Utah Valley opens its 2024 campaign this week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. The Wolverines are scheduled to play four games, three of which will come against top-15 opponents.
Utah Valley will face off with No. 1 Oklahoma, Iowa State, No. 10 Washington, and No. 13 Nebraska at Nancy Almaraz Field. All games will be broadcast live on FloSoftball, with Corey Brooks and Tracy Warren on the call.
GAME TIMES
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Feb. 8 — Utah Valley vs No. 1 Oklahoma: 9:30 a.m. MST
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Feb. 8 — Utah Valley vs Iowa State: 3 p.m. MST
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Feb. 9 — Utah Valley vs No. 10 Washington: 5 p.m. MST
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Feb. 10 — Utah Valley vs No. 13 Nebraska: 9:30 a.m. MST
The Wolverines are entering year three under head coach Cody Thomson, and are coming off of a 17-32 (10-14 WAC) record in 2023. This year's team features 13 newcomers, including nine true freshmen. Headlining those newcomers is grad transfer RHP/UTL Halle Morris, who played the last four seasons at Utah. Morris helped lead the Utes to their first-ever PAC-12 title and their first WCWS berth in 1994.
Also among the newcomers is freshman RHP/OF Avery Sapp, who was a two-time Utah Softball Gatorade Player of the Year at Spanish Fork HS. Sapp — along with fellow freshman UTL Peyton Hall — helped lead the Dons to three-straight state championships. Sapp is also the first Gatorade Player of the Year from any state to play for UVU softball.
After bringing back one of the most experienced pitching staffs in 2023, the Wolverines will have to rely on a host of new faces in the circle this season. Utah Valley returns just 18.5% of its innings pitched in 2023, with senior RHP Jorja Barrett (48.2 IP) and sophomore LHP Payge Armendariz (8.1 IP) being the lone returners.
In the field, the Wolverines bring back five starters, including second team All-WAC selection Megan Gibbs, who led the team in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. Also returning are senior OF Libbie Hawker and sophomore INF Britney Moreno, who both started every game for Utah Valley in 2023.
WE'VE GOT NEXT
Thursday morning's game against No. 1 Oklahoma is scheduled to be the first game of the Division I softball season. That game is slated to start at 11:30 a.m. EST, with a slew of other games starting at 1 p.m. EST.
REBOLLEDO LEADING THE CHARGE
Utah Valley softball alum Linnah Rebolledo and Charros de Jalisco are off to a hot start in the Liga Mexicana de Softbol's inaugural season. Charros have a league-best 7-1 record, with Rebolledo coming up with a plethora of clutch hits and diving catches.
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
The top-ranked Sooners are looking to win an unprecedented fourth-straight national championship this season. OU comes into the season winners of 53-straight games, and lead the all-time series 4-0. The Sooners and Wolverines last met in 2015.
Iowa State is looking to bounce back from a 25-30 campaign in 2023 that saw the Cyclones finish fifth out of seven in the Big 12. UVU leads the all-time series 1-0, with the Wolverines winning a 1-0 pitchers duel back in 2017 in St. George, Utah. The two teams also met in 2016 in Long Beach, Calif., but that game was called in the 4th inning due to rain with the Wolverines leading 4-1. The two teams will meet again later this season in Orem on April 21.
UW was one of three PAC-12 schools to make the WCWS a season ago, posting a 44-15 record. The Huskies and Wolverines have played four of the last five seasons, with UW walking away with a 9-1 win last year in Seattle.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers are looking to build off a strong 2023 campaign that included an NCAA Regional berth. The Huskers added two-time All-American pitcher Jordy Bahl, who spent the last two seasons at Oklahoma, and was named the WCWS Most Outstanding Player in 2023. Nebraska won the lone meeting between the schools, a 5-3 neutral site victory in 2008 in Las Vegas.
UP NEXT
Utah Valley heads to California next weekend for the Fresno State Invitational on Feb. 16-18. The Wolverines will play two games apiece against Saint Mary's and Oregon State, along with a single game against the host Fresno State.
