SUU WRAPS UP REGULAR SEASON AT NORTHERN COLORADO
CEDAR CITY, Utah - Southern Utah (19-26, 9-4 BSC) clinched a berth in the Big Sky Tournament last week but dropped two games at Idaho State (30-16, 11-3 BSC) to fall to third in the conference standings. The Thunderbirds close out the season this weekend with a trip to Northern Colorado (18-31, 9-6 BSC).

UNC also punched its ticket to the postseason last week after sweeping a three-game series with North Dakota. SUU will look to hold off the Bears for the third seed in the tournament.

The T-Birds and Bears are scheduled to meet in a doubleheader on Friday at 1:00 p.m., followed by a single game on Saturday set for another one o'clock start. Coverage of the games is available online at www.suutbirds.com.
 
SUU SYNOPSIS
Seniors Kadi Henderson and Madison Resley lead the Thunderbirds with RBI totals of 35 and 32, respectively, as well as seven home runs apiece. Sophomore Kylee Wolf is hitting .438 in Big Sky play. Senior Ariel Hart anchors the SUU pitching staff with a record of 8-8 on a 5.45 ERA and holds a 6-1 mark in conference. The T-Birds rank second in the BSC with a team batting average of .299.

NORTHERN COLORADO
Northern Colorado swept its three-game series at North Dakota last week to secure a spot in the Big Sky Tournament. The team ranks second in the conference with a total of 228 RBI on 49 home runs. Junior Mikayla Duffy has driven in 45 RBI while batting .373 and freshman infielder Erica Dick has homered nine times for 34 RBI. Senior Megan Wilkinson leads the UNC pitching staff with a record of 9-13 on a 4.63 ERA. Head coach Shana Easley is in her second season in Greeley and led the Bears to a 2-1 series win at SUU last year.

LAST TIME OUT
Idaho State came from behind to capture both games of a Sunday doubleheader to overtake Southern Utah for the lead atop the Big Sky Conference standings. The Bengals erupted for nine runs in the late innings of the opener for a 10-3 victory, then put up the final three scores of the second contest to claim a 3-2 win.

LOOKING AHEAD
Up next for the Thunderbirds is the Big Sky Conference Tournament which will be hosted by the regular season champion on the weekend of May 8-10. Idaho State currently holds the league's best record and will close things out by hosting North Dakota Saturday and Sunday. The Bengals can clinch the regular season title with two wins over visiting UND. Sacramento State is in the second spot and is idle this week. Southern Utah sits two games ahead of Northern Colorado heading into its series with the Bears. SUU can finish no higher than second place as the Hornets would hold the tie-breaker over the T-Birds if they end up with the same record.
 
BIG SKY PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Southern Utah's Meagan Neilson was named the Softball Player of the Week by the Big Sky Conference on April 7 after batting 4-8 for a .500 average during a three-game sweep of Portland State. She posted a 1.125 slugging percentage against the Vikings after hitting her third home run of the year, along with a pair of doubles for a total of 6 RBI.
 
Southern Utah's Madison Resley was named the Softball Player of the Week by the Big Sky Conference on Feb. 25 after batting 8-16 for a .500 average as Southern Utah picked up a pair of wins over Nevada and Grand Canyon at the GCU Invitational. The Salina, Kan. native hit two home runs in Phoenix to post a .875 slugging percentage to go along with a .579 obp.

TRANSFER TALENT
The SUU roster includes seven junior college transfers this season, four of which joined the Thunderbirds from nationally recognized softball powerhouse Salt Lake Community College. Coach Magnusson was a former coach with the Bruins, who have appeared in the NJCAA national championship game in each of the past four seasons.

BIG SKY PRESEASON POLL
Southern Utah was picked third for a second consecutive season in the preseason coaches poll released by the Big Sky Conference, picking up one first-place vote. Idaho State earned the top spot after being voted number one by five coaches and Sacramento State came in second while also receiving a first-place nod. Portland State was selected fourth, followed by Northern Colorado in fifth with Weber State and North Dakota rounding out the bottom of the poll.