CEDAR CITY, Utah - Seattle U softball continues a seven game road trip this weekend, traveling to Cedar City, Utah, for a three game Western Athletic Conference (WAC) series with Southern Utah. The Redhawks and Thunderbirds open Friday with a doubleheader, beginning at 12 p.m. pacific time before concluding the series on Saturday at 11 a.m. pacific time. All three matchups will take place at Kathryn Berg Field on the campus of Southern Utah with live streaming on ESPN+ and live stats available.
FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS
- Friday, April 12 at 12 p.m. pacific time
- Seattle U (16-23, 8-6 WAC) at Southern Utah (15-19, 5-9 WAC)
- Cedar City, Utah
- ESPN+
- Live Stats
- Friday, April 12 at 2:30 p.m. pacific time
- Seattle U at Southern Utah
- Cedar City, Utah
- ESPN+
- Live Stats
- Saturday, April 13 at 11 a.m. pacific time
- Seattle U at Southern Utah
- Cedar City, Utah
- ESPN+
- Live Stats
SERIES VICTORY OVER THE TRAILBLAZERS
Seattle U took two of three from Utah Tech this past weekend, claiming the series on Saturday afternoon, 1-0, thanks to a complete game shutout victory from Stefanie Madrigal. Madrigal opened the contest with a one, two three inning before working herself out of danger in the second inning. The San Jose, California, native sent the next six Trailblazers down in order and concluded the fifth inning with her sixth strikeout on the afternoon.
Madrigal forced three ground outs in sixth and sent the Trailblazer down in order in the seventh, thanks to a spectacular diving catch from centerfielder Sydney Frankenberger. The senior picked up her team-leading eighth win of the season in her fifth complete game effort of the year.
Taylor Fitch helped lead Seattle U to the victory in the series opener, 3-2, tying the program's single-game home runs record with two in consecutive at bats. The sophomore from Woodinville, Wash., opened the scoring with a solo shot over the center field wall, before tying the record with another solo home run in the sixth to retake a one run lead.
Hitting/On Base Streaks Currently:
- Taylor Fitch - eight game hitting streak
- Sydney Frankenberger - seven game hitting streak
- Karen Spadafora - five game hitting streak
WAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Nicola Simpson was named WAC Pitcher of the Week for the game week ending on Saturday, April 6 after an outstanding performance against Utah Tech.
The Seattle native was spectacular to open the series against Utah Tech, allowing just one earned run on three hits to go along with six strikeouts in a complete game win. Simpson held a no-hitter through the first 5.1 innings, working out of some trouble in the first before sending down 13 of the next 14 Trailblazers with nine of them coming in a row.
This marks the junior's first career weekly award. Simpson followed up being named the award winner by throwing a complete game against #9 Washington on Monday, preventing them from scoring until the very last inning.
NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE RANKINGS - As of 4/8/24
Team batting average (.300) - #58 in the nation and third in the WAC
Team on base percentage (.365) - #102 in the nation and fifth in the WAC
Team walks drawn (92) - third in the WAC
Team fielding percentage (.963) - fourth in the WAC
Team ERA (4.05) - fourth in the WAC
Caught stealing by (10) - Karen Spadafora, #25 in the nation and first in the WAC
Complete games thrown (six) - Stefanie Madrigal, second in the WAC
Games started (15) - Stefanie Madrigal, first in the WAC
Games started (14) - Nicola Simpson, fourth in the WAC
Hits (48) - Sydney Frankenberger, #53 in the nation and fifth in the WAC
Hits (43) - Taylor Fitch, #132 in the nation and eighth in the WAC
Toughest to strikeout (16.3) - Lily Garcia, #138 in the nation and seventh in the WAC
Walks drawn per game (0.58) - Tai Wilson, second in the WAC
SERIES-AT-A-GLANCE
The Redhawks currently lead the all-time series against Southern Utah, 7-4, sweeping the series between the two at Logan Field.
PRESEASON HONORS/PRESEASON POLL
Stefanie Madrigal and Tai Wilson were honored by the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) this past week, with the former being named the Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year and the latter joining her on the All-WAC Preseason Team. The Redhawks have gone seven straight seasons with multiple players earning Preseason All-WAC honors and have had at least one athlete named for the last 11 years.
Madrigal became the first Redhawk to earn Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year honors, marking her third consecutive season on the All-WAC Preseason Team. The native of San Jose, California, took another step forward during the 2023 season, leading the squad with the nation's 37th most wins at 19. Madrigal played some of her best softball on the biggest stage at the WAC Tournament, taking the ball in all five contests and allowing just one run in the first two.
Wilson earns the award for the first time after a breakout 2023 season in which she finished in the top-10 in batting average (.438), runs scored (23) and hits (35) during conference play in route to an All-WAC First Team award. The junior outfielder led the Redhawks with 72 hits (30th nationally), a batting average of .396 (54th nationally) and an on base percentage of .456 (142nd nationally). Wilson's overall hits total and batting average rank as the Redhawks' fourth and eighth best single-season performance.
Seattle U was picked to finish third as voted on by the 10 WAC coaches, receiving 66 points and one first place vote. The Redhawks have been picked to finish third overall or better in eight straight years.
HOW TO FOLLOW
All 14 Seattle U home contests this season will be broadcast on ESPN+. For road games, related links to video stream and live stats will be posted on the softball schedule page on goseattleu.com. Fans are encouraged to check the Seattle U Softball team's official Twitter feed @seattleusb for updates of games in progress as well as news and notes. Greg Sexton and former Redhawk, Katie Favilla (Antich), mark their third season on the call.
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