LOGAN, Utah – Utah State softball (2-7) is headed back to St. George, Utah this weekend, playing in the Dixie State Tournament.
USU will open the weekend against Northern Colorado (2-2) on Friday, Feb. 26, at 10 a.m., followed by a game against the host Trailblazers (1-9) at 3 p.m. Play will continue on Saturday, Feb. 27, with an 11 a.m. game against Weber State (4-6) and a 1:30 p.m. rematch with the Bears.
Fans are allowed at Karl Brooks Field for this weekend's tournament, however, tickets are limited. Passes must be purchased for the full weekend, rather than on a game-by-game basis. Live stats and a video stream will be available for all four games. Social media updates will be provided during each contest. Links to all options are posted on the USU Athletics website and will be sent out on the team's social media pages each day of play.
Northern Colorado enters the weekend with a 2-2 record, having had its first tournament of the season canceled. The Bears are hitting .282 (33-of-117) with a 4.58 ERA. UNC returns nine starters and 14 total letterwinners from last season, while welcoming six newcomers to the squad. Ben Garcia is in his third season as the head coach at Northern Colorado, where he has put together an overall record of 26-56. The Aggies lead the all-time series with the Bears, 26-19, but UNC won the last meeting between the teams in 2019.
A familiar foe, having played each other just last weekend, Dixie State starts the tournament with a 2-8 record. The Trailblazers are hitting .204 (48-of-235) with a 7.58 ERA. Dixie State returns seven starters and eight total letterwinners from last season, having added four others to the roster. Randy Simkins is in his 13th season as the head coach at Dixie State, where he has an overall record of 440-146. The all-time series between USU and DSU is tied at 1-1, as the Aggies defeated the Trailblazers, 4-3, last weekend.
Weber State has a 4-6 record, having played in tournaments at Grand Canyon and UNLV so far. The Wildcats are batting .247 (64-of-249) and have a combined ERA of 4.40. Weber State returns seven starters and five additional letterwinners from last season, and added seven new players to the team. Mary Kay Amicone has been the head coach of the Weber State program for the last eight years, where she has an overall record of 203-152-1. Utah State leads the all-time series against the Wildcats, 36-17. USU won the last meeting, but the two teams have alternated wins over the last six games.
For the Aggies, junior catcher/first baseman Gabriella Jimenez leads the team at the plate, batting .345 (10-of-29). She also has a team-high five home runs and 10 RBIs on the year. In the circle, freshman Jessica Stewart leads with a 5.40 ERA in her five appearances. As a team, USU is hitting .212 (49-of-231) and has a combined ERA of 6.23.
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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