SEATTLE – Seattle University softball will host Utah in the 2020 home opener at Logan Field on Thursday.
FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS
• Thursday, Mar. 12 at 5 p.m.
• vs. Utah
• Stats | Watch
ABOUT THE GAMES
• Seattle U (9-15) vs. Utah (14-4)
• All-time series-Utah leads, 1-0
NEWS AND NOTES
• The Redhawks scored a season-high 12 runs in a five-inning win over Loyola Marymount on Mar. 8. Grace Dudden's grand slam highlighted a nine-run second inning for SU.
• Seattle U's nine-run second-inning against LMU is the most runs SU has scored in an inning since Feb. 15, 2019, when it dropped nine on Georgetown in a 13-3 win.
• Stefanie Madrigal pitched 7.2 innings against No. 11 Oregon, giving up just one earned run in an eight-inning 3-2 loss to the Ducks on Mar. 8.
• Seattle U went 3-2 at the Mahilihini Kipa Aloha Tournament in Hawai'i from Feb. 28-Mar. 1. The Redhawks beat Oregon State before taking down Hawai'i twice.
• In a 6-1 win over Oregon State on Feb. 29, Shi Smith pitched a complete game, striking out 10, while Stephanie Merwin homered and tripled in a four-RBI performance.
• Shi Smith earned her second straight WAC Pitcher of the Week honor for her efforts in Hawai'i. The junior beat Oregon State before throwing 3.2 innings of relief to beat Hawai'i, as Smith tallied nine strikeouts. She also earned a one-inning save in a victory over Hawai'i.
• In an 8-4 win at Hawai'i on Mar. 1, Bailey Thompson hit two home runs and Carley Nance hit a grand slam to power the SU offense.
• The Redhawks impressed in their five games at the Mary Nutter Classic on Feb. 21-23, winning twice, including a win over No. 18 Missouri, and nearly taking down third-ranked Oklahoma.
• Shi Smith threw the eighth no-hitter in school history against UC Davis on Feb. 21. In the 3-0 win, Smith broke her own school record with 15 strikeouts. It marked the second seven-inning no-no in program history.
• Shi Smith earned WAC Pitcher of the Week honors after tossing the no-hitter. The junior has won three WAC weekly honors in her career.
• On Feb. 23, SU took down 18th-ranked Missouri, 3-1. Bailey Thompson hit a three-run home run in the first inning and Carley Nance and Shi Smith teamed up to contain the Tiger offense. It is the Redhawks' second win over a ranked team in the last two seasons.
• SU went 2-1 at the Libby Matson Tournament, hosted by Pacific, on Feb. 14-15, playing three one-run games. It took the lead in its final at-bat in wins over Pacific and Nevada.
• The Redhawks split a doubleheader at Stanford on Feb. 13, beating the Cardinal, 5-4, before falling, 3-1 in 10 innings. Carley Nance threw 2.1 perfect innings in relief to earn the save in the opener and then pitched a complete game in the nightcap, allowing just two earned runs and striking out eight in nine-plus innings.
• Seattle U went 0-5 at the Kajikawa Classic to open 2020. It faced five Power 5 programs, including three nationally-ranked opponents.
• Senior Madison Cathcart hit two home runs in the season's opening weekend, giving her 38 for her collegiate career. She passed Jane Purdy for most home runs in program history. Cathcart also holds school records in doubles, walks, and putouts.
• Against No. 14 Northwestern on Feb. 7, junior Shi Smith set SU's single-game strikeout record with 13 Ks in seven innings. She struck out at least two Wildcats in six different frames.
• Carley Nance tied her career high with 10 strikeouts in a 4-3 loss to No. 5 Arizona on Feb. 7. She had previously struck out 10 hitters on Feb. 10, 2018, against Western Michigan.
• SU was picked to win the WAC in the preseason coaches' poll for the first time in program history. Five Redhawks were named Preseason All-WAC, as Madison Cathcart, Ally Choate, Carley Nance, Shi Smith, and Bailey Thompson earned honors.
• Coach Geoff Hirai enters his fifth season at SU, having guided the Redhawks to their best season in program history in 2019. Seattle U won a school-record 40 games on its way to its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament appearance. It won the WAC regular-season and tournament crowns for the first time and knocked off a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time ever (No. 25 Illinois).
• Carley Nance returns for her junior season after a terrific 2019 campaign. She claimed NFCA All-Region Second Team, All-WAC First Team, WAC Tournament MVP, and Seattle U Female Athlete of the Year accolades after going 17-9 with a 2.00 ERA in the circle and batting .278 with seven home runs and seven doubles at the plate.
• Ally Choate led the WAC in batting last year, hitting .397 with a school-record 75 hits in her sophomore year. She was named NFCA All-Region Second Team, All-WAC First Team, and NCAA Tournament All-Regional Team for her efforts.
• Bailey Thompson was an All-WAC First Team choice after a breakout sophomore season. She hit .323 with a .616 slugging percentage, smashing 13 homers and being hit by a school-record-tying 13 pitches.
• Madison Cathcart became SU's career doubles leader. The first baseman slugged .636 with 13 doubles and 12 home runs last year. Entering her senior year, she has 46 doubles, most in program history and eighth-most in WAC history. Cathcart also has 36 home runs at SU, one behind Jane Purdy for the career mark.
• Shi Smith broke her own single-season school record with 7.34 strikeouts per seven innings last year. In 99.1 innings of work, Smith struck out 104 batters, including a school-record-tying 12 against CSU Bakersfield on April 20. She held opponents to a .211 batting average on the season.
• Olivia Viggiano set the SU record for runs with 47 last year. As a freshman, she hit .332 with 63 hits and 20 stolen bases. She was picked All-WAC Second Team.
• Cherise Silvan started 52 games in the outfield in 2019, batting .329 with seven doubles and two triples. She was a force in the WAC Tournament, going 6-9 with three runs and a triple on her way to being named WAC All-Tournament.
• In 2019, SU topped the WAC with a 15-3 record, winning all six series, including three sweeps. It led the league in batting (.309) and ERA (2.35).
• The Redhawks feature six newcomers this season, with five freshmen and one transfer joining the squad for 2020.
FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS
• Thursday, Mar. 12 at 5 p.m.
• vs. Utah
• Stats | Watch
ABOUT THE GAMES
• Seattle U (9-15) vs. Utah (14-4)
• All-time series-Utah leads, 1-0
NEWS AND NOTES
• The Redhawks scored a season-high 12 runs in a five-inning win over Loyola Marymount on Mar. 8. Grace Dudden's grand slam highlighted a nine-run second inning for SU.
• Seattle U's nine-run second-inning against LMU is the most runs SU has scored in an inning since Feb. 15, 2019, when it dropped nine on Georgetown in a 13-3 win.
• Stefanie Madrigal pitched 7.2 innings against No. 11 Oregon, giving up just one earned run in an eight-inning 3-2 loss to the Ducks on Mar. 8.
• Seattle U went 3-2 at the Mahilihini Kipa Aloha Tournament in Hawai'i from Feb. 28-Mar. 1. The Redhawks beat Oregon State before taking down Hawai'i twice.
• In a 6-1 win over Oregon State on Feb. 29, Shi Smith pitched a complete game, striking out 10, while Stephanie Merwin homered and tripled in a four-RBI performance.
• Shi Smith earned her second straight WAC Pitcher of the Week honor for her efforts in Hawai'i. The junior beat Oregon State before throwing 3.2 innings of relief to beat Hawai'i, as Smith tallied nine strikeouts. She also earned a one-inning save in a victory over Hawai'i.
• In an 8-4 win at Hawai'i on Mar. 1, Bailey Thompson hit two home runs and Carley Nance hit a grand slam to power the SU offense.
• The Redhawks impressed in their five games at the Mary Nutter Classic on Feb. 21-23, winning twice, including a win over No. 18 Missouri, and nearly taking down third-ranked Oklahoma.
• Shi Smith threw the eighth no-hitter in school history against UC Davis on Feb. 21. In the 3-0 win, Smith broke her own school record with 15 strikeouts. It marked the second seven-inning no-no in program history.
• Shi Smith earned WAC Pitcher of the Week honors after tossing the no-hitter. The junior has won three WAC weekly honors in her career.
• On Feb. 23, SU took down 18th-ranked Missouri, 3-1. Bailey Thompson hit a three-run home run in the first inning and Carley Nance and Shi Smith teamed up to contain the Tiger offense. It is the Redhawks' second win over a ranked team in the last two seasons.
• SU went 2-1 at the Libby Matson Tournament, hosted by Pacific, on Feb. 14-15, playing three one-run games. It took the lead in its final at-bat in wins over Pacific and Nevada.
• The Redhawks split a doubleheader at Stanford on Feb. 13, beating the Cardinal, 5-4, before falling, 3-1 in 10 innings. Carley Nance threw 2.1 perfect innings in relief to earn the save in the opener and then pitched a complete game in the nightcap, allowing just two earned runs and striking out eight in nine-plus innings.
• Seattle U went 0-5 at the Kajikawa Classic to open 2020. It faced five Power 5 programs, including three nationally-ranked opponents.
• Senior Madison Cathcart hit two home runs in the season's opening weekend, giving her 38 for her collegiate career. She passed Jane Purdy for most home runs in program history. Cathcart also holds school records in doubles, walks, and putouts.
• Against No. 14 Northwestern on Feb. 7, junior Shi Smith set SU's single-game strikeout record with 13 Ks in seven innings. She struck out at least two Wildcats in six different frames.
• Carley Nance tied her career high with 10 strikeouts in a 4-3 loss to No. 5 Arizona on Feb. 7. She had previously struck out 10 hitters on Feb. 10, 2018, against Western Michigan.
• SU was picked to win the WAC in the preseason coaches' poll for the first time in program history. Five Redhawks were named Preseason All-WAC, as Madison Cathcart, Ally Choate, Carley Nance, Shi Smith, and Bailey Thompson earned honors.
• Coach Geoff Hirai enters his fifth season at SU, having guided the Redhawks to their best season in program history in 2019. Seattle U won a school-record 40 games on its way to its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament appearance. It won the WAC regular-season and tournament crowns for the first time and knocked off a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time ever (No. 25 Illinois).
• Carley Nance returns for her junior season after a terrific 2019 campaign. She claimed NFCA All-Region Second Team, All-WAC First Team, WAC Tournament MVP, and Seattle U Female Athlete of the Year accolades after going 17-9 with a 2.00 ERA in the circle and batting .278 with seven home runs and seven doubles at the plate.
• Ally Choate led the WAC in batting last year, hitting .397 with a school-record 75 hits in her sophomore year. She was named NFCA All-Region Second Team, All-WAC First Team, and NCAA Tournament All-Regional Team for her efforts.
• Bailey Thompson was an All-WAC First Team choice after a breakout sophomore season. She hit .323 with a .616 slugging percentage, smashing 13 homers and being hit by a school-record-tying 13 pitches.
• Madison Cathcart became SU's career doubles leader. The first baseman slugged .636 with 13 doubles and 12 home runs last year. Entering her senior year, she has 46 doubles, most in program history and eighth-most in WAC history. Cathcart also has 36 home runs at SU, one behind Jane Purdy for the career mark.
• Shi Smith broke her own single-season school record with 7.34 strikeouts per seven innings last year. In 99.1 innings of work, Smith struck out 104 batters, including a school-record-tying 12 against CSU Bakersfield on April 20. She held opponents to a .211 batting average on the season.
• Olivia Viggiano set the SU record for runs with 47 last year. As a freshman, she hit .332 with 63 hits and 20 stolen bases. She was picked All-WAC Second Team.
• Cherise Silvan started 52 games in the outfield in 2019, batting .329 with seven doubles and two triples. She was a force in the WAC Tournament, going 6-9 with three runs and a triple on her way to being named WAC All-Tournament.
• In 2019, SU topped the WAC with a 15-3 record, winning all six series, including three sweeps. It led the league in batting (.309) and ERA (2.35).
• The Redhawks feature six newcomers this season, with five freshmen and one transfer joining the squad for 2020.