PLAY BALL!
Utah State softball (10-13, 2-1 MW) hosts Idaho State (8-17, 0-0 Big Sky) on Tuesday, March 28, at 2 p.m., before resuming Mountain West play at Nevada (22-5, 3-3 MW) on Friday, March 31, at 7 p.m. (MT), Saturday, April 1, at 3 p.m. (MT), and Sunday, April 2, at 1 p.m. (MT). 
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Live stats for Utah State's games will be available via Sidearm, while the games will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network.
 
AGGIES VS. BENGALS
Utah State leads the all-time series 28-20. The Aggies won the last meeting 10-9 on April 19, 2022, however, the Bengals won 10 of the last 11 games. USU's last win in Logan was a 2-0 victory on April 25, 2012
 
AGGIES VS. WOLF PACK
Utah State trails the all-time series 35-27, but won each of the last two meetings 6-5 and 8-7. 
 
FRESHMEN LEAVING THEIR MARK 
Utah State has won three of the six Mountain West Freshman of the Week awards this season as pitcher Hailey McLean earned the first weekly honor of the campaign, along with MW Pitcher of the Week accolades, while outfielder Jaden Colunga has earned the distinction twice, including one MW Player of the Week honor.
 
SWIPER, NO SWIPING!
Utah State senior Makenzie Macfarlane is second in the nation and leads the Mountain West with 13 runners caught stealing. In total, the Aggies lead the MW with 14 runners caught stealing.
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 nine double plays this season, tied for the third-most in the conference, while the Aggies are 53rd in the nation in double plays per game (0.39).
 
I SHALL BE VERY PUT OUT
Utah State graduate senior Gabrielle Jimenez is currently fourth in the Mountain West with 145 total putouts on the season. Senior catcher/infielder Makenzie Macfarlane meanwhile is fifth in the conference with 141 putouts on the season. 
 
BACK-TO-BACK... TO-BACK... TO-BACK
• Utah State hit four-consecutive home runs in the team's 12-9 win over Montana on Feb. 26. Senior Makenzie Macfarlane started the party with a two-run shot with one out in the top of the fifth inning. Macfarlane was then followed by three solo homers from graduate senior Gabriella Jimenez, freshman Grace Matej and sophomore Claire Raley. 
 
• Utah State hit three-straight home runs in its 15-13 loss to New Mexico. Freshman Kya Pratt, Raley and Matej knocked three-straight out of the park to give the Aggies an 11-9 lead in the bottom of the third.
 
• The four-straight homers marks the first time USU has hit back-to-back home runs since Ariel Fifita and Gabriella Jimenez stacked moon shots against Nevada last season. The Aggies last hit three-consecutive home runs on April 2, 2021, against Nevada (Stephanie Reed, Gabriella Jimenez, Lexi Orozco).
 
BOMBS AWAY
Utah State has recorded five home runs in a single game twice this season. The Aggies first accomplished the feat against Montana in USU's 12-9 win over the Grizzlies on Feb. 26. The game was USU's first time hitting at least five home runs since hitting six homers on Feb. 20, 2021, also against Montana. Utah State later recorded five bombs on March 19 against New Mexico in Logan, Utah.
 
GETTING STREAKY WITH IT
• Utah State freshman Kya Pratt is currently on an 18-game streak of reaching base. Across those 18 games, Pratt is batting .350 (21-for-60) with 12 runs scored, nine RBIs, nine walks drawn and two HBPs.
 
• Utah State graduate senior Gabriella Jimenez leads the Aggies with a seven-game hitting streak. Across those seven games, Jimenez is batting .348 (8-of-23), including two doubles and a home run. 
 
SHUT IT DOWN
Utah State's pitching staff has recorded two shutouts this season as freshman Tess Bumiller had a five-inning complete-game shutout in the Aggies' 8-0 victory against New Mexico, giving up just three hits in the outing. Sophomore Mia Reynolds and freshman Hailey McLean combined for a 3-0 shutout victory at Utah Valley. 
 
LIFELINES
Two Utah State pitchers have already recorded a save this season, nearly tying the 2022 USU pitching staffs total of three saves. Freshman Hailey McLean logged her first-career save at San José State, entering the game in the top of the seventh with the Aggies leading 5-2. Freshman Tess Bumiller followed suit with her first career-save a week later against South Dakota, entering in the bottom of the sixth with USU ahead 6-4. 
 
AROUND THE HORN
Utah State is 6-3 this season when recording a home run in a game after going 20-9 last season when the Aggies recorded a homer. 
 
THE ODDS ARE...
Utah State has recorded 66.7 percent (12-of-18) of its home runs in the third and fifth innings as the Aggies have logged six homers in each of those respective frames. 
 
However, the Aggies have hit just one home run in the seventh inning and are yet to record a bomb in the first.
 
PLEAD THE FIFTH
Utah State has recorded 30 percent of its runs (30-of-100) in the fifth inning, outscoring its opponents 30-22 in the frame. 
 
THIS ISN'T BASEBALL
Utah State is a perfect 2-0 this season in games that go nine or more innings as USU defeated CSU Bakersfield 3-2 in nine frames, and New Mexico 5-4 in 10. 
 
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Graduate senior Gabriella Jimenez is pursuing the top of the all-time leaderboards in several categories at Utah State:
 
HITTING THE CENTURY MARK
Utah State graduate senior Gabriella Jimenez became the sixth player in Aggie history to record 100 RBIs in her career, hitting the century mark with a solo home run in USU's 12-9 win over Montana on Feb. 26. 
 
FANNING THE FLAMES
• Utah State freshman Hailey McLean ranks 16th in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings. The product of Sparks, Nevada, has sat down 10.8 batters per seven innings so far this season, the top mark in the Mountain West. She is also 13th in the nation in his allowed per seven innings (3.50).
 
• McLean set the Utah State program record and 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 opposing batting average (.151) and hits allowed (25), while she is third in total strikeouts (77). McLean's 77 K's are also tied for 68th in the nation this season. 
 
• McLean earned USU's first Mountain West awards of the season, being named the MW Pitcher and Freshman of the Week after her outing against the Roadrunners.
 
STEPPING ONTO THE STAGE
• Utah State freshman Jaden Colunga was named the MW Player and Freshman of the Week following USU's weekend at the Grand Canyon Invitational. Colunga appeared in three games on the weekend, all Aggie wins, and batted .667 (4-of-6), with two doubles and one homer, while being hit by two pitches and drawing one walk. Colunga scored four runs and had a team-best six RBIs, with a 1.500 slugging and .778 on-base percentage. She also stole one base and had five putouts. Against the Coyotes, Colunga was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, scored two runs and had a team-best three RBIs. In game two against Montana, Colunga was again 2-for-3 at the plate, including another double and her first-career home run, scored two runs and had a team-high three RBIs.
 
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.
 
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