THIS WEEK:
The Trailblazers will open the with a mid-week non-conference match up at BYU on Wednesday at 5:00 PM, their final non-conference game of the year.

Then over the weekend the team will play its final road series of the year less than an hour north in Cedar City against the 6-27 Southern Utah Thunderbirds. The first two games will be part of a Saturday double header starting at 1:00PM and the final will be Sunday at noon. The Trailblazers now on a four-game winning streak will look to stay hot as they hold on to a one game lead over Grand Canyon. For live stats and live streams of this weekend's games go to UtahTechTrailblazers.com


RUNNING BACK LAST WEEK:
The Trailblazers got back to their winning ways this past weekend as they hosted California Baptist. The first two games of the three-game set were lop-sided with the Blazers winning 13-2 and 10-2 in two five inning run rule games. The squad finished the sweep thanks to the heroics of Tanya Windle. With the Blazers down 6-4 in the bottom of the seventh Windle came up facing a bases loaded and two out situation. Windle hit a double down the right field line clearing the bases for a walk-off 7-6 win.


The biggest individual performer of the week was from the Freshman pitcher Sauren Garton. She came into the Trailblazes 13-2 win and pitched three shut-out innings in relief. She came out of the pen the next day after the Trailblazers got off to a rough start. She kept the team in the game going 6.1 innings giving up just one unearned run setting the team up for their 7-6 walk-off win. With a combine 9.1 innings giving up zero earned runs she was won her first WAC pitcher of the week award joining Kate Dolinski as the second Trailblazer to win the award this season.


ROOT ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM:
Utah Tech is 304-85 overall at home in the NCAA era.
The Trailblazers are 261-71 at home under head coach Randy Simkins.
The Blazers are a stellar 16-4 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 28-15 overall record. Sitting atop the WAC standings with a 13-5 conference record one game ahead of Grand Canyon.

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 .337 with a .490 slugging percentage. The team has racked up 409 hits with 88 doubles, 13 triple, and 24 home runs.


IN THE CIRCLE:
Trailblazers pitchers have a team ERA of 3.85. Opponents are hitting .290 with 343 hits and 38 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 63 hits that include eight doubles, five triple, and two home runs. In the power category Lauren Almeida is the star with a slugging percentage of .656 and team leading 21 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 20 games completing seven of them with two shutouts. She has a team best 2.91 ERA while holding batters to a .253 batting average across 98.2 innings.


CONSISTENT STARTERS:
This season there are four Trailblazers that have playing in all 43 games, each of which have started in at least 41 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 at home vs. Seattle U.


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, 60), slugging percentage (6th, .622), batting average (6th, .390), hits (6th, 203), walks (T-7th, 81), triples (T-8th, 5), total bases (9th, 324), and on base percentage (10th, .466).


Sophomore Lauren Almeida finds herself on the all-time lists for batting average (9th, .378), and on base percentage (9th, .467).


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, 2.29), appearances (9th, 67), starts (10th, 35), innings (10th, 211), and strikeouts (10th, 121).


Sophomore righty Attlyn Johnston is top 10 for strikeouts per seven innings (3rd, 6.92), and fewest walks per seven innings (5th, 2.08).


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:
After managing his 700th game in the NCAA era on April first vs UT Arlington head coach Randy Simkins reached another milestone this week. With the walk-off win Saturday over California Baptist coach Simkins has now won 500 games as the head man in the NCAA era for the Trailblazers.


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.


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 .527, also tracking for sixth 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 Southern Utah: The Trailblazers have faced Southern Utah 32 times dating back to 2007. Between 2007 and 2017 the two teams played 24 contests despite the Thunderbirds being a Division 1 program while the Trailblazers were Division 2. They have now played eight times as Division 1 rivals. This will be the first time the teams face off as WAC opponents. Overall, the Trailblazers are 20-12 vs the Thunderbirds and are 5-3 in the division one era. Last season the Trailblazers played three games with their closest rivals. The Blazers won a pair of home games 3-1 and 10-1 before dropping the final match up in Cedar City 10-2.


Know Your Foe: Southern Utah comes into the weekend with a 6-27 record including a 3-6 record at home. They sit at the bottom of the WAC standings with a 3-15 conference record. In action last week they were swept by Utah Valley on the road. On the season they have a team batting average of .261 with 16 home runs and are led by Emily Gonzalez who is hitting .398 with 35 hits including 12 extra base hits with six home runs. In the circle the Thunderbirds have a team ERA of 7.47 led by Payton Goodrich with a 5.71 ERA across 16 games with six starts. She is 1-7 with one complete game.


All Time vs BYU: The Trailblazers have faced BYU three times with the Trailblazers yet to win any of the match ups. The last time the two teams played was April 26th last year where Utah Tech fell 6-8 at home.


Know Your Foe: BYU has a 23-13 record including an 8-4 record at home. On the season they have a team batting average of .276 with 29 home runs and are led by Ailana Agbayni who is hitting .331 with 40 hits including three extra base hits. In the circle the Cougars have a team ERA of 3.65 led by Kaysen Korth with a 2.99 ERA across 24 games with 17 starts. She is 12-6 with 10 complete games and one shutout.