Utah is finally opening its Pac-12 regular season play when it takes on UCLA this weekend at Easton Stadium in Westwood, Calif. in a three-game series.
Entering conference play is always anticipated because these are the games that count. It also gives teams a chance to see how they can compete and match up with other teams in the conference.
The Bruins will definitely provide this opportunity for the Utes, as they have had a very impressive start to their season. UCLA enters the series with Utah on a 10-game winning streak, which the Utes will look to put a halt to.
UCLA is 24-5 overall this season and has impressive numbers both in the offensive and defensive areas. The Bruins are second in the Pac-12 in batting average, sporting an impressive .372 team average.
Two Bruins in particular are a significant part of this success, and they will be tough outs for Utah. Allexis Bennett has a team-high .550 average and 44 hits at the plate, while Delaney Spaulding is the big power hitter for UCLA, leading the team with 13 doubles and 31 RBIs this season.
The freshmen pitching duo of Katie Donovan and Miranda Viramontes will once again be relied on heavily to keep the Bruins at bay. Both of these freshmen have shown their ability to stay strong and perform, and they will continue to be tested as the competition heats up in California.
“One of the biggest things for the freshmen is understanding just how mentally exhausting the game is at the college level,” said assistant and hitting coach Maggie Livreri. “You can be physically drained after just one game.”
The Utah hitters will also have to step up to the plate on the offensive end because the UCLA pitching staff leads the conference with an earned run average (ERA) of 1.84. Ally Carda is the No. 1 pitcher for the Bruins and has a 12-3 record on the season with just a 1.72 ERA. She has sat down plenty of batters without needing any defense behind her, recording 134 strikeouts in 85.2 innings pitched.
However, the Utes will be able to counter with their own pitching and the play of their defense. Donovan leads the Utes with an ERA of 1.93, which ranks fifth in the Pac-12. The Utah defense has also been a strong point for the team, ranking eighth in the nation with a .978 fielding percentage.
“There’s still so much room for us to improve,” Heather Bowen said.
But despite the need for continuous improvement, Bowen said the team has the confidence to get the job done against UCLA.
“We’re going to go into this series and beat them,” Bowen said.
The series will kick off on Friday at 8 p.m. MT. Play will continue Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m. MT and 4 p.m. MT respectively.
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