The U softball team is 19-31 overall?a winning percentage of only .380. In most sports, that is an extremely poor record.
But don’t tell that to coach Mona Stevens and the rest of the team.
“[If someone thinks that], you haven’t seen us lately,” said Stevens, noting the team had to fight through a grueling three-week road trip due to the Olympics with only two days off. “Anyone who has seen us play and has had to live through that kind of a situation wouldn’t dare make that statement.”
Despite the overall record, the Utes are in second place in the Mountain West Conference at 7-3, behind only San Diego State, who sits atop the conference with a 31-19-1 record, 8-2 in the conference. The Aztecs, which hold a one game lead on the Utes, are 1-1 in the season series between the two teams.
They will battle it out at Ute Field this Saturday in a doubleheader.
But the trick is for the Utes to make it to Saturday without losing ground on the Aztecs.
SDSU also has a tough series this Friday against BYU before it goes to battle with the Utes. After sweeping the Cougars last Saturday, Utah will now be asking BYU for a little help.
In the meantime, the Utes have a game scheduled today with Utah State. The weather is showing partly cloudy skies for today, so the chance of a rain out is not as likely as other days in the week.
The Utes defeated Utah State 6-2 on April 2 in Logan, and the Utes should have no trouble with the hapless Aggies this time.
However, Stevens is concerned the team will overlook the Aggies this week.
“Anyone in this sport knows it’s really easy to take a game from anybody,” Stevens said. “If we don’t go to play, Utah State could get sneaky with us.”
Cold weather, which is expected today, makes it all the more difficult to be on top of your game, Stevens said.
The Aggies are 5-37 and have won only one game in the Big West Conference, against 11 losses.
Molly McLean leads the Utes in batting, sporting a .344 average, with 21 runs batted in, 10 doubles and four home runs. Melissa Stahnke isn’t far behind, with a .327 average, 29 RBI, and 10 home runs?making her the first Ute to reach double figures in that area this year.
Heather Bowlin, 10-15, leads the pitching with a 2.82 earned run average, having struck out 96 batters. Jennifer Pursell is doing well also, with a 3.19 ERA, with 95 strikeouts and having allowed 13 home runs.
Game time in Logan is scheduled for 3 p.m.
The Utes then come home to take on Cal-State Northridge in another single game on Thursday afternoon. That game will be weather pending, as Mother Nature doesn’t want to allow herself to be revealed quite yet.
The Utes will then get back to conference play against UNLV, which stole a game from Utah earlier, and the big matchup with San Diego State.