The Utah women’s softball team has a chip on its shoulder.
Two losses to both New Mexico and Colorado State at the end of the 2008 season destroyed any postseason hope the Utes might have had. This year’s team is looking to get revenge on those two teams as it starts its Mountain West Conference play this weekend.
“I can’t stand that they handed our butts to us,” said head coach Amy Hogue, referring to the painful losses. “To close out what was a strong conference season and put an end to our postseason hopes with four losses was disappointing.”
Although many of the upperclassmen share Hogue’s feelings, for most of the Utes this weekend is not about seeking revenge on the Lobos and Rams, but showing the entire MWC what they have this year.
Although Utah exceeded everyone’s expectations in 2008 by finishing in third place after being picked to finish sixth, the team was picked to finish fourth in this year’s preseason rankings.
“For me, there is the revenge factor, but it’s more than just beating New Mexico and Colorado State,” said right-fielder Angie Boardman. “We want to come out and just bust open the door and show everybody what we’ve got and that means taking them down in the process.”
Without a conference tournament at the end of the regular season, every game is important if the Utes hope to make it to the postseason.
Hogue predicts that the race for first place will be a close one, putting even more importance on each game.
“The conference is anyone’s to take and everyone knows that,” Hogue said. “It’s game-on from here on out, every single game matters, because it’s going to come down to one game. I’ll be shocked if the first place team is more than one game ahead of second.”
With each game meaning so much, the Utes know they have to step up their hitting, an aspect of their game that has been struggling.
During the past six weeks of play, the Utes are averaging only five hits and two runs per contest compared to the six hits and five runs they were averaging during the first two weeks of play.
The Utes know that getting wins this weekend is going to take improved hitting and confidence in the box.
“When they have confidence in the box, everything seems effortless,” Hogue said. “They will have to find that confidence at-bat, after at-bat, after at-bat and that can’t change based on the situation, if that happens we’re going to win this conference.”
The Utes will first travel to take on Albuquerque, N.M., in a single game starting today at 7 p.m., before traveling to Fort Collins, Colo., for games both Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m.
Utah will start out its MWC season playing the two teams that were picked to finish below the Utes in the preseason rankings, as the Rams were picked to finish fifth and the Lobos sixth.
Boardman said despite not playing for more than two weeks because of cancelled games, the extra practice has left the Utes feeling confident and ready to begin the conference season.
Tyler CobbAmy Hogue will look to show the entire MWC what her team has this season when the team opens up conference play against New Mexico.