The Utah softball team earned its third straight conference series win last weekend after sweeping Oregon State three games to none. It was the first time in Utah’s history that it was able to sweep a Pac-12 opponent on the road.
“We’ve never had a sweep on the road before, so there was a little pressure that came with the third game,” said second baseman and captain Hannah Flippen. “We needed to have the extra push in that game.”
The Utes got that push as they dug deep for the win in the final game. By doing so, the Utes accomplished something no Utah team had done yet.
“We’re all feeling pretty good about it right now,” said outfielder Heather Bowen. “It will help carry us through the rest of the season.”
Flippen ends streak, earns accolades
Flippen’s hitting streak was stopped at 15 games in game two of the series with the Beavers. Even with the streak ending, Flippen is still hitting the ball as well as she ever has, and people around the nation have started to take notice.
Just last week, Flippen was named both the Pac-12 and National Player of the Week, while hitting .588 and posting a 1.000 slugging percentage.
“It’s just come down to my timing at the plate,” Flippen said. “I just have to think to myself to hit the backside of the ball, and it was easy. The ball gets a little bit bigger when you’re hitting well at the plate.”
Flippen is quick to mention her coaches have played an essential role in her success.
“The coaches have really just helped me believe in myself,” Flippen said.
Everybody on the offensive side really seems to be clicking right now, so whatever the coaches are preaching is clearly yielding positive results.
The pitching staff does it again
Katie Donovan has been an absolute game changer for the softball team this year. The freshman is 12-6 overall with an ERA of 2.52, while pitching 150 innings this season. Her performance in last weekend’s series against the Beavers further validated what Donovan means to this team.
She got the majority of the work on the mound and helped lead her team to a one-hit shutout in game one.
Donovan isn’t the only one providing these dominant outings. Fellow freshman Miranda Viramontes has also been a critical part of the Ute pitching staff.
“They did their job this weekend for sure,” said head coach Amy Hogue. “They put us in a position to win every game, and the defense behind them played solid.”
The Utes are a tough team to beat with the pitching playing as well as it has recently, and there’s no sign of it stopping anytime soon.
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