Upcoming Event: Softball versus Utah Valley on October 2, 2025 at 4 p.m.
4 p.m.
Softball
vs Utah Valley
Friday, February 14
Fresno, Calif.
1:30 p.m.
University of Utah
vs
University of California Santa Barbara
Photo by: Patrick Mulligan Studio Create
Three Opponents and Six Games in Fresno On Deck for Utah Softball
2/12/2025 1:45 PM | Softball
Utah to lock horns with UCSB, LMU and Fresno State
SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah softball team closed out the season's opening weekend with a pair of dramatic victories that gave them a winning record in their first tournament of the year and now they'll be attempting to ride that momentum into another weekend of non-conference action, this time at the Fresno State Kickoff Classic, which will be held from Friday through Monday at Margie Wright Diamond in Fresno, Calif.
The Utes will start the tournament on Friday by squaring off against the UCSB Gauchos at 12:30 p.m. PT (1:30 p.m. MT) and the LMU Lions at 3 p.m. PT. Saturday's schedule has Utah taking on LMU at 10 a.m. PT and the Sunday slate includes a rematch with UCSB at 12:30 p.m. PT, followed by a 3 p.m. PT tilt against the Fresno State Bulldogs. Utah will clash with the Bulldogs one last time on Monday at 11 a.m. PT.
Feb. 14 – 17 Schedule
How to Follow
Fans can follow each game via links to live stats on UtahUtes.com or by following Utah Softball on Twitter at @Utah_Softball and Instagram at @utahsoftball. The Utes two matchups with Fresno State will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network.
Last Time Out
For the third straight year, the Utes ended the season's opening weekend above .500 and they achieved that feat in 2025 thanks a number of clutch performances, both in the batter's box and the circle.
In the team's season opener, Brooklyn Carreon and Shelbee Jones combined to shutout Minnesota and Kaylah Nelsen's sixth-inning RBI double broke a scoreless tie in what would be a 2-0 Utah win. Nelsen's .566 slugging percentage is tops on the team through five games and includes the team's first round-tripper of the season, a three-run moonshot she hit against California on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Utes pulled out a pair of one-run affairs, erasing multi-run deficits both times. First against Miami (OH), Utah overcame a 3-1 deficit, thanks in part to a seventh-inning uprising that staked them to a 5-3 lead. While the RedHawks managed to tie the score in both the seventh and the eighth, Jones stranded the winning run on third in each frame and made a one-run advantage stand up in the ninth to clinch the win. The sophomore from Bluffdale pitched in all five games last weekend and collected two wins.
In a rematch with the Golden Gophers, the Utes fell behind 4-1 before rallying to tie the score then dented home plate five times in the fifth to move ahead for good. Freshman hurler Hailey Maestretti held off Minnesota's comeback attempt to pocket her first collegiate victory.
Two of the offensive catalysts for Utah on the Sunday were Shonty Passi and Hailey Deter, both of whom ended the day with four hits. Deter drove in runs in both games, including the go-ahead tally versus the Golden Gophers, while Passi was a thorn in Miami's side, with a pair of clutch RBIs, one of which came in extra innings. Kennedy Proctor, who whacked her first collegiate homer on Saturday, added two doubles in the triumph over Minnesota and was credited with three RBIs.
Scouting the Opposition
Of the three opponents Utah will encounter in Fresno, UCSB had the most successful opening weekend, picking up five wins in six tries mostly due to an offense that rebounded from a 1-0 defeat in the Gauchos season opener to score 50 runs in their next five contests. UCSB's average of 8.33 runs per game has them tied for 20th in the nation.
Their most dangerous hitter over those six games was 2024 all-region selection and Co-Big West Freshman of the Year Ainsley Waddell. The California native belted four home runs, putting her in the top 10 in the country, batted .474 and drove in nine runs. Her most impressive showing came in a 10-2 trouncing of Colorado State on Saturday in which she homered twice, drove in four runs and scored three times.
LMU and Fresno State had their weekends play out in the opposite fashion in comparison to UCSB, as both the Lions and Bulldogs won their initial bout, then went winless after. Both squads did not lack for quality competition, however. LMU's opponents included No. 3 Oklahoma, while FSU twice took on No. 22 Stanford. Utah and LMU will be meeting up for the first since a 6-3 Ute victory in 2023, while the Bulldogs and Utes haven't shared the diamond since a 2016 meeting won by Fresno State.
A Pair of Comebacks at the Kajikawa Classic
In both of Utah's Sunday victories at the Kajikawa Classic, they trailed late before bouncing back to earn the win. This marked the first time since April 21, 2024 the Utes collected multiple comeback wins on the same day and the first instance since Feb. 20, 2021 they erased two deficits in the fifth inning or later on the same day to collect two triumphs. On that day, Utah posted a pair of late uprisings against UNLV and California Baptist.
A Kennedy Crusher
In Kennedy Proctor's second career at-bat, which came against California on Feb. 8, she blasted a solo home run for her first collegiate hit. This was the third time in three seasons a Utah player homered for her first career hit. Taylor Jacobs accomplished that feat on April 4, 2024 against Arizona and Karlie Davison homered for her first career knock on Feb. 11, 2023 vs. Stonehill.
Turning Two
The Utes turned four double plays during the season's first week, a figure that has them tied for the top spot in the Big 12 and sharing seventh nationally.
Lundberg Laser Beams
Kendall Lundberg threw out three potential base stealers over Utah's first five matchups. She was the only catcher in the Big 12 to accomplish that feat during the first weekend of play in 2025.
Team 50
The 2025 campaign is the 50th season of competition for Utah Softball, which began in 1976, and Hogue and her squad will be attempting add to a long list of memorable moments and incredible accomplishments that have defined the program throughout its history.
Over the course of 49 previous seasons, the Utes have reached the AIAW or NCAA Women's College World Series six times, earned 23 trips to regionals, collected 18 conference regular season or tournament championships and produced 20 All-Americans. Seven former Utah softball players have also been inducted into the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame.
Seven different people have held the title of head coach or co-head coach for Utah softball, but Norma Carr, Jo Evans, Mona Stevens and Amy Hogue have been the main stewards of the program throughout its history. Each collected more than 200 wins during their time as head coach, Carr, Evans and Hogue all guided the Utes to the Women's College World Series during their tenures, while Stevens guided Utah to championships in the Mountain West Conference in 2000, 2002 and 2004.
Utah's 20 All-American selections have been piled up by 15 players, starting with outfielder Melonie Kent in 1981. Four Utes, Charmelle Green, Sandy Rhea, Hannah Flippen and Ellessa Bonstrom earned All-American honors in multiple seasons, with Flippen being the only three-time All-American in school history. In 1985, 1994 and 2023, the Utes fielded teams with multiple All-Americans and in all three of those campaigns, they reached the Women's College World Series.
Amy Hogue Milestone Watch
Head coach Amy Hogue can already lay claim to the title of the winningest coach in Utah softball history, a milestone she reached in 2022 and one year later, she earned her 400th victory at the helm of the program, as well as her 600th overall. Hogue currently needs 22 more victories to reach 500 as Utah head coach and 25 to reach 700 in her career as a head coach.
Kaylah Makes the Cut
After a breakout 2024 campaign that saw her earn All-Pac-12 Second-Team status, Kaylah Nelsen earned preseason recognition in the form of a spot on the Big 12 Preseason Team. Nelsen spent 2024 batting .370, leading Pac-12 in doubles and finishing in the top 10 in the league in hits and RBIs. She also provided Utah with solid defense at first base and earned a spot on the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team.
Schedule Facts
Utah will be tasked with navigating a difficult schedule in their first year in the Big 12, as the team's slate includes 10 squads who garnered a spot in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason poll and three more that received votes. That group includes No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 10 Texas Tech, who the Utes will meet in conference play, and No. 6 UCLA and No. 9 LSU, who the Utes will meet on Feb. 28 in back-to-back games at the Judi Garman Classic.
The 2025 regular season schedule will also take the Utes to Arizona, California, Idaho, Texas and Oklahoma before the 2025 Big 12 Tournament, which will be held at Devon Park in Oklahoma City from May 7 – 10.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2025 campaign are now available. Fans can purchase season tickets by calling the Utah ticket office at 801-581-8849 or visit www.utahtickets.com/softball/.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).
The Utes will start the tournament on Friday by squaring off against the UCSB Gauchos at 12:30 p.m. PT (1:30 p.m. MT) and the LMU Lions at 3 p.m. PT. Saturday's schedule has Utah taking on LMU at 10 a.m. PT and the Sunday slate includes a rematch with UCSB at 12:30 p.m. PT, followed by a 3 p.m. PT tilt against the Fresno State Bulldogs. Utah will clash with the Bulldogs one last time on Monday at 11 a.m. PT.
Feb. 14 – 17 Schedule
| Date | Game | Watch/Live Stats |
| Feb. 14 | Utah vs. UCSB | Live Stats |
| Feb. 14 | Utah vs. LMU | Live Stats |
| Feb. 15 | Utah vs. LMU | Live Stats |
| Feb. 16 | Utah vs. UCSB | Live Stats |
| Feb. 16 | Utah vs. Fresno State | Watch / Live Stats |
| Feb. 17 | Utah vs. Fresno State | Watch / Live Stats |
How to Follow
Fans can follow each game via links to live stats on UtahUtes.com or by following Utah Softball on Twitter at @Utah_Softball and Instagram at @utahsoftball. The Utes two matchups with Fresno State will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network.
Last Time Out
For the third straight year, the Utes ended the season's opening weekend above .500 and they achieved that feat in 2025 thanks a number of clutch performances, both in the batter's box and the circle.
In the team's season opener, Brooklyn Carreon and Shelbee Jones combined to shutout Minnesota and Kaylah Nelsen's sixth-inning RBI double broke a scoreless tie in what would be a 2-0 Utah win. Nelsen's .566 slugging percentage is tops on the team through five games and includes the team's first round-tripper of the season, a three-run moonshot she hit against California on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Utes pulled out a pair of one-run affairs, erasing multi-run deficits both times. First against Miami (OH), Utah overcame a 3-1 deficit, thanks in part to a seventh-inning uprising that staked them to a 5-3 lead. While the RedHawks managed to tie the score in both the seventh and the eighth, Jones stranded the winning run on third in each frame and made a one-run advantage stand up in the ninth to clinch the win. The sophomore from Bluffdale pitched in all five games last weekend and collected two wins.
In a rematch with the Golden Gophers, the Utes fell behind 4-1 before rallying to tie the score then dented home plate five times in the fifth to move ahead for good. Freshman hurler Hailey Maestretti held off Minnesota's comeback attempt to pocket her first collegiate victory.
Two of the offensive catalysts for Utah on the Sunday were Shonty Passi and Hailey Deter, both of whom ended the day with four hits. Deter drove in runs in both games, including the go-ahead tally versus the Golden Gophers, while Passi was a thorn in Miami's side, with a pair of clutch RBIs, one of which came in extra innings. Kennedy Proctor, who whacked her first collegiate homer on Saturday, added two doubles in the triumph over Minnesota and was credited with three RBIs.
Scouting the Opposition
Of the three opponents Utah will encounter in Fresno, UCSB had the most successful opening weekend, picking up five wins in six tries mostly due to an offense that rebounded from a 1-0 defeat in the Gauchos season opener to score 50 runs in their next five contests. UCSB's average of 8.33 runs per game has them tied for 20th in the nation.
Their most dangerous hitter over those six games was 2024 all-region selection and Co-Big West Freshman of the Year Ainsley Waddell. The California native belted four home runs, putting her in the top 10 in the country, batted .474 and drove in nine runs. Her most impressive showing came in a 10-2 trouncing of Colorado State on Saturday in which she homered twice, drove in four runs and scored three times.
LMU and Fresno State had their weekends play out in the opposite fashion in comparison to UCSB, as both the Lions and Bulldogs won their initial bout, then went winless after. Both squads did not lack for quality competition, however. LMU's opponents included No. 3 Oklahoma, while FSU twice took on No. 22 Stanford. Utah and LMU will be meeting up for the first since a 6-3 Ute victory in 2023, while the Bulldogs and Utes haven't shared the diamond since a 2016 meeting won by Fresno State.
A Pair of Comebacks at the Kajikawa Classic
In both of Utah's Sunday victories at the Kajikawa Classic, they trailed late before bouncing back to earn the win. This marked the first time since April 21, 2024 the Utes collected multiple comeback wins on the same day and the first instance since Feb. 20, 2021 they erased two deficits in the fifth inning or later on the same day to collect two triumphs. On that day, Utah posted a pair of late uprisings against UNLV and California Baptist.
A Kennedy Crusher
In Kennedy Proctor's second career at-bat, which came against California on Feb. 8, she blasted a solo home run for her first collegiate hit. This was the third time in three seasons a Utah player homered for her first career hit. Taylor Jacobs accomplished that feat on April 4, 2024 against Arizona and Karlie Davison homered for her first career knock on Feb. 11, 2023 vs. Stonehill.
Turning Two
The Utes turned four double plays during the season's first week, a figure that has them tied for the top spot in the Big 12 and sharing seventh nationally.
Lundberg Laser Beams
Kendall Lundberg threw out three potential base stealers over Utah's first five matchups. She was the only catcher in the Big 12 to accomplish that feat during the first weekend of play in 2025.
Team 50
The 2025 campaign is the 50th season of competition for Utah Softball, which began in 1976, and Hogue and her squad will be attempting add to a long list of memorable moments and incredible accomplishments that have defined the program throughout its history.
Over the course of 49 previous seasons, the Utes have reached the AIAW or NCAA Women's College World Series six times, earned 23 trips to regionals, collected 18 conference regular season or tournament championships and produced 20 All-Americans. Seven former Utah softball players have also been inducted into the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame.
Seven different people have held the title of head coach or co-head coach for Utah softball, but Norma Carr, Jo Evans, Mona Stevens and Amy Hogue have been the main stewards of the program throughout its history. Each collected more than 200 wins during their time as head coach, Carr, Evans and Hogue all guided the Utes to the Women's College World Series during their tenures, while Stevens guided Utah to championships in the Mountain West Conference in 2000, 2002 and 2004.
Utah's 20 All-American selections have been piled up by 15 players, starting with outfielder Melonie Kent in 1981. Four Utes, Charmelle Green, Sandy Rhea, Hannah Flippen and Ellessa Bonstrom earned All-American honors in multiple seasons, with Flippen being the only three-time All-American in school history. In 1985, 1994 and 2023, the Utes fielded teams with multiple All-Americans and in all three of those campaigns, they reached the Women's College World Series.
Amy Hogue Milestone Watch
Head coach Amy Hogue can already lay claim to the title of the winningest coach in Utah softball history, a milestone she reached in 2022 and one year later, she earned her 400th victory at the helm of the program, as well as her 600th overall. Hogue currently needs 22 more victories to reach 500 as Utah head coach and 25 to reach 700 in her career as a head coach.
Kaylah Makes the Cut
After a breakout 2024 campaign that saw her earn All-Pac-12 Second-Team status, Kaylah Nelsen earned preseason recognition in the form of a spot on the Big 12 Preseason Team. Nelsen spent 2024 batting .370, leading Pac-12 in doubles and finishing in the top 10 in the league in hits and RBIs. She also provided Utah with solid defense at first base and earned a spot on the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team.
Schedule Facts
Utah will be tasked with navigating a difficult schedule in their first year in the Big 12, as the team's slate includes 10 squads who garnered a spot in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason poll and three more that received votes. That group includes No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 10 Texas Tech, who the Utes will meet in conference play, and No. 6 UCLA and No. 9 LSU, who the Utes will meet on Feb. 28 in back-to-back games at the Judi Garman Classic.
The 2025 regular season schedule will also take the Utes to Arizona, California, Idaho, Texas and Oklahoma before the 2025 Big 12 Tournament, which will be held at Devon Park in Oklahoma City from May 7 – 10.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2025 campaign are now available. Fans can purchase season tickets by calling the Utah ticket office at 801-581-8849 or visit www.utahtickets.com/softball/.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).
Players Mentioned
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/ Softball
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UTIL
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UTIL
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C
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