FIRST PITCH: Fresh off clinching its first-ever Western Athletic Conference regular season title, Utah Tech (34-16/19-5 WAC) will make postseason debut this weekend at the 2023 University Credit Union WAC Softball Tournament. The tournament, hosted by Grand Canyon University, will be played Wednesday-through-Saturday at the GCU Softball Stadium in Phoenix, Ariz. 
    By virtue of winning WAC regular season crown, the Trailblazers earned the tournament's No. 1 and received a double bye to Thursday's quarterfinal round. 
    Utah Tech will play in game No. 6 on Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. (PT), against No. 4 seed Seattle U (34-18). All WAC Tournament games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
    
ALL-TIME IN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS: Not only will Utah Tech be making its WAC tournament debut on Thursday, it will be playing in its second different conference postseason tournament since becoming an NCAA program in the 2006-07 season.
    During their Division II era, the Trailblazers made their first, and before this week, only conference tournament appearance in 2019 as members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. That season Utah Tech went 5-1 in the RMAC tourney, and came out of the loser's bracket to defeat top-seed and host Colorado Mesa twice on its home field to claim the tournament crown and clinch the program's 11th NCAA Regional berth. 
    This weekend's WAC tourney will mark the Trailblazers' return to postseason play since that 2019 campaign, due first to the cancellation of the Utah Tech's final D-II season in 2020 because of COVID-19. 
    Meanwhile, prior to this season, Utah Tech was not eligibility to participate in postseason play during the university's transition to NCAA Division I status. However last June, the WAC announced that D-I transitioning members Utah Tech and Tarleton would be allowed to participate in all conference championships beginning in the 2022-23 competition season.

LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech closed out the 2023 regular season with a three-game home sweep of in-state rival Utah Valley last weekend at Karl Brooks Field. The Trailblazers rolled to a pair of five innings victories, beginning with a 10-1 rout in the series opener on Friday. 
    The Blazers then clinched the outright WAC crown with a 6-3 triumph in game two on Saturday, before clinching the "Old Hammer Rivalry" sweep with a 10-2 win in the series and season finale.

UTAH TECH RAKES IN THE WAC POSTSEASON HONORS: Utah Tech landed six players on the 2023 All-Western Athletic Conference Softball Team, as announced this past Monday by the conference office based on voting completed by the league's head coaches. 
    The 2023 WAC regular season champion Trailblazers had four players earned first team all-WAC honors, while two more were selected to the second team, and two players were voted to the conference's all-defensive team.
    Senior outfielder Shea Clements was named WAC Player of the Year and first team all-conference, while fifth-year pitcher Kate Dolinski was tabbed WAC Pitcher of the Year and garnered first team all-conference honors.
    Outfielder Tanya Windle was voted WAC Freshman of the Year along to go with first team all-conference accolades, and senior first baseman Hannah Hughbanks was selected to the all-WAC first team and all-defensive team. 
    Meanwhile, sophomore shortstop Lauren Almeida earned second team all-WAC and all-defensive team honors, and freshman pitcher Sauren Garton was voted second team all-conference.
    In addition, head coach Randy Simkins was named WAC Coach of the Year after he led Utah Tech to its first regular season WAC championship, and the university's first team conference crown won in the near three full seasons of the university's NCAA Division I transition.
    Clements was the WAC's second-leading hitter overall with a .441 batting (15th-nationally) and finished in the conference's top-10 in eight statistical categories. 
    The senior outfielder, who earned first team all-WAC last season and second team honors in 2021, saved her best for WAC opponents as she batted a league-high .512. The senior also hit 12 of her 16 doubles, three of her six home runs, and collected 20 of her 36 RBI on the year in conference play.
    She hit safely in 21 of 24 WAC games with 13 multi-hit games with three four-hit outings, the last coming two weeks ago at Southern Utah (4-for-4; 4/29), against which Clements hit .818 (9-for-11) with four doubles on her way to WAC Hitter of the Week honors. 
    Dolinski posted a conference-best 10-1 record in league play with a 3.96 ERA in 16 appearances overall. She notched six complete games with one shutout victory and recorded 44 of her 64 strikeouts in conference games.
    The fifth-year righthander, who was named WAC Pitcher of the Week (4/11) after firing a four-hit shutout as part of a 2-0 weekend vs. Seattle U (4/7-8), went 12-4 overall in 25 appearances this season with nine complete games. 
    Windle finished the 2023 regular season as the WAC's leading hitter at .442 (13th-nationally), including a .438 clip in conference play, and topped the conference charts in hits (73, t-8th nationally), triples (7, t-3rd nationally), and on-base percentage (.518). 
    The freshman is currently ranked in the conference's top-10 in runs scored (52, t-2nd), stolen bases (16-18, 3rd), total bases (108, 4th), walks (22, t-8th) and slugging percentage (.655, 10th) out of the lead-off spot in the Utah Tech batting order.
    Windle, who was also named to the 2023 TUCCI/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top-25 list last month, started in all 50 games this season and hit safely in 45 of those starts with 24 multi-hit games, including four three-hit outings, and has reached base safely in 48 of 50 games overall. 
    In fact, Windle has reached base safely in 34-straight games, with 32 of those as a result of a base hit, including all 24 WAC games this season. Windle recorded at least one base hit in 23 of 24 conference games, and the one game she did not record a hit in, she tallied a season and career-high three walks (vs. Seattle U; 4/7). Windle, who was the WAC's first Hitter of the Week honoree this season (2/13), has also scored at least one run in 34 games and has collected RBI in 20 starts overall. 
    Hughbanks, who earned her third-straight first team all-WAC honor, played in all 50 games with 49 starts and finished the regular season tied for first in NCAA Division I in doubles with 19. 
    The senior batted .352 with three homers and a team-leading 49 RBI. She also hit .446 and legged out 15 of her 19 doubles, and drove in 29 of her 49 runs, in conference play.
    Hughbanks finished the regular season ranked fourth in the conference in both RBI and walks (27) and fifth in runs scored (46), and only struck out twice in 95 plate appearances in WAC games. Along with both Clements and Windle, Hughbanks also collected WAC Hitter of the Week honors (2/27) this past season. 
    The senior, who was named WAC Defensive Player of the Year last season, posted a .989 fielding percentage, committing only three errors in 277 total chances (.986 in WAC play). 
    Almeida started in all 50 games this season and finished third in the WAC in batting at .431 (t-23rd nationally) with five home runs and 41 RBI. The sophomore was also the hardest to strikeout in the Trailblazer line-up as she only struck out eight times in 180 plate appearances (3K in 92 PA in WAC play).
    Almeida also finished third in the conference in on-base percentage (.511), fourth in hits (66), t-fifth in doubles (15), t-sixth in walks (24) and seventh in RBI. She was just dangerous at the plate in WAC play as she hit .425 with seven doubles, three homers and 22 RBI against conference foes.
    Defensively, Almeida owned a .949 overall fielding percentage, which included a .974 clip with just two errors in 76 chances in conference play. 
    Garton went 12-5 in the circle in her first collegiate season with a 2.73 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 107.2 innings of work. The freshman also issued only 18 total walks and currently stands as UT's career leader in walks per nine innings (1.17). 
    She recorded complete game shutouts in two of her first seven games, starting with college debut against Saint Mary's (8-0, 2/10), against which she struck out five and surrendered three hits in seven innings.
    The freshman followed suit with a two-hit home shutout victory against PAC-12 foe Oregon State (1-0, 3/3). Garton, who was named WAC Pitcher of the Week (4/24) following two solid outings vs. CBU, pitched to a 5-2 mark in 11 WAC appearances and posted a 3.27 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 45.0 innings. 
    Simkins guided the Trailblazers, who were picked to finish eighth in the WAC preseason coaches poll, to a 34-16 overall record this season, a 15-win turnaround from a season ago (19-32), which included a 19-5 WAC mark (8-16 in 2022).
    Along the way, Simkins collected his 500th-career NCAA era victory at Utah Tech (7-6 vs. California Baptist – 4/22/23), and the program's 600th NCAA era win overall (6-5 at GCU – 4/15/23). 
    Simkins' Coach of the Year award is his third overall, with the previous two coming in consecutive seasons in 2014 and 2015 during the program's NCAA Division II era as members of the Pacific West Conference. Simkins' also led the program to three PacWest conference titles in four years in 2011, 2013 and 2014, and to an RMAC Tourney crown in 2019.  

WELL WHAT ABOUT US?!: Though six Blazers were honored by the WAC on Monday, Utah Tech has been solid up and down the line-up the entire 2023 season.
    Sophomore 2B Carly Eldredge finished the regular season fourth on the club in batting at .354 to go with eight doubles and 10 total XBHs, 25 RBI and 33 run scored.
    Meanwhile freshman OF LB Kahahawai-Kekona was one of six Blazers to hit over .300, closing the year with a .306 average with 15 doubles and 38 RBI. The freshman also tallied 31 runs scored and was second on the team in stolen bases (11-of-13). 
    Junior catcher Rachel Campbell just missed being the seventh Blazer over the .300 plateau as she would up batting .299 with a team-high seven homers, 36 RBI and 24 runs scored.  
    In addition, junior INF Oaklee Trapp hit .274 in 42 games with nine doubles, 22 RBI and 24 runs, and senior INF Laura Lockard hit .272 with 24 RBI and six doubles. "Larry" also collected her first HR of the season in last Friday's series opener vs. UVU.
    In the circle, sophomore RHP Attlyn Johnston went 9-6 with one save in 22 appearances this season. Johnston led the Blazer staff with 74 strikeouts in 88.0 IP, and finished second on the staff with a 3.82 ERA.

ROOT ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM: Utah Tech closed out its 2023 home slate with a dominant 19-4 mark at Karl Brooks Field.  Overall, the Trailblazers have played to a 310-88 (.779) overall record at home in their NCAA era, including a 265-74 (.781) at under Head Coach Randy Simkins. 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Utah Tech also held its own on the road this season as the Blazers posted an 11-6 record in true road games (8-4 WAC), and played to a 4-6 mark in neutral site games, to finish the year at 15-12 away from Karl Brooks Field.
    Overall, Utah Tech is 191-106 (.639) on the road, 169-85 (.665) under Coach Simkins, while the Trailblazers are 108-64 (.628) all-time on neutral footing, 72-51 (.585) under Simkins.  

AMONG THE NCAA'S ELITE: Utah Tech closed the regular as the NCAA Division I leaders, albeit unofficially, in doubles with 110. '
    The reason why it is unofficial - is because Utah Tech is not eligible to be listed in the national rankings during its four-year NCAA Division-I transition period. 
    Meanwhile, the Trailblazers finished second in the country in batting (.348), second only to No. 1-ranked Oklahoma (.368), and second in base hits (490) behind only No. 2 ranked UCLA (492). 
    In addition, Utah Tech is ranked third-nationally in on-base percentage (.423) behind only Oklahoma (.462) and Marshall (.429), and t-fourth in Division I in runs scored with Grand Canyon (361).   
    Utah Tech also led the WAC in triples (15), and finished second in RBI (333 - #5 in NCAA), total bases (726) and walks (187). 

IN THE CIRCLE: Utah Tech finished as the WAC leader in walks allowed (74 in 327.0 IP), while Trailblazers were third in both strikeouts (231) and opponent batting average (.285), and fourth in team ERA (3.75). 

MILESTONE MOMENTS: Coach Simkins passed a pair of major career milestones during the 2023 season. In addition to earning his 500th-career NCAA era victory, the longtime Trailblazer mentor coached in his 700th NCAA game last month UT Arlington (4/1).
    Meanwhile, Hughbanks became the sixth player in program history to reach the 200-hit plateau when she reached on a sixth-inning single, and later scored game-winning run in UT's road win at GCU (4/15). 
    Hughbanks (62 doubles) also became Utah Tech's career doubles leader with her second two-bagger of the game in G2 at home vs. New Mexico State (3/25). 
    In addition, not only did Utah Tech record its 600th NCAA era win in that GCU victory (4/15), it earned its 300th home win in the four-year era in game two vs. Seattle U (4/7) last month.