Utah will have one of its toughest tests of the season when it hosts Arizona for a three-game series over the weekend, who enters the series 33-10 and 8-4 in Pac-12 play.
“We are facing some really good hitters from here on out, especially with a team like Arizona,” said Utah head coach Amy Hogue.
The Wildcat offense will clearly be the biggest test for Utah this weekend, as they sit atop the Pac-12 rankings in nearly every hitting category. Arizona has a .373 team batting average, a .620 slugging percentage and 437 team hits — it’s safe to say that the Utes will have their hands full with this high-powered offense.
The Wildcats are led by Kellie Fox, who comes in averaging .424 at the plate. Both Fox and teammate Hallie Wilson have 56 hits this season.
But Fox and Wilson won’t be alone, as Arizona boasts a plethora of players who can do damage. Another batter the Utes will have to pitch smart to is Chelsea Goodacre, who has 17 home runs on the season and is the team leader with 64 RBIs.
As if their bats aren’t already enough to handle, the Wildcats have some of the speedier players in the conference. Chelsea Suitos leads the team with 14 stolen bases, and because Arizona is such a high-powered offensive team, Utah will need to bring its A-game in order to try and steal the series.
Though the task may seem tough on paper, the Utes have proven their pitching can dominate games. As Hogue has stated many times in the past, Utah’s pitching has provided the Utes with chances to win every game. The Ute offense has fed off of the pitching all season long, and it will need to do that once again this weekend.
“If [freshman pitcher Katie Donovan] does the same thing she’s been doing and getting ahead of batters, I like our chances,” Hogue said.
Hogue was also quick to note that as Utah begins winding down its schedule, each at-bat becomes increasingly important.
“There’s really not an easy out from this point on in the season,” Hogue said. “We’ll need to get ahead of hitters, and that will be our game plan.”
While the matchup of the Arizona offense against the Utah defense is probably the most intriguing storyline entering the series, the flip side matchup is also one to watch. The Wildcat pitching staff is not one to ignore, posting a 3.75 ERA led by Michelle Floyd, who has 17 wins this season for Arizona.
Utah has been hitting the ball well recently and it should provide a competitive matchup against the Wildcat pitches. In Utah’s last nine games, the team batting average has improved to .352, including seven home runs in that span.
“It’s a great time to start to peak,” outfielder Heather Bowen said.
Something is going to have to give in this series, as the Utes look to continue their success at the plate over the weekend. First pitch is set for Friday at 5 p.m. MT.
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