Upcoming Event: Softball versus No. 21 Oklahoma State on March 27, 2026 at 5 p.m.
5 p.m.
Softball
vs No. 21 Oklahoma State
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The University of Utah Athletics
Friday, March 27
Salt Lake City, Utah
5 p.m.
University of Utah
vs
No. 21 Oklahoma State
Players Mentioned
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UTIL
/ Softball
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UTIL
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/ Softball
INF
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OF
/ Softball
Photo by: Margaret Mower/Utah Athletics
No. 21 Cowgirls Come to Utah For Three-Game Set
3/26/2026 11:33 AM | Softball
Utes preparing to host Oklahoma State for the first time
SALT LAKE CITY – Through two conference road trips, the University of Utah softball team has amassed a 4-2 record in Big 12 play, but the Utes are now preparing for their first league series at home and the challenge of hosting the No. 21 Oklahoma State Cowgirls for three games at the Dumke Family Softball Stadium in Salt Lake City.
The series will begin with a 5 p.m. matchup on Friday, followed on Saturday by another contest starting at 5 p.m. and the series finale will be played on Sunday at 11 a.m.
March 27 - 29 Schedule
How to Follow
Catch every game between the Utes and the Cowgirls on ESPN+
Last Time Out
After a difficult three-game set with the Kansas Jayhawks, the Utes returned home on Tuesday and flexed their offensive muscle against the Weber State Wildcats in a 13-0 win. Jolie Mayfield, Kennedy Proctor, Shonty Passi and Cian Noli all homered as the Utes improved to 4-1 at home in 2026. In those five home affairs, the Utes have averaged 12 runs per game and batted .454, with eight different players going yard.
Utah's offense has not just thrived at home in 2026, as evidenced by a stat line that includes an average of 7.15 runs per game, 38 homers and .524 slugging percentage. Those numbers put the Utes on pace to smash the program's single-season records for runs scored and slugging and to also challenge mark of 65 homers, set by the 2004 Utes.
One of the leaders for the Utes on offense continues to be Mia Gomez, who is the only freshman in the country to play in and reach base in every game her team has played in 2026. Her string of 33 consecutive games reaching base safely matches the longest streak on record in program history, which was set by Abby Dayton in 2024.
Utah's conquest of the Wildcats also marked the team's 11th shutout of the year, which puts them in the top five in the nation and second in the Big 12, trailing only Texas Tech. Those shutouts have helped Utah craft the league's second-best ERA at 2.16, led by Shelbee Jones and her mark of 1.34. Only one pitcher in the Big 12 owns a lower ERA and Jones also ranks 12th nationally in that statistic.
Scouting the Opposition
Over the last decade, head coach Kenny Gajewski has built the Cowgirls into a perennial power in the Big 12 and a constant contender for a spot in the Women's College World Series. The 2026 club has started slow in Big 12 play, but they remain ranked nationally thanks in large part to a collection of ranked wins, including defeats of Georgia, Texas A&M, UCLA and Nebraska. The Cowgirls' 4-3 triumph over the Bruins on Feb. 13 is one of only three losses suffered by UCLA so far in 2026.
For the second straight year, one of the leaders of Gajewski's squad has been All-American pitcher Ruby Meylan. Her 2.48 ERA leads the team and ranks in the top 10 on the conference leaderboard. Her 126 strikeouts are more than any other Big 12 hurler and puts her in the top 10 in Division I. Meylan has also crafted a 1.48 ERA in 33 innings in conference play.
The Cowgirl lineup is full of players who own high averages and can hit for power. Claire Timm, who is batting a team-best .378, is one of five players with clips over .320, while Rosie Dabis and Amanda Hasler have been the team's best run producers. Between them, they've hit 17 homers as both players try to earn all-conference and all-region recognition for a second straight season.
2026 Team Stat Leaders
Batting Avg. Mia Gomez .438
Slugging % Mia Gomez .771
On Base % Shonty Passi .553
Runs Scored Kennedy Proctor 32
Danika Wilson 32
Hits Mia Gomez 42
RBI Mia Gomez 31
Doubles Kennedy Proctor 12
Home Runs Mia Gomez 8
Stolen Bases Sianni Sakai 5
ERA Shelbee Jones 1.34 (67.2 IP)
K's Shelbee Jones 67
Wins Shelbee Jones 9
National and Conference Rankings – Team
National and Conference Rankings - Individual
POTW Awards
The Utes have been piling up weekly awards of late, the most recent being Danika Wilson's second Freshman of the Week honor, which was announced on Tuesday. Wilson is the first Ute to win two freshman of the week awards since Abby Dayton in 2023. Shelbee Jones was the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week last week. On March 10, Mia Gomez was named Softball on SI's Freshman of the Week and Wilson took home her first Big 12 Freshman of the Week award on March 2. Gomez won Utah's first weekly honor of the season on Feb. 17, when she was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week.
Jones Tosses a No-Hitter
On March 11, Shelbee Jones fired the 32nd no-hitter in program history, blanking Abilene Christian over five innings in a 13-0 Utah win. She retired the side in order in each of the first three frames and struck out the side in the second. A two-out walk in the fourth inning was the only baserunner the Wildcats would manage before Jones closed the afternoon in style. She added two more punchouts to her total in the fifth, including one for the final out, her ninth of the day.
How Sweep It Is
Utah's thrashing of Arizona State represented the program's first road sweep of a ranked team since they took three from No. 13 Oregon in 2023. Utah's 35 runs in three games was their highest total in a series of three games or less since 1996 and it included their largest win over a ranked team ever in the form of a 15-0 rout on Saturday.
Proctor Power
Kennedy Proctor started March quite the power display, homering in three straight games on March 1, March 4 and March 6, all in Utah wins. Proctor is the first Utah player to go deep in three straight games since Ellessa Bonstrom in 2023.
Lighting Up the Thunderbirds
Against Southern Utah, the Utes cracked five homers, their most in a single game since 2020 and the 18 runs they scored were Utah's most in a single game since they also scored 18 in a 2012 win over North Dakota.
Multi-Homer Games
Shonty Passi's two-homer game on March 7 was the fourth multi-homer game by a Utah player in 2026. That's Utah's highest total of multi-homer games in one season since 2011.
Late Inning Lightning
Utah's bats have been at their best late in games. In the sixth and seventh innings, the Utes have outscored their opponents by a combined margin of 28-5.
Double Dare
Kennedy Proctor added her name to the school record book on Feb. 14, when she clocked three doubles at the expense of Illinois State. She was the sixth player in Utah history to log a performance like that and the first since Kelly Martinez in 2018.
Hailey Hurls a Gem
Hailey Maestretti put forth perhaps the best performance of her collegiate career against Santa Clara on Feb. 13. She allowed only two hits, didn't walk a batter, struck out six and faced just three batters over the minimum. The sophomore southpaw retired the first six batters she faced, then used a pair of strikeouts to work around a lead-off single in the first. Maestretti induced a double play ball to help her get out of the fourth, worked a perfect fifth, then stranded runners in the final two stanzas and fired back-to-back punchouts in the seventh to complete her masterpiece.
Triple Threat
In Utah's first game of 2026, Hailee White stenciled her name into the program record book. With two triples against UC Riverside, White became the 12th player in school history to record two three-baggers in one game and the first since Abby Dayton in 2024.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).
The series will begin with a 5 p.m. matchup on Friday, followed on Saturday by another contest starting at 5 p.m. and the series finale will be played on Sunday at 11 a.m.
March 27 - 29 Schedule
| Date | Game | Watch/Live Stats |
| March 27 | Oklahoma State at Utah | Watch / Live Stats |
| March 28 | Oklahoma State at Utah | Watch / Live Stats |
| March 29 | Oklahoma State at Utah | Watch / Live Stats |
How to Follow
Catch every game between the Utes and the Cowgirls on ESPN+
Last Time Out
After a difficult three-game set with the Kansas Jayhawks, the Utes returned home on Tuesday and flexed their offensive muscle against the Weber State Wildcats in a 13-0 win. Jolie Mayfield, Kennedy Proctor, Shonty Passi and Cian Noli all homered as the Utes improved to 4-1 at home in 2026. In those five home affairs, the Utes have averaged 12 runs per game and batted .454, with eight different players going yard.
Utah's offense has not just thrived at home in 2026, as evidenced by a stat line that includes an average of 7.15 runs per game, 38 homers and .524 slugging percentage. Those numbers put the Utes on pace to smash the program's single-season records for runs scored and slugging and to also challenge mark of 65 homers, set by the 2004 Utes.
One of the leaders for the Utes on offense continues to be Mia Gomez, who is the only freshman in the country to play in and reach base in every game her team has played in 2026. Her string of 33 consecutive games reaching base safely matches the longest streak on record in program history, which was set by Abby Dayton in 2024.
Utah's conquest of the Wildcats also marked the team's 11th shutout of the year, which puts them in the top five in the nation and second in the Big 12, trailing only Texas Tech. Those shutouts have helped Utah craft the league's second-best ERA at 2.16, led by Shelbee Jones and her mark of 1.34. Only one pitcher in the Big 12 owns a lower ERA and Jones also ranks 12th nationally in that statistic.
Scouting the Opposition
Over the last decade, head coach Kenny Gajewski has built the Cowgirls into a perennial power in the Big 12 and a constant contender for a spot in the Women's College World Series. The 2026 club has started slow in Big 12 play, but they remain ranked nationally thanks in large part to a collection of ranked wins, including defeats of Georgia, Texas A&M, UCLA and Nebraska. The Cowgirls' 4-3 triumph over the Bruins on Feb. 13 is one of only three losses suffered by UCLA so far in 2026.
For the second straight year, one of the leaders of Gajewski's squad has been All-American pitcher Ruby Meylan. Her 2.48 ERA leads the team and ranks in the top 10 on the conference leaderboard. Her 126 strikeouts are more than any other Big 12 hurler and puts her in the top 10 in Division I. Meylan has also crafted a 1.48 ERA in 33 innings in conference play.
The Cowgirl lineup is full of players who own high averages and can hit for power. Claire Timm, who is batting a team-best .378, is one of five players with clips over .320, while Rosie Dabis and Amanda Hasler have been the team's best run producers. Between them, they've hit 17 homers as both players try to earn all-conference and all-region recognition for a second straight season.
2026 Team Stat Leaders
Batting Avg. Mia Gomez .438
Slugging % Mia Gomez .771
On Base % Shonty Passi .553
Runs Scored Kennedy Proctor 32
Danika Wilson 32
Hits Mia Gomez 42
RBI Mia Gomez 31
Doubles Kennedy Proctor 12
Home Runs Mia Gomez 8
Stolen Bases Sianni Sakai 5
ERA Shelbee Jones 1.34 (67.2 IP)
K's Shelbee Jones 67
Wins Shelbee Jones 9
National and Conference Rankings – Team
- Utah's pitching staff continues to carve out a spot amongst the best in the nation in several statistics. Their 2.16 ERA is second-best in the Big 12 and 11th nationally. The 11 shutouts the Utes have racked up are fifth nationally and they've also crafted a WHIP of 1.20, which is 20th in the country.
- At the plate, the Utes have remained one of the country's most patient teams, leading the conference with 150 walks, placing them seventh in Division I. Utah's 215 RBIs rank 19th nationally, their 7.15 runs per game places them 28th and they are third in the Big 12 in hits with 274.
- In the field, the Utes have turned 15 double plays, tied for 21st in the country.
National and Conference Rankings - Individual
- Shelbee Jones, Hailey Maestretti and Raci Miranda all own spots in the Big 12's top 10 in at least one statistic, with Jones' 1.34 ERA placing her second and 12th in the nation and she also ranks 22nd nationally and is tied for fourth in the league with three shutouts.
- Maestretti's four shutouts put her second in the Big 12 and tied for seventh in the country, while her 1.78 ERA ranks fourth in the conference. She also has thrown seven complete games, tied for third in the Big 12.
- Raci Miranda's WHIP of 1.09 places her fifth in the league.
- Mia Gomez remains of the league's toughest outs, with her .525 on-base percentage and 42 hits putting her third, while her .438 batting average ranks fifth.
- Kennedy Proctor's 12 doubles rank second in the Big 12 and have her tied for 17th in Division I.
POTW Awards
The Utes have been piling up weekly awards of late, the most recent being Danika Wilson's second Freshman of the Week honor, which was announced on Tuesday. Wilson is the first Ute to win two freshman of the week awards since Abby Dayton in 2023. Shelbee Jones was the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week last week. On March 10, Mia Gomez was named Softball on SI's Freshman of the Week and Wilson took home her first Big 12 Freshman of the Week award on March 2. Gomez won Utah's first weekly honor of the season on Feb. 17, when she was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week.
Jones Tosses a No-Hitter
On March 11, Shelbee Jones fired the 32nd no-hitter in program history, blanking Abilene Christian over five innings in a 13-0 Utah win. She retired the side in order in each of the first three frames and struck out the side in the second. A two-out walk in the fourth inning was the only baserunner the Wildcats would manage before Jones closed the afternoon in style. She added two more punchouts to her total in the fifth, including one for the final out, her ninth of the day.
How Sweep It Is
Utah's thrashing of Arizona State represented the program's first road sweep of a ranked team since they took three from No. 13 Oregon in 2023. Utah's 35 runs in three games was their highest total in a series of three games or less since 1996 and it included their largest win over a ranked team ever in the form of a 15-0 rout on Saturday.
Proctor Power
Kennedy Proctor started March quite the power display, homering in three straight games on March 1, March 4 and March 6, all in Utah wins. Proctor is the first Utah player to go deep in three straight games since Ellessa Bonstrom in 2023.
Lighting Up the Thunderbirds
Against Southern Utah, the Utes cracked five homers, their most in a single game since 2020 and the 18 runs they scored were Utah's most in a single game since they also scored 18 in a 2012 win over North Dakota.
Multi-Homer Games
Shonty Passi's two-homer game on March 7 was the fourth multi-homer game by a Utah player in 2026. That's Utah's highest total of multi-homer games in one season since 2011.
Late Inning Lightning
Utah's bats have been at their best late in games. In the sixth and seventh innings, the Utes have outscored their opponents by a combined margin of 28-5.
Double Dare
Kennedy Proctor added her name to the school record book on Feb. 14, when she clocked three doubles at the expense of Illinois State. She was the sixth player in Utah history to log a performance like that and the first since Kelly Martinez in 2018.
Hailey Hurls a Gem
Hailey Maestretti put forth perhaps the best performance of her collegiate career against Santa Clara on Feb. 13. She allowed only two hits, didn't walk a batter, struck out six and faced just three batters over the minimum. The sophomore southpaw retired the first six batters she faced, then used a pair of strikeouts to work around a lead-off single in the first. Maestretti induced a double play ball to help her get out of the fourth, worked a perfect fifth, then stranded runners in the final two stanzas and fired back-to-back punchouts in the seventh to complete her masterpiece.
Triple Threat
In Utah's first game of 2026, Hailee White stenciled her name into the program record book. With two triples against UC Riverside, White became the 12th player in school history to record two three-baggers in one game and the first since Abby Dayton in 2024.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).
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