April 18, 2016 Game Notes - Weber State, Boise State & Colorado State 
PLAY BALL ââ'¬" Utah State softball (19-19, 5-7) returns to the familiarity of LaRee & LeGrand Johnson Field this week for seven home games in seven days. The Aggies will host in-state rival Weber State (27-14) on Wednesday, April 20, at 4 p.m. The team will then return to Mountain West action hosting back-to-back series against Boise State (12-28, 4-8) and Colorado State (18-19, 4-7). USU and BSU will play a game a day from Friday, April 22 through Sunday, April 23, playing at 3 p.m., 1 p.m. and Noon, respectively. The team will then open the rescheduled three-game series against the Rams, playing a doubleheader on Monday, April 25, beginning at 2:30 p.m. and wrapping up the series in a single game on Tuesday, April 26, at 11 a.m.
WISH YOU WERE HERE ââ'¬" Every Utah State home game, along with all Mountain West road games, will be streamed live and for free online through the Mountain West Network. The video feed of the games can be found at utahstateaggies.tv. Live stats for every Utah State game will also be available through Gametracker. Games can also be followed through the various USU social media platforms. Links to each option will be available prior to every game.
JOIN IN THE FUN ââ'¬" Utah State home games are free to the public. Fans attending the games can also park for free in the lot just south of the field. LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field is located at approximately 1300 North on 800 East, just north of Maverik Stadium.
SCOUTING WEBER STATE ââ'¬" Weber State makes the trip to Logan for its final non-conference game of the season. The Wildcats sit at 27-14 on the season with a 9-2 record in Big Sky play. Last weekend, Weber State took a series against Idaho State, 2-1.
Senior infielder Aubrey Whitmer leads the Wildcats at the plate, as she is batting .413 (50-of-121). She has scored 27 of her own runs this season, while batting in a team-best 42. Defensively, senior infielder Krystin Kubo leads the team with 212 putouts. The Wildcats have utilized four pitchers this season, where sophomore Kirtlyn Bohling leads with a 16-5 individual record and a 2.48 ERA. As a team, the Wildcats are batting .314 on the year, posting a team ERA of 2.88.
In-state rivals, Utah State leads the all-time series against Weber State, 33-15. Wednesday will be the second meeting between the teams this season. The teams battled in the DeMarini Desert Classic in Las Vegas, where the Aggies took the 2-1 victory. Last season, the Wildcats boasted two wins over Utah State in a doubleheader in Ogden.
SCOUTING BOISE STATE ââ'¬" Boise State travels to Logan with a 12-28 overall record, going 4-8 in Mountain West play. The Broncos enter the weekend series with plenty of rest, as the team is coming off its conference bye week and having had 12 days since its last competition. Prior to the break, Boise State went 2-1 in a home series against UNLV.
The Broncos are led by senior first baseman/outfielder Teauna Hughes. She is tops at the plate, batting .374 on the season with a team-high 40 hits and 24 runs scored. She is also the team's RBI leader with 32. On the other side of play, Hughes leads the Bronco defense with 194 putouts. Boise State has played six pitchers this season, where senior Nicole Wilson leads with a 6-6 record and a 4.85 ERA. As a team, the Broncos are batting .287 on the year while posting a 6.46 ERA.
Boise State leads the all-time series against the Aggies, 12-6. Last season the teams met for a three-game conference series in Boise, which Utah State swept.
SCOUTING COLORADO STATE ââ'¬" Colorado State enters the week with an 18-19 overall record, going 4-7 in Mountain West action. The Rams are yet to play a regularly scheduled conference series, dealing with weather problems both at home and on the road. Before making the trip to Logan, Colorado State will be at Fresno State for three weekend games.
Junior infielder Haley Hutton leads not just the Colorado State squad, but also the Mountain West, at the plate, batting .431 with a team-high 50 hits and 38 runs scored. Defensively, sophomore first baseman Hannah McCorkhill leads the Rams and the league with 257 putouts. Colorado State has utilized four pitchers this season, led by senior Holly Reinke who has posted an 11-8 individual record with a 3.63 ERA. Overall, the Rams are batting .295 on the year while posting a 4.82 ERA.
HAVE YOU HURD? ââ'¬" Wednesday's game against Weber State will be Utah State's annual HURD Day. To thank USU student's for their support, Utah State Athletics will provide free T-shirts to the first 50 students at the game, as well as free food. After the game, the team will host a home run derby for students, with prizes for the top male and female finishers.
THINK PINK ââ'¬" Saturday's game against Boise State is the annual pink game for cancer awareness. The Aggies will wear pink uniforms and the first 100 fans in attendance will receive a pink softball T-shirt. All cancer awareness activities and gifts are sponsored by Treehouse Pediatrics and the Cache Valley Women's Center.
CALLING OFF THE 'DOGS ââ'¬" Utah State battled league-leading No. 23 Fresno State on the road last weekend, pushing the Bulldogs to the limits. Fresno State has won 22 consecutive Mountain West games, with its last loss coming at Utah State last season. All three of the games last weekend were decided by one run, the closest games the Bulldogs have seen over their 22-game streak. The Aggies scored 11 runs in the series-opener Friday, which is the most runs the Bulldogs have allowed since Feb. 28, 2015, in a 16-12 loss to Oregon State.
BACK IN THE LINEUP ââ'¬" After missing 21 games with a rotator cuff injury, junior outfielder Amanda Sheets returned to the Aggie lineup this week. She saw her first action of the week in the field and in one at-bat at BYU. In the second game of the Fresno State series, Sheets was back in the starting lineup where she went 1-for-2 at the plate and scored one of the team's two runs.
THE TWENTY PLATEAU ââ'¬" At 19-19 on the season, Utah State has already matched its win total from last season. The 19 wins also tops the total from head coach Steve Johnson's first season in 2014. The Aggies now look to hit the 20-win mark, a milestone a USU softball team has not hit since the 2010 season. In all, Utah State has reached the 20-win plateau 23 times in program history, with the 1992 team holding the record with 43 wins.
AGGIE RECORD WATCH ââ'¬" As the Aggies' strong season progresses, several players continue to build their career stat totals and move up various record lists.
With her six triples this season, senior outfielder Sarah Chow is tied for fourth on the single-season triples list and now has 10 in her career, tying for fifth on the career list. Junior third baseman Victoria Saucedo leads the team with nine home runs this season which ties for ninth on the single-season list. With her single home run at Fresno State, she now has 20 in her career, which puts her in fourth place all-time. Senior pitcher/outfielder Noelle Johnson continues to hold or exceed her spots on seven career pitching record lists.
STEALING AWAY ââ'¬" Utah State has successfully stolen base 44 times this year on 48 attempts. Those 44 steals are the most a USU team has tallied since the 2009 squad had 47. Junior outfielder Jazmin Clarke leads the team with 15 steals, followed by senior outfielder Sarah Chow with 11 and freshman pinch runner Mia Maher who has eight. The USU single-season steals record is shared by Tiffany Pugmire and Shannon Blackburn who stole 17 bases in 2000 and 1989, respectively. Chow now ranks eighth on the career stolen base record list, while she is tied for 10th on the single-season list. With her 15 steals this season, Clarke ranks fourth in single-season steals.
TOP OF THE NATION ââ'¬" As the season progresses, Utah State continues to climb the national rankings, on both team and individual player lists. The Aggies rank 13th in doubles per game (1.71), 21st in triples per game (0.29), 29th in slugging percentage (.503), 43rd in batting average (.315), 46th in home runs per game (0.97) and 62nd in scoring (5.49 rpg).
Senior outfielder Sarah Chow is currently tied for sixth in triples hit (5) and ninth in triples per game (0.15). Junior third baseman Victoria Saucedo ranks 36th in sacrifice flies, while senior pitcher/outfielder Noelle Johnson is ranked 47th in hit by pitch per game (0.27) and junior utility player Alleyah Armendariz ranks 61st in doubles per game (0.32).
AN EARLY PREDICTION ââ'¬" In the Preseason Mountain West poll, voted on by the league's eight coaches, Utah State has been picked to finish the 2016 season sixth in the conference. Defending champion Fresno State was selected to finish first, followed by San Diego State.
THE LAST TIME OUT ââ'¬" Utah State posted an 0-4 road record last week as it fell at BYU, 4-1, before dropping a three-game series at Fresno State (11-12, 2-3, 1-2). All five USU pitchers saw time in the circle during the week, combining to allow 37 hits and 21 runs, while striking out nine batters and walking 10. Offensively, sophomore outfielder Jazmin Clarke led the team, batting .429 (6-of-14) on the week, while scoring two runs and batting in one. Defensively, senior first baseman Libby Pederson led the Aggies with 18 putouts.
UP NEXT ââ'¬" Utah State will continue conference road action next weekend in a three-game series at San Diego State. The Aggies and Aztecs will play at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30, with the series finale set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 1.
