TUCSON – Seattle University softball plays in the Wildcat Invitational for five games this weekend.
FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS
• Thursday, Feb. 25 at 8 a.m. Pacific (9 a.m. Mountain)
• vs. BYU
• Stats | Watch
• Thursday, Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. Pacific (12 p.m. Mountain)
• vs. Colorado State
• Stats | Watch ($)
• Friday, Feb. 26 at 8 a.m. Pacific (9 a.m. Mountain)
• vs. Colorado State
• Stats | Watch ($)
• Friday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. Pacific (3 p.m. Mountain)
• at No. 3 Arizona
• Stats | Watch
• Saturday, Feb. 27 at 8 a.m. Pacific (9 a.m. Mountain)
• vs. Oregon State
• Stats | Watch
ABOUT THE GAMES
• Seattle U (4-6) vs. BYU (5-4)
• All-time series-BYU leads, 2-0
• Seattle U (4-6) at No. 3 Arizona (5-0)
• All-time series-Arizona leads, 2-0
• Seattle U (4-6) vs. Colorado State (1-4)
• All-time series-First-ever meeting
• Seattle U (4-6) vs. Oregon State (5-0)
• All-time series-Oregon State leads, 10-1
NEWS AND NOTES
• SU went 4-1 at the Hillenbrand Invitational from Feb. 19-21. It scored 39 runs across five games, winning three contest by eight or more runs.
• Senior Ally Choate was named WAC Hitter of the Week for the period ending on Feb. 21. The rightfielder recorded 10 hits in five games at the Hillenbrand Invitational. She claimed two hits in each outing, adding five runs, four RBIs, two doubles, and two walks.
• Sophomore Stefanie Madrigal put together a pair of stellar starts at the Hillenbrand Invitational. The righthander pitched 10 innings over two outings, allowing zero runs while striking out nine hitters. She earned two wins on the weekend.
• Seattle U started the 2021 season at the Kajikawa Classic from Feb. 12-14. It faced tough competition, including four Pac-12 opponents, as SU dropped five games on the weekend.
• Madison Cathcart homered to become Seattle U's all-time RBI leader. She has 162 runs batted in as a Redhawk, passing Jane Purdy for the SU career record.
• The 2020 season ended abruptly on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SU was 9-15 at the time after being chosen to win the WAC in the preseason poll. The Redhawks beat Missouri to claim a win over a nationally-ranked opponent for the second consecutive season.
• SU was picked to win the WAC in the preseason coaches' poll for the second straight year. Madison Cathcart and Ally Choate were picked Preseason All-WAC.
• The Redhawks return every starter from the 2020 campaign, including all four "super" seniors-Madison Cathcart, Alyson Matriotti, Stephanie Merwin, and Cherise Silvan.
• Coach Geoff Hirai enters his sixth 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).
• For the second straight season, Shi Smith broke her own single-season record for strikeouts per seven innings (9.9) in 2020. She also threw the eighth no-hitter in program history, setting a school record with 15 strikeouts in a 3-0 win over UC Davis on Feb. 21.
• In 2020, Madison Cathcart led the Redhawks with a .407 on-base percentage, including a team-high 11 walks. Cathcart holds SU career records in home runs (38), doubles (50), walks (109), extra-base hits (89), and putouts (1,432). In 2021, she will have the chance to take over the top spot in RBIs (161), runs (113), at-bats (542), and games started (183).
• In 2019, the most recent WAC season, 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 five newcomers this season, with four freshmen and one transfer joining the squad for 2021.
FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS
• Thursday, Feb. 25 at 8 a.m. Pacific (9 a.m. Mountain)
• vs. BYU
• Stats | Watch
• Thursday, Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. Pacific (12 p.m. Mountain)
• vs. Colorado State
• Stats | Watch ($)
• Friday, Feb. 26 at 8 a.m. Pacific (9 a.m. Mountain)
• vs. Colorado State
• Stats | Watch ($)
• Friday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. Pacific (3 p.m. Mountain)
• at No. 3 Arizona
• Stats | Watch
• Saturday, Feb. 27 at 8 a.m. Pacific (9 a.m. Mountain)
• vs. Oregon State
• Stats | Watch
ABOUT THE GAMES
• Seattle U (4-6) vs. BYU (5-4)
• All-time series-BYU leads, 2-0
• Seattle U (4-6) at No. 3 Arizona (5-0)
• All-time series-Arizona leads, 2-0
• Seattle U (4-6) vs. Colorado State (1-4)
• All-time series-First-ever meeting
• Seattle U (4-6) vs. Oregon State (5-0)
• All-time series-Oregon State leads, 10-1
NEWS AND NOTES
• SU went 4-1 at the Hillenbrand Invitational from Feb. 19-21. It scored 39 runs across five games, winning three contest by eight or more runs.
• Senior Ally Choate was named WAC Hitter of the Week for the period ending on Feb. 21. The rightfielder recorded 10 hits in five games at the Hillenbrand Invitational. She claimed two hits in each outing, adding five runs, four RBIs, two doubles, and two walks.
• Sophomore Stefanie Madrigal put together a pair of stellar starts at the Hillenbrand Invitational. The righthander pitched 10 innings over two outings, allowing zero runs while striking out nine hitters. She earned two wins on the weekend.
• Seattle U started the 2021 season at the Kajikawa Classic from Feb. 12-14. It faced tough competition, including four Pac-12 opponents, as SU dropped five games on the weekend.
• Madison Cathcart homered to become Seattle U's all-time RBI leader. She has 162 runs batted in as a Redhawk, passing Jane Purdy for the SU career record.
• The 2020 season ended abruptly on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SU was 9-15 at the time after being chosen to win the WAC in the preseason poll. The Redhawks beat Missouri to claim a win over a nationally-ranked opponent for the second consecutive season.
• SU was picked to win the WAC in the preseason coaches' poll for the second straight year. Madison Cathcart and Ally Choate were picked Preseason All-WAC.
• The Redhawks return every starter from the 2020 campaign, including all four "super" seniors-Madison Cathcart, Alyson Matriotti, Stephanie Merwin, and Cherise Silvan.
• Coach Geoff Hirai enters his sixth 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).
• For the second straight season, Shi Smith broke her own single-season record for strikeouts per seven innings (9.9) in 2020. She also threw the eighth no-hitter in program history, setting a school record with 15 strikeouts in a 3-0 win over UC Davis on Feb. 21.
• In 2020, Madison Cathcart led the Redhawks with a .407 on-base percentage, including a team-high 11 walks. Cathcart holds SU career records in home runs (38), doubles (50), walks (109), extra-base hits (89), and putouts (1,432). In 2021, she will have the chance to take over the top spot in RBIs (161), runs (113), at-bats (542), and games started (183).
• In 2019, the most recent WAC season, 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 five newcomers this season, with four freshmen and one transfer joining the squad for 2021.