PLAY BALL!
Utah State softball (15-29, 4-16 MW) wraps up its 2019 season this week as it hosts San Diego State (24-24, 11-10 MW) for a three-game Mountain West series. The Aggies and Aztecs will start competition on Thursday, May 9, at 4 p.m., with a 4 p.m. game on Friday, May 10. The teams will close the series and the season on Saturday, May 11, at noon.
FOLLOW ALONG
All of the 2019 Mountain West games, and all of Utah State's home games, will continue to be broadcast as a USU Athletics Production on the Mountain West Network. All video feeds will be available live and in archive form at utahstateaggies.com/watch. Live stats will also be provided by SIDEARM for all home games, while road contests will also have live stats available. Links to each option will be available online prior to every game. In-game updates will also be provided through the team's social media outlets. Admission to Utah State home games is free.
GOING OUT ON A HIGH NOTE
Utah State celebrated Senior Day in a 9-1 five-inning win over Utah Valley. The three Aggie seniors all contributed to the win, as each had one hit. Catcher Bailey Lewis hit a home run, while first baseman Bailee Trapp had one RBI and outfielder Mia Maher added a stolen base. Additionally, Trapp led the Aggie defense with six putouts.
NINE-FOR-NINE
In Utah State's May 5 win over Utah Valley, all nine batters in the lineup had at least one hit. Freshman second baseman Kenzie Bolin was the sole batter to have multiple hits in the game, as she hit a double and a home run.
APPROACHING THE BENCH
USU has set one single-season team record so far this year, with 47 hit-by-pitches. That number tops the previous record of 39, set in 2016. Additionally, the Aggies are nearing the single-season home run record. With 48 dingers so far this year, the Utah State batters need two more home runs to tie the single-season record of 50, also set in 2016.
UTAH STATE'S BEST
Junior utility player Ryann Holmes was named the America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending Sunday, May 5. Holmes helped Utah State to a 2-0 record last weekend as it swept a home-and-home series with Utah Valley (W, 1-0; W, 9-1 (5)). On the road, she entered the game as a pinch hitter and went 2-for-2 at the plate, batting in the team's only run of the day. In the home victory, she went 1-for-3, scoring one run and batting in another. On the weekend, Holmes batted a team-high .600 (3-of-5), scoring one run and adding two RBIs.
Holmes is the second softball player to earn the honor this season, joining senior first baseman Bailee Trapp who was named the Student-Athlete of the Week on April 1.
SHUT THEM OUT
Utah State earned its fifth shutout of the season in a 1-0 win at Utah Valley on May 4. Sophomore Delaney Hull pitched the complete game against the Wolverines, earning her third solo shutout of the season. Freshman Kapri Toone also has one complete game shutout on her record this season, while she and freshman Chloe Nightingale split one other.
OUT-OF-THE-PARK RECORDS
With her second home run in the April 20 game against Fresno State, freshman shortstop Lexi Orozco set the Utah State single-season home run record. Her 13 home runs this season surpass the previous record of 12, which had been set three times.
A'INT LIFE GRAND
Freshman shortstop Lexi Orozco has hit two grand slams this season, doing so against New Mexico (April 7) and Fresno State (April 18). Orozco is the first freshman in Utah State program history to hit a grand slam. Additionally, she is just the third player in program history to hit more than one grand slam in her career and the first to hit two in the same season.
AGAINST THE MOUNTAIN WEST
All-time, Utah State has played 420 games against current members of the Mountain West, the most of any NCAA conference. The Aggies are 176-244 against Mountain West teams, including a 7-20 record against San Diego State.
TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM
Utah State batters have been hit by pitches 47 times this season, leading the Mountain West and setting the USU program record. Sophomore outfielder Stephanie Reed leads the team and ranks second in the Mountain West, having been hit by a pitch 10 times. Reed's 10 hit-by-pitches tie for fifth on the single-season record list, while her 14 career hits also tie for fifth on the career record list. The Utah State single-season hit-by-pitch record is 12, set three times by Noelle Johnson (2016) and Kelley Kaneshiro (2011, 2012), while Kaneshiro holds the career record, having gotten hit 36 times.
RILEY'S RECORDS
Junior outfielder Riley Plogger has earned a spot on two career record lists. Plogger currently ranks third on the career runs list with 102, and ranks eighth on the all-time walks list with 67.
JOINING THE RANKS
With her stellar freshman campaign, freshman shortstop Lexi Orozco continues to climb the NCAA statistic rankings. Orozco currently ranks in the top 100 in three categories, as she is 33rd in RBIs per game (1.05), 37th in home runs per game (0.31) and 61st in slugging percentage (.738).
HOME RUN HEROES
Utah State has hit multiple home runs in 15 games this season, including a season-high four in the series-opening win over New Mexico. The Aggies have hit three or more homers in seven contests. The USU single-game home run record is five.
HOME RUN HEROES II
Three Utah State players have hit multiple home runs in a single game this season. Senior first baseman Bailee Trapp hit two at Colorado State (March 29), Senior catcher Bailey Lewis hit two against New Mexico (April 5) and freshman shortstop Lexi Orozco hit two against Fresno State (April 20).
BRING HER HOME
While climbing the home run record lists, freshman shortstop Lexi Orozco has also secured a spot on the single-season RBI record list. Orozco has batted in 44 runs this season, which ranks second all-time at Utah State.
RUN, RILEY, RUN
For the second time in her career, junior outfielder Riley Plogger has earned a spot on the USU single-season record list for runs scored. Her 36 runs this season tie for third on the record list. Plogger also holds the seventh-place spot on the record list, scoring 34 runs as a freshman in 2017. The single-season run record is 45, set by Rhealee Thorn in 1996.
ROUNDING THE BASES
Utah State has had at least one extra-base hit in all but seven games this season. In that, the Aggies had a 16-game streak with extra-base hits from March 23-April 20. In all, the Aggies have hit 49 doubles, three triples and 48 home runs. Every USU player in the batting order has had at least one extra-base hit this season. Twelve Aggies have hit at least one home run, while 11 have hit a double and all three triples have come from different players. Freshman shortstop Lexi Orozco is the team leader in both doubles and home runs, hitting eight and 13, respectively. Sophomore third baseman Kennedy Hira, junior utility player Ryann Holmes and sophomore outfielder Stephanie Reed have each hit one triple.
DOUBLE DOUBLE PLAYS
The Utah State defense turned two double plays in the same game for the first time this season against San José State on April 28. The first was a groundout to freshman second baseman Kenzie Bolin who threw to senior first baseman Bailee Trapp. The second occurred on a fly ball to junior left fielder Riley Plogger, with the second out coming from Bolin at second base.
FIVE OR SIX IS ENOUGH
Utah State has been a participating team in 14 run-ruled games so far this season, in which the Aggies are 5-7. The 14 shortened games are the most USU has had since the 2011 season, which saw 15 run-ruled contests.
KKKKKKKKAPRI
Freshman pitcher Kapri Toone tallied a career-best eight strikeouts in the April 6 game against New Mexico. In addition to the eight being a career high for Toone, it is the most strikeouts in a single game by an Aggie pitcher this season.
KAPRI SAVES THE DAY
Freshman pitcher Kapri Toone is the only USU pitcher to earn a save this season, doing so in the March 15 win at Nevada and the April 5 win over New Mexico.
STRIKE 'EM OUT
Utah State's 10 strikeouts in the loss to New Mexico are the most the pitching staff has earned this season. Last year, the Aggies struck out 10 or more batters three times, including a season-high 12 against New Mexico.
A CONSISTENT SPOT
Utah State has had just two players hold the starting spot in the same position all season. Senior first baseman Bailee Trapp and junior left fielder Riley Plogger have both started all 41 games in their respective positions. In all, 19 different players have started at least one game this year.
COVERING THE CONFERENCES
Utah State has played teams from 12 different athletic conferences this season. Outside of Mountain West play, the Aggies took on multiple teams from the West Coast Conference (6), Big Sky (5), Big West (2), MAC (2) and WAC (2), as well as one opponent each from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Missouri Valley, Pac-12 and SEC.
I SAY HELLO
Utah State welcomed 10 new players to its roster for the 2019 season. The Aggies added Kenzie Bolin (San Marcos, Calif./San Marcos HS), Ryann Holmes (Queen Creek, Ariz./Queen Creek HS/Mesa CC), Gabriella Jimenez (Sacramento, Calif./C.K. McClatchy HS), Erin Kuba (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Jefferson HS/Indian Hills CC), Alissa Noble (Chino, Calif./Don Lugo HS/Toledo), Chloe Nightingale (Camarillo, Calif./Adolfo Camarillo HS), Lexi Orozco (San Marcos, Calif./San Marcos HS), Hannah Sisul (Oregon City, Ore./La Salle Catholic College Prep), Emily Tidd (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley HS) and Kapri Toone (Tremonton, Utah/Bear River HS) to Logan this fall.
I WAS BUT THE LEARNER...
Assistant coaches Laura Heberling and Jo Koons are no strangers to head coach Steve Johnson, as both played collegiate softball for him. Koons was on the Utah State roster for Johnson's first two seasons, while Heberling played her senior year at UNC Pembroke, Johnson's first head coaching job.
ONE TEAM TO THE NEXT
Utah State's roster features two pairs of players that also played high school softball together. Sophomores Kennedy Hira and Delaney Hull played for Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, Calif., while freshmen Kenzie Bolin and Lexi Orozco came to USU from San Marcos High School in San Marcos, Calif. Additionally, Bolin, Orozco and freshman Emily Tidd played on the same club softball team.
ALL-AMERICAN AGGIES
Utah State's two junior college transfers both earned NJCAA All-American honors last season. Ryann Holmes was named a Division II third-team All-American at Mesa Community College. Erin Kuba received NFCA NJCAA Division I All-American accolades at Indian Hills Community College. Holmes and Kuba were also both named Player of the Year in their respective conferences.
LAST WEEK
Utah State posted a 2-0 record last weekend as it swept a home-and-home series with Utah Valley. The Aggies defeated the Wolverines, 1-0, in Orem, before taking a 9-1 five-inning win at home. Sophomore Delaney Hull and freshman Kapri Toone each pitched a complete game, posting a combined ERA of 0.58 while allowing 10 hits and one earned run. Together the two struck out two batters and walked three. Junior utility player Ryann Holmes led the Aggie offense, batting a team-high .600 (3-for-5) with two RBIs. On the weekend, Utah State batted .333 (16-of-48), hitting two doubles and two home runs. Senior first baseman Bailee Trapp was tops defensively with 17 putouts, while the team did not have any errors between the two games.
