(St. George, Utah – Feb. 6, 2024) - The Utah Tech softball team gets the 2024 season underway this weekend at the Candrea Classic hosted by the Arizona Wildcats at Hillenbrand Stadium.

Game 1
Who | Utah Tech (0-0, 0-0 WAC) at Arizona (0-0, 0-0 Pac-12)
When | Thursday, Feb. 8 / 4 p.m.
Where | Hillenbrand Stadium / Tucson, Ariz.
Broadcast | Pac-12 Network / Live Stats
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

Game 2
Who | Utah Tech (0-0, 0-0 WAC) vs. Northern Colorado (0-0, 0-0 Big Sky)
When | Thursday, Feb. 8 / 8 p.m.
Where | Hillenbrand Stadium / Tucson, Ariz.
Broadcast | FloSoftball / Live Stats
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

Game 3
Who | Utah Tech (0-0, 0-0 WAC) vs. North Texas (0-0, 0-0 American)
When | Friday, Feb. 9 / 1 p.m.
Where | Hillenbrand Stadium / Tucson, Ariz.
Broadcast | FloSoftball / Live Stats
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

Game 4
Who | Utah Tech (0-0, 0-0 WAC) vs. Lipscomb (0-0, 0-0 ASUN)
When | Saturday, Feb. 10 / 9 a.m.
Where | Hillenbrand Stadium / Tucson, Ariz.
Broadcast | FloSoftball / Live Stats
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

Game 5
Who | Utah Tech (0-0, 0-0 WAC) vs. North Texas (0-0, 0-0 American)
When | Saturday, Feb. 10 / 11 a.m.
Where | Hillenbrand Stadium / Tucson, Ariz.
Broadcast | FloSoftball / Live Stats
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

GLANCE AT THE CANDREA CLASSIC
The Trailblazers get the 2024 season underway at the Candrea Classic hosted by Arizona on Thursday through Saturday.

Utah Tech get play started on Thursday afternoon taking on host Arizona on the Pac-12 Network followed by contests against Northern Colorado and North Texas on Friday.

The weekend wraps up on Saturday with a pair of games against Lipscomb and North Texas.

The Candrea Classic is named after longtime head coach Mike Candrea, the all-time winningest coach in NCAA softball history, who helped guide the Wildcats to eight national championships and 23 College World Series appearances in 36 seasons leading Arizona from 1986 to 2021.

TRAILBLAZERS SELECTED SECOND IN WAC PRESEASON POLL
Coming off winning the WAC regular season championship in 2023, the Trailblazers were picked to finish second in the WAC preseason poll released on Jan. 31.

Grand Canyon was selected first, earning eight first-place votes, collecting 80 points while the Trailblazers picked up one first-place vote and 69 votes. 

Seattle (66 pts.), who earned the final first-place vote, was third with the poll rounded out by Stephen F. Austin (53 pts.), Tarleton (50 pts.), California Baptist (40 pts.), UT Arlington & Utah Valley (32 pts.) tied for seventh, Abilene Christian (19 pts.) and Southern Utah (9 pts.).

PAIR OF TRAILBLAZERS NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM
Sophomore pitcher Sauren Garton and junior infielder Carly Eldredge were named to the 12-member Preseason All-WAC team on Jan. 31.

A Second Team All-WAC selection last season as a freshman, Garton 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. 

Eldredge enters her junior season with momentum after a strong sophomore campaign in which she hit .354 across 144 total plate appearances and slugged .444 on the season with 10 extra-base hits and 25 RBI.

ABOUT ARIZONA
The Wildcats are coming off a 29-25 overall record in 2023 while compiling a 6-18 mark in the Pac-12 which tied Arizona State for eighth in the conference.

Selected sixth in the Pac-12 Softball Preseason Coaches Poll, the Wildcats had a conference-leading five All-Pac-12 preseason selections and received votes in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll.

Led by 2023 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in second baseman Allie Skaggs, she was joined by Olivia DiNardo, Dakota Kenneduy, Devyn Netz and Carlie Scupin.

ABOUT NORTHERN COLORADO
The Bears posted a 26-23 overall record in 2023. Northern Colorado posted a 5-1 record at the Big Sky Tournament to win the conference crown and advance to the Seattle Regional in the NCAA Tournament falling to Washington and Minnesota.

Northern Colorado was picked second in the Big Sky preseason poll released on Jan. 31.

The Bears return their top two hitters in senior outfielders Alyssa Wenzel (.372) and Lauren Strathearn (.364) and pitchers Erin Caviness (3.54 ERA) & Isabelle DiNapoli (4.37).

ABOUT NORTH TEXAS
The Mean Green went 35-22 in 2023 with a 16-8 mark in Conference USA to tie for second in the league with UAB.

North Texas was picked third in its new league, The American, following Wichita State and Charlotte, in the preseason poll released on Jan. 16.

North Texas returns 16 letter winners including eight position player starters and three pitchers. The roster is lined with experienced talent including 2023 NFCA All-South Region selection infielder Kailey Gamble along with all-conference selections infielder Cierra Simon, catcher Kalei Christensen, infielder Mikayla Smith, RHP McKenzie Wagoner and infielder Tatum Sparks.

ABOUT LIPSCOMB
The Bison are coming off a 21-29 overall record in 2023 and a 9-15 mark in the ASUN to finish 13th in the ASUN.

Lipscomb was picked 11th in the 12-member ASUN finishing above Bellarmine while Central Arkansas was picked to win the conference.

The top returning hitter for the Bison is sophomore outfielder/infielder Kaylyn Belfield who returns after hitting .270 from the plate and redshirt junior Laine Barefoot is the top pitcher coming back with a 4.45 ERA.

WAC RANKINGS AT THE PLATE IN 2023
The Trailblazers led the WAC in batting average (.342), on-base percentage (.417), hits (511), doubles (114), triples (15) and sacrifice flies (23) last season.

In addition, UT led the WAC in hits per game (9.64), runs per game (6.92), doubles per game (2.15), RBI per game (6.38), walks per game (3.58) and plate appearances per game (32.79).

WAC RANKINGS IN THE CIRCLE IN 2023
On the pitching side, the Blazers only allowed 80 walks to lead the WAC, ranked second in strikeouts (239), earned runs allowed (183), doubles allowed (56) & runs allowed (222) and were third in ERA (3.69), opposing batting average (.285) and strikeouts per game (4.82).

LEADING RETURNERS
Despite losing the top three hitters in the WAC, in WAC Freshman of the Year Tanya Windle, WAC Player of the Year Shea Clements and Second Team All-WAC honoree Lauren Almeida,  the Trailblazers return a pair of top hitters in the conference in junior Carly Eldredge who hit .354 with eight home runs while sophomore LB Kahahawai-Kelona checked in with a .312 average with 17 doubles and 33 runs scored.   

CONSISTENT STARTERS
Three other Trailblazers each made 38 or more starts on the season while senior Rachel Campbell hit .292 from the plate & eight home runs, senior Oaklee Trapp hit .278 & nine home runs and graduate student Laura Lockard recorded a .264 average and six doubles.

MILESTONES IN 2023
The Trailblazers hit a number of program milestones in 2023.

After managing his 700th game in the NCAA era on April 1, 2023 at UT Arlington, head coach Randy Simkins reached another milestone with a walk-off win on April 22nd against California Baptist winning his 500th game in the NCAA era as the head man in the NCAA era for the Trailblazers.

The program recorded its 600th NCAA era win at Grand Canyon on April 15.

The second win of the doubleheader at home against Seattle U on April 7 secured the Trailblazers' 300th home win in the NCAA era.

UP NEXT
The Trailblazers stay on the road next weekend traveling to California for the CSUN Matador Diamond Classic with three games against Pacific and two against host CSUN.