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
Photo by: Michael Christy
Eight Utes Land on NFCA All-Region Squad
5/18/2023 12:20 PM | Softball
Utah sets new program-best with eight selections, Denning, Lopez earn first-team spots
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After setting a new program-best by having eight players make the All-Pac-12 roster, the No. 12 University of Utah softball team has achieved another first by having eight student-athletes selected to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Pacific Region squad, which was announced on Thursday.
Mariah Lopez and Haley Denning both made the all-region first-team, while Utah's second-team selections consisted of Ellessa Bonstrom, Aliya Belarde, Julia Jimenez and Sophie Jacquez. Sydney Sandez and Abby Dayton collected third-team honors. This eclipses Utah's previous program-best of five all-region picks, which happened in 2017.
Haley Denning already claimed the mantle of being the first Utah softball player to make the All-Pac-12 Second-Team three straight seasons and now she's only the fourth Ute to ever attain first-team all-region status multiple times, having also accomplished this feat in 2021. Denning led the Pac-12 in stolen bases for a third straight season, swiping 28 bags in 2023. Her senior year got off to a ferocious start, as she spent the first month hitting over .450 and has maintained spots near the top of the league leaderboard in runs and hits. She's also closing in on becoming just the third Ute to ever reach 100 career stolen bases.
Lopez has been collecting one honor after another over the past several weeks, having garnered all-conference first-team status before taking home the Pac-12 Tournament's Most Outstanding Player award. Lopez's 18 wins are tied for the second-most in the Pac-12 and she's the first Utah pitcher to hit that benchmark since Katie Donovan in 2017. Lopez is also in the league's top 10 in strikeouts and ERA and has picked up seven victories over ranked foes in 2023.
Nobody on the Utah roster has crafted a higher batting average than Belarde's .393 and that mark help her land on the All-Pac-12 First-Team. That stands as the conference's sixth-highest clip and she's also earned spots in the top five on the conference leaderboard in hits, steals, on-base percentage and runs. She ranks second in the league in the latter category, scoring 49 times in 2023 and her 65 knocks are also second in the Pac-12. In the field, no one on the Utah roster collected more assists than Belarde's 96 and she's been part of a team-high 15 double plays.
For Bonstrom, this makes back-to-back all-region campaigns after she achieved All-Pac-12 status for the third consecutive year and was an All-Pac-12 Tournament choice. Bonstrom's 50 RBIs put her fifth in the conference and she's also in the top 10 in steals, on-base percentage, walks and runs scored, while her 10 homers are a team-best. Her efforts during the season earned her a pair of Pac-12 Player of the Week awards, making her only the second Ute to ever win two of those honors in one season.
Jimenez was an all-region performer as well in 2022, marking the first time since 2016-17 Utah has had two players repeat on the all-region list. Jimenez joined Bonstrom on the all-tournament squad as well and no one on the roster can claim a higher slugging percentage than Jimenez's .656. She's currently the Pac-12 leader in doubles with 14, ranks second on the team in RBIs and walks and she's third on the Utes in hits with 56.
This honor goes down as one more accomplishment in a breakout 2023 for Jacquez, another recipient of an all-conference second-team spot and an all-tournament placement. Jacquez's .367 average puts her third on Utah's leaderboard and she's coupled that with career-highs in hits, runs, homers and RBIs, as well as 12 doubles, tied for sixth in the Pac-12. Her four long balls include one of Utah's most important clutch hits in 2023, in the form of a game-tying sixth-inning four-bagger against Stanford on April 15.
Dayton was the first Utah freshman to make first-team all-conference since Katie Donovan in 2015 and now she's Utah's first all-region freshman since Donovan also checked that box in 205. The Riverside, California native accomplished these feats by hitting .358 with a .425 on-base percentage and stealing seven bases in as many attempts. Dayton enters the NCAA Tournament on a seven-game hit-streak and was the recipient of two Pac-12 Freshman of the Week awards in 2023.
Sandez got the Pac-12 Tournament off to a phenomenal start for the Utes with a complete-game win over California, upping her 2023 win total to 13, a new career-high. Sandez has contributed to six Utah shutouts, including a combined no-hitter in March, and owns a 2.73 ERA. Her ERA stood at 1.78 through the season's first month and she played a critical role in the Utes' March sweep of Oregon State, collecting two of her team's three wins.
All these all-region performers are going to be back at the Dumke Family Softball Stadium to get the NCAA Tournament started with the Salt Lake City Regional. Utah's first regional showdown is a matchup against Southern Illinois that will begin on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
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