Utah Valley vs. New Mexico State
Friday, April 8 - Saturday, April 9 (Fri. at 12 MT, Fri. at 2 MT, Sat. at 12 MT)  
Orem, Utah   |   Wolverine Field
Live Video (Fri)   |   WAC Digital Network (Sat)  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Game Notes
 

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OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University softball team will return to Western Athletic Conference play at Wolverine Field this weekend when New Mexico State comes to town for a three-game league series. Due to rain in the forecast this weekend, the teams will now play a doubleheader on Friday at noon and 2 p.m. while the series finale is currently set for Saturday at noon.
 
The Wolverines (5-26, 1-2 WAC) will open the home WAC series off of a pair of setbacks to Weber State in a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday in Ogden. UVU looked to stage a late comeback in both contests but fell in the end in each by scores of 5-3 and 8-6.
 
With Utah Valley trailing the Wildcats by two runs with two-on and two-out in the seventh inning of Tuesday's opener, Brittney Vansway drove a ball to deep left field but WSU's Carley White managed to race back and make the catch just in front of the wall for the final out of the ballgame. The with the Wolverines once again behind and down to their last out in the nightcap of the twin bill, Tiani Hensley belted a three-run home run to pull UVU to within two but it wasn't enough as WSU's Bailey Seek managed to retire the next batter for the final out of the game to preserve the win for the Wildcats.
 
Hensley led UVU in Tuesday's doubleheader by going 2-for-6 with three RBIs and a run scored while Vansway went 3-for-8 with a double and two runs batted in.
 
Prior to Tuesday's doubleheader, Utah Valley took one out of three contests in its 2016 WAC opening series at CSU Bakersfield last weekend. Bailey Moore pitched six solid innings and Dana De La Torre went 2-for-3 with a home run in the series opener to lead UVU to a 4-2 victory over the Roadrunners. Despite earning the victory, CSUB then bounced back the very next day by sweeping a doubleheader to take the series.
 
On the season, Brianna Gatlin leads the UVU offense with a .333 batting average, while Kellee Ramsey paces the Wolverine pitching staff with a 4.68 ERA and a 1-5 record.
 
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
The Aggies (23-16, 3-0 WAC) are currently in first place in the WAC standings with a 3-0 record after sweeping Seattle U last week. NM State will face-off against No. 17 Arizona on Wednesday before heading to Orem for this weekend's league series. NMSU was picked to win the WAC this season after taking home the conference title last year with a near-perfect 14-1 clip.
 
Kelsey Horton leads the Aggie offense with 11 home runs, 37 RBIs and a .398 average while Karysta Donisthorpe is the top pitcher with a 2.83 ERA and a 7-8 record.
 
NM State will enter the series holding a 10-2 all-time series advantage over UVU. The Aggies swept a three-game series in Las Cruces last season, but prior to that the Wolverines recorded a pair of wins over NMSU when it mattered most at the 2014 WAC Tournament.
 
ON DECK FOR UVU
Following this weekend's series, the Wolverines will remain home to host Idaho State in a non-conference midweek game on Tuesday, April 12 at 3 p.m. UVU will then return to league play next weekend (April 15-16) when it heads to Kansas City, Missouri to face Missouri-Kansas City in a three-game WAC series.