Upcoming Event: Softball versus Weber State on October 15, 2025 at 6 p.m.
6 p.m.
Softball
vs Weber State
Friday, March 14
Tucson, Ariz.
4 p.m.
University of Utah
at
No. 11 Arizona
Photo by: Jackson Bilawa/Utah Athletics
Utah’s First Foray into Big 12 Play Starts at No. 11 Arizona
3/13/2025 9:00 AM | Softball
Utah softball tasked with trying to take down Wildcats in Tucson
SALT LAKE CITY – After cutting their teeth by playing a challenging slate of non-conference games over the season's first month, the University of Utah softball team is about to jump into conference competition for the first time as members of the Big 12 and they'll start that portion of the slate against a familiar league foe, the No. 11 Arizona Wildcats.
Utah and Arizona will lock horns in the first of three games on Friday at 7 p.m. at Hillenbrand Stadium in Tucson, Ariz., followed by a 5 p.m. clash on Saturday and a 12 p.m. finale on Sunday.
March 14 – 16 Schedule
How to Follow
Fans can tune in to each game via ESPN+ and links to live stats will be available on UtahUtes.com.
Last Time Out
The Utes showcased some power, pitching and defense during their time in Idaho, highlighted by the turning of nine double plays across Utah's six games, the most by any team in the nation in one weekend so far in 2025.
In the circle, freshman pitcher Hailey Maestretti continues to perform like a veteran, as evidenced by her 1.50 ERA across 42 innings in her last eight outings. Those numbers include her latest masterpiece, seven innings without allowing an earned run to beat Idaho State on Monday. In nine starts, Maestretti has allowed more than three earned runs only once and has held the opposition to zero or one in five instances.
The Utes recent power surge continued in The Gem State. Amy Hogue's bunch now has eight round-trippers in their last eight games, including two from Hailey Deter while the team was in Boise. Kaylah Nelsen hit Utah's most recent four-bagger on Monday, which also helped extend her current 12-game hit streak, the longest by a Ute in 2025. Shonty Passi has swung a hot bat as well of late, hitting .370 in Utah's last 10 tilts.
Scouting the Opposition
The Wildcats are coming off their first losing weekend of the season, having started Big 12 play by dropping two of three to UCF, but they bounced back on Monday with an 8-0 blanking of Utah State. In spite of that hiccup against the Golden Knights, Arizona still owns one of the nation's most impressive records at 23-4, which includes four victories over ranked opponents.
Four different Wildcats enter the weekend hitting over .400, including pitcher and infielder Devin Netz, who has smacked eight homers while logging a team-best eight victories in the circle. Fellow two-way player Miranda Stoddard is 5-0 as a pitcher and possesses a 1.000 slugging percentage at the plate. Netz and Stoddard's work as hitters has helped Arizona craft a .387 batting average through 27 games, fourth-best in Division I.
2025 Team Stat Leaders (as of 3/13/2025)
Batting Avg. Reese Lee .325
Slugging % Jolie Mayfield .490
On Base % Jolie Mayfield .424
Runs Scored Shonty Passi 12
Sianni Sakai 12
Hailey Deter 12
Hits Kaylah Nelse 31
RBI Kaylah Nelse 16
Hailey Deter 16
Doubles Kennedy Proctor 6
Home Runs Kaylah Nelsen 2
Hailey Deter 2
Emily Capobianco 2
Stolen Bases Hailee White 2
Marley Espiau 2
ERA Hailey Maestretti 2.78 (75.2 IP)
K's Shelbee Jones 52
Wins Shelbee Jones 3
Hailey Maestretti 3
National and Big 12 Rankings – Team
Make it a Dozen
Kaylah Nelsen enters Big 12 play possessing a career-best 12-game hit streak, surpassing a run of 11 straight games with a hit she compiled in 2024. Her streak of 12 consecutive games with a knock is also the longest by a Ute in 2025.
A Maestretti Masterpiece
On March 1, Utah rookie Hailey Maestretti tossed the first shutout of her collegiate career, firing seven scoreless innings against No. 23 San Diego State. She's the first Utah freshman to throw a complete game shutout since Katie Donovan in 2015.
First-Time Four-Baggers
Five different Utah players have hit their first collegiate home run in 2025. Kenney Proctor's first career four-bagger came on Feb. 8 vs. California. Emily Capobianco and Reese Lee smacked their first dingers on March 1 against Cal State Fullerton and Jolie Mayfield and Sianni Sakai's initial long balls were hit on March 2 vs. Weber State.
Carreon Crafts a Shutout
On Feb. 14, Brooklyn Carreon crafted the first shutout of her career against LMU, holding the Lions to six hits across six innings and striking out two. The California native threw a perfect first inning, then stranded runners in scoring position in the second, fourth, fifth and sixth to finish off her scoreless performance.
A Pair of Comebacks at the Kajikawa Classic
In both of Utah's Sunday victories at the Kajikawa Classic, they trailed late before bouncing back to earn the win. This marked the first time since April 21, 2024 the Utes collected multiple comeback wins on the same day and the first instance since Feb. 20, 2021 they erased two deficits in the fifth inning or later on the same day to collect two triumphs. On that day, Utah posted a pair of late uprisings against UNLV and California Baptist.
A Kennedy Crusher
In Kennedy Proctor's second career at-bat, which came against California on Feb. 8, she blasted a solo home run for her first collegiate hit. This was the third time in three seasons a Utah player homered for her first career hit. Taylor Jacobs accomplished that feat on April 4, 2024 against Arizona and Karlie Davison homered for her first career knock on Feb. 11, 2023 vs. Stonehill.
Team 50
The 2025 campaign is the 50th season of competition for Utah Softball, which began in 1976, and Hogue and her squad will be attempting add to a long list of memorable moments and incredible accomplishments that have defined the program throughout its history.
Over the course of 49 previous seasons, the Utes have reached the AIAW or NCAA Women's College World Series six times, earned 23 trips to regionals, collected 18 conference regular season or tournament championships and produced 20 All-Americans. Seven former Utah softball players have also been inducted into the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame.
Seven different people have held the title of head coach or co-head coach for Utah softball, but Norma Carr, Jo Evans, Mona Stevens and Amy Hogue have been the main stewards of the program throughout its history. Each collected more than 200 wins during their time as head coach, Carr, Evans and Hogue all guided the Utes to the Women's College World Series during their tenures, while Stevens guided Utah to championships in the Mountain West Conference in 2000, 2002 and 2004.
Utah's 20 All-American selections have been piled up by 15 players, starting with outfielder Melonie Kent in 1981. Four Utes, Charmelle Green, Sandy Rhea, Hannah Flippen and Ellessa Bonstrom earned All-American honors in multiple seasons, with Flippen being the only three-time All-American in school history. In 1985, 1994 and 2023, the Utes fielded teams with multiple All-Americans and in all three of those campaigns, they reached the Women's College World Series.
Amy Hogue Milestone Watch
Head coach Amy Hogue can already lay claim to the title of the winningest coach in Utah softball history, a milestone she reached in 2022 and one year later, she earned her 400th victory at the helm of the program, as well as her 600th overall. Hogue currently needs 17 more victories to reach 500 as Utah head coach and 25 to reach 700 in her career as a head coach.
Kaylah Makes the Cut
After a breakout 2024 campaign that saw her earn All-Pac-12 Second-Team status, Kaylah Nelsen earned preseason recognition in the form of a spot on the Big 12 Preseason Team. Nelsen spent 2024 batting .370, leading Pac-12 in doubles and finishing in the top 10 in the league in hits and RBIs. She also provided Utah with solid defense at first base and earned a spot on the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team.
Schedule Facts
Utah will be tasked with navigating a difficult schedule in their first year in the Big 12, as the team's slate includes 10 squads who garnered a spot in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason poll and three more that received votes. That group includes No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 10 Texas Tech, who the Utes will meet in conference play, and No. 6 UCLA and No. 9 LSU, who the Utes will meet on Feb. 28 in back-to-back games at the Judi Garman Classic.
The 2025 regular season schedule will also take the Utes to Arizona, California, Idaho, Texas and Oklahoma before the 2025 Big 12 Tournament, which will be held at Devon Park in Oklahoma City from May 7 – 10.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2025 campaign are now available. Fans can purchase season tickets by calling the Utah ticket office at 801-581-8849 or visit www.utahtickets.com/softball/.
OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF UTAH ATHLETICS – UTAH 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today to unlock a refreshed game-day experience, from managing tickets to mobile concessions ordering, as well as video content, news and information, schedules, rosters and stats. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself game-day ready.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).
Utah and Arizona will lock horns in the first of three games on Friday at 7 p.m. at Hillenbrand Stadium in Tucson, Ariz., followed by a 5 p.m. clash on Saturday and a 12 p.m. finale on Sunday.
March 14 – 16 Schedule
| Date | Game | Watch/Live Stats |
| March 14 | Utah at Arizona | Watch / Live Stats |
| March 15 | Utah at Arizona | Watch / Live Stats |
| March 16 | Utah at Arizona | Watch / Live Stats |
How to Follow
Fans can tune in to each game via ESPN+ and links to live stats will be available on UtahUtes.com.
Last Time Out
The Utes showcased some power, pitching and defense during their time in Idaho, highlighted by the turning of nine double plays across Utah's six games, the most by any team in the nation in one weekend so far in 2025.
In the circle, freshman pitcher Hailey Maestretti continues to perform like a veteran, as evidenced by her 1.50 ERA across 42 innings in her last eight outings. Those numbers include her latest masterpiece, seven innings without allowing an earned run to beat Idaho State on Monday. In nine starts, Maestretti has allowed more than three earned runs only once and has held the opposition to zero or one in five instances.
The Utes recent power surge continued in The Gem State. Amy Hogue's bunch now has eight round-trippers in their last eight games, including two from Hailey Deter while the team was in Boise. Kaylah Nelsen hit Utah's most recent four-bagger on Monday, which also helped extend her current 12-game hit streak, the longest by a Ute in 2025. Shonty Passi has swung a hot bat as well of late, hitting .370 in Utah's last 10 tilts.
Scouting the Opposition
The Wildcats are coming off their first losing weekend of the season, having started Big 12 play by dropping two of three to UCF, but they bounced back on Monday with an 8-0 blanking of Utah State. In spite of that hiccup against the Golden Knights, Arizona still owns one of the nation's most impressive records at 23-4, which includes four victories over ranked opponents.
Four different Wildcats enter the weekend hitting over .400, including pitcher and infielder Devin Netz, who has smacked eight homers while logging a team-best eight victories in the circle. Fellow two-way player Miranda Stoddard is 5-0 as a pitcher and possesses a 1.000 slugging percentage at the plate. Netz and Stoddard's work as hitters has helped Arizona craft a .387 batting average through 27 games, fourth-best in Division I.
2025 Team Stat Leaders (as of 3/13/2025)
Batting Avg. Reese Lee .325
Slugging % Jolie Mayfield .490
On Base % Jolie Mayfield .424
Runs Scored Shonty Passi 12
Sianni Sakai 12
Hailey Deter 12
Hits Kaylah Nelse 31
RBI Kaylah Nelse 16
Hailey Deter 16
Doubles Kennedy Proctor 6
Home Runs Kaylah Nelsen 2
Hailey Deter 2
Emily Capobianco 2
Stolen Bases Hailee White 2
Marley Espiau 2
ERA Hailey Maestretti 2.78 (75.2 IP)
K's Shelbee Jones 52
Wins Shelbee Jones 3
Hailey Maestretti 3
National and Big 12 Rankings – Team
- The Utes have been one of the most adept teams in the country at turning double plays, piling up 20, which placed them third nationally.
- As a team, Utah has drawn 94 walks, which places them third in the conference and 27th in country.
- A total of 18 sacrifice bunts have been put down by the Utes, 30th in the country and second in the Big 12.
- Hailee White has continued to be one of college softball's most reliable infielders, having piled up 60 assists, third-most in the Big 12 and ninth-best nationally. She's done so while making only four errors.
- Kendall Lundberg remains one of the toughest catchers in the nation to run on, having thrown out five attempted base stealers, which ranks fifth in conference.
- No one in the Big 12 has spent more time in the circle than Hailey Maestretti, who has thrown a league-high 75 2/3 innings in 20 appearances. Her number of outings puts her sixth nationally, while her innings pitched total places her 21st.
- Shelbee Jones has piled up 52 strikeouts in 2025, placing her seventh in the conference.
Make it a Dozen
Kaylah Nelsen enters Big 12 play possessing a career-best 12-game hit streak, surpassing a run of 11 straight games with a hit she compiled in 2024. Her streak of 12 consecutive games with a knock is also the longest by a Ute in 2025.
A Maestretti Masterpiece
On March 1, Utah rookie Hailey Maestretti tossed the first shutout of her collegiate career, firing seven scoreless innings against No. 23 San Diego State. She's the first Utah freshman to throw a complete game shutout since Katie Donovan in 2015.
First-Time Four-Baggers
Five different Utah players have hit their first collegiate home run in 2025. Kenney Proctor's first career four-bagger came on Feb. 8 vs. California. Emily Capobianco and Reese Lee smacked their first dingers on March 1 against Cal State Fullerton and Jolie Mayfield and Sianni Sakai's initial long balls were hit on March 2 vs. Weber State.
Carreon Crafts a Shutout
On Feb. 14, Brooklyn Carreon crafted the first shutout of her career against LMU, holding the Lions to six hits across six innings and striking out two. The California native threw a perfect first inning, then stranded runners in scoring position in the second, fourth, fifth and sixth to finish off her scoreless performance.
A Pair of Comebacks at the Kajikawa Classic
In both of Utah's Sunday victories at the Kajikawa Classic, they trailed late before bouncing back to earn the win. This marked the first time since April 21, 2024 the Utes collected multiple comeback wins on the same day and the first instance since Feb. 20, 2021 they erased two deficits in the fifth inning or later on the same day to collect two triumphs. On that day, Utah posted a pair of late uprisings against UNLV and California Baptist.
A Kennedy Crusher
In Kennedy Proctor's second career at-bat, which came against California on Feb. 8, she blasted a solo home run for her first collegiate hit. This was the third time in three seasons a Utah player homered for her first career hit. Taylor Jacobs accomplished that feat on April 4, 2024 against Arizona and Karlie Davison homered for her first career knock on Feb. 11, 2023 vs. Stonehill.
Team 50
The 2025 campaign is the 50th season of competition for Utah Softball, which began in 1976, and Hogue and her squad will be attempting add to a long list of memorable moments and incredible accomplishments that have defined the program throughout its history.
Over the course of 49 previous seasons, the Utes have reached the AIAW or NCAA Women's College World Series six times, earned 23 trips to regionals, collected 18 conference regular season or tournament championships and produced 20 All-Americans. Seven former Utah softball players have also been inducted into the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame.
Seven different people have held the title of head coach or co-head coach for Utah softball, but Norma Carr, Jo Evans, Mona Stevens and Amy Hogue have been the main stewards of the program throughout its history. Each collected more than 200 wins during their time as head coach, Carr, Evans and Hogue all guided the Utes to the Women's College World Series during their tenures, while Stevens guided Utah to championships in the Mountain West Conference in 2000, 2002 and 2004.
Utah's 20 All-American selections have been piled up by 15 players, starting with outfielder Melonie Kent in 1981. Four Utes, Charmelle Green, Sandy Rhea, Hannah Flippen and Ellessa Bonstrom earned All-American honors in multiple seasons, with Flippen being the only three-time All-American in school history. In 1985, 1994 and 2023, the Utes fielded teams with multiple All-Americans and in all three of those campaigns, they reached the Women's College World Series.
Amy Hogue Milestone Watch
Head coach Amy Hogue can already lay claim to the title of the winningest coach in Utah softball history, a milestone she reached in 2022 and one year later, she earned her 400th victory at the helm of the program, as well as her 600th overall. Hogue currently needs 17 more victories to reach 500 as Utah head coach and 25 to reach 700 in her career as a head coach.
Kaylah Makes the Cut
After a breakout 2024 campaign that saw her earn All-Pac-12 Second-Team status, Kaylah Nelsen earned preseason recognition in the form of a spot on the Big 12 Preseason Team. Nelsen spent 2024 batting .370, leading Pac-12 in doubles and finishing in the top 10 in the league in hits and RBIs. She also provided Utah with solid defense at first base and earned a spot on the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team.
Schedule Facts
Utah will be tasked with navigating a difficult schedule in their first year in the Big 12, as the team's slate includes 10 squads who garnered a spot in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason poll and three more that received votes. That group includes No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 10 Texas Tech, who the Utes will meet in conference play, and No. 6 UCLA and No. 9 LSU, who the Utes will meet on Feb. 28 in back-to-back games at the Judi Garman Classic.
The 2025 regular season schedule will also take the Utes to Arizona, California, Idaho, Texas and Oklahoma before the 2025 Big 12 Tournament, which will be held at Devon Park in Oklahoma City from May 7 – 10.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2025 campaign are now available. Fans can purchase season tickets by calling the Utah ticket office at 801-581-8849 or visit www.utahtickets.com/softball/.
OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF UTAH ATHLETICS – UTAH 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today to unlock a refreshed game-day experience, from managing tickets to mobile concessions ordering, as well as video content, news and information, schedules, rosters and stats. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself game-day ready.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).
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