UTAH VALLEY AT #21 BYU
Wednesday, April 26, 2017  |  6 p.m. MT
Provo, Utah   |   Gail Miller Field
TV: BYUtv
Live Video  |  Live Audio  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Game Notes
 

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UTAH VALLEY HEADS TO PROVO FOR MIDWEEK CLASH WITH #21 BYU
OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University softball team will step out of conference play this week for a midweek showdown against neighboring rival BYU. The UCCU Crosstown Clash is scheduled to take place on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at BYU's Gail Miller Field in Provo.
 
The ballgame will be televised live on BYUtv. It will also be streamed live at BYUtv.org and will feature live stats by visiting BYUStats.com.
 
UVU was also originally scheduled to host fellow in-state foe Utah State on Tuesday at Wolverine Softball Field, but the contest was washed out due to rain.
 
The Wolverines will enter the week with a 12-20 overall record and a 4-8 Western Athletic Conference clip after dropping three games at second-place Grand Canyon in Phoenix over the weekend. UVU first dropped both games of a doubleheader (8-3 and 6-3) on April 21, before closing the series with a 10-0 setback to GCU on April 22.
 
Despite getting swept by the Antelopes, senior Brittney Vansway had another strong outing at the plate for the Wolverines last week by going 3-for-8 with two home runs, four runs batted in and two runs scored. She also added a walk while posting a 1.125 slugging percentage and a .444 on-base clip for the week. She belted out both of her home runs in the opening game of the series, as she went 2-for-3 in the contest with two home runs and three RBIs.
 
With the strong performance, Vansway leads the Wolverines on the season with an even .400 batting average, 10 home runs, 47 RBIs and a .780 slugging percentage. Her 10 home runs on the season matches a career-high while her 47 runs batted in are good enough to lead the WAC.
 
Freshman Caragh Morris too had a solid series against the Lopes, by hitting .364 (4-for-11) with a double and two runs scored. Morris is now second on the team in batting with a .374 average. She also has six doubles, three home runs and 22 RBIs.
 
Junior Lauren Frailey paces UVU in the circle with a 9-8 record and a 2.99 ERA. She also has thrown 10 complete games and two shutouts in 100.2 innings of work.
 
ABOUT BYU
The 21st-ranked Cougars will enter Wednesday's contest with a 32-10 overall record and an unblemished 6-0 mark in West Coast Conference play. Brigham Young has won 11 straight games, which includes three apiece over conference foes Loyola Marymount and Pacific, two over Pac-12 foe Oregon State, two more over Southern Utah, and one over Utah State. BYU, who has made 12 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, was picked to win the WCC again this year after winning West Coast conference titles in each of the past three seasons.
 
Lexi Tarrow paces the Cougar offense with a .366 batting average, while Libby Sugg is hitting .345 and tops the team in the power numbers with nine homers and 37 RBIs. McKenna Bull fronts the BYU pitching staff with a 21-4 record and a 1.56 ERA.
 
Wednesday's matchup will mark the 39th all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Cougars, and the first and only meeting of the 2017 season. BYU will enter the contest holding to a 34-4 series lead and a 17-1 mark in Provo. UVU's last win, however, was a 13-0 run-rule shutout victory in which current senior Baily Moore no-hit the Cougars on March 21, 2015 in Provo.
 
ON DECK FOR UVU
Following Wednesday's non-conference midweek contest, the Wolverines will return home to welcome WAC foe UMKC to town for the final league series of the 2017 season. The three-game conference series will be contested on Friday and Saturday, April 28-29, at Wolverine Softball Field in Orem. UVU will then close its regular season when it welcomes in-state foe Weber State to town on Wednesday, May 3.