Being outside when the weather is cold, snowy or rainy can be less than desirable. Competing in bad weather has proven to be even more difficult for the Utes as they are just 4-7 in games when the temperature is 55 degrees or below.
Utah (18-23-1) was scheduled to play Utah State (8-33) yesterday afternoon in Logan, but the game was postponed until this afternoon because of inclement weather.
The Utes’ struggles with cold weather does not bode well for today’s contest as the temperature in Cache Valley is expected to stay in the 40s, and rain is likely. Despite these conditions, infielder Kristen Stewart believes the weather should not be a big factor.
“We’ve been in this cold weather for a while now, and I think it is just something you deal with, and it doesn’t really faze while you’re playing the game,” she said.
Senior Jackie Sweet agreed with Stewart. She does not think undesirable conditions of any kind have anything to do with how much the team has struggled throughout the season.
“It’s just something we have to deal with, unfortunately,” Sweet said. “Obviously we would rather play in warmer weather, but you just got to deal with it and not let it affect the way you play.”
Bad weather or not, one problem for Utah has been its losing record against weaker teams. Head coach Amy Hogue has noted that the Utes have lost to more teams with losing records than any other team in Pac-12. Utah’s goal all season long has been to make the postseason and to do so the Utes will need to make sure they win the remainder of their non-conference games.
Sweet said Utah doesn’t overlook weaker opponents but did admit that players don’t get as hyped up against those teams as they do for better squads.
“I think it is just harder to bring our full energy against [weaker teams],” she said. “It shouldn’t be a problem, but when we have tougher competition, it’s more, I guess, exciting.”
Hogue has stressed the importance of getting to 27 wins this season. Even then, the tournament selection committee will look at every win and loss. Victories against UCLA and Arizona will definitely help the Utes, but losses to Weber State University and Seattle will hurt their chances of going to the postseason.
Against such a struggling team as the Aggies, a Utah loss today could all but end its season. Hogue said this should be a motivating factor for her team.
“[Today’s] game could essentially be a make-or-break game for us,” Hogue said. “If our team can’t find a way for that to motivate them, then we have more problems than I thought.”
The game will begin at 1:30 p.m.