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Utah Tech University Athletics

Coach Simkins and players vs. CUH
Stan Plewe/Utah Tech Athletics

Softball By DSU Athletics Media Relations

Softball closes road schedule with non-conference matchup at SUU

Dixie State Trailblazers (32-10, 20-6 PacWest) at:
Southern Utah (7-35, 3-9 Big Sky) 



 
Game Time (Mountain):
Wednesday - 3 p.m. 

Live Stats: Southern Utah 
Live Video: Southern Utah 
Twitter: @DixieAthletics | #DixieBlazers #PacWestSB


The Dixie State softball team is set to close its regular season road schedule with a non-conference matchup at Southern Utah on Wednesday at 3 p.m. in Cedar City, Utah.

After a 4-0 record in the Bay Area last week, the Trailblazers (32-10, 20-6 PacWest) look to extend their win streak to five games as they make the short drive north to battle Division I foe SUU. Live video coverage is scheduled for the game with links for both live video and stats available at DixieAthletics.com.

ALL-TIME VS. SOUTHERN UTAH: Wednesday's game marks the 23rd meeting between Dixie State and Southern Utah. The teams first met on March 20, 2007, in Cedar City. The Thunderbirds won the inaugural matchup, 15-4. Dixie State recorded its first win in the series two weeks later, a 5-4 victory on April 4, 2007, in St. George. SUU held the upper hand in the series through the first two years, winning five of the first seven matchups. DSU responded by claiming victories in 12 of the next 15 matchups, dating back to 2009. The Thunderbirds won the most recent matchup, 5-4, on March 25, 2015, snapping DSU's 23-game win streak. The Trailblazers hold a 14-8 series lead, but have won only three out of nine matchups in Cedar City.

KNOW YOUR FOE: Southern Utah enters Wednesday's game with a 7-35 overall record and 3-9 mark in Big Sky Conference play. The Thunderbirds are led by junior pitcher Jordan Theurer (.352/18 RBI/11 2B/3 HR) and senior outfielder Kylee Wolf (.346/14 RBI/7 2B/2 HR).

FEICKERT, YUNG RECEIVE PACWEST WEEKLY AWARDS: Senior pitcher Aryn Feickert (Lancaster, Calif./Highland HS) earned her third PacWest Softball Pitcher of the Week award, while junior outfielder Shelby Yung (Upland, Calif./Upland HS) landed Newcomer of the Week honors.

Feickert went 2-0 on the Bay Area trip and threw 11.0 shutout innings, allowing just one hit and one walk and striking out 15. She threw her third no-hitter of the season on Saturday at Holy Names, coming one walk and one fielding error from the second perfect game in DSU softball history, while matching her career-high of 13 strikeouts. Feickert is second in the PacWest in opposing batting average (.172), strikeouts (152), and wins (18). 

Yung powered DSU to four wins on its Bay Area road trip, hitting .500 (7-14) with four doubles, four RBI and two runs scored. She was 3-4 with two doubles and two RBI in the second game against Academy of Art. Yung ranks eighth in the PacWest in hits (50) and ninth in runs scored (33).

MAKING HISTORY: Feickert became the DSU Softball All-Time strikeout leader on March 16 at Notre Dame de Namur, striking out NDNU sophomore Taylor Haynes for her 374th career strikeout to open the bottom of the sixth inning. She eclipsed the previous mark of 373, set by Lauren Folta (2009-12), and has added 58 more strikeouts to the tally for a total of 432 career strikeouts to date, the first player in DSU history to record 400 strikeouts.

CHASING HISTORY: With seven regular season games remaining and 152 strikeouts recorded this season, Feickert is also chasing the DSU single-season strikeout record of 162, set by Haley Schumers in 2008.

LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State went 4-0 on its Bay Area road trip, defeating Holy Names in a doubleheader on Saturday and Academy of Art in a doubleheader on Sunday.

PACWEST THREE-PEAT AND NATIONAL-RUNNERS UP: Dixie State won its third consecutive Pacific West Conference championship and made its second consecutive trip to the Division II College World Series in 2015. The Trailblazers recorded a program-best 52-8 overall record, hosting and winning both the NCAA West and NCAA West Super Regionals and earning a trip to the Division II College World Series. DSU won its first three games at the College World Series and fell 5-0 to North Georgia in the National Championship game.

PRESEASON RANKINGS AND HONORS:  Dixie State entered the 2016 season ranked at No. 2 in the NFCA Division II Preseason Coaches Poll. The Trailblazers were also the unanimous choice to repeat as PacWest champions. Senior pitcher Aryn Feickert (Lancaster, Calif./Highland HS) was named PacWest Preseason Pitcher of the Year, while sophomore outfielder Janessa Bassett (Stansbury Park, Utah/Stansbury HS), junior infielder Mallory Paulson (Fruita, Colo./Fruita Monument HS), and junior utility infielder Brookyln Beardshear also received All-PacWest preseason honors. Additionally, Bassett and Feickert were named to the 2016 NFCA Schutt Sports Division II Player of the Year Watch List.

THE SIMKINS FILE:  Randy Simkins is in his eighth year as the Dixie State head softball coach in 2016, after a stint as head coach at DSU while competing in the junior college ranks. He led Dixie State to a program-best 49-6 record in 2004 while the school competed as a NJCAA program. In 2015, the Trailblazers recorded the most wins as a Division II program with 52 victories. Simkins has accumulated 302 victories to just 79 losses for a winning percentage of .793 in seven seasons as head coach. Simkins has led DSU to four PacWest championships, two West Region championships, two consecutive trips to the College World Series, and a national-runner up finish.

2016 ROSTER: Dixie State returns seven starters from last year, led by senior Pitcher Aryn Feickert (Lancaster, Calif./Highland HS). A second-team All-PacWest selection last season, Feickert posted a 20-5 record and a 2.18 ERA with 146 strikeouts, the second-most in the conference. She earned PacWest Pitcher of the Week and Daktronics All-West Region Second Team honors and threw a perfect game against Academy of Art. Two other seniors return for the 2016 season in catcher Autumn Woodfall (Kaysville, Utah/Davis HS) and outfielder Kristie Johnson (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral HS).

The Trailblazers return four juniors from last year's squad, led by infielder Mallory Paulson (Fruita, Colo./Fruita Monument HS) and pitcher/infielder Brooklyn Beardshear (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro HS). Paulson earned Third Team All-PacWest honors, batting .301 with 47 hits, six home runs, and 24 RBI, while Beardshear earned First Team All-PacWest honors, batting .356 with 36 hits, six home runs, and 40 RBI. As a pitcher, she recorded nine strikeouts with a 2.36 ERA.

Sophomore outfielder Janessa Bassett (Stansbury Park, Utah/Stansbury HS) also returns to anchor The Trailblazer outfield. Bassett earned PacWest Conference Freshman of the Year, PacWest First Team, All-Region First Team, All-America First Team, and NFCA Freshman of the Year honors last season, batting .449 with 83 hits and 30 RBI.

Joining Bassett is junior outfielder Shelby Yung (Upland, Calif./Upland HS), who joins Dixie State after two seasons at Pace University in New York City. As a sophomore at Pace Yung batted .444 with 40 hits, five home runs, and 15 RBI. She earned First Team All-Conference and All-Region honors. As a freshman she batted .414 with 53 hits and seven RBI, and earned conference Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Conference, and First Team All-Region honors.

Seven freshman look to compete for playing time as Dani Bartholf (Gilbert, Ariz./Gilbert HS), Kaitlyn Delange (Cedar City, Utah/Canyon View HS), Bailey Gaffin (Glendale, Ariz./Mountain Ridge HS), Summer Simkins (St. George, Utah/Dixie HS), Taylor Godfrey (Buckeye, Ariz./Estrella Foothills HS), Jessica Gonzalez (Kingsburg, Calif./Kingsburg HS), and Alexandria Melendez (Moreno Valley, Calif./Valley View HS) join the team for the new season. Redshirt freshman Alexis Barkwell (San Diego, Calif./North Medford HS) also returns in 2016.
 
UP NEXT: The Trailblazers close the regular season with a six-game homestand next week, hosting BYU-Hawaii on Monday and Concordia on Friday and Saturday. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Autumn Woodfall

#00 Autumn Woodfall

C/OF
5' 8"
Senior
R/R
Janessa Bassett

#1 Janessa Bassett

OF
5' 2"
Sophomore
L/R
Dani Bartholf

#2 Dani Bartholf

INF
5' 4"
Freshman
R/R
Kaitlyn Delange

#4 Kaitlyn Delange

INF
5' 3"
Freshman
L/R
Bailey Gaffin

#5 Bailey Gaffin

INF
5' 5"
Freshman
L/R
Summer Simkins

#9 Summer Simkins

INF
5' 9"
Freshman
R/R
Taylor Godfrey

#10 Taylor Godfrey

OF
5' 5"
Freshman
L/R
Brooklyn Beardshear

#11 Brooklyn Beardshear

P/INF
5' 8"
Junior
R/R
Jessica Gonzalez

#12 Jessica Gonzalez

C
5' 8"
Freshman
R/R
Kristie Johnson

#16 Kristie Johnson

OF
5' 7"
Senior
R/R
Shelby Yung

#23 Shelby Yung

OF
5' 1"
Junior
R/R
Mallory Paulson

#24 Mallory Paulson

INF
5' 8"
Junior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Autumn Woodfall

#00 Autumn Woodfall

5' 8"
Senior
R/R
C/OF
Janessa Bassett

#1 Janessa Bassett

5' 2"
Sophomore
L/R
OF
Dani Bartholf

#2 Dani Bartholf

5' 4"
Freshman
R/R
INF
Kaitlyn Delange

#4 Kaitlyn Delange

5' 3"
Freshman
L/R
INF
Bailey Gaffin

#5 Bailey Gaffin

5' 5"
Freshman
L/R
INF
Summer Simkins

#9 Summer Simkins

5' 9"
Freshman
R/R
INF
Taylor Godfrey

#10 Taylor Godfrey

5' 5"
Freshman
L/R
OF
Brooklyn Beardshear

#11 Brooklyn Beardshear

5' 8"
Junior
R/R
P/INF
Jessica Gonzalez

#12 Jessica Gonzalez

5' 8"
Freshman
R/R
C
Kristie Johnson

#16 Kristie Johnson

5' 7"
Senior
R/R
OF
Shelby Yung

#23 Shelby Yung

5' 1"
Junior
R/R
OF
Mallory Paulson

#24 Mallory Paulson

5' 8"
Junior
R/R
INF