PLAY BALL!
Utah State softball (2-3, 0-0 MW) continues its young 2023 season with a tournament hosted by Saint Mary's in Moraga, California. The Aggies will begin the weekend versus UC San Diego (3-2, 0-0 BWC) on Friday, Feb. 17, at 12:30 p.m. (MT) before back-to-back games versus Saint Mary's on Friday at 3 p.m. (MT) and Saturday, Feb. 18, at 11 a.m. (MT). USU then plays a nonconference matchup at Mountain West foe San José State (0-5, 0-0 MW) on Saturday at 5 p.m. (MT) before closing the weekend with a second game against UCSD on Sunday, Feb. 18, at 5 p.m. (MT).
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Live stats for all games will be available via Sidearm. Links and live updates will be available on the USU softball social media pages and through UtahStateAggies.com. Utah State's game at San José State will be available to stream on the Mountain West Network while both contests against Saint Mary's will be streamed via the WCC Network.
 
AGGIES VS. TRITONS
Utah State and UC San Diego meet for only the fourth time in program history with all three previous meetings coming within the past two years. USU leads 2-1, though the Tritons won the most recent matchup.
 
AGGIES VS. GAELS
Utah State leads the all-time series against Saint Mary's 7-6. The two sides split a doubleheader last season on Feb. 26, 2022. USU won game one, 6-5, in extra innings before SMC won game two, 8-6.
 
AGGIES VS. SPARTANS
Utah State trails San José State in the all-time series 51-34. The Aggies won two-of-three in the final weekend of the 2022 season, snapping a streak of eight-straight Spartan wins in the series.
 
FANNING THE FLAMES
Utah State freshman Hailey McLean ranks first in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings. The product of Sparks, Nevada, has sat down 15.8 batters per seven innings so far this season. McLean set the Utah State program record and the stadium record at UCLA's Easton Stadium with 20 strikeouts across nine innings in USU's 3-2 win over CSU Bakersfield. McLean ranks first in the Mountain West in total strikeouts (21), opposing batting average (.129) and hits allowed (4). McLean's 21 strikeouts are tied for 13th in the nation this season.
 
I SHALL BE VERY PUT OUT
Utah State graduate senior first baseman Gabrielle Jimenez ranks first in the Mountain West with 35 total putouts on the season, while senior outfielder Makenzie Macfarlane ranks second with 27 putouts. Macfarlane finished the 2022 season with the sixth-most putouts in the MW (250). As a team, the Aggies ranked third in total putouts in 2022 with 1,122.
 
SHE'S GOING THE DISTANCE
Utah State sophomore Mia Reynolds leads the Mountain West with 15.1 innings pitched this season. The native of Tulare, California, also ranks sixth in ERA (1.83), third in opposing batting average (.204) and is second in runners caught stealing by (4), also tying for fourth nationally.
 
SWIPER, NO SWIPING!
Utah State senior Makenzie Macfarlane is tied for first in the nation and leads the Mountain West with five runners caught stealing. In 2022, then-senior Gabriella Jimenez ranked first in the MW with 19 runners caught stealing by.
 
DOUBLE OR NOTHING
The Aggies are once again among the top teams in the country in turning double plays after finishing last season atop the Mountain West in double plays fielded with 29. Utah State has already turned three double plays this season, the second-most in the conference, and is tied for 23rd in the nation with 0.60 double plays fielded per game.
 
TURNING THE EXTRAORDINARY ORDINARY
USU has played only one normal-length game out of its first five contests. The Aggies split a pair of both run-ruled games and extra-inning contests in the 2023 opening weekend.
 
AGGIE UPSET
Utah State recorded its first victory over a ranked opponent in 12 years after defeating then-No. 22 San Diego State 3-1 on May 7, 2022. The win marked USU's first victory over a top-25 opponent since the Aggies defeated then-No. 1 Washington 7-4 in the opening game of the Campbell-Cartier Classic in San Diego on Feb. 19, 2010.
 
AROUND THE HORN
Utah State went 20-9 last season when the Aggies record a home run in a game. When USU recorded multiple HRs in a contest, that figure improved to 8-2.
 
FIRST UP, FIRST OUT
Over 34 percent of Utah State's home runs in 2022 were in the first inning of play, the most of any inning. Fifteen of USU's 44 long balls came in the opening frame last season. The sixth inning was the second-most populated inning for Aggie moon shots, with USU hitting seven total homers in the inning.
 
FIRST ON THE BOARD
Utah State went 19-9 last season when putting the first run on the board. In palindromic fashion, the Aggies were 9-19 when allowing the first run of the game.
 
SHUT IT DOWN
Utah State's pitching staff recorded four complete-game shutouts in the 2022 season. Then-freshman Mia Reynolds posted shutout victories against Yale (11-0) and Colorado State (2-0), and former Aggie Kapri Toone also notched complete game shutouts against the Rams (2-0) and San José State (8-0).
 
TOUCHDOWN AGGIES!
Utah State was 22-6 last season when scoring six runs or more, including a perfect 4-0 when reaching double-digits on the scoreboard. The Aggies reached the six-run plateau in exactly half their games in 2022.
 
CREAM OF THE CROP
The Aggies ended 2022 leading the Mountain West in several statistical categories. Utah State led the league in total plate appearances (1,751), at-bats (1,501), sacrifice flies (22), double plays fielded (29), total assists (508), chances (1,715), putout (1,122) and times catching runner stealing (29). Utah State was also tied for 11th, nationally, with 0.52 doubles play per game.
 
Additionally, then-senior Gabriella Jimenez led the MW in runners caught stealing (19) and also in slugging percentage (.842) and home runs (12) during conference play. Jimenez was also tied for third in the nation in runners caught stealing. Then-junior Mazie Macfarlane led the league in total plate appearances (216) and, during conference play, was tops in the league for putouts (192), chances (199) and double plays fielded (14).
 
HOT STREAK
Utah State had a nine-game winning streak last season as the Aggies posted victories over Utah Valley (8-3), New Mexico (5-4, 4-2, 13-4), Weber State (11-10), Colorado State (2-0, 2-0, 6-1) and Fresno State (9-3). USU's nine-game winning streak was its best since 1993, when the Aggies reeled off 11 straight. Utah State's 7-0 start in Mountain West play was its second-best league-opening mark in program history, trailing USU's 11-0 start in the Intermountain Athletic Conference in 1981, the same year the Aggies won the AIAW World Series.
 
LOOK AT ME, I CAN BE CENTER FIELD
Center fielder Mazie Macfarlane was the only Aggie in the 2022 campaign to have started in all 56 games. She was also the only USU player to start at the same position in every game played. Macfarlane led off for Utah State in all but one game in 2022.
 
AGGIE AWARDS
Then-senior catcher Gabriella Jimenez earned MW Player of the Week honors twice in 2022, taking home the award on April 19 and May 17. Pitcher Mia Reynolds also earned a conference weekly accolade as she was named the MW Freshman of the Week (April 19). Jimenez also earned America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week honors twice on the year (March 28, May 16), and Jimenez was named to the MW All-Conference First Team.
 
STEALING HOME
Center fielder Mazie Macfarlane stole home in the top of the fourth inning in Utah State's 8-2 victory at Dixie State last season on Feb. 19, becoming the first Aggie to steal home since Megan McDonald vs. Utah Valley on April 20, 2010. 
 
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Several Aggies ended 2022 campaign in the top 10 of several Utah State single-season and career record lists: 
 
SINGLE-SEASON RECORD LIST
Runs
1.         Mazie Macfarlane      46        2022
2.         Rhealee Thorn            45        1996
3.         Riley Plogger  38        2019
            Jazmin Clarke 38        2017
5.         Sarah Chow    36        2016
            Jolene Koons  36        2015
7.         Gabriella Jimenez     35        2022
            Two others tied with 35
 
RBIs
1.         Gabriella Jimenez     49        2022
2.         Hailey Froton  48        2015
3.         Lexi Orozco     46        2022
4.         Three others tied with 44
 
Home Runs
1.         Gabriella Jimenez     15        2022
2.         Lexi Orozco     13        2019
3.         Four tied with 12
 
 
Total Bases
1.         Sandra Millard Taylor 111      2000
2.         Gabriella Jimenez     109      2022
            Tammy Alcantar         109      1996
            Rhealee Thorn            109      1996
 
Walks
1.         Jennifer Power            41        1994
2.         Mazie Macfarlane      36        2022
            Lexi Orozco     36        2022
4.         Two others tied with    27
 
Stolen Bases
4.         Jazmin Clarke 25        2016
5.         Leah Molina    23        2018
            Mia Maher       23        2017 
7.         Mazie Macfarlane      22        2022
8.         Two others tied with    21
           
Graduate senior Gabriella Jimenez is pursuing the top of the all-time leaderboards in several categories at Utah State: 
 
CAREER RECORD LIST
Home Runs
1.         Lexi Orozco     39
            Kelley Kaneshiro         39
3.         Victoria Saucedo        33
4.         Gabriella Jimenez     30
5.         Sanra Millard Taylor   24 
 
RBIs
4.         Sandra Millard Taylor 112
5.         Kelley Kaneshiro         110
6.         Gabriella Jimenez     100
7.         Kathy Beasley 98
8.         Tammy Alcanter         94
 
Slugging Percentage
3.         Alleyah Armendariz    .599
4.         Christine Thomsen     .585
5.         Victoria Saucedo        .576
6.         Gabriella Jimenez     .557
7.         Sandra Millard Taylor .530
 
DOUBLE VISION
You're not seeing double as there is a set of identical twins on the Utah State roster. Wearing number 41, Makenzie Macfarlane is a catcher and first baseman. Mazie Macfarlane, an outfielder, wears number 15. The duo are mirror image twins, with opposite features. For example, Makenzie is right-handed, while Mazie is left-handed. 
 
THE DISRESPECT IS REAL
Utah State was picked to finish last in the Mountain West preseason poll, receiving a total of 21 votes. However, the Aggies were only four votes removed from fifth-place in the poll as the trio of Fresno State, Nevada and San José State all received 25 votes each. Boise State was tabbed the preseason favorite with 61 votes, including five first-place votes, narrowly edging out last season's champion, San Diego State, with 60 total and four first-place votes.
 
THIS IS OUR TURF
LaRee & LeGrand Johnson Field received an upgrade prior to the 2022 season as FieldTurf (Fast Grass) was installed in the outfield, warning track and halo, replacing the grass used in previous seasons. A new drainage system was also installed under the turf to help move snow or rain more quickly. New padding from Field Wall Pads/Sports Graphics was installed in the outfield. The infield is all clay. 
 
CALIFORNIA GIRLS
Fourteen of the 21 Aggies on the 2022 roster have come to Utah State from California in graduate senior Gabriella Jimenez (Sacramento), seniors Makenzie and Mazie Macfarlane (Rocklin), juniors Jessica Stewart (Salinas), sophomores Taryn Edds (Anaheim), Giselle Gonzalez (San Diego), Ariel Fifita (San Marcos), Claudia Medina (West Sacramento), Claire Raley (Clovis) and Mia Reynolds (Tulare), and freshmen Jaden Colunga (Colton), Sydney Saldaña (Seal Beach), Grace Matej (Orangevale) and Kya Pratt (Temecula).
 
HOME GROWN
Utah State has three players from the state of Utah in seniors Nya Laing (Logan) and Tyler Thornton (Millville), and redshirt freshman Emily Dority (South Jordan). 
 
YOUNGLINGS
Out of 21 players on Utah State's roster, 14 are underclassmen as the Aggies boast seven freshmen (Tess Bumiller, Jaden Colunga, Emily Dority, Grace Matej, Hailey McLean, Kya Pratt and Sydney Saldaña) and seven sophomores (Taryn Edds, Giselle Gonzalez, Ariel Fifita, Claudia Medina, Claire Raley, Mia Reynolds and Hannah Vargas) entering 2023.
 
 - USU -