CEDAR CITY, Utah - Coming off a strong 2021 season, the Southern Utah University softball team will head to Tucson, Arizona to open the 2022 season at the inaugural Candrea Classic (Feb 10-13) at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium.

The Thunderbirds will be in action the first three days, kicking off the tournament on Thursday evening with a matchup against the host team, No. 9 Arizona. Following up, they will engage in a doubleheader on Friday, facing off against No. 2 Alabama in the afternoon and ending with a rematch against Arizona that evening. The Thunderbirds will close out the tournament on Saturday with another doubleheader, beginning with New Mexico in the morning, and finishing off the tournament with a game against Oregon State in the afternoon.

Weekend Schedule

Feb. 10 - Southern Utah vs. #9 Arizona, 6:00 PM MT; Pac-12 Network; Live Stats

Feb. 11 - Southern Utah vs. #2 Alabama, 1:00 PM MT; FloSports; Live Stats

Feb. 11 - Southern Utah vs. #9 Arizona, 6:00 PM MT; Pac-12 Network; Live Stats

Feb. 12 - Southern Utah vs. New Mexico, 10:30 AM MT; FloSports; Live Stats

Feb 12. - Southern Utah vs. Oregon State, 1:00 PM MT; Pac-12 Network; Live Stats

2021 Recap

The Thunderbirds are coming off a solid 2021 season, winning 20 games for the first time since 2015. They also earned the most wins in Big Sky play since 2017. The T-Birds finished second overall in Big Sky regular season play and had a strong run in the conference tournament, where they came up just short of a conference championship.

As a team, the Thunderbirds led the Big Sky in both home runs (60) and runs scored (259) in 2021, while batting .283 at the plate.

On the mound, the T-Birds amassed a 6.38 ERA, with 162 strikeouts on the season.

Tournament Preview

The inaugural Candrea Classic will provide a significant early season test for the T-Birds, as it is loaded with talent from across the country.

The host team, Arizona, is entering a new era, after legendary Coach, Mike Candrea, retired at the end of the 2021 season. Candrea concluded a highly successful 25-year run at the helm of the Wildcats Softball program, which included eight Women's College World Series titles, and eleven Pac-12 Conference titles. The Wildcats lost a tremendous senior class that led them to the WCWS last season; however; the team is loaded with young talent. The T-Birds will look to spoil first-year Head Coach Caitlin Lowe's debut leading the Wildcats' program on Thursday night. 

The Thunderbirds' second matchup won't be any easier as they go against the No. 2 team in the nation in Alabama. The Crimson Tide are led by pitcher Montana Fouts, the reigning 2021 D1Softball Pitcher of the Year, who is regarded by many as the best player in College Softball. The Tide have their sights set on a World Series Title this season, after bowing out of the 2021 WCWS in the Semifinals. The Thunderbirds will look to pull off an upset against the Tide Friday afternoon. 

The final day of play for the T-Birds will again provide two formidable opponents; they begin the day with a matchup against New Mexico. The Lobos endured a difficult 2021 season; however, Andrea Howard and Briana Martinez- the team's top two players are back for the 2022 season. 

The Thunderbirds close out the tournament with Pac-12 opponent Oregon State. The Beavers have plenty of reason for optimism this season, as they bring back one of the top offensive threats in the nation in First Team All Pac-12 honoree, Frankie Hammoude.

The high level of competition in the Candrea Classic will help prepare the Thunderbirds for conference play, where they will look to win a conference title in their final season as a member of the Big Sky.

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