PLAY BALL!
Utah State softball (12-8, 0-0 Mountain West) continues its 2025 campaign this week with its final non-conference tournament as the Aggies compete at the Grand Canyon-hosted Purple Classic in Phoenix, Arizona. Games will take place March 7-9. USU will face four different opponents, including Saint Joseph's, Penn, San Diego an Grand Canyon.
 
Following the weekend, USU will take on No. 6 Arizona in Tempe on Monday, March 10.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Live stats for all of this weekend's games will be available via Statbroadcast. Games against Grand Canyon and Arizona will be streamed on ESPN+. Links and live updates will be available on the USU softball social media pages and through UtahStateAggies.com.
 
AGGIES VS THE FIELD
• This week's game will be the second all-time between Utah State and Saint Joseph's. The only previous meeting between the sides came in 2012, a 4-3 neutral site win in San Diego for the Aggies. 
 
• Saturday's game against Penn will be the first all-time meeting. 
 
• USU and San Diego will meet for the 15th time in series history and the fourth time this season. The series is tied 7-7. The Aggies have won seven of the past eight meetings including all three this season - a 5-3 win on Feb. 14, a 6-3 win on Feb. 15, and a 13-10 win on Feb. 22.
 
• Utah State has faced Grand Canyon five times in program history, the Antelopes leading the series 4-1. When the teams met last week on Feb. 28, the Lopes took a 10-2 five-inning victory. USU's lone win in the series was in 2020, a 7-0 victory. 
 
• The Aggies have faced Arizona 29 times, the Wildcats holding an 18-10-1 advantage. Arizona has won seven-straight meetings, though the sides haven't faced off since 2013. In Tucson, the series is split 4-4-1. 
 
ICYMI
Utah State had a 1-4 showing last week at the ASU/GCU Invitational in Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona. Three of the team's four losses were within three runs, as the Aggies defeated UTEP 11-6 and lost to Oregon State 12-10, Arizona State 4-1, Seattle 3-1 and dropped a 10-2 five-inning contest to Grand Canyon. 
 
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. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Utah State currently ranks in the top-50 nationally in several key statistics, including: doubles (16th - 37), hits (22nd - 189), home runs (13rd - 26), on base percentage (26th - .424), RBIs per game (6.40), scoring (28th - 6.90), slugging percentage (29th - .556), batting average (31st - .333), triples (40th - 6), and sacrifice bunts (49th - 13).
 
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 assists per game with 3.25, while also recording 26 putouts.
 
Fifita is batting .477 (31-for-65) entering the week, while 15 of her 31 hits have resulted in extra bases. Her .477 batting average ranks 41st nationally. She also ranks 17th nationally in doubles (8), 16th in hits (31) and 78th in home runs (7). Her .892 slugging percentage ranks 34th in the nation, and her .605 on base percentage ranks 10th. 
 
RYLIE WIN-DEL
Utah State junior right-hander Rylie Pindel is a perfect 6-0 in the circle entering the week. Her six wins rank tied for 48th in the nation, while only 17 pitchers are currently unbeaten with at least six wins. 
 
GOING THE DISTANCE
In four of Utah State's games this year, a pitcher has taken the Aggies from start to finish. Juniors Rylie Pindel and Carly Limosnero each have two complete games to their names. Pindel threw 8.0 innings in the win over Purdue and 7.0 innings in the win over California Baptist, while Limosnero went 7.0 innings in wins over Baylor and Seattle. 
 
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. 
 
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.  
 
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. 
 
UP NEXT
Utah State will now return to Logan for its first games of the year at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field next week, hosting Utah Valley on Wednesday, March 12, at 4 p.m., then opening Mountain West play with a three-game series against San Diego State from March 14-16.