UTAH VALLEY VS. MAINE
Tuesday, March 14, 2017  |  1 & 3 p.m. MT
Orem, Utah   |   Wolverine Field
Live Video (Gm 1)  |  Live Video (Gm 2)  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Game Notes

UTAH VALLEY VS. WAGNER
Wednesday, March 15, 2017  |  1 & 3 p.m. MT
Orem, Utah   |   Wolverine Field
Live Video (Gm 1)  |  Live Video (Gm 2)  |  Live Stats
 

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WOLVERINES OPEN HOME SLATE TUESDAY VS MAINE, WEDNESDAY VS WAGNER
OREM, Utah – Fresh off of a 3-1 weekend and a Nevada Classic title, the Utah Valley University softball team returns to Orem this week for a pair of home-opening midweek doubleheaders. The Wolverines will first welcome the Maine Black Bears to town for a Tuesday (March 14) twin bill, before closing the homestand against the Wagner Seahawks on Wednesday (March 15) afternoon.
 
Both doubleheaders have been moved up to 1 and 3 p.m. MT starts and will be contested at Wolverine Softball Field. Tuesday's opener against the Black Bears will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network, while the three other games will be streamed via WolverineGreen.com/watch. Live stats will also be available for all four games by visiting UVUStats.com.
 
UVU will enter Tuesday's opener with a 4-9 record after going 3-1 at the Nevada Classic in Reno, Nevada, this past weekend. With the three victories, Utah Valley put together a four-game winning streak that dated back to a 1-0 shutout victory over Iowa State of the Big 12 Conference in the finale of the Red Desert Classic in St. George on March 5. After pulling out a pair of wins over Saint Mary's (5-1 & 8-7) and an 11-7 win over the host Wolf Pack at the Nevada Classic, UVU's winning streak came to a close when the Nevada's Erika Hansen blasted out a two-out seventh-inning walk-off grand slam to beat the Wolverines by a run in Utah Valley's tournament finale this past Saturday.
 
Utah Valley's offense erupted en route to winning the Nevada Classic, as it belted out 11 home runs, 18 extra-base hits, 30 runs scored and a .357 team batting average en on March 10-11 in Reno. Freshman Lyndsay Steverson and senior Brittney Vansway led the way by combining to smack out nine of the 11 home runs. Vansway hit a whopping .615 (8-for-13) with four homers, three doubles, 10 RBIs, two walks and seven runs scored, while Steverson hit .538 (7-for-13) with five home runs, 10 RBIs, two walks and five runs scored. Steverson also recorded two, two-homer games during the Nevada Classic, while Vansway put up one.
 
With Vansway's big weekend last week, the senior third baseman was named the WAC Hitter of the Week for the first time in her career on Monday. The three-time All-WAC performer also posted an impressive 1.769 slugging percentage and a .588 on-base clip last week on the way to earning the player of the week honors. 
 
As a team, the Wolverines now sit in second place in hitting in the WAC with a .320 team batting average. Through 14 games, UVU also fronts the conference in slugging (.508) home runs (17), homers per game (1.31) and hits per game (9.31). 
 
Freshman Caragh Morris leads Utah Valley and the WAC at the plate with a .441 batting average, while Vansway too sits above .400 with a .415 clip. Vansway also leads the team in doubles (5), RBIs (23) and slugging (.902) and is tied for the team lead in total hits (17) and home runs (5). After going 2-1 in the circle at the Nevada Classic, junior right-hander Lauren Frailey fronts the UVU pitching staff with a 3-3 record and a 2.92 ERA.
 
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
Maine will enter Tuesday's ballgames with a 2-9 overall record after going 1-4 at the Colorado State Classic in Fort Collins, Colorado, this past weekend. The Black Bears are in the midst of a three-week Western States road trip that has taken them or will take them to games at Grand Canyon, Arizona State, Colorado State, UVU, BYU, and Montana. Maine is a member of the America East Conference and was picked to win the league this year after going 28-21 overall a year ago, 12-5 in league play and making the 2016 NCAA Tournament after winning the American East Tournament a year ago.
 
Kristen Niland leads the Black Bears with a .357 batting average while Rachel Carlson is right behind her with a .343 clip. Annie Kennedy leads Maine's pitching staff with a 6.33 ERA while Molly Flowers holds a team-best 1-3 record.
 
Tuesday's opener will mark just the second all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Black Bears, and Maine's first trip to Orem. UVU holds a 1-0 series advantage after pulling out a 10-8 victory over Maine at the 2010 Red Desert Classic in St. George.
 
Wagner will enter Wednesday's twin bill with a 1-10 overall record after going 1-4 at the Beehive Classic in Cedar City with a win over Southern Utah last week. The Seahawks hail from New York City, New York, and are a member of the Northeast Conference. Wagner was picked to finish eighth in the league this year after going 20-29 overall and 4-12 in conference play last season.
 
Amelia Van Orman leads the Seahawk offense with a .421 average while Stefanie Aplin comes in a .381 and Zoe Bender at .368. Morgan Brown fronts the Wagner pitching staff with a 1-2 record and a 6.90 ERA.
 
Wednesday's opening game will also mark the second all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Seahawks. UVU holds a 1-0 series lead after defeating Wagner, 4-2, at the Rebel Spring Games in 2013.
 
ON DECK FOR UVU
Following this week's action, Utah Valley will head to Logan and Pocatello next week for a pair of midweek doubleheaders at Utah State and Idaho State. The Wolverines will first face in-state rival Utah State on Tuesday, March 22 at 1 and 3 p.m., before closing the trip with a noon and 2 p.m. contest at Idaho State on Wednesday, March 23.