(Arlington, Texas – Jan. 31, 2024) The 2024 Western Athletic Conference Preseason softball awards were announced on Wednesday, with the reigning 2023 WAC Regular Season Champions placing second while also having two players on the Preseason All-WAC team in Sauren Garton and Carly Eldredge.

Garton was a Second Team All-WAC selection after her freshman season, as the Pendleton, Ore., native posted a 3.61 ERA across 23 appearances (18 starts) in the circle. With a 13-5 record, she led the Trailblazers in strikeouts (76) while holding opposing hitters to just a .259 batting average. Garton threw two complete-game shutouts in wins over St. Mary's and Oregon State while striking out a career-high 10 batters in a 5-3 win over UC Santa Barbara on March 11.

Eldredge, originally from Arvada, Colo., enters her junior season with momentum after a strong sophomore campaign in which she hit .354 across 144 total plate appearances. Having started 49 of her 52 appearances in the Trailblazer infield, Eldredge hit her lone home run of the season in a win over Next Mexico State on March 25 and finished the year with 15 multi-hit games, which included back-to-back three-hit games against Weber State. 

Voted on by the WAC's 10 head coaches, Wednesday's release also included the 2024 Coaches Poll, which placed Utah Tech in second place while receiving one first place vote. With 69 total points, Utah Tech ranked behind first place Grand Canyon (80 points) and ahead of third place Seattle U (66 points).

Utah Tech's 2024 campaign gets underway next weekend, as the team heads down to Tucson, Ariz., to play in the Candrea Classic hosted by the Arizona Wildcats.