LOGAN, Utah – Utah State softball is set to open the 2021 season at the Easton Invitational hosted by Cal State Fullerton this weekend.
The Aggies will start the weekend on Friday, Feb. 12, in a 2 p.m. (MT) game against Oregon State, followed by a meeting with the host-Titans at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 13, USU will play another pair of games, taking on the Beavers at 2 p.m., and Cal State Fullerton at 4:30 p.m.
Cal State Fullerton is not allowing fans at this year's tournament. Fans will have several other options to follow the action this weekend, though. The games against the Titans will be streamed on BigWestTV for free, while the meetings with Oregon State will be available on FloSoftball for a small fee. Live stats and social media updates will also be available for all four games.
Oregon State enters the 2021 season after going 17-9 a year ago. The Beavers batted .255 a year ago, while maintaining an ERA of 1.49. Oregon State players took up the offer of an additional year of eligibility, with eight starters and 11 letterwinners returning this season. The team also brought on four new players. Laura Berg is in her ninth season as the head coach at Oregon State, compiling an all-time record of 209-184-1. The Beavers lead the all-time series against the Aggies, 10-5. The teams last met in 2011, an 8-1 win for OSU.
Utah State takes on Cal State Fullerton on opening weekend for the fifth year in a row. Last season, the Titans posted a 14-10 record, hitting .252 on the year with a 3.34 ERA. They return four starters and 16 total letterwinners from 2020, while welcoming nine newcomers to the team. Kelly Ford is in her ninth season as the head coach at Cal State Fullerton, where she has an all-time record of 262-163-1. USU has a long history of competition against the Titans, with CSUF leading the all-time series, 49-23. The Titans won last year's meeting, 6-2.
Under eighth-year head coach Steve Johnson, Utah State softball returns seven starters and 11 total letterwinners for its 2021 season after posting a 13-11 record in the shortened 2020 campaign. Offensively, USU's top returner is senior outfielder Stephanie Reed, who batted .382 in 76 at-bats last season. In the circle, the Aggies welcome back three pitchers, led by junior Kapri Toone who posted an 8-1 record with a 2.35 ERA last season. Sophomore catcher/first baseman Makenzie Macfarlane is the top returning defensive player for the Aggies, as she tallied 113 putouts with a .992 fielding percentage last season. In addition to the returning players, Utah State welcomes six newcomers to the team in five freshmen and one junior college transfer.
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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