PLAY BALL!
Utah State softball (14-17, 3-3 MW) continues Mountain West play this weekend with a three-game conference series, hosting first-year league-mate Grand Canyon at Johnson Field Friday-Sunday, March 27-29.
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 LOPES
USU and Grand Canyon have met five times previously, with the Lopes taking four of the five and each of the past two including a 10-2 five-inning contest in Phoenix last season. Utah State's lone win in the series cam in 2020, a 7-0 road victory. This will be GCU's first-ever trip to Logan.
ICYMI
Utah State posted a 2-2 record last week with a road victory at Idaho State on Tuesday, then taking one game of a three-part home series against defending MW regular season champion Nevada. Senior catcher Kaylee Erickson led the way with a .583 average across the four games, going 7-for-12 at the plate with three home runs, three doubles, six RBIs and five runs scored.
WALK IT OFF!
In Utah State's win over Nevada on March 21, the Aggies won a thriller which was capped off by a walk-off home run for senior catcher Grace Matej. After entering the seventh inning up 4-3 then allowing three Wolf Pack runs in the top of the seventh, USU rallied with a two-run dinger by Kaylee Erickson to tie the game, then the walk-off shot over the center field fence by Matej to win it.
LET US BEGIN
Utah State opened its conference slate with a series win over Fresno State, taking two of the three contests with 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.
NO BUNTIN' BUNTON
Senior infielder Alex Bunton has been on a tear since the start of MW play, hitting a team-best-tying .476 (10-of-21) with two doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs, four runs scored and four bases on balls. During that stretch she has a .857 slugging percentage and a .577 on base percentage.
FLAWLESS FIELDING
Utah State's defense has been strong this season, currently ranking third in the Mountain West with a .970 fielding percentage. Six different USU players have a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, while an additional eight more are over .950. Overall, Utah State has just 27 errors on 893 chances.
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 on March 14. 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 31 games this season and ranks third on the squad with a .330 batting average (32-for-97).
OUCH! THAT HURT!
Utah State ranks ninth in the nation and first 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 second and seventh, respectively, with nine and six HBPs.
GOING THE DISTANCE
In eight of Utah State's outings this season, an Aggie pitcher has thrown a complete game. Rylie Pindel leads the way with four complete games, all four of which were wins.
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.
TOP NOTCH COMPETITION
Grand Canyon enters the weekend ranked No. 23 nationally. 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
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.
UP NEXT
Utah State hits the road for a three-game conference series next weekend in San Diego as it faces San Diego State Thursday-Saturday, April 2-4.
