Upcoming Event: Softball versus Utah Valley on October 2, 2025 at 4 p.m.
4 p.m.
Softball
vs Utah Valley
Friday, May 5
Eugene, OR
7 p.m.
University of Utah
at
No. 13 Oregon
Photo by: Eli Rehmer/Utah Athletics
No. 19 Softball Caps Regular Season with Series at No. 13 Oregon
5/3/2023 3:04 PM | Softball
One more regular season test awaits before start of Pac-12 Tournament
SALT LAKE CITY – The 2023 regular season is coming to a close for the No. 19 University of Utah softball team and only one series remains on the docket for the Utes, who are getting set to travel to Jane Sanders Stadium for three games against the No. 13 Oregon Ducks in Eugene, Ore.
The Utes and the Ducks will meet for the first time on Friday for a contest that will begin at 6 p.m. PT (7 p.m. MT), followed by Saturday showdown at 4 p.m. PT and a Sunday finale that will start at 2 p.m. PT.
May 5-7 Schedule
How to Follow
The Pac-12 Network will be where fans can find each of the first two matchups between the Utes and Ducks, while Pac-12 Mountain and Pac-12 Oregon will carry the series finale. Links to live stats for each contest can be found on UtahUtes.com.
Last Time Out
The Utes are coming off their most challenging series of the season, a three-day battle against the No. 2 UCLA Bruins that saw Utah unable to find the formula for a victory.
Despite those setbacks, the Utes received a strong week from pitcher Mariah Lopez, who spent Tuesday firing five shutout innings in 9-0 triumph over Utah Valley. In 10 2/3 innings over two appearances against UCLA, Lopez permitted only four earned runs and struck out 10, boosting her total in the latter statistic to 146, fourth-most in the Pac-12. Lopez is also fifth in the league in strikeout rate and tied for sixth in victories with 14.
There were multiple Utes who swung hot bats against the Bruins, led by catcher Kendall Lundberg, who picked up a hit in all three games of the series. Her steady work at the plate has seen her boost her average from .182 on March 4 all the way to .312, the highest its been in 2023. In 17 games in April, only Aliya Belarde and Abby Dayton crafted a better clip than Lundberg's .359.
Belarde batted an even .400 in April and if she can maintain her current average of .425, it would be the best mark by a Ute since Hannah Flippen hit .427 in 2017. Belarde continues to maintain her hold on second place in the race for the conference batting title, trailing on UCLA's Maya Brady and more than 15 points ahead of another Bruin, Jorden Woolery, who sits in third. Belarde is also second in the league in runs scored and hits and has yet to be thrown out in 15 stolen base attempts.
Scouting the Opposition
On the strength of a 13-game win streak, the Ducks have shot up to third in the Pac-12 standings. During that win streak Oregon has scored sweeps of Arizona State, Arizona and California and their most recent week of play saw infielder Allee Bunker hit .600 across four games and drive in 10 total runs to earn Pac-12 Player of the Week honors.
Bunker has been one of the toughest outs in an Oregon lineup that has produced the third-most runs in the Pac-12 and Bunker's .408 batting average places her fifth in the conference, along with a .678 slugging percentage that ranks eighth. Not far behind Bunker in slugging is teammate Terra McGowa, who's smacked a team-high 11 dingers and leads her squad in runs scored with 41.
The busiest members of the Ducks' pitching staff have been Morgan Scott, Stevie Hansen and Raegan Breedlove, all of whom have ERAs under three, led by Scott's mark of 2.22. Scott has started in 16 of her 27 appearances but softball vernacular could also classify her as a closer, as evidenced by her six saves, which are tied for tops in the Pac-12 and seventh in the nation. Stevie Hansen leads the club in victories with 18 and only UCLA's Megan Faraimo has more among Pac-12 hurlers.
Team Stat Leaders (as of 5/3/23)
Pac-12 Rankings - Individual
Pac-12 Rankings - Team
National Rankings – Individual
Top of the Order Table Setters
No 1-2 punch in the Pac-12 has done a better job setting the table than Utah's Haley Denning and Aliya Belarde, both of whom are in the top five in runs scored in the Pac-12, Belarde with 45 and Denning with 40. The Utes are the only squad in the conference to have to players who've crossed the plate at least 40 times.
Vanquishing the Ranked
The Utes will be heading to Eugene to try and earn their third series victory of the year over a ranked foe. They previously took series' from No. 17 Arizona and No. 5 Stanford. The last time the Utes took three series from ranked teams was in 2017, when they accomplished that feat four times.
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 48 runs so far in 2023, is four away from becoming the program's all-time leader in that statistic and she's also four walks and one sacrifice fly from reaching the top of the Utah leaderboard in those categories.
Denning has swiped 28 bases through 26 games and those thefts have pushed her into third-place all-time in school history with 95 steals. She needs five more to become only the third Ute to ever reach 100 career stolen bases.
As a team, Utah has amassed 89 stolen bases, meaning they need only four more to reach a new program-best in that statistic. The current school best of 92 was set in 1994.
Conquering the Cardinal
The Utes home sweep over the No. 5 Stanford Cardinal represents the highest ranked team Utah has ever swept in a series. In game one, the Utes pounded out 12 hits, the most Stanford had allowed in a game to that point. The five runs Utah scored in game three represented the second-highest run total for any team against the Cardinal in 2023.
Stringing Wins Together
Three times during 2023, the Utes have put together a win streak of at least five games, most recently stringing together seven-in-a-row from April 8-21. This marks the first time Utah has accomplished that feat since they also put together three wins streaks of at least five games in 2017.
Three is a Charm
Utah's hitters have piled up 17 three-hit games through 29 contests in 2022, already putting them far ahead of last season's total of eight in that statistic. 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 five times and Haley Denning and Ellessa Bonstrom have each done it thrice.
Starting Fast
The Utes have a higher run-differential in the first inning that in any other frame, outscoring opponents 51-14 in that stanza. The 51 runs are also more than Utah has scored in any inning except the fourth, where 55 Utes have crossed the plate. For 10 straight games, from Feb. 19 to March 6, the Utes put together a consecutive games streak of scoring the first inning.
Give Mariah a Medal
On April 17, Mariah Lopez earned her second Division I Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week award after a 3-0 week in which she posted a 0.89 ERA. Lopez is the first Ute to ever earn this honor twice in one season after she was named national player of the week for the first time on Feb. 14.
Two-Out Utes
So far in 2023, the Utes have hit .330 with two outs and piled up 104 two-out RBIs, improving on their numbers from a year ago. In 2022, Utah's average with two outs stood at .266 and they finished the season with 95 two-out RBIs. Also, Utah pitchers have held the opposition to a .188 clip with two outs.
Seeing Double-Digits
Utah's 10-run outburst against Weber State on April 11 was the sixth time they've tallied 10 or more runs in 2023, already surpassing their total from 2022, when they accomplished that feat four times.
Dynamic Duo
Both Syndey Sandez and Mariah Lopez have reached double-digit wins for the Utes in 2023, the first time since 2017 two Utes have topped the 10-win threshold. Lopez's 12 triumphs are already a career-high, while Sandez's next victory will set a new career-best for her.
Dayton Does it Again
On April 10, Abby Dayton was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the second time. Dayton, who went 7-for-8 at the plate during the week, is the third Ute to receive multiple freshman of the week awards in a single season and the first since Ally Dickman in 2016. Katie Donovan accomplished this feat as well, doing so in 2015.
Opportunistic Offense
In 18 of their games in 2023, the Utes have forced their opponents into multiple miscues in the field and Utah is currently a perfect 18-0 in contests where the opposition makes multiple errors.
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.
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 and the Ducks will meet for the first time on Friday for a contest that will begin at 6 p.m. PT (7 p.m. MT), followed by Saturday showdown at 4 p.m. PT and a Sunday finale that will start at 2 p.m. PT.
May 5-7 Schedule
| Date | Game | Live Stats/Watch |
| May 5 | Utah vs. Oregon | Live Stats / Watch |
| May 6 | Utah vs. Oregon | Live Stats / Watch |
| May 7 | Utah vs. Oregon | Live Stats / Watch |
How to Follow
The Pac-12 Network will be where fans can find each of the first two matchups between the Utes and Ducks, while Pac-12 Mountain and Pac-12 Oregon will carry the series finale. Links to live stats for each contest can be found on UtahUtes.com.
Last Time Out
The Utes are coming off their most challenging series of the season, a three-day battle against the No. 2 UCLA Bruins that saw Utah unable to find the formula for a victory.
Despite those setbacks, the Utes received a strong week from pitcher Mariah Lopez, who spent Tuesday firing five shutout innings in 9-0 triumph over Utah Valley. In 10 2/3 innings over two appearances against UCLA, Lopez permitted only four earned runs and struck out 10, boosting her total in the latter statistic to 146, fourth-most in the Pac-12. Lopez is also fifth in the league in strikeout rate and tied for sixth in victories with 14.
There were multiple Utes who swung hot bats against the Bruins, led by catcher Kendall Lundberg, who picked up a hit in all three games of the series. Her steady work at the plate has seen her boost her average from .182 on March 4 all the way to .312, the highest its been in 2023. In 17 games in April, only Aliya Belarde and Abby Dayton crafted a better clip than Lundberg's .359.
Belarde batted an even .400 in April and if she can maintain her current average of .425, it would be the best mark by a Ute since Hannah Flippen hit .427 in 2017. Belarde continues to maintain her hold on second place in the race for the conference batting title, trailing on UCLA's Maya Brady and more than 15 points ahead of another Bruin, Jorden Woolery, who sits in third. Belarde is also second in the league in runs scored and hits and has yet to be thrown out in 15 stolen base attempts.
Scouting the Opposition
On the strength of a 13-game win streak, the Ducks have shot up to third in the Pac-12 standings. During that win streak Oregon has scored sweeps of Arizona State, Arizona and California and their most recent week of play saw infielder Allee Bunker hit .600 across four games and drive in 10 total runs to earn Pac-12 Player of the Week honors.
Bunker has been one of the toughest outs in an Oregon lineup that has produced the third-most runs in the Pac-12 and Bunker's .408 batting average places her fifth in the conference, along with a .678 slugging percentage that ranks eighth. Not far behind Bunker in slugging is teammate Terra McGowa, who's smacked a team-high 11 dingers and leads her squad in runs scored with 41.
The busiest members of the Ducks' pitching staff have been Morgan Scott, Stevie Hansen and Raegan Breedlove, all of whom have ERAs under three, led by Scott's mark of 2.22. Scott has started in 16 of her 27 appearances but softball vernacular could also classify her as a closer, as evidenced by her six saves, which are tied for tops in the Pac-12 and seventh in the nation. Stevie Hansen leads the club in victories with 18 and only UCLA's Megan Faraimo has more among Pac-12 hurlers.
Team Stat Leaders (as of 5/3/23)
| Batting Avg. | Aliya Belarde | .425 | |
| Slugging % | Ellessa Bonstrom | .606 | |
| On Base % | Ellessa Bonstrom | .488 | |
| Runs Scored | Aliya Belarde | 45 | |
| Hits | Aliya Belarde | 62 | |
| RBI | Ellessa Bonstrom | 48 | |
| Doubles | Julia Jimenez | 12 | |
| Home Runs | Ellessa Bonstrom | 9 | |
| Stolen Bases | Haley Denning | 28 | |
| ERA | Sydney Sandez | 2.40 (86.0 IP) |
| K's | Mariah Lopez | 146 |
| Wins | Sydney Sandez Mariah Lopez |
14 |
Pac-12 Rankings - Individual
- Aliya Belarde continues to put her name among the leaders in the Pac-12 in several categories, sitting in second in hits, runs scored and batting average, third in stolen bases, fourth in on-base percentage, fifth in steals and tied for sixth in walks.
- Ellessa Bonstrom remains one of the top run producers in the Pac-12. Her 48 RBIs are tied for fifth-most in the league and she ranks 10th in runs scored.
- Haley Denning's name can be found in the conference's top 10 in steals, where she continues to lead the league with 28, runs scored, where her 40 has her in fourth, and hits, with 54, good enough for ninth.
- Several Utes can claim spots in the top 10 in pair of extra base hit categories, with Jordyn Gasper tied for third in the league in triples. Julia Jimenez's 12 doubles are tied for the Pac-12's fourth-most and Sophie Jacquez is sharing 10th with 11 two-baggers.
Pac-12 Rankings - Team
- No one in the Pac-12 has come close to matching Utah's total in steals and their 89 stolen bases are 20 more than second-place Washington.
- Utah's bats have put them in the top three in the conference in multiple statistics, including doubles, with the league's second-highest total of 68, and triples, where they're tied for second with 12. The Utes are hitting .324 as a team, the third highest average in the Pac-12.
- Utah has been the toughest team in the league to strikeout, going down on strikes only 154 times in 2023, 25 fewer Ks than the next lowest total.
National Rankings – Individual
- Aliya Belarde's named can be found in the top 30 nationally in four different stats, as she continues to solidify her status as one of the nation's best players. She ranks 22nd in the country in runs score per game, 28th in batting average, tied for 28th in hits and 25th in the rankings of the toughest players to strike out.
- Ellessa Bonstrom's 48 RBIs are tied for 30th-most in Division I and she also rates as the 23rd most-difficult player strikeout, with an average of only one punchout every 24.8 at-bats.
- Haley Denning has not stopped piling up thefts on the basepaths, with her 28 swipes tying for 23rd-most in the nation.
- The Utah lineup remains one of the most dangerous in the nation, as evidenced by the fact they sit in top 50 in seven different categories, led by batting average, where they carry a .323 clip that ranks 13th. The Utes average 6.23 runs per game, 18th nationally, they've churned out doubles at a rate of 1.55 per contest, landing them in 22nd and they stolen bases at the 23rd-best rate in Division I. Utah is also in the top 50 in on-base percentage, slugging and triples per game.
Top of the Order Table Setters
No 1-2 punch in the Pac-12 has done a better job setting the table than Utah's Haley Denning and Aliya Belarde, both of whom are in the top five in runs scored in the Pac-12, Belarde with 45 and Denning with 40. The Utes are the only squad in the conference to have to players who've crossed the plate at least 40 times.
Vanquishing the Ranked
The Utes will be heading to Eugene to try and earn their third series victory of the year over a ranked foe. They previously took series' from No. 17 Arizona and No. 5 Stanford. The last time the Utes took three series from ranked teams was in 2017, when they accomplished that feat four times.
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 48 runs so far in 2023, is four away from becoming the program's all-time leader in that statistic and she's also four walks and one sacrifice fly from reaching the top of the Utah leaderboard in those categories.
Denning has swiped 28 bases through 26 games and those thefts have pushed her into third-place all-time in school history with 95 steals. She needs five more to become only the third Ute to ever reach 100 career stolen bases.
As a team, Utah has amassed 89 stolen bases, meaning they need only four more to reach a new program-best in that statistic. The current school best of 92 was set in 1994.
Conquering the Cardinal
The Utes home sweep over the No. 5 Stanford Cardinal represents the highest ranked team Utah has ever swept in a series. In game one, the Utes pounded out 12 hits, the most Stanford had allowed in a game to that point. The five runs Utah scored in game three represented the second-highest run total for any team against the Cardinal in 2023.
Stringing Wins Together
Three times during 2023, the Utes have put together a win streak of at least five games, most recently stringing together seven-in-a-row from April 8-21. This marks the first time Utah has accomplished that feat since they also put together three wins streaks of at least five games in 2017.
Three is a Charm
Utah's hitters have piled up 17 three-hit games through 29 contests in 2022, already putting them far ahead of last season's total of eight in that statistic. 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 five times and Haley Denning and Ellessa Bonstrom have each done it thrice.
Starting Fast
The Utes have a higher run-differential in the first inning that in any other frame, outscoring opponents 51-14 in that stanza. The 51 runs are also more than Utah has scored in any inning except the fourth, where 55 Utes have crossed the plate. For 10 straight games, from Feb. 19 to March 6, the Utes put together a consecutive games streak of scoring the first inning.
Give Mariah a Medal
On April 17, Mariah Lopez earned her second Division I Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week award after a 3-0 week in which she posted a 0.89 ERA. Lopez is the first Ute to ever earn this honor twice in one season after she was named national player of the week for the first time on Feb. 14.
Two-Out Utes
So far in 2023, the Utes have hit .330 with two outs and piled up 104 two-out RBIs, improving on their numbers from a year ago. In 2022, Utah's average with two outs stood at .266 and they finished the season with 95 two-out RBIs. Also, Utah pitchers have held the opposition to a .188 clip with two outs.
Seeing Double-Digits
Utah's 10-run outburst against Weber State on April 11 was the sixth time they've tallied 10 or more runs in 2023, already surpassing their total from 2022, when they accomplished that feat four times.
Dynamic Duo
Both Syndey Sandez and Mariah Lopez have reached double-digit wins for the Utes in 2023, the first time since 2017 two Utes have topped the 10-win threshold. Lopez's 12 triumphs are already a career-high, while Sandez's next victory will set a new career-best for her.
Dayton Does it Again
On April 10, Abby Dayton was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the second time. Dayton, who went 7-for-8 at the plate during the week, is the third Ute to receive multiple freshman of the week awards in a single season and the first since Ally Dickman in 2016. Katie Donovan accomplished this feat as well, doing so in 2015.
Opportunistic Offense
In 18 of their games in 2023, the Utes have forced their opponents into multiple miscues in the field and Utah is currently a perfect 18-0 in contests where the opposition makes multiple errors.
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.
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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