CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah Softball team will open the season with a string of tough games and a tournament on the road in Arizona. The Thunderbirds open with a doubleheader at the University of Arizona to begin the 2026 campaign on Thursday, February 5, before heading to Phoenix for the Grand Canyon University softball tournament this weekend. SUU will take on Grand Canyon, Santa Clara, and future Big Sky foe Weber State in the tournament.
The Thunderbirds are coming off a top-three regular-season finish in the WAC a year ago and are looking to build for the future. Coach Don Don Williams and her staff have put together a team that is ready to compete throughout the course of a long softball season, and as the lineups take shape, so will the identity of this year's team.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"Opening weekend gives us a chance to compete at a high level and set our standards early. We will be tested, and the feedback we get will help sharpen our process as we prepare for conference play."
Southern Utah
Southern Utah enters the new season with a confident edge, returning the core of a lineup that powered the Thunderbirds to one of their most successful campaigns in recent memory. Headlining the group is junior infielder Arianna Ramirez, the WAC Preseason Co-Player of the Year, who anchors the middle of the order after a dominant sophomore campaign. Ramirez led the team in nearly every major offensive category while striking out just seven times all season, setting the tone for an offense built on both power and discipline.
The Thunderbirds also bring back impact talent at the top of the lineup in Michaella Salvatierra, a Preseason All-Conference selection who sparked the offense as a freshman. Salvatierra's combination of speed, on-base ability, and consistency makes her a catalyst, while junior catcher Kassidy Munoz provides stability behind the plate and timely production at the dish. In the outfield, senior Alayah Toscano adds veteran leadership, speed, and defensive reliability, complemented by sophomore shortstop Tawnie Mozeris, who emerged as a key table-setter with her patience at the plate and versatility in the infield.
In the circle, SUU returns valuable experience and depth. Senior Delaney Baker leads the staff after proving herself as a dependable option in key innings, while Riley Nielson adds depth to solidify the rotation further. The Thunderbirds are bolstered by a mix of returning contributors and newcomers, including sophomore transfer Hannah Duncan, returner Maddie Moreno, and a talented freshman class headlined by Avery Nielson and Mia Tamkoc, giving SUU both immediate options and long-term upside. With a balanced roster and proven production across the field, the Thunderbirds enter the season poised to make noise in the WAC once again.
Across the Diamond
Arizona (Thursday, 2:30 p.m. & 4:30 p.m. Watch on ESPN+)
The alma mater of Thunderbirds' Associate Head Coach Taylor McQuillin, Arizona, begins the 2026 campaign with national expectations after Regan Shockey and Sydney Stewart were unanimously named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team, and the Wildcats were picked to finish third in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll. Shockey, a junior center fielder, returns as one of the league's most dynamic all-around players after leading Arizona in hits, runs scored, and stolen bases a season ago, while earning NFCA All-Region and All-Big 12 honors. Stewart, a senior catcher and reigning NFCA All-American, anchors the lineup after a power-filled campaign that saw her lead the Wildcats in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. The duo has already earned national recognition on multiple preseason watch lists.
Santa Clara (Friday, 10:30 a.m.)
Santa Clara enters the 2026 season as the team to beat in the West Coast Conference after being picked first in the preseason poll, backed by six first-place votes from league head coaches. The defending WCC champions return a deep and experienced roster, highlighted by preseason selections Taryn Clements, Cairah Curran, Cari Ferguson, and Hazyl Gray, all of whom earned first-team All-WCC honors a season ago. Coming off a historic year that included a program-record 32 wins and the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history, head coach Gina Carbonatto brings back 16 players from a championship squad anchored by the reigning WCC Player of the Year in Curran, elite defense and leadership from Clements, dominant pitching from Ferguson, and two-way production from Gray. With a strong mix of talented veterans and newcomers, the Broncos are ready to contend for another conference title in 2026.
Grand Canyon (Friday, 4:00 p.m., Saturday 1:15 p.m. Watch on ESPN+)
Grand Canyon opens its first season in the Mountain West as the preseason favorite, earning six first-place votes in the conference coaches' poll after a dominant four-year run that included four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and four consecutive WAC Tournament titles. Junior second baseman Savannah Kirk was named Preseason Player of the Year after a historic season at the plate, while Taryn Batterton, Emily Gonzalez, and Jada Cooper joined her on the Preseason All-Mountain West Team. Kirk headlines a potent lineup after hitting .505 with 97 hits and a perfect 50-for-50 mark in stolen bases, while Batterton anchors a pitching staff that ranked among the nation's best a year ago. With postseason success and elite production on both sides of the ball, championship expectations follow them into a new league. The Lopes enter 2026 positioned as a title contender in the Mountain West.
Weber State (Saturday, 6:30 p.m., Sunday, 12:30 p.m.)
Weber State begins the 2026 season with strong momentum after being picked second in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll and placing five players on the Preseason All-Conference Team. The Wildcats return a battle-tested core that captured the program's fifth Big Sky Championship last season and earned an NCAA Tournament victory, highlighted by the arms and leadership of Cali McCraw in the circle and a dynamic lineup featuring Abby Grundy, Riley Whalen, Taegan Smith, and Sadie Kirk. With proven production across the diamond, championship experience, and continued growth under second-year head coach Tracy House, Weber State looks poised to contend once again in the Big Sky race.
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