Utah Tech's Laura Lockard takes a swing during a softball game against Southern Utah at Carl Brooks Field in St. George, Utah on April 9, 2024 | Photo by Stan Plewe Utah Tech Athletics, St. George News
ST. George — This rivalry game takes place far from home. Utah Tech and the Southern Utah softball teams will compete in a single-elimination game in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in Seattle, Washington on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
According to a news release, the No. 5 Trail Blazers (19-30 overall, 12-13 WAC) are 25-12 in the all-time series against the No. 8 Thunderbirds (20-27, 9-17). is leading in . The teams played a doubleheader in St. George on April 9th, with Utah Tech winning the first game 5-0 and SUU outscoring the host team 10-0 in the second game.
In this week's tournament, top two seeds Grand Canyon and California Baptist earn open day byes, while third and fourth seeds Utah Valley and Seattle U advance to double-elimination play starting Wednesday night.
The other single-elimination game pits No. 6 UT Arlington against No. 7 Tarleton State University.
The Trail Blazers, led by LB Kahawai-Kekona, are third in the WAC with 42 stolen bases and fifth in the conference with a team-leading 11 stolen bases. Utah Tech's team is led by junior Atlin Johnston, who leads the conference in strikeouts (101) and starts (22), along with Grand Canyon native Haley Hudson.
Johnston ranks second in the WAC in innings pitched (124.2) and tied for sixth in wins (8).
SUU is hitting .277 as a team, ranking seventh in the WAC. The Thunderbirds are averaging four points per game and are 15-8 on the season when they score four or more points. Southern Utah ranks second in the WAC in home runs (39), fifth in slugging percentage (.430) and seventh in doubles (59) and on-base percentage (.341).
“I'm very proud of this team,” Thunderbirds coach Don Williams said in a news release. “They've shown so much grit, perseverance and toughness this season. They won it.”
Sophomore Emily Gonzalez was named first team All-WAC on Monday, an honor Williams said is definitely well-deserved.
“Emily has been one of our most consistent players throughout our lineup,” he said in a news release. “She's a tough player and she comes through time and time again for us. We're so proud of her for winning this award. She's our program's first first-team All-WAC player. , I can't think of a better person.”
The Trail Blazers finished the regular season over the weekend with sweeps at Utah Valley on Friday and Saturday.
After losing 8-0 in five innings on Friday, the Trail Blazers stumbled in Saturday's doubleheader, going 9-2 in the first game and 4-0 in the second.
The WAC Tournament will be held at Logan Field in Seattle. All games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Wednesday, May 8th – Opening Round (Single Elimination)
Game 1 – No. 6 UT Arlington vs. No. 7 Tarleton State – 10 a.m. Pacific Time
Game 2 – No. 5 Utah Tech vs. No. 8 Southern Utah – 1 p.m. PT
Wednesday, May 8th – Round 1 (double elimination begins)
Game 3 – No. 3 Utah Valley vs. Game 1 winner – 4:00 p.m. PT
Game 4 – No. 4 Seattle University vs. Game 2 winner – 7:00 p.m. PT
Thursday, May 9th – Quarterfinal Round
Game 5 – No. 2 California Baptist vs. Game 3 Winner – 10 a.m. Pacific Time
Game 6 – No. 1 Grand Canyon vs. Game 4 Winner – 1:00 PM PT
Game 7 – Loser of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 5 – 4:00 PM PT
Game 8 – Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 6 – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, May 10th – Semi-Final Round
Game 9 – Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 – 1:00 PM PT
Game 10 – Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8 – 4:00 PM PT
Game 11 – Game 10 Winner vs. Game 9 Loser – 7:00 PM Pacific Time
Saturday, May 11th – Championship Round
Game 12 – Winner of Game 9 vs. Winner of Game 11 – 1:00 PM PT
Game 13 – Winner of Game 12 vs. Loser of Game 12 4:00 PM PT (as appropriate if Game 12 is a team’s first loss)
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