will start with two contests on Friday, the first one starting at 1 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m. rematch. The series finale is scheduled to take place on Saturday, with the first pitch being thrown at 12 p.m. After a day off on Sunday, the Utes will travel south for a Monday meeting with the BYU Cougars at 5 p.m. at Gail Miller Field in Provo, Utah before welcoming the Weber State Wildcats to town on Tuesday for a 4 p.m. contest.
April 7-11 Schedule
| Date | Game | Live Stats/Watch |
| April 7 | Utah vs. Arizona State | Live Stats / Watch |
| April 7 | Utah vs. Arizona State | Live Stats / Watch |
| April 8 | Utah vs. Arizona State | Live Stats / Watch |
| April 10 | Utah vs. BYU | Live Stats / Watch |
| April 11 | Utah vs. Weber State | Live Stats / Watch |
How to Follow
Friday's series opener, Saturday's finale and Tuesday's matchup with Weber State can all be found on Utah Live Steam-2, while Friday's 4 p.m. affair will be carried by the Pac-12 family of networks. BYUtv will stream Monday's contest in Provo and links to live stats for all five games can be found on UtahUtes.com.
Game Day Promotions
On Friday, it will be Swing For Life Day at the ballpark and the Utes will be partnering with the Huntsman Cancer Institute to promote breast cancer awareness. Scrunchies and posters will be given away at the entrance to the park, the team will be donning their pink uniforms and fans can stick around after the final out for postgame autographs.
Saturday will serve as Youth Day at the stadium and the festivities will include a postgame an egg hunt will be held on the field and a meet and greet with the Easter Bunny at 2 p.m. It will be $2 Tuesday when the Utes take on Weber State, as fans will be able to purchase hot dogs for just $2.
Last Time Out
Utah will be attempting to bounce back from a difficult series against California, but the team's 6-3 record in Pac-12 play still has them in second place, while the Utes are 22-7 overall.
Utah's time in Berkeley got off to a promising start thanks in large part to the pitching of Sydney Sandez, who earned a win in the series' opener by throwing a complete game in which she allowed only a single run and collected her 11th victory. Sandez is only one victory short of matching the career-high she set in 2021 and in her last 13 appearances, she's allowed more than two earned runs just once.
The top hitters for the Utes against the Golden Bears were Ellessa Bonstrom, who batted .444, and Shelbi Ortiz, who knocked on a team-high three runs to go with a .750 slugging percentage. Ortiz has been a run-producing machine over Utah's last two series, driving in eight runs in her last five games. On March 18 against Arizona, she set a career-high with three RBIs and added her first career home run. Against California, all three of Ortiz's hits went for extra bases and she also added her eighth stolen base of the year without being caught.
Bonstrom has put herself in the top five in the Pac-12 in RBIs, stolen bases, on-base percentage and slugging and continues to close in on the program records for career RBIs, walks and sacrifice flies. Only twice in 29 games has Bonstrom been kept from reaching base safely and her 10 multi-RBI games to far in 2023 are twice as many as any other Ute.
Scouting the Opposition
The Sun Devils will be coming to Salt Lake City after accomplishing the impressive feat of taking two of three from No. 8 Washington for their first series win of the year in conference play. Across all three games, ASU limited the Huskies to just seven total runs and the Sun Devils added to a streak of nine consecutive games in which they've held the opposition to four runs or less.
The victor in both ASU triumphs over Washington was Kenzie Brown, who fired four hitless frames in her team's first victory, then tossed up two more zeroes in the series clincher. Brown has been the most effective hurler on the Sun Devils' staff so far in 2023, owning a 10-1 record with a 2.03 ERA and she hasn't allowed a run over her last six appearances. Brown's work has put her in the top 10 in the Pac-12 in wins, ERAs and strikeout rate and she's accomplished these things in her first season in Tempe after transferring from Tulsa.
The Cougars began 2023 by racing out of the gate, capturing 14 of their first 20 games, including a victory over ASU on Feb. 16. Since then, they've split their last six tilts and they'll spend the weekend prior to Utah's visit to Provo visiting Santa Clara for a three-game series.
The driving force behind much of the Cougars' success has been an offense that leads the West Coast Conference in homers and slugging and owns the league's second-highest totals runs scored and stolen bases. The most dangerous bats in the BYU lineup have been swung by Huntyr Ava and Hailey Morrow, both of whom are slugging over .600, while pitcher Kaysen North has accounted for more than half of her team's triumphs with a 10-2 record.
The Wildcats have not been on the field since March 19 and are attempting to break a six-game losing streak, but several of those defeats came against a pair of nation's top teams, including two losses to No. 1 Oklahoma. WSU is looking to replicate the form that led them to 38 wins in 2022 and a Big Sky Tournament Championship.
Infielder McKell McCuistion and catcher Lauren Hoe have been two of Wildcats' standout performers in 2023. McCuistion owns a .355 average and leads the squad in hits, doubles and total bases, while Hoe's five homers, 18 RBIs and .530 slugging percentage are tops on the team. When the Wildcats split a twin bill with the Utes in 2022, it was McCuistion who struck the first big blow for WSU with a three-run homer in the first inning that eliminated an early Utah lead.
Team Stat Leaders (as of 4/5/23)
| Batting Avg. | Aliya Belarde | .431 | |
| Slugging % | Ellessa Bonstrom | .785 | |
| On Base % | Ellessa Bonstrom | .519 | |
| Runs Scored | Aliya Belarde | 32 | |
| Hits | Aliya Belarde | 44 | |
| RBI | Ellessa Bonstrom | 33 | |
| Doubles | Sophie Jacquez | 8 | |
| Home Runs | Ellessa Bonstrom | 8 | |
| Stolen Bases | Haley Denning | 23 | |
| ERA | Sydney Sandez | 2.15 (75.0 IP) |
| K's | Mariah Lopez | 87 |
| Wins | Sydney Sandez | 11 |
Pac-12 Rankings - Individual
- Denning continues to maintain a tight grip on the league lead in stolen bases with 23 and three more Utes own places in the top 10, including Belarde in third with 13 and Bonstrom, who is in fourth with 12.
- Ellessa Bonstrom has climbed into the conference's top 10 in a slew of statistics, including on-base percentage, where she ranks third, slugging, where she's fourth and RBIs, where she is tied for fifth.
- Utah has three players in the conference's top 10 in runs scored, led by Aliya Belarde and Haley Denning, who are both tied for fourth with 32. Belarde's 44 hits also have her sharing fifth on the league leaderboard.
- Sophie Jacquez has piled up eight doubles in 2023, which has her tied for eighth in the Pac-12.
- Sydney Sandez's 11 wins have her tied for fifth in the conference and Mariah Lopez also sits in the top 10, tied for ninth.
- Lopez's 87 strikeouts and strikeout rate of 8.05 Ks per seven innings are both fifth-best in the Pac- 12.
Pac-12 Rankings - Team
- The Utes have stolen 76 bases so far in 2023, by far the most in the league and 18 more than second-place Washington.
- Utah's .329 team batting average is the Pac-12's third-highest mark.
- Opponents have only recorded 96 strikeouts against the Utes this season, the fewest in the Pac-12.
National Rankings – Individual
- Haley Denning's 23 stolen bases have her tied for 12th in Division I and her average of .79 steals per game is the seventh-best rate in the nation.
- Denning and Aliya Belarde are both tied for 20th in the country in runs scored per game, averaging 1.10.
- Belarde owns a pair of top 50 spots on the national leaderboard, claiming the country's 31st-best batting average at.431 and 36th-highest hits total with 44.
- Ellessa Bonstrom owns the NCAA's 20th-best rate of RBIs per game at 1.14 and she's also 45th in the nation in runs scored per game at .97 and 33rd in slugging at .785.
- Bonstrom is currently the fifth-most difficult player in the nation to strikeout, as she's averaging just one punchout per 39.5 at-bats.
National Rankings – Team
- Utah has batted .328 so far in 2023, which puts them 13th in the country. It also puts them right on the heels of the highest batting average in program history, the .329 mark the Utes posted in 1994.
- Utah's offense is averaging 6.69 runs per game, making them the 12th-highest scoring lineup in the nation.
- The Utes have piled up 47 doubles for an average of 1.62 per game, placing them in a tie for 20th.
Opportunistic Offense
In 13 of their games in 2023, the Utes have forced their opponents into multiple miscues in the field and Utah is currently a perfect 13-0 in contests where the opposition makes multiple errors.
It's Like Stealin'
The Utes currently own the Pac-12's largest differential in stolen bases, as Utah has swiped 76 bases and only allowed six, the second fewest of any team in the conference. The Utes are also the league's second-best team in terms of preventing successful steal attempts, as the squad's catchers have thrown out six of 12 attempted base stealers.
Three is a Charm
Utah's hitters have piled up 14 three-hit games through 29 contests in 2022, already putting them far ahead of last season's total of eight. No Ute had more than two three-hit performances to their credit a year ago, but so far in 2023, Aliya Belarde has accomplished that feat four times and Haley Denning and Ellessa Bonstrom have each done it thrice.
A Consistent Quartet
In 28 of Utah's 29 matchups in 2023, they have installed the same four players into their starting infield. Aliya Belarde, Karlie Davison and Julia Jimenez have started at second base, shortstop and third base, respectively, in every contest and Ellessa Bonstrom has been the team's starter at first in every game but one.
Bonstrom, Dayton Recognized with Pac-12 Weekly Awards
Ellessa Bonstrom and Abby Dayton were recognized by the Pac-12 on March 20. Bonstrom received her second Pac-12 Player of the Week award in two weeks, while Dayton became the first Ute in six years to be named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week. Bonstrom is only the second Utah softball player to ever collect two player of the week awards in one season, matching a feat accomplished by Hannah Flippen in 2015.
Turn It Up to an 11
From Feb. 26 to March 17, the Utes strung together an 11-game win streak, their longest since they also on 11-in-a-row in 2017. Six of the victories during that run belonged to Sydney Sandez, who crafted a 0.49 ERA. At the plate, the Utes hit .369 as a team, led by Aliya Belarde's .500 average and Ellessa Bonstrom's six homers and 20 RBIs.
Starting Fast
For 10 straight games, from Feb. 19 to March 6, the Utes put together a consecutive games streak of scoring the first inning. Utah has outscored its opponents 40-12 in the first inning and the only inning in which they've score more runs is the fourth, where they've piled up 40. The Utes are 16-2 in 2023 when they score in the first inning.
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 33 runs so far in 2023, is 19 away from becoming the program's all-time leader in that statistic and she's also 11 walks and two sacrifice flies from reaching the top of the Utah leaderboard in those categories.
Denning has swiped 23 bases through 26 games and those thefts have pushed her into third-place all-time in school history with 90 steals. She needs 10 more to become only the third Ute to ever reach 100 career stolen bases.
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 Friday 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.
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
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