CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University softball team will take the field at home for the final time this season tomorrow, where they will host in-state foe and future WAC opponent Dixie State at 3 PM MT. The game will not be available for streaming; however, live stats will be available.

Game Info

Southern Utah vs Dixie State

Date: May 3, 2022

Game Time: 3:00 PM MT

Location: Cedar City, Utah 

Venue: Kathryn Berg Field

Live Stats: Link

Preview

A refreshed Thunderbird squad following a bye weekend will look to pick up their first win of the season against the Trailblazers in the series finale between the two opponents. Dixie State won the first two contests at home by scores of 3-1 and 10-1, respectively.

Dixie State enters tomorrow's contest with a record of 18-29 this season, most recently picking up wins in two of three contests against Grand Canyon this past weekend.

The Trailblazers have relied heavily on their offense this year, as they boast the third-best batting average in the Western Athletic Conference, hitting .314 as a team for the season.

Hannah Hughbanks and Shea Clements have been the most lethal hitters in the Dixie State lineup this season, as both players hold an average of .375 or better.

Hughbanks leads the team in both batting average (.388), OB% (.464), and double (15), while also scoring 26 runs this season.

Clements has been an absolute force at the plate for the Trailblazers this year, leading the team in slugging percentage (.611), RBI (36), home runs (10), runs scored (32), and stolen bases, where she is a perfect 16 for 16.

In total, DSU has six players in their lineup that are batting at least .328 for the season.

As good as Dixie State has been at the plate, they have struggled on the mound this season. The Trailblazers have a deep rotation with five different pitchers who have thrown at least 35 innings this season. The pitching staff has combined to compile a 5.39 RERA, which ranks seventh in the WAC.

Kate Dolinksi and Tyler Denhart have been the go-to starters for the Trailblazers this year, combining to make 44 appearances with 27 starts.

Southern Utah will return to the diamond for the first time in over a week, after having a bye this past weekend. The T-Birds hope to close out the season on a high note with just four games remaining until the completion of the regular season.

Freshman Jayne Sepulveda has continued to improve throughout the season and has been on a hot streak as of late. Sepulveda has reached base in five straight contests, going a combined 7/16 with two walks and four runs scored over that stretch. Sepulveda has seen her batting average continually increase and now leads the team at .274.

Dream Weaver has also come on strong nearing the end of the season, as she is now second on the team in OB% at .309. Weaver has made some spectacular plays in left field over the past few contests, as well.

Makall Whetten continues to lead SUU in OB% (.407), as she has for the majority of the season. Whetten also ranks first on the team in fielding percentage (.986), while recording 65 putouts to just one error this year. 

The T-Birds will need to have a strong offensive outing to keep up with the Dixie State offense if they hope to pull out a victory in their final home game of the season.

History

Dixie State holds an 18-11 advantage in the all-time series against Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds' last win against DSU came in March of last year, when they beat the Trailblazers 12-4.

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