OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University softball team posted its best Western Athletic Conference finish in program history as well as just the second postseason appearance in the program's NCAA Division I era en route to producing a very productive 2018 campaign under second-year head coach TJ Hubbard.
 
The Wolverines went 21-31 overall on the season and finished in second place in the WAC standings with a program-best 10-4 league record. After having their WAC Tournament run come to a close on the third day of the tournament, Utah Valley then earned the program's first invitation to the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) and participated in the Las Vegas Regional. UVU faced in-state foe Weber State, as well as Nevada of the Mountain West Conference at the postseason event. 
 
The 21 total victories are five more than a season ago and 12 more than 2016. The 21 wins also mark the most victories in a season for the Wolverines since 2013.  
 
UVU also took home three of the four major WAC postseason awards on the year, as senior right-hander Makayla Shadle was named the WAC Pitcher of the Year, freshman first baseman Peyton Angulo was tabbed the WAC Freshman of the Year, and Coach Hubbard took home WAC Coach of the Year honors after leading his team to a second-place league finish after being projected to place fourth in the preseason poll. Hubbard's Wolverines won eight of their last nine WAC games, including road sweeps at Kansas City and CSU Bakersfield and their first series victory over New Mexico State on their way to finishing just a game back of the first-place NM State Aggies and earning the second-place finish and a first-round bye at the 2018 WAC Tournament.
 
Not only was Shadle named the WAC Pitcher of the Year, but she also became just the second Wolverine in program history to earn NFCA All-Region honors as well after being named to the third team in the west region after her stellar 2018 campaign. The senior right-hander led the WAC with a 1.26 ERA during conference play along with a league-best 33 strikeouts. She also ranked second in wins (4) and opponent batting average (.210) in WAC play, and went 4-2 with a save in 11 appearances, allowing just eight earned runs over 44.1 innings pitched. Shadle didn't allow earned run in her last five conference outings, going a perfect 2-0 with a save over her final 16 innings.
 
Angulo earned WAC Freshman of the Year honors after batting .364 with five multi-hit games, three doubles and eight RBIs over 14 WAC games. She tied for eighth in the WAC in league play in doubles per game (0.21), ninth in batting average and tied for ninth in hits per game (1.14). She also hit over .400 for over a month of the season and posted 11-game hitting and 17-game reached base safely streaks earlier on the year.
 
A pair of other Wolverines earned All-WAC accolades on the season, as sophomore second baseman Lyndsay Steverson was tabbed to the league's first team while junior outfielder Brianna Moeller earned second team all-conference honors. Shadle and Angulo too earned first team All-WAC recognition as a total of five Wolverines earned WAC postseason honors after Hubbard was tabbed the Coach of the Year. 
 
Junior outfielder Skylar Cook too had a strong season in her first year in a UVU uniform, as the speedster set the UVU single-season stolen base record by going a perfect 28-for-28 in steals on the year. Not only did she set the single-season school record, but she also stole the must bases without being caught in school history as well. Senior shortstop Kirsten Andersen too set a school record for the Wolverines on the year, as she became the program's all-time leader in getting hit by the pitch as she was plunked 17 times in her career. 
 
A total of six players batted over .300 on the season for the Wolverines, led by second team All-WAC honoree Moeller's .346 average. The junior outfielder also topped the team in extra-base hits with 19 and runs scored with 34. First team All-WAC performer Steverson topped the team on the year in the power numbers with 11 home runs, 44 RBIs and a .608 slugging percentage.
 
Besides picking up a total of 11 victories over WAC foes on the season, which included two over the regular-season and WAC Tournament champion NM State Aggies, Utah Valley also recorded a trio of wins over in-state foe Southern Utah, two more over the 2017 Big East champion St. John's Red Storm, a pair over Idaho State, and single victories over three Mountain West foes in Utah State, Boise State and Nevada.