THIS WEEK:
Utah Tech will be home for the first time this season hosting the Utah Tech Tournament. UT will play Saint Louis and Weber State two times each. The first pitch will be thrown on Friday against Saint Louis. On Saturday the Trailblazers will play a double header with the first game at 1:30 PM against Weber State, and the second game at 4:00 against Saint Louis. UT will wrap the weekend with a 1:30 first pitch against Weber State on Sunday.


RUNNING BACK LAST WEEK:
Utah Tech continued their season in San Diego at the Torero Classic. They dropped a pair of games to Boise State 2-1 on Thursday and 5-7 on Saturday. They also dropped a game Friday to Wichita State 0-2 being shut out for the first time this season. But Utah Tech also picked up a pair of wins with a 2-1 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in their second game Friday and closed the weekend Saturday evening downing San Diego 6-4.


ROOT ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM:
Utah Tech is 288-81 overall at home.
The Trailblazers are 245-67 at home under head coach Randy Simkins.
UT is yet to play at home in the 2023 season.


ON THE ROAD AGAIN:
Utah Tech is 179-106 overall on the road.
The Trailblazers are 157-85 on the road under head coach Randy Simkins.
During the 2023 season, UT is 5-5 away from Karl Brooks field.


RECORDS AND STANDINGS:
The Trailblazers enter the weekend with a 5-5 overall record. Sitting fifth in the WAC standings.

Coming into 2023, UT was picked No. 8 in the WAC Preseason Coaches Polls and had Hannah Hughbanks along with Shea Clements selected to the WAC Preseason All-Conference team.


AT THE PLATE:
The Trailblazers are hitting .263 with a .359 slugging percentage. The team has racked up 66 hits with 12 doubles, three triple, and two home runs.


IN THE CIRCLE:
Trailblazers pitchers have a stellar 3.65 ERA. Opponents are hitting .263 with 66 hits and two home runs. Utah Tech pitchers have combined for one shutout.


LEADING THE WAY:
Early in the season the Trailblazers are led by Tanya Windle who is hitting .458 with 13 hits that include a pair of doubles, a triple and a team leading 8 RBI. Windle has also napped one WAC player of the week honor. In the power category Lauren Almeida is the star with a slugging percentage of .581 and a team leading four extra base hits including one home run.


In the circle the Trailblazers early ace is Sauren Graton. She has pitched four games completing three of them with one shutout. She has a team best 2.76 ERA while holding batters to a .224 batting average across 25.1 innings.


CONSISTENT SPOT:
Last season Utah Tech had two Blazers filling consistent starting spots in all 51 games of the line-up. Laura Lockard locked down third base while sophomore Lauren Almeida started at shortstop in every game. Kasey Crawford made appearances in all 51 games and Shea Clements started in 50. All four of them return for the 2023 season.


This season there are eight Trailblazers that have playing in all ten games and five who have started all ten games (Lauren Almeida, Carly Eldredge, Hannah Hughbanks, LB Kahahawai-Kekona, and Tanya Windle.)


BLAZERS RAKE IN POST SEASON AWARDS:
Utah Tech placed three Trailblazers in the WAC post season awards. Hannah Hughbanks and Shea Clements were both named to the First Team while Carly Eldredge was named to the second team.


HUGHBANKS' EARNS WAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Not only was Hannah Hughbanks named to the All-WAC first team but she was also named to the Defensive Team and was named Defensive Player of the Year. She ended the season with a .993 fielding percentage, helped the Trailblazers to a league high of 17 double plays, and was sixth in the conference in putouts (288) as well as total chances (302).


MOVING UP THE RECORDBOARD
There are several Trailblazers working their way through the teams all-time top-10 lists in various categories.


Senior Hannah Hughbanks holds top 10 spots in doubles (44, 4th) batting average (.388, 6th), slugging percentage (.622, 6th), on base percentage (.462, 9th), is just two walks shy of 10th (61), and one triple shy of 10th (4)


Senior Shea Clements is sitting top 10 in hit by pitches (11, T-9th) and stolen bases (34, 10th)


Senior lefty Ashtyn Bauerle is top 10 in fewest walks per seven innings (2.00, 3rd), starts (30, T-10th), and complete games (12, T-10th)


Senior tight handers Kate Dolinski has top 10 position in saves (3, T-3rd) and fewest walks per seven innings (2.55, 9th)


All Time vs Saint Louis: This years tournament will be the first time the Trailblazers have taken on Saint Louis.


Know Your Foe: Saint Louis comes into the tournament with a 2-5 record including an 0-1 record on the road. Early in the season they have a team batting average of .320 and are lead by Gabbie Kowalik who is hitting .433 with 13 hits including five extra base hits. In the circle the Billikens have a team ERA of 4.11 led by Chloe Wendling with a 4.24 ERA across five games with four starts.


All Time vs Weber State: The Trailblazers have taken on the Wildcats 12 times playing to a 7-5 record all time including going 5-5 at home. The two teams played twice last season with Weber State winning both games inside Karl Brooks Field by scores of 7-10 and 0-5.


Know Your Foe: Weber State comes into the tournament with a 3-7 record including going 1-3 on the road. Early in the season they have a team batting average of .225 and are lead by McKell McCuistion who is hitting .400 with 12 hits including four doubles. In the circle the Wildcats have a team ERA of 6.61 and are led by Amanda Johnson with a  3.76 ERA across seven games with six starts.