LOGAN, Utah - Utah State head softball coach Todd Judge announced the signing of Denay Smith on Thursday.

"I am very excited to add Denay to our already strong returning pitching staff," Judge said. "Denay is a very hard-working player that not only can pitch at the D1 level, but she can also hit. We are expecting big things from Denay this year."

Smith, a 5-foot-6 pitcher, joins the Aggies after spending the last two seasons at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, redshirting the 2023 campaign. As a freshman in 2022, Smith made 24 appearances in the circle with 13 starts. She threw five complete games, including a 2-1 victory against Baylor (March 5, 2022). Smith pitched 73.1 innings for a 4.30 ERA. She struck out 33 batters and finished the season with a 5-9 individual record.

The native of Mesa, Arizona, prepped at Desert Ridge High School, where she was a two-time all-district first-team selection. Smith reunites with Judge after having played club softball under his coaching with the Oro Valley Suncats. She led the Suncats to a third-place finish at the National SO and California A's invite, fifth at TCS Nationals, and ninth at both Fireworks Colorado and PGF top-16.

For more information on the Utah State softball program, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUSoftball, on Facebook at USUSoftball and on Instagram at ususoftball. 

-USU-