PLAY BALL!
Utah State softball (13-15, 2-1 MW) continues Mountain West play this weekend with its conference home opener, hosting Nevada for a three-game series on Friday-Sunday, March 20-22.

FOLLOW ALONG
All three games will be streamed via the Mountain West Network with live stats available via StatBroadcast. Links and live updates will be available on the USU softball social media pages and through UtahStateAggies.com.

AGGIES VS THE FIELD
• USU and Nevada have met 70 times previously, with the Aggies trailing, 32-38. The Aggies are 12-13 all-time at home against the Wolf Pack. Utah State went 1-2 against Nevada in Reno last season, falling in the first two games, 8-7 and 17-14, before registering a 14-4 five-inning victory in the final game.

LET US BEGIN
Utah State defeated Fresno State in back-to-back contests to open MW action last week, earning a 9-2 victory in the series opener and an 8-4 win in nine innings before falling to the Bulldogs, 6-2, in the series finale. The series win was USU's fourth conference-opening series win in the past five seasons. It was also the Aggies' first series win Fresno State since 2017 and the first in Fresno since 1981.

ICYMI
Utah State started the week with a 2-1 road victory at Idaho State on Tuesday. Freshman right-hander Kendall Cochran led the way for the Aggies as she threw the full 7.0 innings with a career-best seven strikeouts and just four hits and a single earned run allowed. Senior catcher Kaylee Erickson then supplied the offense with a two-run shot over the left field fence, bringing home senior catcher Grace Matej on the play.

NO BUNTIN' BUNTON
Senior infielder Alex Bunton has been on a tear since the start of MW play, hitting a team-best .545 (6-of-11) with a double, home run and three walks drawn, recording a team-high OBP of .643 in USU's past four games.

EXTRA INNING HEROICS
After Fresno State scored three runs in the ninth inning, Utah State rebounded to hold the Bulldogs scoreless in the eighth before breaking out themselves in the ninth inning for four runs in an 8-4 win last week. The Aggies batted around the lineup, recording five hits, including a double by Matej and singles by Kate Vance, Jazmin Ramirez, Faith Kroening and Kya Pratt. 

HAVE SOME FAITH!
Utah State sophomore outfielder Faith Kroening is having a major breakout season. After playing primarily as a pinch runner in 2025, totaling just four hits in 30 at-bats for a .133 batting average, Kroening has started all 28 games this season and ranks fourth on the squad with a .326 batting average (29-for-89).

TURN FOR TWO
Entering the weekend, Utah State ranks 34th nationally and third in the Mountain West with 12 double plays made on the year.

OUCH! THAT HURT!
Utah State ranks 33rd in the nation and third in the MW with 33 times being hit by pitch. Kaylee Erickson and Faith Kroening each rank in the top 10 in the conference in HBPs, ranking third and ninth, respectively, with six and five HBPs.

A HIT TO REMEMBER
Senior infielder Kenzee Olsen rewrote her personal record book with one swing in the Aggies' Feb. 21 matchup against Seton Hall. With two outs and the bases loaded, Olsen hit a grand slam to left field to break open an eventual 8-3 victory. She tallied not only hit her first career grand slam, but her first career home run and RBIs.

OPENING WEEK WARRIORS
Utah State opened its 2026 campaign with a strong start Feb. 5-7 at the Texas A&M-hosted Aggie Classic, going 4-1 with two wins over Abilene Christian, a win over Bryant and a win over Providence. The team's lone loss came to No. 11 Texas A&M. On the week, USU held four of its five opponents to two runs or fewer and out-scored them by a combined 21-13.

AGGIE ARMS
The Utah State pitching staff showed out during opening week. 

• Senior Emmalyn Brinka pitched two complete games, earning a shutout vs Abilene Christian and a near-shutout vs Providence while throwing a career-high nine strikeouts. She also earned a save in the second contest against ACU. On the week, she pitched 14.0 innings, allowing just a single run for a 0.50 ERA with 17 strikeouts and just five hits allowed. 

• Senior Rylie Pindel threw 6.2 scoreless innings against Bryant before allowing a single run in a complete game performance. 

• Freshman Kendall Cochran was strong in her collegiate debut, throwing 5.2 innings with six strikeouts and just three hits allowed against Abilene Christian. 

WELCOME BACK
Utah State returns four starters in the field and 12 letterwinners overall from last year's squad, including four pitchers. All four returning starters in the field are seniors this season — outfielder Kya Pratt, infielder Alex Bunton and catchers Grace Matej and Kaylee Erickson.

NEW YEAR, NEW FACES
Utah State welcomes in 10 newcomers this season, including two transfers and eight true freshmen. Transfer additions include junior infielder Keely Goushá (Boise State) and freshman infielder Kate Vance (Arizona).

Incoming freshmen include utility player Ryan Pead (Saratoga Springs, Utah / Westlake HS), left-handed pitcher Jordyn Lish (Modesto, Calif. / Fred C. Beyer HS), catcher/infielder Sofia Trejo (Tucson, Arizona / Tucson Magnet HS), right-handed pitcher Kendall Cochran (Mesa, Arizona / Red Mountain HS), infielder/outfielder Jakobi Nebeker (Pocatello, Idaho / Pocatello HS), outfielder/infielder Haylee Lopez (San Tan Valley, Ariz. / Poston Butte HS), catcher/utility player Hailey Holliday (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Saguaro HS) and infielder/right-handed pitcher Jazmin Ramirez (Chandler, Ariz. / Hamilton HS). 

Additionally, USU added two new assistant coaches to the dugout. Jared McDonald, a former Arizona State and professional infielder, joins the Aggies as an assistant coach, as does former UCLA pitcher Jada Cecil. 

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 catcher Grace Matej and senior outfielder Kya Pratt were each honored. 

Matej is a two-time all-MW honoree and also earned NFCA Pacific Region Second Team honors in 2024. As a junior last season, she played in and started 50 of the team's 52 games, posting a .327 batting average while going 53-for-162 at the plate. She totaled 11 doubles on the year, with a triple and 10 home runs, while her 36 runs scored rank tied for seventh most in a season in program history.  

Pratt had a breakout season as a junior in 2025 to earn all-Mountain West first team accolades. She started 46 games while making 49 appearances, ranking fifth on the squad with a .363 batting average as she went 49-for-135 at the plate. Pratt recorded 11 doubles and nine home runs last season, totaling 34 RBIs and 21 runs scored while drawing 11 walks and recording a .423 on-base percentage with a .644 slugging percentage, 10th-best in the Mountain West.  

A SEASON FOR THE AGES
Utah State had a historic offensive season in 2025, shattering several long-standing program records. The Aggies set program records for batting average (.340), hits (493), runs (340), doubles (90), home runs (66), runs batted in (319), total bases (807), slugging percentage (.557), walks drawn (181), hits by pitch (50) and on-base percentage (.428). 

ONE LAST CLIMB
The 2026 campaign will be the final season for Utah State as a member of the Mountain West Conference, as the Aggies will join the Pac-12 beginning July 1, 2026. USU will join existing members Oregon State and Washington State, along with new additions Gonzaga, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Texas State. Utah State has been a member of the Mountain West since 2013.

TOP NOTCH COMPETITION
Utah State is set to welcome No. 23 Grand Canyon for a three-game series next weekend. Against ranked competition, the Aggies last:
- played a ranked team at home against No. 22 BYU on April 5, 2017 (L, 6-8)
- beat a ranked opponent at home against No. 14 Long Beach State, 3-1 and 1-0, on April 28, 1998
- defeated a ranked opponent anywhere versus No. 19 Baylor, 6-4, on Feb. 8, 2025
- defeated a ranked conference opponent at No. 22 San Diego State, 3-1, on May 7, 2022
- highest-ever ranked win against No. 1 Washington, 7-4, on Feb. 19, 2010

UP NEXT
Utah State faces off against No. 23 Grand Canyon for a three-game series at Johnson Field beginning on Friday, March 27, at 4 p.m., with ensuing contests at noon on both Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29.

- USU -