THIS WEEK:
The WAC leading Trailblazers are back at Karl Brooks Field for another pivotal WAC match up with second place California Baptist who comes in at 25-18 (9-6). The three-game set will start with the traditional Friday double header at 2:00 and the concluding game will be Saturday at noon. For the games live stream and live stats visit UtahTechTrailblazers.com


RUNNING BACK LAST WEEK:
The Trailblazers stumbled at Grand Canyon dropping two of three games. Game one was an 11-inning thriller which the Trailblazers dropped 11-13 before dropping game two in five inning 2-10. The Blazers Salvaged game three 6-5 on Saturday to remain at the top of the WAC standings.


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 186-112 overall on the road.
The Trailblazers are 163-91 on the road under head coach Randy Simkins.
During the 2023 season, UT is 12-11 away from Karl Brooks field.


RECORDS AND STANDINGS:
The Trailblazers enter the weekend with a 25-15 overall record. Sitting atop the WAC standings with a 10-5 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 .330 with a .475 slugging percentage. The team has racked up 375 hits with 76 doubles, 12 triple, and 22 home runs.


IN THE CIRCLE:
Trailblazers pitchers have a team ERA of 4.01. Opponents are hitting .288 with 318 hits and 36 home runs. Utah Tech pitchers have combined for three shutouts.


LEADING THE WAY:
The Trailblazers are led by Tanya Windle who is hitting .447 with 59 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 .653 and 19 extra base hits including a triple and five home runs. Hannah Hughbanks leads the team with 38 RBI.


In the circle the Trailblazers ace is Sauren Garton. She has pitched in 18 games completing seven of them with two shutouts. She has a team best 3.21 ERA while holding batters to a .256 batting average across 89.1 innings.


CONSISTENT STARTERS:
This season there are four Trailblazers that have playing in all 40 games, each of which have started in at least 38 of them (Lauren Almeida, Shea Clements, Hannah Hughbanks, and Tanya Windle).


BIG WEEKS:
On the week of April 3rd-8th 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, 59), slugging percentage (6th, .624), batting average (6th, .390), hits (7th, 200) walks (8th, 79), triples (8th, 5), on base percentage (9th, .466), and entered the list this week at 10th for total bases (320)


Sophomore Lauren Almeida finds herself on the all-time lists for batting average (9th, .377), and on base percentage (10th, .464).


Senior Shea Clements is sitting top 10 in stolen bases (8th, 38) and hit by pitches (T-9th, 11).3


Senior right hander Kate Dolinski has top 10 position in saves (T-3rd, 3), fewest walks per seven innings (8th, 2.28), appearances (9th, 65), starts (10th, 33), innings (10th, 208.1), and strikeouts (10th, 120).


Sophomore righty Attlyn Johnston is top 10 for strikeouts per seven innings (4th, 6.74), and walks per seven innings leaderboard (6th, 2.17).


Senior left hander Ashtyn Bauerle is top 10 in fewest walks per seven innings (3rd, 2.01), and complete games (T-10th, 12).


Junior righty Tyler Denhart is eight in strikeouts per seven innings with 5.06.


MILESTONES:
In the Trailblazers game at Grand Canyon on April 15th senior Hannah Hughbanks recorded her 200th hit on a 6th inning single and then came around to score what ended up being the game winning run.


The program recorded its 600th NCAA era win in a big WAC match up at Grand Canyon on April 15th.


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 three wins shy of 500 NCAA wins as the teams' head man with 497 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 40 of the Blazers games this year Windle is hitting .447 which would be the sixth highest single season mark in team history and has an on base percentage of .526, tracking for seventh 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. .450 - Jones, Carli (49-109) - 2007
5. .449 - Janessa Bassett (83-185) - 2008


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. .534 - Bassett, Janessa (185 AB) - 2015
5. .528 - Courtney Sherwin (175 AB) - 2014


All Time vs California Baptist: The Trailblazers have faces California Baptist 44 times dating back to 2007 when both teams played in the division two PacWest. They have now played six times as conference rivals in the WAC. Overall, the Trailblazers are 20-24 vs the Lancers and are 2-4 in the division one era. Last season the Trailblazers played on the road at California Baptist winning the first game 1-0 but dropping the final two games of the series by scores of 0-3 & 5-6.


Know Your Foe: California comes into the weekend with a 25-18 record including a 6-7 record on the road. They sit tied for second in the WAC with a 9-6 conference record. In action last week they took two of three from Utah Valley at home. On the season they have a team batting average of .268 with 18 home runs and are led by Sydney Soto who is hitting .358 with 39 hits including nine extra base hits with one home run. In the circle the Lancers have a team ERA of 2.93 led by Jazmine Castaneda with a 2.09 ERA across 19 games with 10 starts. She is 7-3 with four complete games four of which were shutouts.