Utah Valley returns to Wolverine Softball Field for the first time this season, facing off with in-state rival Weber State in the home opener on Tuesday to begin a six-game homestand.

First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. MDT, and admission is free. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+, with live stats available at GoUVU.com/stats. 

Tuesday's game will be the Wolverines' final tuneup before conference play begins at the weekend, as Utah Valley welcomes Utah Tech to Orem for the Old Hammer Rivalry series on March 20-21.

LAST TIME OUT
Utah Valley went 4-1 on its NorCal road trip, taking two out of three from Pacific before taking down UC Davis and Sac State in a pair of midweeks. At 16-8 (.667), the Wolverines have already secured their best win percentage entering conference play in the WAC era (since 2014). 

Lily Riley dominated on the road trip, tossing 23.1 IP, striking out 19, and allowing 4 ER. Riley tossed a 10-inning complete to secure the series win over Pacific, the longest outing in program history. Riley was named the WAC Pitcher of the Week on March 9. Riley leads the WAC in both wins (10) and ERA (2.08). Riley is the fastest pitcher in program history to reach 10 wins at 24 team games into a season.

Tatum Hall led the Wolverines in Cali, going 8-for-14 (.571) with a home run, two RBIs, and four runs scored. Hall had three-straight multi-hit games to close out the road trip. Emma Haygood went 8-for-15 (.533), driving in a team-high five on three doubles. Haygood leads the team in batting average (.415), RBIs (25), and home runs (5).

Ry Binne comes into Tuesday on a 10-game hitting streak, the team's longest so far this season. Binne has a hit in every game since becoming the everyday SS following Peyton Hall's injury. 

Britney Moreno has reached base safely in 21 of the last 23 games for Utah Valley, only failing to reach against St. Thomas, Utah, and in game one versus Pacific so far this season. Of those 21 games, Moreno has a hit in 18.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
After a strong first season under new head coach Kristin Delahoussaye, during which Weber State won the Big Sky Tournament and won a regional game, the Wildcats have struggled out of the gate with a 7-22 record. WSU is coming off a series win over Oregon State last weekend, sweeping a doubleheader on Friday before falling in Saturday's finale. Appolonia Maldonado has been the big bat for WSU, posting a team-high four home runs and 27 RBIs.

SERIES HISTORY VS WEBER STATE
Utah Valley has faced their rivals to the north 41 times since the Wildcats reinstated their softball program in 2010, and have played or been scheduled to play every season since. WSU leads the series 21-20. The Wolverines won the first meeting this season in St. George, 6-4. UVU led 6-0, but WSU trimmed the deficit to two with a four-run sixth. 

Dating back to 2020 (12 games), neither team has won more than two games in a row in the series. WSU won both games last season, 5-3 in Orem and 4-2 in Ogden. UVU took the season series two games to one in 2024.

THOMSON SECURES WIN NO. 100
Utah Valley head coach Cody Thomson earned win No. 100 against Sacramento State. Thomson is the second head coach in the team's Division I era to reach the milestone, joining former head coach Todd Fairbourne, who went 165-249-2 from 2005-12. Thomson is the fastest to reach that mark.

MCSORLEY GOES YARD
Freshman catcher Maddie McSorley picked up her first collegiate hit in memorable fashion against UC Davis, launching a no-doubt solo homer in UVU's 6-5 win over the Aggies. McSorley is the first Wolverine since Abby Doughty in 2019 to hit a home run for her first collegiate hit, and sixth overall.

UP NEXT
Utah Valley will welcome Utah Tech for the first WAC series of the 2026 campaign. The Wolverines and Trailblazers will play a single game on Friday beginning at 4 p.m. MDT, then play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 12. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available at GoUVU.com/stats.