Utah Valley opens its home season with an in-state rivalry matchup at Wolverine Softball Field on Tuesday, as the Wolverines are set to host the Utah State Aggies for the first of two matchups this season.
Due to expected rain in the forecast later in the day, first pitch has been moved up to 2 p.m. MT. Weather has already altered Utah Valley's first homestand of the season, as the Wolverines were scheduled to host UT Arlington on Wednesday, but that game has been canceled.
The Wolverines are coming off a 1-4 weekend at the Trailblazer Tournament in St. George a week ago. Utah Valley was a couple of good breaks away from having a much different weekend, as three of the Wolverines' four losses came by three runs or less.
Megan Gibbs closed out the weekend strong. Over the final three games, Gibbs went 7-for-11 with a home run, a double, and five RBIs. Gibbs is tied for third in the WAC in home runs (5) and tied for fifth in total bases (38). Rylee Thorpe and Jaeden Barajas each went yard for their second and third homers respectively in St. George.
Katie Zuniga has been strong in the circle for the Wolverines. The junior from Quartz Hill, Calif. is among the national leaders in walks per 7 innings pitched, ranking 52nd in Division I and third in the WAC with 0.94. Zuniga has allowed three or fewer earned runs in all but three of her appearances thus far this season.
As a team, Utah Valley ranks second in the WAC in double plays turned per game at 0.37. Thus far, the Wolverines have turned seven double plays in 19 games.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tuesday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available at UVUStats.com.
ABOUT THE AGGIES (41st meeting, 14-26 All-Time)
Utah State comes into Orem with a 7-12 record and are riding a four-game losing skid after Sunday's weekend finale versus CSUN was washed out due to rain. The Aggies were at the Silicon Valley Classic II, where they lost three to the Santa Clara Broncos and one to the UC Davis Aggies.
UP NEXT
The Wolverines will open up WAC play with a three-game series against the New Mexico State Aggies. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday, with first pitch of game one scheduled for 2 p.m. MT. Saturday's game is scheduled for noon MT. Live stats will be available at UVUStats.com and all three games will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
