Don’t let the record fool you — the Utah softball team isn’t playing bad. The Utes may have lost their first six conference games but they have all come against the top two teams in the conference, Oregon and UCLA.
“We fought our guts out,” Utah coach Amy Hogue said. “We had some close games.”
An area that Utah will need to improve as it moves forward in Pac-12 play is its offense. Runs have been hard to come by in these games for the Utes. In all but one game, the Utes failed to score more than two runs. Part of this can be attributed to the dominant pitching by the Bruins and Ducks, UCLA’s team ERA is 1.84, and the Ducks sport a similarly low ERA of 2.14.
This kind of a start to conference play can be discouraging for athletes, and captain Kate Dickman knows it’s important for the Utes to use these recent challenges for their benefit.
“Starting out our conference play against the top two teams in the conference can be a blessing or curse,” Dickman said. “Playing good teams can really help you get better, but if you let the outcomes affect you, then it might not have been worth it.”
Dickman also noted that she and the rest of the team will respond to these tough games the right way and learn from them.
“I think after both of these series, we’re really prepared to get a bunch of wins the rest of the season,” Dickman said.
Utah will look to use their experience playing these top 15 ranked teams as an advantage as it moves throughout the rest of conference play.
Dickman goes off in game two of Oregon series
After having a bit of a difficult time at the plate in the non-conference series against McNeesse State last week, Kate Dickman got back to her dominant hitting ways in the second game against Oregon.
“I had frustrating time at the plate against McNeese State, but I decided to just let it go and bring a clear mind to the plate,” Dickman said.
Dickman made sure she got her senior season at her home field off to a good start going 3-of-4 at the plate, including a pair of home runs. She also scored two runs and was responsible for four RBI’s.
“It felt good to do it at a home game. My dad was there so it was nice for him to be there and see that,” Dickman said.
Her coach was happy with what she saw from her captain.
“It was nice and fun to see her get on a role against Oregon,” Hogue said.
The senior is hitting .406 right now, and leads the team in hits, doubles, triples and home runs.
Utah getting in on the ranking action
On Monday, the first Divison-1 college softball Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) of the season were released and the Utes were ranked No. 31. Utah’s schedule has played a role in the RPI ranking, even though it has lost a handful of conference games recently.
“The RPI ranking of 31 that we got is phenomenal,” Hogue said. “Keeping a spot around at least the 30’s is something that we’ll fight to keep.”
The Utes’ tough schedule continues to validate itself because Utah has already played five of the teams in the top 20 this season — Oregon, UCLA, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, and Tennessee. Utah recorded just one win against those teams, picking up a victory over the Volunteers,
@brock_jensen02