THIS WEEK: The Trailblazers head south to Phoenix to play Grand Canyon, which sits second place in the WAC. The three-game set opens with a 5:30 p.m (MT) Friday double header before the final game at 2:00 p.m (MT) on Saturday afternoon. For the games live stream and live stats visit UtahTechTrailblazers.com

RUNNING BACK LAST WEEK: The Trailblazers were a perfect 3-0 on the week sweeping WAC opponent Seattle U. In the double header they won both game via the run rule with 10-2 and 12-4 victories riding the 22 run offensive explosion on the day. In the series final senior righty Kate Dolinski threw a complete game shutout handing the Trailblazers the sweep with a 2-0 win. The shutout from Dolinski was her second complete game of the week after going all five innings in the first game. Over the 12 total innings on the weekend, she gave up just one earned run and accumulated five strike outs with just two walks earning WAC pitcher of the week honors.

ROOT ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM: Utah Tech is 301-85 overall at home in the NCAA era. The Trailblazers are 258-71 at home under head coach Randy Simkins. The Blazers are a stellar 13-4 at Karl Brooks Field this season.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Utah Tech is 185-110 overall on the road. The Trailblazers are 162-89 on the road under head coach Randy Simkins. During the 2023 season, UT is 11-9 away from Karl Brooks field.

RECORDS AND STANDINGS: The Trailblazers enter the weekend with a 24-13 overall record. Sitting atop the WAC standings with a 9-3 conference record. 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 .329 with a .478 slugging percentage. The team has racked up 343 hits with 71 doubles, 11 triple, and 21 home runs.

IN THE CIRCLE: Trailblazers pitchers have a team ERA of 3.69. Opponents are hitting .282 with 283 hits and 29 home runs. Utah Tech pitchers have combined for three shutouts.

LEADING THE WAY: The Trailblazers are led by Tanya Windle who is hitting .458 with 55 hits that include six doubles, four triple, and two home runs. Windle has also grabbed one WAC player of the week honor. In the power category Lauren Almeida is the star with a slugging percentage of .688 and a team leading 18 extra base hits including a triple and five home runs. Hannah Hughbanks leads the team with 33 RBI. In the circle the Trailblazers ace is Sauren Garton. She has pitched in 17 games completing seven of them with two shutouts. She has a team best 2.84 ERA while holding batters to a .243 batting average across 86.1 innings.

CONSISTENT STARTERS: This season there are five Trailblazers that have playing in all 37 games, each of which have started in at least 35 of them (Lauren Almeida, Shea Clements, Carly Eldredge, Hannah Hughbanks, and Tanya Windle).

BIG WEEKS: Last week senior Kate Dolinski became the first Trailblazer this season to win WAC pitcher of the week. She put up two complete games (one of them five innings due to the run rule) including one full seven inning shutout. Across 12 innings Dolinski surrendered just one earned run while striking out five and walking just 2.

On the week of Mar. 6-12 freshman Sauren Garton did not win WAC pitcher of the week but she had a noteworthy weekend in the circle. She threw two complete games surrendering only one run, six hits, just one walk and struck out seven. She was the driving force in helping the Trailblazers take down Pac-12 foe Oregon state 1-0 and beating a red-hot UNLV team 2-1.

In the week of Feb. 27 - Apr. 2 senior Hannah Hughbanks won WAC player of the week going 7-11 with 6 walks, 8 runs scored, 10 RBI and two home runs. She is the second Trailblazer to win the award this season.

Back in the first week of the season freshman Tanya Windle won WAC Player of the Week going 7-16 with three extra base hits and seven RBI.

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

Senior Hannah Hughbanks holds top 10 spots in doubles (1st, 56), slugging percentage (7th, .618), walks (8th, 78), triples (8th, 5), batting average (8th, .384), on base percentage (10th, .463), and just this week entered in at 10th in hits (193) and runs (126) She is nearing the top 10 in total bases as well (eight shy, 310).

Sophomore Lauren Almeida finds herself on the all-time lists for on base percentage (7th, .473), batting average (9th, .381), and just off the list for slugging percentage (four points shy, .603).

Senior Shea Clements is sitting top 10 in stolen bases (8th, 38) and hit by pitches (T-9th, 11).

Senior lefty Ashtyn Bauerle is top 10 in fewest walks per seven innings (3rd, 1.99), starts (T-10th, 30), and complete games (T-10th, 12).

Senior right hander Kate Dolinski has top 10 position in saves (T-3rd, 3) and fewest walks per seven innings (7th, 2.24).

Sophomore Attlyn Johnston is top 10 for walks per seven innings leaderboard (6th, 2.17).

NCAA MILESTONES: The program is closing in on its 600th win in its NCAA era spanning back to 2007. After this weekend the program has recorded 599 NCAA wins. The second win of the double header vs Seattle U on April 7th secured the Trailblazers 300th home win in the NCAA era.

In addition, head coach Randy Simkins has made history of his own. The final game of the series against UT Arlington on April 1st was the 700th game he has coached in the NCAA era for the Trailblazers. He is just four wins shy of 500 NCAA wins as the teams' head man with 496 going into the weekend.

HISTORICAL SEASON: In just her freshman year Trailblazers center fielder Tanya Windle is collecting hits and getting on base at one of the highest single season rates in program history.

Along with leading-off and starting in center field in all 37 of the Blazers games this year Windle is hitting .458 which would be the fourth highest single season mark in team history and has an on base percentage of .535, also tracking for fourth best in team history for a single season.

Highest Single Season Batting avg. (min 100 AB)
1. .500 - Schumers, Haley..............(60-120) - 2007
2. .474 - Bassett, Janessa..............(82-173) - 2016
3. .459 - Hicken, Bailie....................(84-183) - 2010
4. .458 - Tanya Windle ...................(55-120) - 2023
5. .450 - Jones, Carli ......................(49-109) - 2007

Highest Single Season On Base Percentage (min 100 AB)
1. .580 - Schumers, Haley............. (120 AB) - 2007
2. .543 - Jones, Carli ..................... (109 AB) - 2007
3. .537 - Hine, Courtney ................ (165 AB) - 2015
4. .535 - Tanya Windle................... (120 AB) - 2023
5. .534 - Bassett, Janessa............. (185 AB) - 2015

All Time vs Grand Canyon: The Trailblazers have faces Grand Canyon 36 times dating back to 2008 when both teams played in the division two PacWest. They have now played nine times at conference rivals in the WAC. Overall, the Trailblazers are 27-9 vs the Lopes and are 4-5 in the division one era. Last season the Trailblazers played a pair of series with the Lopes dropping two of three at home, but then taking two of three on the road.

Know Your Foe: Grand Canyon comes into the weekend with a 31-8 re- cord including a 21-4 record at home. They sit at second in the WAC with a 7-5 conference record. They come off a series last week taking two of three from Utah Valley on the road. On the season they have a team bat- ting average of .328 and are led by Ramsay Lopez who is hitting .377 with 43 hits including 16 extra base hits with 12 home runs. In the circle the Lopes have a team ERA of 2.00 led by Hailey Hudson with a 1.40 ERA across 19 games with 12 starts. She is 10-0 with five complete games all of them shutouts.