Completed Event: Softball versus No. 7 Seed UCF on May 7, 2025 , Loss , 5, to, 7
Final Score
Softball
5
vs No. 7 Seed UCF
7
Thursday, April 17
Provo, Utah
6:30 p.m.
University of Utah
at
BYU
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
Photo by: Keller Nienau/Utah Athletics
Utah, BYU to Clash in Conference Play for First Time Since 2011
4/16/2025 1:38 PM | Softball
Three-game set in Provo to begin on Thursday evening
SALT LAKE CITY – For the first time since 2011, the University of Utah softball team and the BYU Cougars will meet in a conference series, with the Utes and Cougars squaring off first on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., followed by another 6:30 p.m. clash on Friday and a 1:30 p.m. contest on Saturday.
April 17 – 19 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
One of the Utes who has started to find her stroke at the plate is senior Shelbi Ortiz, who owns a .314 average over Utah's last 10 games, a mark that includes a team-best 11 hits. Ortiz has also shown her prowess on the basepaths, stealing two bases in as many attempts, and in the field. Against Arizona State, she recorded a pair of outfield assists, throwing out a runner at the plate in Friday's affair.
Ortiz is one of four Utes who spent the previous month hitting over .300, a group that also includes Kaylah Nelsen, Shonty Passi and Kennedy Proctor, who leads the quartet with a .385 clip and 18 RBIs. Not far behind was Jolie Mayfield, who posted a .292 mark. Mayfield collected four hits against the Sun Devils, including two in the series finale, her seventh multi-hit game of the season.
The best pitcher on the squad over the last month was Shelbee Jones, who has pitched in 13 of her team's last 16 games while crafting a 2.98 ERA. In her last three starts, Jones has thrown 16 total innings and held the opposition to just three earned runs.
Scouting the Opposition
The Cougars have put together a 26-12 record in 2025 that includes an 8-7 conference mark. They're coming of back-to-back series victories, having topped Iowa State and UCF, and are currently fifth in the league table.
Three members of BYU's lineup own averages over .360, with the highest mark belonging to freshman Ilove'a Brittingham, who's hit .444 during her rookie year. The Nipomo, California native has wielded the conference's most dangerous bat and currently is the league's triple crown leader, sitting atop the leaderboard in hitting, homers and RBIs, as well as total bases and slugging. Lindy Milkowski has blasted 14 homers for the Cougars, while Lily Owens owns a team-best .484 on-base percentage.
The squad's top pitcher has been right-hander Kaysen Korth, as evidenced by her 1.84 ERA. Korth owns a 12-4 record across 99 innings and has thrown six shutouts during her junior campaign, most recently blanking Houston on March 20.
2025 Team Stat Leaders (as of 4/16/2025)
Batting Avg. Kennedy Proctor .330
Slugging % Kennedy Proctor .629
On Base % Shonty Passi .431
Runs Scored Kaylah Nelsen 20
Hits Kaylah Nelsen 49
RBI Kennedy Proctor 24
Doubles Kaylah Nelsen 9
Kennedy Proctor 9
Home Runs Kennedy Proctor 6
Stolen Bases Shelbi Ortiz 3
Kennedy Proctor 3
ERA Hailey Maestretti 3.29 (104.1 IP)
K's Shelbee Jones 83
Wins Shelbee Jones 6
National and Big 12 Rankings – Team
Lucky Sevens
On March 21 against Kansas and March 28 against Houston, the Utes fought back from down seven runs to earn a victory. They turned an 8-1 Jayhawk lead into a 13-10 win and erased a 9-2 seventh-inning deficit to top the Cougars, 12-9, putting together the program's first inning double-digit scoring inning since 2017.
Utah is currently the only team in the nation to win two games in which they trailed by seven or more runs. Previously, the Utes hadn't overcome a deficit that substantial to earn a win since April 21, 2014 against Stanford.
Capo Walk-Offs
In both of Utah's seven-run comeback victories, the finishing touch was applied by Emily Capobianco. She blasted a three-run walk-off homer in the ninth inning against Kansas, then launched a walk-off grand slam to complete the uprising vs. Houston. She's the only player in Division I who's hit two game-ending round-trippers in the seventh inning or later so far in 2025. She's also the first Utah player with two walk-off home runs to her credit in one season since Glennis Donnelly and Devina Quintero both collected two in 2004.
Seventh Inning Comebacks
Only once in 2024 did the Utes win a game in which they trailed after seven innings, but Utah has already won three such games in 2025.
Kennedy Proctor 2-HR Game
In game two of Utah's doubleheader against Houston on March 28, Kennedy Proctor circled the bases twice, the team's first multi-homer game of the season. She was the first Utah freshman to post a multi-homer game since Karlie Davison on May 5, 2023.
Proctor POTW
Kennedy Proctor became the first Utah softball student-athlete ever named Big 12 Player of the Week on April 1.
Proctor earned this honor by belting three home runs and collecting nine RBIs while helping power Utah to a series victory over Houston. For the week, the rookie catcher from California drove in multiple runs in all three contests, finished with a .600 average, an 1.800 slugging percentage and scored five times.
A Home Opener to Remember
In Utah's first home game of 2025, the Utes found themselves behind 8-1 after two-and-a-half innings, then staged the program's largest comeback since 2014. The Utes closed to within 8-7 before Kansas upped their lead back to 10-7. Utah then rallied to tie the score with two outs in the seventh before Emily Capobianco won the game on a walk-off homer in the ninth, Utah's first game-winning walk-off home since Bridget Castro on March 26, 2014.
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 runs 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 13 more victories to reach 500 as Utah head coach and 16 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.
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).
April 17 – 19 Schedule
| Date | Game | Watch/Live Stats |
| April 17 | Utah vs. BYU | Watch / Live Stats |
| April 18 | Utah vs. BYU | Watch / Live Stats |
| April 19 | Utah vs. BYU | 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
One of the Utes who has started to find her stroke at the plate is senior Shelbi Ortiz, who owns a .314 average over Utah's last 10 games, a mark that includes a team-best 11 hits. Ortiz has also shown her prowess on the basepaths, stealing two bases in as many attempts, and in the field. Against Arizona State, she recorded a pair of outfield assists, throwing out a runner at the plate in Friday's affair.
Ortiz is one of four Utes who spent the previous month hitting over .300, a group that also includes Kaylah Nelsen, Shonty Passi and Kennedy Proctor, who leads the quartet with a .385 clip and 18 RBIs. Not far behind was Jolie Mayfield, who posted a .292 mark. Mayfield collected four hits against the Sun Devils, including two in the series finale, her seventh multi-hit game of the season.
The best pitcher on the squad over the last month was Shelbee Jones, who has pitched in 13 of her team's last 16 games while crafting a 2.98 ERA. In her last three starts, Jones has thrown 16 total innings and held the opposition to just three earned runs.
Scouting the Opposition
The Cougars have put together a 26-12 record in 2025 that includes an 8-7 conference mark. They're coming of back-to-back series victories, having topped Iowa State and UCF, and are currently fifth in the league table.
Three members of BYU's lineup own averages over .360, with the highest mark belonging to freshman Ilove'a Brittingham, who's hit .444 during her rookie year. The Nipomo, California native has wielded the conference's most dangerous bat and currently is the league's triple crown leader, sitting atop the leaderboard in hitting, homers and RBIs, as well as total bases and slugging. Lindy Milkowski has blasted 14 homers for the Cougars, while Lily Owens owns a team-best .484 on-base percentage.
The squad's top pitcher has been right-hander Kaysen Korth, as evidenced by her 1.84 ERA. Korth owns a 12-4 record across 99 innings and has thrown six shutouts during her junior campaign, most recently blanking Houston on March 20.
2025 Team Stat Leaders (as of 4/16/2025)
Batting Avg. Kennedy Proctor .330
Slugging % Kennedy Proctor .629
On Base % Shonty Passi .431
Runs Scored Kaylah Nelsen 20
Hits Kaylah Nelsen 49
RBI Kennedy Proctor 24
Doubles Kaylah Nelsen 9
Kennedy Proctor 9
Home Runs Kennedy Proctor 6
Stolen Bases Shelbi Ortiz 3
Kennedy Proctor 3
ERA Hailey Maestretti 3.29 (104.1 IP)
K's Shelbee Jones 83
Wins Shelbee Jones 6
National and Big 12 Rankings – Team
- Utah has continued to maintain its spot among the national leaders in turning double plays, with their total of 31 placing them second in the nation.
- The Utes have racked up nine triples during 2025, a total that ties them for second in the Big 12.
- Utah's patience at the plate has continued to serve them well. Their 140 walks rank third in the Big 12.
- Shonty Passi has established herself as one of the conference's most patient hitters, drawing 24 walks, tied for seventh the Big 12.
- Hailee White has continued to be one of college softball's most reliable infielders, having piled up 97 assists, second-most in the Big 12 and 27th nationally. She's done so while making only four errors. Her average of 2.26 assists per game ranks third in the Big 12.
- Kaylah Nelsen has spent the season racking up 49 hits, which places her seventh in the Big 12.
- Shelbee Jones has piled up 83 strikeouts in 2025, placing her fifth in the conference.
- No one in the Big 12 has been tougher to strike out than Nelsen, who is averaging just one punchout per 51.0 at-bats.
Lucky Sevens
On March 21 against Kansas and March 28 against Houston, the Utes fought back from down seven runs to earn a victory. They turned an 8-1 Jayhawk lead into a 13-10 win and erased a 9-2 seventh-inning deficit to top the Cougars, 12-9, putting together the program's first inning double-digit scoring inning since 2017.
Utah is currently the only team in the nation to win two games in which they trailed by seven or more runs. Previously, the Utes hadn't overcome a deficit that substantial to earn a win since April 21, 2014 against Stanford.
Capo Walk-Offs
In both of Utah's seven-run comeback victories, the finishing touch was applied by Emily Capobianco. She blasted a three-run walk-off homer in the ninth inning against Kansas, then launched a walk-off grand slam to complete the uprising vs. Houston. She's the only player in Division I who's hit two game-ending round-trippers in the seventh inning or later so far in 2025. She's also the first Utah player with two walk-off home runs to her credit in one season since Glennis Donnelly and Devina Quintero both collected two in 2004.
Seventh Inning Comebacks
Only once in 2024 did the Utes win a game in which they trailed after seven innings, but Utah has already won three such games in 2025.
Kennedy Proctor 2-HR Game
In game two of Utah's doubleheader against Houston on March 28, Kennedy Proctor circled the bases twice, the team's first multi-homer game of the season. She was the first Utah freshman to post a multi-homer game since Karlie Davison on May 5, 2023.
Proctor POTW
Kennedy Proctor became the first Utah softball student-athlete ever named Big 12 Player of the Week on April 1.
Proctor earned this honor by belting three home runs and collecting nine RBIs while helping power Utah to a series victory over Houston. For the week, the rookie catcher from California drove in multiple runs in all three contests, finished with a .600 average, an 1.800 slugging percentage and scored five times.
A Home Opener to Remember
In Utah's first home game of 2025, the Utes found themselves behind 8-1 after two-and-a-half innings, then staged the program's largest comeback since 2014. The Utes closed to within 8-7 before Kansas upped their lead back to 10-7. Utah then rallied to tie the score with two outs in the seventh before Emily Capobianco won the game on a walk-off homer in the ninth, Utah's first game-winning walk-off home since Bridget Castro on March 26, 2014.
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 runs 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 13 more victories to reach 500 as Utah head coach and 16 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.
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 Softball's Hailee White Feature
Tuesday, April 15
Utah Softball's Jolie Mayfield Feature
Friday, March 28
Utah Softball - The Inaugural 1976 Team
Wednesday, March 19
University of Utah Athletics - A Storied History
Friday, August 02