PLAY BALL!
Utah State softball (15-12, 1-2 Mountain West) returns to non-conference action with a pair of games this week. The Aggies will head to Pocatello, Idaho, to face Idaho State on Wednesday, March 19, at 2 p.m., before returning to Logan to host Saint Mary's on Sunday, March 23, at 11 a.m.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Live stats for all of this weekend's games will be available via Statbroadcast. USU's game at Idaho State will be broadcast on ESPN+ while Sunday's home game versus St. Mary's will stream on the Mountain West Network. Links and live updates will be available on the USU softball social media pages and through UtahStateAggies.com.
 
AGGIES VS BENGALS
Wednesday's game will be the 51st meeting all-time between Utah State and Idaho State. The Aggies lead the series, 30-20, and have won each of the past three meetings, including a 10-9 win in 2022 in the team's last visit to Pocatello. USU is 12-7 all-time on the road against Idaho State. 
 
AGGIES VS GAELS
Utah State leads the series against Saint Mary's, 8-7. Neither side has ever won more than two games in a row against the other. USU and SMC split a pair of matches in Moraga, California, last season with the Aggies winning, 3-2, before the Gaela took game two, 2-0.
 
THAT HURT!
Utah State leads the Mountain West and ranks 23rd in the nation with 26 times being hit by a pitch this season. Grace Matej leads the Aggies with seven HBPs taken on the year.
 
ICYMI
Utah State went 2-2 in its home debut of the 2025 season last week, earning walk-off wins over Utah Valley (9-8) and San Diego State (5-4). Against the Wolverines, the Aggies stormed back from a four-run deficit in the final two innings, with junior infielder Alex Bunton supplied the game-winning hit: a single to right field which scored senior infielder Ariel Fifita. In the series finale against the Aztecs, junior catcher/infielder Grace Matej played the hero with a walk-off solo home run with two outs in the seventh inning and on a two-strike count.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Utah State currently ranks in the top-50 nationally in several key statistics, including: on base percentage (26th - .426), doubles per game (8th - 1.89), slugging percentage (31st - .545), home runs per game (33rd - 1.19), RBIs per game (28th - 6.15), hits (18th - 257), batting average (26th - .336), runs batted in (33rd - 166), hits allowed per seven innings (26th - 10.70) and scoring (40th - 6.52).
 
MOUNTAIN BEST
With most of non-conference play in the books, the Mountain West Conference has had one of its most out of league showings in recent history this year. Entering league play last week, seven of the league's nine teams were .500 or better and eight are .450 or better. The squads have combined for a 126-85-1 (.597) record in non-conference play. 
 
THE BATS ARE HOT
In five games at the Lyman Classic Feb. 21-23, Utah State totaled a whopping 62 runs scored, easily the highest scoring week in program history. USU scored 10-plus runs in four-straight games for the first time ever. The Aggies tallied 71 hits during those games. After totaling eight home runs in the first 10 games of the year, USU hit 15 dingers during the five-game stretch. 
 
NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After an outstanding showing the week ending Feb. 23, USU senior infielder Giselle Gonzalez was named the D1Softball National Player of the Week. During a five-game stretch at the Lyman Classic, Gonzalez went .500 (8-for-16) at the plate with five home runs, six runs scored, 13 RBIs and three walks. She had two home runs against Weber State, then three more against Utah Tech, tying a program record. 
 
Gonzalez was also named the Mountain West Player of the Week, joining Grace Matej (Feb. 9) as the second USU player to earn the honor this season. 
 
RUNNING INTO THE RECORD BOOK
In Utah State's win over Utah Tech on Feb. 22, the Aggies scored 21 runs. This was the third-most runs in a game in program history, and the first time scoring over 20 runs in 45 years. The only games USU has played with more runs were a 24-1 win over USU Eastern in 1980 and a 27-0 victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills in 1978. 
 
HISTORIC HITTING
In Utah State's 11-10 win over Weber State on Feb. 21, the Aggies tied a program record for home runs in a game with six. Four different USU batters hit bombs in the game, including two-apiece from junior outfielder Kya Pratt and senior infielder Giselle Gonzalez. 
 
FIFITA'S ON FIRE
Utah State senior infielder Ariel Fifita has been one of the top hitters in the country this season, as well as one of the top shortstops. Fifita currently leads the nation in total assists (84) and assists per game with 3.11, while also recording 34 putouts.
 
Fifita is batting .438 (39-for-89) entering the week, while 18 of her 39 hits have resulted in extra bases. Her .438 batting average ranks 64th nationally and third in the MW. She also ranks 27th nationally in doubles (10) and 33rd in hits (39). Her .798 slugging percentage ranks 59th in the nation, and her .565 on base percentage ranks 24th. 
 
RYLIE WIN-DEL
Utah State junior right-hander Rylie Pindel is now 8-1 in the circle entering the week, ranking third in the Mountain West in total wins.
 
RANKED DUB
On Feb. 8, Utah State earned its first victory over a ranked team since 2022 and first win over a top-20 side since 2010, defeating No. 19 Purdue 6-4. The Aggies jumped out to an early lead with a four-run first inning, then held on tightly to the lead the rest of the way. 
 
Junior pitcher Carly Limosnero spent all seven innings in the circle for USU, allowing just two extra base hits in the game. Junior catcher Grace Matej was responsible for half of the team's runs, hitting three RBI singles in the contest.
 
Earlier in the week, USU led No. 7 Texas A&M through 5.5 innings, but an eight-run sixth from Texas A&M held off the upset. 
 
THE MAGIC NUMBER
When scoring six or more runs this season, Utah State is 11-4. When scoring five or fewer runs, the team is 4-8. 
 
CLUTCH HITTERS
In Utah State's win over Purdue on Feb. 9, the Aggies had their backs against the wall multiple times. In the bottom of the seventh in need of a run to survive, senior outfielder Olivia Marble hit a one-out RBI triple to even the game as senior outfielder Brooklyn Pritchett scored.
 
In the eight inning, after three-straight outs for the Boilermakers, junior catcher Grace Matej hit a walk-off bases-loaded single to bring home junior infielder Kenzee Hale for the win.  
 
WELCOME BACK
Utah State returns seven starters in the field and 11 letterwinners from last year's squad, as well as two pitchers. All seven of the returning starters made 39 or more starts last season. USU's seven returning starters are the second-most in the Mountain West, behind only San José State (8). 
 
NEW YEAR, NEW FACES
Utah State welcomes in 12 newcomers this season, including seven transfers and five freshmen. Transfer additions include senior infielder/catcher Lyndsey Madrigal (BYU), senior outfielder Olivia Marble (Abilene Christian), junior right-handed pitcher Emmalyn Brinka (Montana), junior infielder Kenzee Hale (College of Southern Idaho), junior right-handed pitcher Carlyn Limosnero (California Baptist), junior right-handed pitcher Rylie Pindel (SIUE) and sophomore right-handed pitcher Maren Berger (Texas Southern). 
 
Incoming freshmen include infielder Alex Garcia (Folsom, California / St. Francis HS), infielder Justine Davidson (Farmington, Arkansas / Farmington HS), outfielder Faith Kroening (Phoenix, Arizona / Pinnacle HS), outfielder Rylee Turlington (Wittmann, Arizona / Willow Canyon HS) and catcher Jaelyn Castillo (Tucson, Arizona / Salpointe Catholic HS).
 
Additionally, USU added two new assistant coaches to the dugout. Marissa Schuld joins the Aggies as the team's assistant coach/pitching coach after an outstanding pitching career at Arizona State, while Shelby Thompson joins as an assistant coach after playing four years at UC San Diego. 
 
NEW YEAR, NEW FACES - PT. II
Utah State's 12 newcomers are the second-most among Mountain West teams, only behind New Mexico (14) and UNLV (14).
 
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
A pair of Aggies were named to the preseason all-Mountain West team, as voted on by the league's coaches. Senior infielder Ariel Fifita and junior catcher/infielder Grace Matej were each honored. 
 
Fifita enters her senior campaign with 123 career appearances and 116 starts under her belt through three years in Logan. She has totaled 104 hits in 342 at-bats, scoring 70 runs with 57 RBIs and totaling 11 doubles and 13 home runs. She has also recorded 177 career putouts with 213 assists. 
 
Matej is coming off a sophomore campaign which saw her earn NFCA Pacific Region and all-Mountain West second team honors in 2024. During her career, she has totaled 84 hits and 40 RBIs in 75 games while making 66 starts. She has a career batting average of .370 (84-for-227). As a catcher, she has also tallied 161 putouts and 23 assists with just two errors in her career for a .989 fielding percentage. 
 
INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
• Utah State catcher/infielder Grace Matej is coming off one of the best hitting seasons in program history. As a sophomore in 2024, Matej hit .405 with 54 hits in 131 at-bats. That batting average ranked second in the Mountain West last season and was the fifth-best for a season in Utah State history.  
 
• Matej's .580 slugging percentage and 53 hits each fell just shy of cracking into the program's all-time top 10. 
 
THAT BALL IS GONE-ZALEZ
After entering her junior campaign last season with just three career home runs, USU infielder Giselle Gonzalez found her way into the record book last season with 10 dingers, tied for the ninth-most in a single season in program history. 
 
EXPERIENCED SQUAD
Of the 25 players on Utah State's roster this season, 16 are upperclassmen. This includes six seniors and 10 juniors.
 
NEW LOOK BULLPEN
The Aggie bullpen this season looks a little bit different after welcoming in four new pitchers from the transfer portal - juniors Emmalyn Brinka (Montana), Carly Limosnero (California Baptist) and Rylie Pindel (SIUE), and sophomore Maren Berger (Texas Southern). 
 
USU does return its top pitcher from last season in junior Denay Smith, who led the team in ERA (3.71), innings pitched (83.0) and WHIP (1.71). It also returns junior Sydney Saldaña, who made seven appearances last season. 
 
UP NEXT
Utah State faces off against Weber State at LaRee & LeGrand Johnson Field on Tuesday, March 25, at 4 p.m., before returing to Mountain West action for a three-game series at Colorado State on Thursday through Saturday, March 27-29.
 
- USU -