Utah Valley is set to make the trek down I-15 to take on WAC leaders Utah Tech in the latest rendition of the Old Hammer Rivalry on the softball diamond this Friday and Saturday in St. George.

This weekend's series will have plenty of postseason implications, as the Trailblazers will look to clinch their first outright WAC regular season title, and the Wolverines are looking to secure their place in next week's WAC Tournament. 

Utah Tech (16-5 WAC) holds a two-game edge over preseason favorites GCU with three games to play. Utah Valley (10-11 WAC) needs a series victory to ensure at least a spot in the WAC Tournament, while a sweep could see the Wolverines move into the top four and into the double-elimination portion of the bracket. 

In last weekend's WAC series, Utah Valley was swept by the Seattle U Redhawks. Friday's doubleheader was about as tight as could be, with the Redhawks taking both games by scores of 5-3 (8 innings) and 4-3. An early-inning blitz in the series finale saw SU take leads of 8-0 and 10-1, but the Wolverines fought back to make it a 10-5 final. 

Rylee Thorpe comes into this weekend riding a five-game hitting streak. Thorpe went 6-for-11 (.546) against the Redhawks with a home run, a triple, and three doubles, along with three RBIs and two runs scored. Libbie Hawker is riding a seven-game hitting streak in WAC games. In that span, Hawker is 13-for-24 (.542).

A season ago, these two teams split the season series three games apiece. Kalena Shepherd had hits in five of those six games, going 9-for-23 (.391) with three home runs, three doubles, and 14 RBIs. 

ABOUT UTAH TECH (5-4 ALL-TIME)

The Trailblazers come in looking to clinch their first WAC regular season title since making the move to Division I prior to the 2020-21 athletic year, and are unable to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Utah Tech boasts the top three hitters by batting average in Tanya Windle, Shea Clements, and Lauren Almeida. Windle leads all WAC hitters with 68 hits on the season, while Clements and Almeida are tied for third with 60.

UP NEXT

The 2023 WAC Softball Tournament is scheduled to begin on May 10 and run through May 13. The tournament will be held at GCU Softball Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona.