Utah Valley softball plays its first games of the season in the state of Utah this weekend, with five games on the docket at the Trailblazer Tournament in St. George, hosted by Utah Tech.
The Wolverines will face four different teams this weekend, starting with Oregon State on Friday at 10 a.m. MT at Utah Tech's Karl Brooks Field. UVU will then play the first of two games against Portland State at 1:30 p.m. MT at nearby Bloomington Park.
Saturday's slate includes a matchup with UNLV at 3:00 p.m. MT at Bloomington Park. The Wolverines will then face off with Portland State at 5:30 p.m. MT back at Brooks Field. Utah Valley closes out the weekend on Sunday against the Idaho State Bengals. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. MT at Brooks Field.
Brooke Saili had a strong weekend in the circle for the Wolverines. The senior from Spanish Fork, Utah went 2-1 with wins over Portland State and San Diego. Against PSU and USD, Saili allowed just one ER in 13 IP, striking out eight and walking three.
Taylor Wooten picked up seven RBIs, all of them coming in Utah Valley's last two games of the weekend. Over those final two games, Wooten went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored. Jaeden Barajas and Megan Gibbs each homered, their first and fourth of the season respectively. Gibbs is tied for second among WAC hitters in home runs through the first three weeks of the season.
Angelique Mann is riding a three-game hitting streak. The sophomore from Tallahassee, Fla., went 3-for-4 on Saturday against the Vikings with a double and two RBIs. Mann then went 2-for-3 on Sunday against San Diego and came around to score both times.
BROADCAST/LIVE STATS INFORMATION
All three of Utah Valley's games at Brooks Field will be broadcast on WAC International. Live stats will be available for all five games at the links above.
ABOUT OREGON STATE (THIRD MEETING, 0-2 ALL-TIME)
The Beavers hold a 7-8 record coming into this week's tournament. OSU will face BYU on Thursday before taking on UVU on Friday. The Beavers' offense has been inconsistent through the first 15 games. Oregon State has been shut out five times and has only scored more than five runs on four occasions.
ABOUT PORTLAND STATE (26th MEETING, 9-16 ALL-TIME)
The Viks come into St. George on a four-game losing skid after dropping all four games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic this past weekend, including a 12-2 defeat at the hands of Utah Valley. PSU catcher Bailey Noland took Saili deep for her lone earned run in last Saturday's meeting.
ABOUT UNLV (17th MEETING, 2-14 ALL-TIME)
The Rebels enter this weekend winners of seven straight and eight of their last nine. UNLV most recently played at the Frost Classic, hosted by UT-Chattanooga, where it won all four games. The Rebels have a strong pitching staff, headlined by the last two Mountain West pitchers of the week in Jasmine Martin and Jessie Fontes, as well as senior LHP Alanna Thiede, who allowed one unearned run in a complete game win versus Memphis on Sunday.
ABOUT IDAHO STATE (50th MEETING, 25-24 ALL-TIME)
The Bengals and Wolverines will meet for the first of two games this season on Sunday. The regional rivals from Pocatello come into the weekend riding a six-game losing streak after having the back half of their weekend at the Fresno State Invitational washed out due to rain. Utah Valley has played Idaho State the third-most times of any opponent in the program's Division I era, behind only Northern Colorado (55 games) and BYU (50 games). ISU freshman outfielder Alyssa Yee and junior pitcher Jordan Schuring swept the Big Sky Player of the Week honors the opening week of the season.
UP NEXT
The Wolverines will enjoy a week off for spring break before returning to action back home at Wolverine Softball Field. UVU opens the home season with a pair of mid-week games on March 14 versus in-state rival Utah State and March 15 against UT Arlington. The Wolverines open the WAC season on March 17 and 18 against New Mexico State.
