CEDAR CITY, Utah - After a 10-day rest period, the Southern Utah University softball team will be back on the diamond this weekend, making the short trip down to St. George to compete in the Dixie State tournament.
The T-Birds will play five games against four formidable opponents, starting tournament play with a tough matchup against in-state foe and future WAC opponent, Dixie State. First pitch was originally slated for Thursday, March 10 at 6 p.m. MT, but has been moved up to 4 p.m. due to weather conditions.
Dixie State Tournament Info
Dates: March 10-13
Location: St. George, Utah
Venue: Karl Brooks Field
Game Schedule
Thursday, March 10
Friday, March 11
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Southern Utah vs New Mexico, 12:30 p.m. MT
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Southern Utah vs Maine, 3:00 p.m. MT
Saturday, March 12
Sunday, March 13
SUU Notes
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Southern Utah has been on a break since the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs 10 days ago.
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Jayne Sepulveda had three hits at the Mary Nutter Classic, including a two-hit, two-RBI performance, where she hit the first home run of her collegiate career against Loyola Marymount.
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Dream Weaver continues to lead SUU in batting average at .200 for the season. She is also one of four T-Birds that is yet to make an error in the field.
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Makall Whetten hit her team-high fourth double of the season at the Mary Nutter Classic, which is the 8th most in the Big Sky this season. She also leads SUU in OBP at .359.
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Madison Sanders is tied for first in the Big Sky, with a fielding percentage of 1.000, while also ranking fourth in putouts with 57.
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Sophia Masut leads the team with two stolen bases this season on two attempts.
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Gianna Carosone had three hits throughout the Mary Nutter Classic, collecting two RBI against LBSU.
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Riley Shue has three hits in just 12 at-bats this season.
Tournament Preview
Dixie State:
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Dixie State is 6-12 on the season, most recently competing at the UC Davis tournament, where they went 1-4, picking up their lone win of the weekend in their final game against the host school.
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At the plate, the Trailblazers are led by freshman Lauren Almeida. Almeida is batting .409 this season, with four doubles and 14 RBI. She also leads DSU in slugging percentage (.500) and OBP (.500).
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Shea Clements has also tallied some impressive numbers on offense this season, batting .327, with four home runs and five stolen bases.
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The Trailblazers rely on a committee of pitchers, with five different players having appeared in at least five contests this season.
New Mexico:
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The T-Birds faced New Mexico earlier this season at the Candrea Classic, with the Lobos picking up the win.
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New Mexico is 15-5 this season, which includes a 10-game win streak prior to dropping back-to-back contests against New Mexico State earlier this week.
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Andrea Howard has been an absolute force at the plate this season. The senior leads the Lobos in almost every offensive category, including batting average (.400), hits (22), doubles (4), home runs (7), slugging percentage (.855), and RBI (23).
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Emma Guindon and Amber Linton have combined to start 15 games on the mound for New Mexico, and the entire pitching staff for the Lobos has a collective ERA of 1.99.
Maine:
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The Black Bears are the only team that SUU will face more than once throughout the weekend.
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Maine enters the tournament with a record of 1-8 this season, picking up their lone win against Georgia Southern on opening weekend.
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Keely Clark has had a strong season for the Black Bears, batting .444 at the plate with 3 RBI.
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Gabbie Siciliano has been the go-to pitcher for Maine thus far, appearing in seven games with three starts, as well as collecting a 3.26 ERA in 19.1 innings pitched.
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Friday's matchup will be the first ever between Southern Utah and Maine.
Wisconsin:
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The Badgers are 8-6 this season, with marquee victories over #24 UCF and #15 Clemson at the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational.
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Wisconsin competed at the Colorado State/Northern Colorado Tournament this past weekend, picking up wins over both host schools.
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The trio of Ally Miklesh, Skylar Sirdashney, and Kayla Konwent highlight the Wisconsin offense. All three are batting .333 or better this season, and they have combined to produce 19 RBI and 35 total hits.Â
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Ava Justman has started 10 contests on the mound this season, while Tessa Magnanimo has been dominant as a relief pitcher, collecting a 1.21 ERA in 17.1 innings pitched, while holding opposing hitters to an average of .175 at the plate.
With just 8 games to go until the T-Birds begin Big Sky Play, SUU will look to pick up some wins and build momentum this weekend, prior to their first conference series against Northern Colorado at the end of the month.
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