Utah Valley at Kajikawa Classic
Friday-Sunday, Feb. 6-8, 2015
Tempe Sports Complex/ASU's Farrington Stadium | Tempe, Ariz.
Tournament Central|Tournament Schedule|Kajikawa Classic Scores
Live Stats:Bradley|Wisconsin|Virginia|San José State|IndianaOREM, Utah - Fresh off of playing in the program's inaugural NCAA Regional a year ago, the Utah Valley University softball team will begin its 2015 season this weekend at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona. The Wolverines will face five teams in three days at the tournament, beginning at 9:15 a.m. on Friday against the Bradley Braves.

Besides squaring off against Bradley on Friday morning, UVU will also take on Wisconsin -- who is receiving votes for the top 25 -- Friday at 11:45 a.m. The Wolverines will then face both Virginia (9 a.m.) and San José State (4 p.m.) on Saturday. Utah Valley will close its opening weekend against its second foe from the Big Ten on Sunday in Indiana at 9:30 a.m.

Four of the five games that UVU is taking part in will be played at the Tempe Sports Complex while Saturday's tilt versus UVa will take place at Arizona State's Farrington Stadium. Live stats for all five games at the opening-season tournament will be available at WolverineGreen.com.

"We are very excited to finally get to Arizona and get some live competition in. The girls have done a tremendous job of preparing for this season and the coaching staff is extremely anxious to see the hard work pay off," said second-year head coach Nikki Palmer. "We will be facing some tough opponents and I believe we are ready."

The Wolverines were recently picked to finish in a tie for fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference Preseason Poll after going 18-42 overall and 5-9 in league play in 2014. UVU got hot when it mattered most, however, as it ran the table at the WAC Championships by going a perfect 4-0 with a pair of victories over the top-seeded New Mexico State Aggies that weekend to win the conference tournament. Utah Valley then went on to face No. 1 Oregon and Albany at its first-ever NCAA Regional appearance. The regional marked not only the UVU softball program's inaugural entry into the NCAAs but Coach Palmer's Wolverines also became the school's first-ever team sport to play in the NCAA Tournament.

After being named second team All-WAC a year ago, sophomore infielder Brittney Vansway was tabbed preseason all-conference this year. Vansway finished second on the team in batting with a .284 average with four homers, 27 RBIs and 13 runs scored as a true freshman in 2014. She also hit .357 in WAC-only play and was named to the WAC All-Tournament Team after hitting .500 during the tournament.

Besides Vansway, UVU also welcomes back fellow sophomore sluggers Brianna Gatlin and Hailey Kofler, as well as the newly married Morgan Smith (formerly Summers) and junior Dynasty Lauvai in the infield. Gatlin led the team in hitting a year ago with a .293 average, while Kofler finished third with a .281 clip. Gatlin too ended her freshman campaign with three home runs, a team-best 14 doubles and 29 RBIs while Kofler added six round trippers, nine doubles and 21 runs batted in. Smith and Lauvai also played well last year as they hit .273 and .254, respectively. Junior transfer Tiani Hensley (College of Southern Nevada, Waianae, Hawai'i) will also look to make an immediate impact for Utah Valley this season in the infield.

The Wolverines welcome a trio of senior outfielders back this year in the newly married Kelli Gendlek (formerly Fox), Megan Peay and Erin Romero. All three should see plenty of action in the outfield along with a number of freshmen who will challenge for a starting spot. Gendlek highlights the group as she started every game for the Wolverines last season while hitting .201 with 11 stolen bases and 20 walks.

Despite losing the WAC Tournament MVP Josi Summers to graduation, UVU will return three proven pitchers in the circle in sophomores Bailey Moore and Kelsey Lawton, as well as junior Kailey Christensen. Moore leads the group, as she posted a 5.09 ERA while going 3-13 with two complete games and a pair of saves in 112.2 innings pitched in 2014. True freshmen Makayla Shadle (Dayton, Nev.) and Kellee Ramsey (Tampa, Fla.) will also see time in the circle for the Wolverines this season.

Three newcomers will all challenge for playing time behind the plate, and sophomore transfer Kori Barrios (Northern Oklahoma College, Weatherford, Okla.) will look to lead the group. Freshmen Dana De La Torre (Pico Rivera, Calif.) and Cera Stanley (Chino Hills, Calif.) will both strive to see plenty of time at the catcher position as well.

In all, the Wolverines welcome in 13 newcomers to go along seven returning starters and 11 returning letterwinners. UVU will sport a roster that includes 11 freshmen, six sophomores, four juniors and three seniors.

About the Competition
Bradley, who calls the Missouri Valley Conference home, made the 2014 NCAA Tournament after winning the MVC Tournament last year. Bradley went 27-32 last season and finished fourth in the Missouri Valley with a 15-12 clip.

Wisconsin, who is receiving votes for the top 25, too made the NCAA Tournament last season as it played in the same regional that UVU did in the Eugene one. The Badgers went 36-20 a year ago and finished fourth in the Big Ten with a 15-7 record.

Virginia of the Atlantic Coast Conference went just 8-43 overall and 1-25 in ACC play in 2014. The Cavilers lost 11 of their final 13 games a year ago and will open this season against BYU, Stanford and UTEP prior to facing the Wolverines on Saturday morning.

San José State finished last season at 30-24 overall and placed fifth in the Mountain West with a 13-11 conference clip. The Spartans will take on Ole Miss, BYU and Seattle U before playing UVU on Saturday afternoon.

UVU will close its opening-season tournament against Indiana of the Big Ten on Sunday morning. The Hoosiers posted a 17-39-1 record last year and placed 10th in the Big Ten at 5-18. Sunday's meeting will be the first of two straight matchups between UVU and IU, as the two will face-off against each other again next weekend.

Up Next for the Wolverines
Following the Kajikawa Classic, UVU will once again hit the road next weekend to take part at UNLV's Wilson-DeMarini Desert Classic in Henderson, Nevada. There, the Wolverines will face Indiana, Hawai'i, Portland State, New Mexico and Cal State Fullerton. UVU will then take part in three more preseason tournaments, as well as a doubleheader at Cal State Northridge over the next month, before coming home to welcome Weber State and Oklahoma State to Wolverine Field for the 2015 home openers on March 18 and 19.