No. 12 Utah Softball’s WCWS Journey Starts Against No. 5 Huskies

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.—The Utah Utes are in the Women's College World Series for the first time since 1994, and the sixth time in program history. The Utes (42-14) begin play in Oklahoma City on Thursday, June 1, against fellow Pac-12 foe Washington (43-13) in Bracket 2. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MT at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.
 
The Utes and Huskies meet for the fifth time this season. Utah defeated UW, 8-4, in the most recent meeting, on May 12, in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals in Tucson, following a series win by UW in Seattle, April 21-23. Utah won the opening game, 2-1, while UW won the remaining two games, 6-5 and 6-3.
 
How to Follow
The game will be televised on ESPN and the radio call can be heard in Utah on the flagship home of the Utes, KALL ESPN 700. Tickets may be purchased here.
 
Setting the Scene
Utah, the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament champion, entered the 2023 NCAA DI Softball Championship as the No. 15 seed. The Utes join No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Tennessee, No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 7 Washington and No. 9 Stanford in the Women's College World Series. Utah returns to the WCWS for the first time since 16th-year head coach Amy Hogue was a senior All-American on the Utes' 1994 squad.
 
The Utes secured their spot in the WCWS by defeating San Diego State in a three-game NCAA Super Regional in Salt Lake City. SDSU took the first game, 4-3, on Friday, May 26, before Utah stormed back to win 10-1 on Saturday and 7-2 in a series-clinching victory on Sunday in front of a record crowd of 3,083 at Dumke Family Softball Stadium. Utah earned the right to host the Super Regional by sweeping its way through the Salt Lake City NCAA Regional May 19-21 with one win over Southern Illinois and two against Ole Miss.
 
The eight WCWS participants are split into two brackets, with Bracket 1 composed of Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama and Stanford, and Bracket 2 featuring Utah, Florida State, Oklahoma State and Washington. The Pac-12 boasts the most WCWS teams in 2023 with three (Utah, UW, Stanford), followed by the Big 12 (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State) and the SEC (Alabama, Tennessee) with two each, and the ACC with one (Florida State). The winner of Thursday's Utah-UW game will face the winner of the Florida State-Oklahoma State game, scheduled for 5 p.m. MT on Thursday.
 
Utah's four previous NCAA WCWS appearances came in 1982, 1985, 1991 and 1994. The latter two came with Head Coach Amy Hogue on the roster, and the 1991 roster also included senior Charmelle Greene, who now serves as Utah's Deputy A.D., Chief Operating Operator and SWA. The Utes also played in the 1976 AIAW College World Series.
 
Last Time Out
Utah emerged victories from their first ever home super regional by bouncing back from a game one loss to knock off San Diego State on consecutive days. Mariah Lopez started all three games for the Utes and has now started eight straight contests in the circle for her squad. In six NCAA Tournament starts, Lopez owns a 1.30 ERA and has struck out 35 in 32 1/3 innings. She's also permitted more than three earned runs in an outing just once since April 7.
 
The Utes also flexed their offensive muscle in their two victories over SDSU, piling up 17 runs and 25 hits over the final two days of the series. Ellessa Bonstrom, Julia Jimenez and Shelbi Ortiz all homered in game two, while Sophie Jacquez, Abby Dayton and Haley Denning each picked up multiple hits in game three. Dating back to the start of the Pac-12 Tournament, Utah has hit .387 as a team, with eight different players hitting about .300 and both Denning and Jacquez sporting averages over .500.
 
Scouting the Opposition
While it has been a while since the Utes reached this point, the Utes should not be discombobulated by their surroundings or by their opponent, as they attempt to break the tie in their season series with the Huskies.
 
Washington only narrowly avoided elimination in the regional round with a stirring seventh-inning comeback against McNeese State, but then returned to form with sweep of Louisiana at supers. Ruby Meylan and Lindsay Lopez combined to hold the Ragin' Cajuns to no runs and just a single extra base hits over 12 innings. Meylan tossed a two-hit shutout in game one before Lopez gave the Huskies six scoreless innings in the finale, followed by three outs from Meylan for the save. Washington's 2.65 ERA for the season ranks third among Pac-12 squads.
 
At the plate, First-Team All-American Baylee Klingler has led the way for UW all season, ranking in the top 10 in the conference in batting average, slugging percentage, homers and RBIs. In four games against Utah in 2023, Klingler has eight hits, including a pair of home runs and she was 2-for-4 against the Utes at the conference tournament. Klingler and company are attempting to snag the program's first national title since 2009.
 
Team Stat Leaders (as of 5/24/23)

 
 
Pac-12 Rankings - Individual 

• No one in the Pac-12 has thrown more innings than Mariah Lopez's 191 2/3 and her 23 wins, 15 complete games and 201 strikeouts have her second in the league. She also ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in ERA with a 2.15 mark.
• The Utes have 25 different individual marks inside the Pac-12's top 10 on offense and no one has more than Ellessa Bonstrom, who is in the top 10 in eight different statistics. She's scored the fourth-most runs in the league (45), ranks fourth in RBIs with 54, is tied for sixth in walks with 26 and is also in the top 10 in home runs, steals, on-base percentage, doubles and slugging.
• Aliya Belarde, who currently has 76 hits, needs just two more knocks to overtake Maya Brady for the Pac-12 lead in that statistic. She's also in second place in runs scored, with 53 and batting average, with a .400 clip and owns the league's third-highest stolen base total with 16.
• Haley Denning remains the conference leader in steals with 33 and she owns third place in hits with 74 and her runs scored total of 50 also lands her third in the league. Denning's .394 batting average stands as the Pac-12's fourth-best mark.
• Sophie Jacquez is in the top 10 in three different statistics in the Pac-12, owning sixth-place in hits with 65, while her 13 doubles have her tied for sixth and .385 average place her seventh.
• Julia Jimenez has piled up 14 doubles in 2023, tied for second-most in the Pac-12 and her 52 RBIs have her sixth.
• Jordyn Gasper's three triples have her tied for third in the conference, while Karlie Davison's 11 homers are tied for ninth in the league.

 
Pac-12 Rankings - Team 

• Utah's offense has put them at the top of the Pac-12 in three different statistics. Their 523 hits, 82 doubles and 99 steals all lead the league, while their .332 batting average lands them in second. The Utes are also third in the conference in triples and runs scored.

 
National Rankings – Individual

• Aliya Belarde has piled up enough hits in 2023 to put her in a tie for 16th in the nation and she also ranks 44th in batting average. In addition, she's 28th in Division I in runs scored per game.
• Haley Denning is tied for the nation's 20th-highest total in steals and her red-hot postseason has pushed her into a tie for 29th in Division I.
• Ellessa Bonstrom has climbed into a tie for 34th in the nation in runs batted in per game.
• Mariah Lopez owns the country's 18th-highest win total and she's also tied for 27th in Division I in strikeouts.

 
National Rankings – Team

• The Utes rank inside the top 35 nationally in six different statistics, including batting average, where they own the nation's fourth-highest clip. Utah also possesses the country's 11th-best scoring rate while ranking 25th in steals, 26th in doubles per game, 31st in slulgging and 32nd in on-base percentage.

 
CWS History
For the sixth time in program history, fifth since joining the NCAA and first time since 1994, the University of Utah softball team has earned a spot in the Women's College World Series. The Utes have a 2-10 record all-time in this event, picking up a win in 1994 and another in 1976, when they reached the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women College World Series. Utah head coach Amy Hogue was a player on that 1994 squad and she hit .455 during that season and piled up 101 hits, both of which still stand as program records. The Utes also won 51 games during that campaign, still the most in school history. Utah has never played Washington or Florida State in the WCWS, but they are 1-1 against Oklahoma State, including a win over the Cowboys during their most recent trip in 1994.
 
Eight Utes Named All-Pac-12 and All-Region
The Utes had never had more than six players named all-conference or more than five claim all-region spots until 2023, when eight players were selected to both rosters. They also set a new high-water mark with four All-Pac-12 First-Team picks.
 
Aliya Belarde, Ellessa Bonstrom, Abby Dayton and Mariah Lopez were all named to the all-league first-team, while Haley Denning, Julia Jimenez and Sophie Jacquez landed on the second-team and Sydney Sandez took home third-team honors.
 
On the NFCA All-Pacific Region squad, Denning and Lopez were first-team honorees, Bonstrom, Belarde, Jimenez and Jacquez took home second-team spots and Sandez and Dayton earned places on the third-team.
 
Milestones
The Utes have piled up a bevy of program-firsts and milestones so far in 2023.
 
Utah hosted and won a super regional for the first time ever after claiming the first-ever Pac-12 Tournament Championship. The team's 15 victories in Pac-12 play were new school-best topping the previous high of 13, set in 2016 and 2017. The team's win total of 42 matches the fifth-highest mark in program history and is the first time since 2000 Utah has hit that benchmark.
 
The Utes also swept a team ranked inside the top five for the first-team ever, taking three games from No. 5 Stanford in April, they won a series in Eugene and swept the Ducks for the first time program history in May and have stolen a Utah record 99 bases in 2023, surpassing the previous total of 92.
 
Lopez's Line
Mariah Lopez enters the WCWS with 23 wins, the most by a Ute since Kristin Arbogast won 40 games in 2000 and she's the first Utah hurler to reach 200 strikeouts since Generra Nielson recorded 294 strikeouts in 2012. Lopez is also the first Ute to ever earn two Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week awards and two Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Year honors in the same season.
 
Over he last 19 appearances, Lopez has gone 14-4 with a 1.53 ERA and 107 punchouts in 110 innings. She also earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the Pac-12 Tournament.
 
Postseason Matchup History
The last time Utah and Washington met in the postseason was at 2017 super regionals, when the Huskies took two of three from the Utes to advance to the WCWS. Prior to that, the programs met in the regional final in 2000, where the Huskies against eliminated the Utes, 9-0.
 
Postseason Firepower
Utah's bats have been red-hot in the postseason to the tune of a .387 average, 10 homers and an average of seven runs per game. No one has more postseason RBIs for the Utes than Shelbi Ortiz, who's knocked in 10 runs and Haley Denning (.552) and Sophie Jacquez (.536) are both batting over .500. Denning is also tied with Abby Dayton for the team lead in runs scored with 10.
 
Bonstrom Breaking Records
With her sixth-inning RBI triple against Ole Miss on May 21, Ellessa Bonstrom became Utah's all-time leader in career RBIs with 176, surpassing the mark set by Cyndee Bennett, who drove in 175 runs from 1994-97.
 
Denning Joins 100 Steals Club
Haley Denning stole her 100th base as a Ute in the super regional finale against San Diego State, making her only the third Utah player to ever reach that milestone in her career.
 
Steals Record
Utah's 99 steals so far in 2023 are not only the most in the Pac-12, but also a program record for a single season, surpassing the 92 bases swiped by the 1994 squad.
 
40 Wins for the Utes
This Utah squad is the seventh in program history to reach 40 wins and the first since the 2006 team that also logged 40 victories. The Utes have not surpassed 40 wins since they reached 42 in 2000. The squad's .750 win percentage also currently stands second-best in school history, bettered only by the .797 mark posted in 1994.
 
NCAA Tournament History
This is Utah's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2017 and the Utes own an all-time record 39-43 in the national postseason.
 
Undisputed
The Utes captured the first-ever Pac-12 Tournament Championship on Saturday, their first title since entering the Pac-12. It also goes down as the 10th tournament title in program history and the first since the Utes won the Mountain West Tournament in 2006.
 
Lopez No-Hits Ducks
Mariah Lopez fired the 17th seven-inning no-hitter in program history, the first since 2012, on May 7 in a 2-0 triumph over Oregon. After encountering a pair of threats early, Lopez allowed only a single baserunner over the final five frames, setting down 15 of the 16 hitters she faced to finish with a spotless final line that included six strikeouts. The junior from Arizona finished her masterpiece with a perfect sixth, followed by a seventh inning in which she struck out the side.
 
Player of the Week History
For their efforts against Oregon, Karlie Davison was recognized as the Pac-12 Freshman and Player of the Week and Lopez won Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors. Lopez, who was also named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week on April 17, is the first Ute to ever snag that award twice in one season, while Davison is the first Utah player to ever win both player and freshman of the week simultaneously.
 
By the Numbers with the Bases Loaded
Utah's pitching staff has been at its best with the sacks packed, holding opponents to a .188 clip in 48 bases-loaded at-bats. By contrast, Utah's hitters are batting .396 in 48 chances when the bases are full.
 
Three is a Charm
Utah's hitters have piled up 27 games with three or more hits in 2023, putting them far ahead of last season's total of 10 in that statistic. No Ute had more than three three-hit performances to their credit a year ago, but so far in 2023, Aliya Belarde has accomplished that feat seven times, Haley Denning has reached that number five times and Julia Jimenez has four three-hit performances.
 
Starting Fast
The Utes have a higher run-differential in the first inning that in any other frame, outscoring opponents 64-19 in that stanza. Only in the fourth inning have the Utes scored more runs (66). The seventh inning is the only frame in regulation in which Utah has been outscored, as they face a 28-27 deficit.
 
Two-Out Utes
So far in 2023, the Utes have hit .337 with two outs and piled up 128 two-out RBIs, improving on their numbers from a year ago. In 2022, Utah's average with two outs stood at .266 and they finished the season with 95 two-out RBIs.
 
Seeing Double-Digits
Utah's 11-run outburst against Southern Illinois on May 19 was the seventh time they've tallied 10 or more runs in 2023, surpassing their total from 2022, when they accomplished that feat four times.
 
Opportunistic Offense
In 22 of their games in 2023, the Utes have forced their opponents into multiple miscues in the field and Utah is currently 21-1 in contests where the opposition makes multiple errors.
 
Dynamic Duo
Both Syndey Sandez and Mariah Lopez have reached double-digit wins for the Utes in 2023, the first time since 2017 two Utes have topped the 10-win threshold. Lopez's 23 triumphs are the most by a Ute since Kristin Arbogast won 40 games in 2000, while Sandez's 13 tops her previous career-high of  12, which she set in 2021.
 
Dayton Does it Again
On April 10, Abby Dayton was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the second time. Dayton, who went 7-for-8 at the plate during the week, is the third Ute to receive multiple freshman of the week awards in a single season and the first since Ally Dickman in 2016. Katie Donovan accomplished this feat as well, doing so in 2015.
 
Turn It Up to an 11
From Feb. 26 to March 17, the Utes strung together an 11-game win streak, their longest since they also on 11-in-a-row in 2017. Six of the victories during that run belonged to Sydney Sandez, who crafted a 0.49 ERA. At the plate, the Utes hit .369 as a team, led by Aliya Belarde's .500 average and Ellessa Bonstrom's six homers and 20 RBIs.
 
More History for Hogue
One season after becoming the all-time wins leader in the history of Utah softball, head coach Amy Hogue has already surpassed two more milestones in 2023. With her team's win on Feb. 10 over Northern Colorado, Hogue became the first coach to reach 400 wins in program and two days later, she picked up the 600th victory of her head coaching career.
 
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