LOGAN, Utah – Utah State softball (9-11, 1-2 MW) continues its 2021 season with four games this week, taking on an in-state rival before playing its first road Mountain West series of the season.
The Aggies begin the week with a home game against Utah Valley (11-16, 0-3 WAC) on Tuesday, March 30, at 4 p.m. USU will then play a road Mountain West series at Nevada (11-8, 2-1 MW). The Aggies and Wolf Pack will play a single game on Thursday, April 1, at 5 p.m. (MT), followed by a doubleheader on Friday, April 2, at 1 p.m. (MT).
Utah Valley makes the trip to Logan with an 11-16 record, but have lost five straight games. The Wolverines are batting .267 (188-of-704) as a team, with junior infielder Rien Milliken leading the group with a .382 (21-of-55) average. UVU has a combined ERA of 4.93, where seven pitchers have seen time in the circle. Senior Devyn Cretz leads the group with a 3.14 ERA and a 5-8 individual record. Stacy May-Johnson is in her second season as the head coach at Utah Valley, where she has an all-time record of 23-13. The Aggies lead the series against the Wolverines, but UVU won the most recent meeting earlier this season. The two teams are also set to play a game in Orem on April 21.
Nevada welcomes the Aggies to Reno with an 11-8 overall record, including a 2-1 ledger in Mountain West play. The Wolf Pack opened the conference season with a series win against San Diego State, but then had its series at San José State canceled. As a team, Nevada is batting .276 (153-of-554), led by junior shortstop Lauren Gutierrez, who is hitting .403 (25-of-62). The three Nevada pitchers have a combined ERA of 3.55, with freshman Blake Craft leading the group with a 6-4 record. Josh Taylor is in his third season as the head coach of the Wolf Pack program, where he has an overall record of 66-68. Nevada leads the all-time series against USU, 32-24, including a 2-1 series win in 2019.
For the Aggies, senior outfielder Kayla Fielder leads the team at the plate, batting .313 (15-of-48). In the circle, senior Delaney Hull leads with a 3.21 ERA in her eight appearances. As a team, USU is hitting .240 (129-of-538) and has a combined ERA of 4.10.
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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