PLAY BALL!
Utah State (17-24, 8-11 MW) wraps up its regular season on the road as the Aggies face San José State (21-25, 9-10 MW) on Thursday, May 4, at 7 p.m. (MT), Friday, May 5, at 4 p.m. (MT), and Saturday, May 6, at 1 p.m. (MT).
 
THANK YOU, COACH
Utah State head coach Steve Johnson announced on April 28 that he will be retiring from coaching after 10 years at the helm of Utah State and 27 years of coaching. Johnson, the second-winningest coach in program history, has recorded 203 wins at Utah State and has 353 career wins as a collegiate head coach. He has coached 16 players to 21 all-Mountain West accolades, while three players have earned NFCA all-region honors. Off the field, Johnson has led his players to 95 academic all-MW honors, 67 MW Scholar-Athlete awards and 50 NFCA/Easton Scholar-Athlete nods.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Live stats for this weekend's games will be available via StatBroadcast, while the games will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network.
 
AGGIES VS. SPARTANS
San José State leads Utah State in the all-time series 51-35, including 30-15 in games played in San Jose. However, USU defeated SJSU earlier this season in non-conference play 5-2 in San Jose on Feb. 18. The Aggies also won the last series between the teams 2-1 (8-0, 8-9, 6-5) in Logan last season.
 
SWIPER, NO SWIPING!
Utah State senior Makenzie Macfarlane is third in the nation and leads the Mountain West with 19 runners caught stealing. In total, the Aggies lead the MW with 20 runners caught stealing.
 
FRESHMEN LEAVING THEIR MARK 
Utah State has won six Mountain West Freshman of the Week awards this season as pitcher Hailey McLean earned the weekly honor twice, along with a pair of MW Pitcher of the Week accolades, while outfielder Jaden Colunga has earned the distinction three times, as well as one MW Player of the Week honor. Tess Bumiller earned the honor most recently after being named the Freshman of the Week on May 2.
 
I'll TAKE THAT
Utah State sophomore third baseman Claire Raley ranks sixth in the Mountain West with 17 stolen bases this season, which ties for 10th on the USU single-season record list. 
 
I SHALL BE VERY PUT OUT
Utah State graduate senior Gabriella Jimenez and senior  Makenzie Macfarlane are tied for third in the Mountain West with 242 total putouts on the season.
 
BOMBS AWAY
Utah State has recorded five home runs in a single game three times 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, and most recently had five homers against UNLV on April 30. 
 
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).
 
WALK IT OFF
Utah State has recorded eight walk-off victories this season. Freshman Jaden Colunga gave the Aggies their first walk-off win of the year with a sacrifice fly against CSU Bakersfield for the 10-2 win. That same weekend, sophomore Ariel Fifita recorded an RBI single for the 3-2 walk-off victory in a nine-inning game against CSU Bakersfield. 
 
USU later had back-to-back walk-off wins against New Mexico as graduate Gabriella Jimenez scored on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the 10th frame in Utah State's 5-4 victory. Freshman Kya Pratt then logged an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth against the Lobos in the Aggies' 8-0 shutout win. 
 
Sophomore Taryn Edds logged USU's first walk-off home run of the season with a solo bomb in the bottom of the seventh for the 5-4 Aggie win against San Diego State. The homer was Edds' first of her career. 
 
Colunga logged a two-RBI single against Idaho State in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Aggies the 10-2 win. 
 
Jimenez recorded walk-off hits in both of the Aggies' victories against UNLV with RBI single in the 4-3 comeback victory on April 28 and three-run homer in the 14-5 run-ruled win on April 30.
 
GRAND SALAMI
Utah State has recorded two grand slams this season as sophomore Ariel Fifita cleared the bases in the bottom of the third in the 10-2 victory against Idaho State. Sophomore Giselle Gonzalez logged her first home run of the season, and second of her career, with a grand slam at BYU.
 
SHUT IT DOWN
Utah State's pitching staff has recorded three 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. Freshman Hailey McLean recorded a seven-inning complete-game shutout in USU's 6-0 victory at Colorado State, giving up just three hits and striking out 12 batters in the showing. Sophomore Mia Reynolds and 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. 
 
FANNING THE FLAMES
• Utah State freshman Hailey McLean ranks sixth in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings. The product of Sparks, Nevada, has sat down 10.5 batters per seven innings so far this season, the top mark in the Mountain West. She is also 35th in the nation in hits allowed per seven innings (4.47).
 
• McLean set both the Utah State program and facility record at UCLA's Easton Stadium with 20 strikeouts across nine innings in USU's 3-2 win over CSU Bakersfield. 
 
• McLean has recorded at least 10 strikeouts in five games this season, while logging at least five Ks in 10 games. 
 
• McLean ranks second in the Mountain West in both opposing batting average (.183) and total strikeouts (141). McLean's 141 Ks are also tied for 61st 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. In total, she has been named both the MW Pitcher and Freshman of the Week twice this season.
 
AROUND THE HORN
Utah State is 11-9 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 69.2 percent (27-of-39) of its home runs in an odd-numbered inning, including 11 homers in both the third and fifth innings.
 
THIS ISN'T BASEBALL
Utah State is a 3-1 this season in games that go nine or more innings as USU defeated CSU Bakersfield 3-2 in nine frames, New Mexico 5-4 in 10 and UNLV 4-3 in nine.
 
HOT OUT THE GATE
Utah State is 5-3 this season when scoring at least one run in the first inning.
 
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. 
 
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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