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The University of Utah Athletics
Dayton, Denning, Lopez Lead Parade of All-Pac-12 Selections for Softball
5/7/2024 4:15 PM | Softball
Utah Softball’s honorees also include Belarde, Nelsen, Passi, Lee
SAN FRANCISCO – One year after setting a new program record by earning eight all-conference selections, the University of Utah softball team nearly matched that mark by having seven student-athletes recognized by the Pac-12 when the league released its annual postseason awards on Tuesday.
Utah's list of all-league honorees was led by Abby Dayton, Haley Denning and Mariah Lopez, all of whom were chosen for the All-Pac-12 First-Team. This makes back-to-back seasons in which Dayton and Lopez landed on the first-team, the first time the Utes have had multiple players make consecutive first-team appearances since they joined the conference in 2012. Dayton is also the first Utah player ever to be picked for the league's first-team as a freshman and sophomore.
For Denning, this is the fourth consecutive year she's been recognized by the Pac-12, making her just the fifth Ute in school history to achieve all-conference recognition four times. She was also rewarded with a place on the Pac-12's All-Defensive Team.
Representing the Utes on the all-conference second-team were Kaylah Nelsen and Aliya Belarde, while Shonty Passi and Reese Lee were among the selections for Pac-12's All-Freshman Team. This marks the first time since 2017 the program has had multiple rookies chosen for the all-freshman roster.
Dayton can add this honor to a list that also includes winning the Pac-12 batting title with .444 average, the first time a Ute has done that since 2017. The league's leading hitter also can also claim the top spot on the conference leaderboard in on-base percentage and triples. Dayton's 66 hits and 23 walks put her in the top 10 in the conference in those statistics as well to go with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Her 2024 season has included a 33-game on-base streak, second-longest in the nation, and she's recorded seven three-hit games, the most by a Ute in a single season since 2021.
By winning nine of her last 10 decisions, a stretch during which she's also crafted a 1.23 ERA, Lopez has climbed to the top of the conference leaderboard, with her 21 victories tying for the most in the Pac-12. That total makes her the first Ute in more than a decade to post back-to-back 20-win seasons and she also owns the league's second-highest strikeout total and fourth-best ERA. Her 201 punchouts and 21 triumphs both have her in the top 15 nationally and she's also picked up a Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week award along the way.
After three straight years on the All-Pac-12 Second-Team, Denning made the leap up to the first team by cobbling together a season in which no one in the Pac-12 has scored more runs than her 45. Denning's stat line also includes 69 hits and 22 steals, the league's second-highest total in each statistic and she owns the conference's fourth-best batting average .418. The 15-game hit streak she strung together in March and April is a team-best and she's also tied for the team-lead in multi-hit games with 20. The Arizona native nabbed a place on the all-defensive team for her work in the field that included a perfect fielding percentage and five total assists.
Nelsen grabbed hold of a starting spot in February and never let go, thanks in part to her total of 15 doubles, second-most in the Pac-12 and most by a Utah hitter since 2018. She also ranks in the top 10 in the conference in hits, with 62, batting average, at .380, and RBIs with 37. Nelsen's been the eighth toughest player in the nation to strikeout, thanks to a rate of one punchout every 40.8 at-bats and that mark has also helped her post a 24-game on-base streak, third-longest in the conference. In the field, Nelsen has made only two errors in over 150 chances at first base.
For Belarde, this makes back-to-back all-league selections after she earned a first-team nod in 2023. The Utah second baseman is one of the players sharing first place in the conference in runs scored with Denning, having crossed home plate 44 times. She's also in the top 10 in hits, triples and stolen bases and owns her team's second-highest total in home runs, one of which was a grand slam at ASU on April 12. She has a Pac-12 Player of the Week award to her credit as well, which she received on April 8.
No Utah player has swung a hotter bat of late than Passi, who's hit a team-best .487 in her last 13 games, including her first two collegiate home runs. She's also hit safely in her last nine contests, a hot streak that helped her take home Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors on April 29. For the season, Passi's posted a stat line that includes seven doubles, tied for third on the squad, and her .365 on-base percentage ranks fifth-best. In the field, she's second on the team in assists with 49.
Lee has been a steady presence both at the plate and in the field for the Utes, appearing in 46 games during her first season in Salt Lake City. The Arizona native has hit .273 in Pac-12 play in 2024 and she's also second on the team among freshman in hits and RBIs and she's stolen four bases without being caught. Her work in the field includes four assists and 41 putouts.
Follow the Utes!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Softball |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).
Utah's list of all-league honorees was led by Abby Dayton, Haley Denning and Mariah Lopez, all of whom were chosen for the All-Pac-12 First-Team. This makes back-to-back seasons in which Dayton and Lopez landed on the first-team, the first time the Utes have had multiple players make consecutive first-team appearances since they joined the conference in 2012. Dayton is also the first Utah player ever to be picked for the league's first-team as a freshman and sophomore.
For Denning, this is the fourth consecutive year she's been recognized by the Pac-12, making her just the fifth Ute in school history to achieve all-conference recognition four times. She was also rewarded with a place on the Pac-12's All-Defensive Team.
Representing the Utes on the all-conference second-team were Kaylah Nelsen and Aliya Belarde, while Shonty Passi and Reese Lee were among the selections for Pac-12's All-Freshman Team. This marks the first time since 2017 the program has had multiple rookies chosen for the all-freshman roster.
Dayton can add this honor to a list that also includes winning the Pac-12 batting title with .444 average, the first time a Ute has done that since 2017. The league's leading hitter also can also claim the top spot on the conference leaderboard in on-base percentage and triples. Dayton's 66 hits and 23 walks put her in the top 10 in the conference in those statistics as well to go with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Her 2024 season has included a 33-game on-base streak, second-longest in the nation, and she's recorded seven three-hit games, the most by a Ute in a single season since 2021.
By winning nine of her last 10 decisions, a stretch during which she's also crafted a 1.23 ERA, Lopez has climbed to the top of the conference leaderboard, with her 21 victories tying for the most in the Pac-12. That total makes her the first Ute in more than a decade to post back-to-back 20-win seasons and she also owns the league's second-highest strikeout total and fourth-best ERA. Her 201 punchouts and 21 triumphs both have her in the top 15 nationally and she's also picked up a Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week award along the way.
After three straight years on the All-Pac-12 Second-Team, Denning made the leap up to the first team by cobbling together a season in which no one in the Pac-12 has scored more runs than her 45. Denning's stat line also includes 69 hits and 22 steals, the league's second-highest total in each statistic and she owns the conference's fourth-best batting average .418. The 15-game hit streak she strung together in March and April is a team-best and she's also tied for the team-lead in multi-hit games with 20. The Arizona native nabbed a place on the all-defensive team for her work in the field that included a perfect fielding percentage and five total assists.
Nelsen grabbed hold of a starting spot in February and never let go, thanks in part to her total of 15 doubles, second-most in the Pac-12 and most by a Utah hitter since 2018. She also ranks in the top 10 in the conference in hits, with 62, batting average, at .380, and RBIs with 37. Nelsen's been the eighth toughest player in the nation to strikeout, thanks to a rate of one punchout every 40.8 at-bats and that mark has also helped her post a 24-game on-base streak, third-longest in the conference. In the field, Nelsen has made only two errors in over 150 chances at first base.
For Belarde, this makes back-to-back all-league selections after she earned a first-team nod in 2023. The Utah second baseman is one of the players sharing first place in the conference in runs scored with Denning, having crossed home plate 44 times. She's also in the top 10 in hits, triples and stolen bases and owns her team's second-highest total in home runs, one of which was a grand slam at ASU on April 12. She has a Pac-12 Player of the Week award to her credit as well, which she received on April 8.
No Utah player has swung a hotter bat of late than Passi, who's hit a team-best .487 in her last 13 games, including her first two collegiate home runs. She's also hit safely in her last nine contests, a hot streak that helped her take home Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors on April 29. For the season, Passi's posted a stat line that includes seven doubles, tied for third on the squad, and her .365 on-base percentage ranks fifth-best. In the field, she's second on the team in assists with 49.
Lee has been a steady presence both at the plate and in the field for the Utes, appearing in 46 games during her first season in Salt Lake City. The Arizona native has hit .273 in Pac-12 play in 2024 and she's also second on the team among freshman in hits and RBIs and she's stolen four bases without being caught. Her work in the field includes four assists and 41 putouts.
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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