Utah starts Pac-12 play this weekend and begins playing at home next week, but before either can occur, the Utes will take on Utah State University today at 4 p.m.
The game will be the Aggies first home game of the season, which will be a welcome change for the 5-22 team. Utah is looking to end a four-game skid.
The Utes (13-10-1) have already ruined a home opener for another Utah team after beating Utah Valley on March 5. Utah State hasn’t been much of a challenge in the past, as Utah has blanked the Aggies in each of their past two meetings.
Shutting out the Aggies will be easier with the improvement of Utah’s pitching staff, which allowed just five runs in four games at the University of Hawaii Tournament. The Utes lessened their reliance on Naomi Amu, as Kayce Nieto and Mariah Ramirez both had strong performances in the tournament.
“They have made a complete turnaround,” said head coach Amy Hogue. “It’s been exciting, and the only disappointing part is as they have stepped it up, our hitters have disappeared. Our timely hits have disappeared because we’ve gotten runners in scoring positions, and we’ve led in games against Baylor and ranked teams, and yet just not decided to finish the game offensively.”
Utah’s hitting has dropped in recent games. During the Mayfair Classic over Spring Break, the team scored 20 runs in four games. The Utes’ run production in Hawaii dropped significantly as they scored only five runs, which was the team’s lowest run production over a four-game stretch.
Utah’s offensive woes led to four consecutive losses in Hawaii, which followed a 12-game unbeaten streak. The Utes now sit on a precipitous edge of the season. Their prior momentum has been lost after a rough outing in Hawaii, and conference play is just one game away.
The Pac-12 has significantly stiffer competition than what the Utes have been facing, so securing wins against teams like Utah State is crucial.
“I think we need to start with the basics, and work up from there,” said sophomore Marissa Mendenhall. “We know our weaknesses, and I think that knowing the pitches and hitting the right pitches will help us.”
There isn’t much aside from batting practice that will help Utah improve its hitting.
“I think one thing we obviously struggle with is hitting an outside pitch,” said senior Shay Shaum. “So we just need to take a million outside pitches in order to make that our strength.”
If the Utes can find their swings, they might be able to build up that one last bit of momentum before heading into conference play.