LOGAN, Utah – Utah State softball (3-7) returns to tournament play this weekend as it plays in California at the Silicon Valley Classic, co-hosted by Santa Clara and San José State. All five of USU's games will be played at Santa Clara.
The Aggies will open the tournament on Friday, Feb. 22, taking on Montana (1-9) at 10 a.m. (MT), and CSU Bakersfield (4-3) at 12:30 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 23, Utah State will face Santa Clara (1-6) at 3 p.m., and Ball State (7-4) at 5:30 p.m. The weekend will conclude in a 10 a.m. game against Northern Colorado (1-8) on Sunday, Feb. 24.
Tickets to the Silicon Valley Classic can be purchased through the Santa Clara ticket office or at the gate. Tickets are $15 per day, or an all-tournament pass is available for $35. Live stats will be available for each game of the tournament, while limited social media coverage will be provided through the Utah State softball accounts.
Montana enters the weekend with a 1-9 record, earning its sole win of the year in its season-opener against Santa Clara. As a team, Montana is hitting .268 (74-of-276), with freshman infielder Maygen McGrath leading the team with a .433 (13-of-30) batting average. The Grizzlies have utilized four pitchers on the year, combining for a 4.85 ERA. Melanie Meuchel is in her second season as the head coach at Montana, as she has an overall record of 26-39. Utah State and Montana have played all but one season since the inception of the Grizzly program in 2015, and the Aggies lead the series, 4-1.
CSU Bakersfield opens the tournament at 4-3, coming off a 1-3 weekend at the CSUN Early Bird Classic. The Roadrunners are batting .267 (50-of-187) on the year, where junior infielder Cydney Curran leads the team hitting .381 (8-of-21). Five pitchers have seen time in the circle for CSUB, posting a team ERA of 3.60. Crissy Buck-Ziegler is in her ninth season as the head coach at CSU Bakersfield, where she has an all-time record of 102-246-1. The Roadrunners lead the all-time series against the Aggies, 5-3, while the teams last met in 2014.
Tournament co-host Santa Clara opens the weekend with a 1-6 record, posting its only win last weekend against Army. The Broncos are batting .246 (42-of-171) on the year, with sophomore first baseman Sammy Needham leading the group and hitting .524 (11-of-21). Four pitchers have played for Santa Clara this season, posting an overall ERA of 9.07. Lisa Dodd is in her second season as the head coach at Santa Clara, where she has a record of 10-43. Utah State leads the all-time series against the Broncos, 5-1. This weekend marks the first meeting between the teams since 2016.
Making the longest trip of any tournament team, Ball State also has the best record of the field at 7-4. The Cardinals are batting .174 (45-of-258) as a team, led by sophomore infielder Stacy Payton, who is hitting .267 (8-of-30). Ball State has been strong defensively, posting a team ERA of 2.43 between five pitchers. Megan Ciolli Bartlett is in her fourth season at the helm of the Ball State program, where she has an overall record of 96-83. Utah State and the Cardinals have met just once in the past, a win for the Cardinals in 1989.
Northern Colorado opens the weekend with a 1-8 record. The Bears sole win of the year came against Cal Baptist during opening weekend, while the team is riding a six-game losing streak. Northern Colorado is batting .161 (31-of-193) on the season, led by a .375 (9-of-24) batting average from senior outfielder Kenzie Kurdna. The Bears have played four pitchers during the year, posting an combined ERA of 7.69. Ben Garcia is in his first season as the head coach at Northern Colorado. The most-faced opponent of the weekend for the Aggies, USU leads the all-time series against the Bears, 26-18. The teams played twice in 2018, with Northern Colorado claiming both wins.
For the Aggies, junior outfielder Riley Plogger leads the team at the plate, batting .462 (12-of-26). As a team, USU is batting .271 (67-of-247). In the circle, freshman Chloe Nightingale leads the pitching staff with a 6.07 ERA, while the three pitchers have allowed 87 hits and 65 earned runs with a combined 7.98 ERA.
Fans can follow the Aggie softball program on Twitter, @USUSoftball, on Facebook at /USUSoftball or on Instagram, @ususoftball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.
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