CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah softball team is gearing up to launch a brand new era of Thunderbird softball this weekend at the UNLV Marucci Desert Classic.
Recap
The Thunderbirds finished the 2018 season with a 9-38 record and six wins in Big Sky play. They missed a trip to the Big Sky Softball Tournament for the first time since joining the Big Sky in 2012.
Kalei Watkins, Kendall Kapitzke, and former Thunderbird Sarah Murphy all earned All-Conference honors from the Big Sky with Murphy being named to the First-Team, Watkins being named to the Second Team, and Kapitzke being named Honorable Mention. Watkins was also named Big Sky Freshman of the Year.
Murphy led the team hitting .388 in 98 at-bats and set a new single-season record for slugging percentage with a .765. Her batting average was sixth all-time for a single-season.
Watkins finished the season batting .352 in 125 at-bats. She led the team in RBI's with 30 and home runs with nine. She also pitched 68.2 innings for the Thunderbirds, finishing with 25 strikeouts and four complete games.
New Leadership
Last July, assistant coach and former Thunderbird Kortny Hall was promoted to the position of head coach of the Thunderbird softball team.
"Kortny has known success in each stage of her career: as an athlete, assistant coach and head coach, and she returned to SUU last year to try to help the team she loves most become a winning team. During the interview process her passion for SUU was made clear and evident," athletic director Debbie Corum said of Hall. "She impressed everyone on the search committee with her knowledge of the sport and her ideas for building a successful program. It is always special when a former athlete can return to help the program and we welcome Kortny into this role with great enthusiasm."
Hall served as an assistant coach for former head coach Tom Gray during the 2018 season after a three-year stint as the head coach at Southern Virginia University.
Joining Hall's staff is newcomer Shannel Blackshear and former Thunderbird Morgan Leonard. Blackshear comes to Southern Utah from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio where she has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach. Her main responsibilities at Case Western Reserve included being the lead recruiter for the Spartans as well academic coordinator, strength and conditioning, and fundraising responsibilities.
Leonard will be joining the staff as a graduate assistant after graduating from SUU in 2017. Leonard played two years for the Thunderbirds after transferring from Phoenix College. She was named to the Big Sky All-Conference team in both seasons, earning Honorable Mention status in 2016 and First Team status in 2017.
Former Thunderbird Kylee Wolf will be returning to the staff for her third season as an assistant coach.
New Faces In the Dugout
Eight new faces have joined the Thunderbird roster for the 2019 season: two junior transfers (Mikelle Magalogo and Sydni Sorensen) and six freshmen (Megan Bull, Izriah Hodson, Vanessa Strong, Nicole Wall, Dream Weaver, and Makall Whetten).
Magalogo, originally from West Jordan comes over from the College of Southern Idaho and Sorensen, a Tremonton native, joins the roster by way of Snow College.
UNLV Marucci Desert Classic Preview
The Thunderbirds will open the season competing in the UNLV Marucci Desert Classic in Las Vegas. They will take on the likes of Seton Hall University, Long Beach State University, Utah Valley University, former Big Sky opponent North Dakota, and the host UNLV Rebels.
Long Beach State comes into the 2019 season ranked No. 25 by ESPN.com/USA Softball. The Beach finished second in the Big West last year and made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Thunderbirds matched up with Utah Valley four times last season with SUU coming away with one win, 8-0 in St. George. They also picked up one win in a three-game series with North Dakota in Cedar City.
Things will kick off on Friday at 9:00 a.m. Mountain time (8:00 a.m. Pacific time) as the Thunderbirds play in the first two games of the tournament against Seton Hall and Long Beach State.
Follow Us
Stay up to date throughout the 2019 Thunderbird softball season by following @SUUSoftball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Softball page on Facebook.
