Utah Valley at San Diego Classic II
Friday-Sunday, March 13-March 15, 2015
Sportsplex USA Santee | Santee Calif.
Tournament Schedule | Tournament Central
Live Stats: San José State | UConn | San Diego | Western Carolina | Santa ClaraOREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University softball team will play its final preseason tournament of the year this weekend as it heads to San Diego, California, for the San Diego Classic II. The tournament will run Friday to Sunday at the Sportsplex USA Santee in nearby Santee, California.
 
The Wolverines will play five games at the tournament that is being hosted by San Diego State. UVU will face both San José State (10 a.m. MT/9 a.m. PT) and UConn (12:30 p.m. MT/11:30 a.m. PT) on Friday, San Diego (10 a.m. MT/9 a.m. PT) and Western Carolina (3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT) on Saturday, and Santa Clara in the tournament finale on Sunday (11 a.m. MT/10 a.m. PT). Live stats will be available for all five games by visiting UVUStats.com.
 
UVU (9-13) will enter the San Diego Classic II on the heels of a 2-3 outing at the Texas Tech Invitational in Lubbock, Texas, last weekend. Utah Valley picked up its first-ever win over the host Red Raiders of the Big 12 Conference, as well as a victory over UT Martin of the Ohio Valley Conference.
 
With the score all tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the seventh against Texas Tech, freshman Jaylen Watson came through for UVU with a walk-off home run to give the Wolverines a 6-5 win over the Red Raiders. Later in the tournament, Utah Valley's bats then led the Wolverines to a 10-8 win over UT Martin in the weekend finale. Of the 14 hits that UVU put up in the contest against the Skyhawks, sophomore Brittney Vansway had three of them as she went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored and a walk.
 
Watson and sophomore Brianna Gatlin lead UVU offensively, as they both hold identical .364 batting averages. They also each are tied with Vansway for the team lead in home runs with four and Vansway paces the squad in runs batted in with 14. Watson will enter this weekend's action with a 10-game hitting streak.  
 
Sophomore Bailey Moore leads the Wolverines in the circle with a 6-6 record and a 3.85 ERA. She also holds a team best 65 strikeouts in 83.2 innings pitched.
 
About the Competition
San José State of the Mountain West is 16-9 on the year after going 2-3 against stiff competition at the Judy Garman Classic in Fullerton, California, last weekend. There, the Spartans defeated Long Beach State and Iowa but fell to No. 1 Florida, No. 3 Michigan and No. 22 Arizona State. Friday's contest will mark the second meeting on the season between UVU and SJSU. The Spartans managed to rally late to defeat the Wolverines by a score of 10-7 in the previous meeting at the Kajikawa Classic in early February.
 
Friday's matchup against the San José State will mark the sixth all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Spartans. SJSU will enter the contest with a 4-1 series advantage.
 
Connecticut of the American Athletic Conference is off to a 6-9 start in 2015 after going 2-3 at the Mizuno Classic in Stillwater, Oklahoma, last weekend. UConn captured wins over the host Oklahoma State Cowgirls and Evansville but fell to fellow WAC foe Missouri-Kansas City twice as well as Evansville once.
 
Friday afternoon's contest between the Huskies and Wolverines will mark the first all-time meeting between the two programs.
 
San Diego of the West Coast Conference is 12-12 on the year and will host Bryant at the USD Softball Complex on Wednesday before taking part in the San Diego Classic II this weekend. The Toreros will enter the tournament off of a 2-3 outing at the Cal Poly Tournament last weekend. USD picked up its wins over Southern Utah and Bryant but fell to Cal Poly, Sacramento State and SUU.
 
Saturday morning's showdown between USD and UVU will mark the seventh all-time meeting between the two schools. The Wolverines and Toreros have split the six previous meetings (3-3).
 
Western Carolina of the Southern Conference (SoCon) is 7-10 on the season but will play a doubleheader at WAC foe CSU Bakersfield on Wednesday before taking part in the San Diego Classic II this weekend. WCU went 3-2 at the Winthrop Tournament in Rock Hill, South Carolina, last weekend with a pair of wins over Belmont and one over Winthrop.
 
Saturday's game will mark just the second meeting between the Wolverines and Catamounts. WCU took the previous meeting by a score of 6-5 in 2012.
 
Santa Clara of the West Coast Conference is 5-17 on the year after going 0-3 in three games at the Stanford Invitational last weekend. The Broncos dropped a pair of contests to the host Cardinal as well as one to Minnesota. SCU's last win came over Howard on Feb. 28 at the Santa Clara Invitational.
 
Sunday's finale will mark the eighth all-time contest between UVU and SCU. Utah Valley holds a 6-1 series advantage after handing the Broncos a 12-4 defeat in Orem last season.
 
Up Next for the Wolverines
UVU will come home to welcome Weber State and Oklahoma State to town next week for its 2015 home openers. The Wolverines will face the in-state Wildcats in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, before welcoming the Cowgirls of the Big 12 Conference to Wolverine Field for the first time in program history for a twin bill that will start at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 19.