LOGAN, Utah – Utah State softball (9-10) is set for its final tournament of the 2020 season, as it plays at the Silicon Valley Classic II, co-hosted by San José State and Santa Clara this weekend. The Aggies will open the tournament on Thursday, March 5, in a 7 p.m. (MT) game against Saint Francis (5-13) in San Jose.
USU will remain in San Jose to play Saint Mary's (6-14) and UC Santa Barbara (9-13) on Friday, March 6, at 11:30 a.m., and 2 p.m., respectively. The Aggies will move to Santa Clara for the final two games of the weekend on Saturday, March 7, when they have a rematch with Saint Francis at 9 a.m. and play the host-Broncos (7-13) at 11:30 a.m.
Saint Francis opens the weekend with a 5-13 record on the year, coming off an 1-4 weekend at the DeMarini Invitational at Stanford. Junior utility player Tayven Rousseau leads the Red Flash at the plate, where she is batting .271 (13-of-48). As a team, Saint Francis is hitting .217 (96-of-442). Four pitchers have seen time in the circle for the Red Flash, posting a combined ERA of 4.45. Freshman Grace Vesco is leading the group with three individual wins and 33 strikeouts. Jessica O'Donnell is in her second season as the head coach at Saint Francis, where she has an overall record of 34-44. This weekend will mark the first-ever meetings between Utah State and Saint Francis.
Saint Mary's opens the tournament with a 6-14 overall record, going 2-2 at the Capital Classic last weekend. Freshman catcher Alex Casas is leading the Gaels with a .341 (15-of-44) batting average. As a team, the Gaels are batting .257 (128-of-499) with 30 doubles, eight triples and 10 home runs. Six pitchers have seen time in the circle for Saint Mary's, combining for a 5.18 ERA. Sophomore Sophia Earle leads the group with a 3.98 ERA over eight appearances. Sonja Garnett is in her second season as the head coach at Saint Mary's, where she has an overall record of 20-51. The Aggies' all-time series against the Gaels is tied at 5-5, with Saint Mary's taking a 10-2 win over USU last weekend.
UC Santa Barbara has a record of 9-13, having gone 4-2 at its home tournament a week ago. The Gaucho offense is led by junior outfielder Sammy Fabian, who is hitting .449 (31-of-69) on the season. As a team, UCSB is batting .313 (187-of-597). The Gauchos have utilized five pitchers this season, who have combined for a 4.51 ERA. Junior Emily Schuttish and sophomore Alyssa Molina have split the majority of innings, while the full group has struck out 92 batters. Brie Galicinao is in her 13th season as the head coach at UC Santa Barbara, where she has an all-time record of 310-364. Former Big West rivals, Utah State and UCSB have a long history of competition, where the Aggies lead the all-time series, 33-26. The teams last met in 2013.
Santa Clara opens the tournament at 7-13 overall. The Broncos have lost their last six games, including five losses at the Capital Classic. Junior Sammy Needham is hitting a team-high .393 (22-of-56), while the Broncos are hitting .275 (141-of-512) overall. Six pitchers have seen time in the circle for Santa Clara, combining for a 5.80 ERA. Sophomore Regan Dias leads the group with a 1.35 ERA and a 3-0 record. Gina Carbonatto is in her first season as the head coach at Santa Clara. Utah State leads the all-time series against the Broncos, 7-1, including a 4-0 win last in Sacramento last weekend.
The Aggies are led by junior outfielder Stephanie Reed, who is hitting .344 (21-of-61), including three doubles, two triples and a home run. As a team, Utah State is hitting .257 (125-of-487), including a Mountain West-best 33 doubles. Four USU pitchers have seen time in the circle, with sophomore Kapri Toone leading the group with a 1.98 ERA and a 5-1 record. In all, the Aggie pitching staff has a 4.12 ERA, allowing 151 hits and 71 earned runs.
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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