Utah Valley heads to Fresno, Calif., for the Fresno State Invitational, set to be held this Friday through Sunday at Margie Wright Diamond on the campus of Fresno State. The Wolverines will play two games apiece against Saint Mary's and Oregon State, along with a single game against the host Bulldogs.
GAME TIMES
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Feb. 16 vs Saint Mary's - 11 a.m. MT
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Feb. 16 at Fresno State - 5 p.m. MT
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Feb. 17 vs Oregon State - 11 a.m. MT
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Feb. 17 vs Saint Mary's - 2 p.m. MT
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Feb. 18 vs Oregon State - 10 a.m. MT
BROADCAST INFO
Of the five games this weekend, only Friday night's game against Fresno State will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network. Live stats will be available for all five games at UVUStats.com.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah Valley opened its 2024 campaign at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico. The Wolverines went 0-4, including a pair of one-run losses to top-15 competition in Washington and Nebraska.
Avery Sapp and Amber Rodriguez earned All-Tournament honors. Sapp pitched a complete game against #5/10 UW on Friday, allowing 4 ER over 6 IP while striking out 4. Rodriguez reached base 4 times, tied for the most on the team on the weekend, while playing strong defense in the outfield.
Halle Morris delivered a strong outing in relief against the No. 13 Cornhuskers on Saturday. Morris went 5.2 innings, allowing just one run on two hits. Morris also led the team in hits this weekend, going 3-for-10.
HALL'S BLAST WINS WAC TOP PLAY
Freshman UTL Peyton Hall smoked her first collegiate home run, a two-run shot in Saturday's game against Nebraska, which won the fan vote for the WAC Top Play of the Week. The Wolverines have now won two consecutive WAC Top Play votes on opening weekend, with Angelique Mann's diving catch at Sac State winning last season.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
Utah Valley has faced Saint Mary's 20 times overall, with the Wolverines holding a 12-8 advantage in the all-time series. UVU has won 5 of the last 6 games in the series, with the last meeting coming in 2020. Senior UTL Laynee Betancur scored a run in an 8-4 win to secure the series the last time these schools met on the diamond. The Gaels are off to a 3-2 start, with wins over UC Davis, Middle Tennessee, and San Jose State.
Fresno State is led by head coach Stacy May-Johnson, who was head coach at Utah Valley for two seasons (2020-21). The Bulldogs are off to a 4-1 start this season, with wins over South Dakota State, Santa Clara, and CSU Bakersfield. FSU won the lone meeting between the programs back in 2009.
Oregon State won the last meeting against the Wolverines, a 3-2 decision in St. George last season, and lead the all-time series 3-0. Senior OF Libbie Hawker went 2-for-4 in that game. The Beavers are 3-2 on the young season, with wins over Bethune-Cookman, Illinois State, and USF, along with one-run losses to Florida and Michigan.
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will head to Arizona for five games at the ASU/GCU Classic. The Wolverines will face off with a pair of familiar foes in New Mexico State and Idaho State at GCU Softball Stadium, then head over to Tempe for games against Texas State, Arizona State, and Seton Hall.
