Redhawks Begin 2013 at Red Desert Classic: Seattle University softball will begin the 2013 season, their first season in the Western Athletic Conference, at the Red Desert Classic in St. George, Utah. The Redhawks will face two teams, BYU and Oklahoma State, who are receiving votes in the preseason ESPN/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. SU opens the tournament and the season against BYU on Friday, Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. PT before facing Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. PT that afternoon. On Saturday, Feb. 9, they face Southern Utah at 10 a.m. PT and Utah at 3 p.m. PT They wrap up the weekend with a contest vs. Weber State on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 10 a.m. PT.
Scouting BYU: The Cougars finished 45-15 overall last season and first in the Western Athletic Conference (!5-4) in their only season in the league. BYU and Seattle U switched conferences, as BYU is now a member of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference. Their postseason record last year was 2-2, with their final game a loss to Oregon, 4-1. The Cougars have 14 returning letterwinners and six returning starters, as well as five newcomers. Delaney Willard started 57 of 60 games for the Cougars last season, batting a team high .418, also recording 44 runs, 71 hits, 17 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, and 88 RBIs. Two of their three pitchers had a sub-3.00 ERA, with Tori Almond leading the way with a 2.00 ERA and a 20-4 record in 23 starts and 36 appearances. Gordon Eakin leads the team in his 10th season as head coach, with a 416-175 all-time career record.
Last Time Out: Seattle U last faced BYU on Apr. 2, 2011, at the UNLV Pre-Conference Roundup in Las Vegas. BYU came out on top, 14-0, in five innings.
Scouting Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State went 25-26 overall last season, including 8-16 in Big-12 Conference play. Shelby Davis recorded a team-high .310 average, recording 17 runs on 44 hits, two doubles, two triples, and six RBIs. Kat Espinosa started 21 games and had a team high 2.38 ERA and a 15-13 record. Rich Wieligman enters his seventh season at the helm of the Cowgirl program and led OSU to its seventh Women’s College World Series appearance in 2011.
Last Time Out: This will be the first ever meeting between Oklahoma State and Seattle U.
Scouting Southern Utah: Southern Utah finished 2012 with a 29-25 record and a 15-9 summit league record. Mikkel Griffin led the Thunderbirds with a .404 average, starting all 54 games, and also recording 43 runs on 65 hits, as well as 12 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, and 35 RBIs. Kyle Magnusson leads the team in his third season as head coach. In his first season (2011), he led the team to a No. 4 seed and the conference championships, as well as a 25-win season, more than doubling their winning total from the previous year.
Last Time Out: Two seasons ago, the Redhawks played Southern Utah twice at the Boise State Tournament, once each day on Mar. 5-6, 2011. Southern Utah won both contests, 12-10 in the first, and 8-7 in eight innings in the second.
Scouting Utah: Last season, Utah finished 28-28 overall and 2-22 in conference play in their first season in the Pac-12. They were led by Taylor Austin, who batted a .556, follwed by Whitney Holm who started all 56 games, batting a .381. In the circle, Generra Nielson recorded a team-leading 3.46 ERA as well as a 21-17 record in 48 appearances. They have seven returning starters, 13 returning letterwinners, and six newcomers for 2013. In her fifth season, head coach Amy Hogue has a 133-137 (.493) record at Utah and a 330-222 (.598) overall career coaching record.
Last Time Out: Seattle U last faced Utah on Saturday Feb. 13, also at the Red Desert Classic. The Utes came away with the 9-1 victory.
Scouting Weber State: Weber State finished last season with a 21-32 overall record and a 10-10 PCSC record, as they were one of SU’s conference foes in 2012. Lynds Minnich started all 53 games for the season with a team-high .396 average, also recording 46 runs on 59 hits, five doubles, three triples, 15 home runs, and 49 RBIs. Sarah Clark led all pitchers with a 3.53 ERA and a 16-14 record. Tina Johnson enters her fifth season as head coach and restarted the program in 2008 after it was dropped in 1983.
Last Time Out: Weber State and Seattle U were both part of the same conference (Pacific Coast Softball Conference) last season, with the Redhawks going 1-3 over the four game series on Apr. 6-7, 2012. Weber State won the first, third, and fourth games by scores of 5-4, 10-6, and 8-2 respectively, but SU dominated in game two, 19-0, in five innings.
Scouting BYU: The Cougars finished 45-15 overall last season and first in the Western Athletic Conference (!5-4) in their only season in the league. BYU and Seattle U switched conferences, as BYU is now a member of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference. Their postseason record last year was 2-2, with their final game a loss to Oregon, 4-1. The Cougars have 14 returning letterwinners and six returning starters, as well as five newcomers. Delaney Willard started 57 of 60 games for the Cougars last season, batting a team high .418, also recording 44 runs, 71 hits, 17 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, and 88 RBIs. Two of their three pitchers had a sub-3.00 ERA, with Tori Almond leading the way with a 2.00 ERA and a 20-4 record in 23 starts and 36 appearances. Gordon Eakin leads the team in his 10th season as head coach, with a 416-175 all-time career record.
Last Time Out: Seattle U last faced BYU on Apr. 2, 2011, at the UNLV Pre-Conference Roundup in Las Vegas. BYU came out on top, 14-0, in five innings.
Scouting Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State went 25-26 overall last season, including 8-16 in Big-12 Conference play. Shelby Davis recorded a team-high .310 average, recording 17 runs on 44 hits, two doubles, two triples, and six RBIs. Kat Espinosa started 21 games and had a team high 2.38 ERA and a 15-13 record. Rich Wieligman enters his seventh season at the helm of the Cowgirl program and led OSU to its seventh Women’s College World Series appearance in 2011.
Last Time Out: This will be the first ever meeting between Oklahoma State and Seattle U.
Scouting Southern Utah: Southern Utah finished 2012 with a 29-25 record and a 15-9 summit league record. Mikkel Griffin led the Thunderbirds with a .404 average, starting all 54 games, and also recording 43 runs on 65 hits, as well as 12 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, and 35 RBIs. Kyle Magnusson leads the team in his third season as head coach. In his first season (2011), he led the team to a No. 4 seed and the conference championships, as well as a 25-win season, more than doubling their winning total from the previous year.
Last Time Out: Two seasons ago, the Redhawks played Southern Utah twice at the Boise State Tournament, once each day on Mar. 5-6, 2011. Southern Utah won both contests, 12-10 in the first, and 8-7 in eight innings in the second.
Scouting Utah: Last season, Utah finished 28-28 overall and 2-22 in conference play in their first season in the Pac-12. They were led by Taylor Austin, who batted a .556, follwed by Whitney Holm who started all 56 games, batting a .381. In the circle, Generra Nielson recorded a team-leading 3.46 ERA as well as a 21-17 record in 48 appearances. They have seven returning starters, 13 returning letterwinners, and six newcomers for 2013. In her fifth season, head coach Amy Hogue has a 133-137 (.493) record at Utah and a 330-222 (.598) overall career coaching record.
Last Time Out: Seattle U last faced Utah on Saturday Feb. 13, also at the Red Desert Classic. The Utes came away with the 9-1 victory.
Scouting Weber State: Weber State finished last season with a 21-32 overall record and a 10-10 PCSC record, as they were one of SU’s conference foes in 2012. Lynds Minnich started all 53 games for the season with a team-high .396 average, also recording 46 runs on 59 hits, five doubles, three triples, 15 home runs, and 49 RBIs. Sarah Clark led all pitchers with a 3.53 ERA and a 16-14 record. Tina Johnson enters her fifth season as head coach and restarted the program in 2008 after it was dropped in 1983.
Last Time Out: Weber State and Seattle U were both part of the same conference (Pacific Coast Softball Conference) last season, with the Redhawks going 1-3 over the four game series on Apr. 6-7, 2012. Weber State won the first, third, and fourth games by scores of 5-4, 10-6, and 8-2 respectively, but SU dominated in game two, 19-0, in five innings.