Softball | 2/12/2025 11:45:00 AM

(St. George, Utah - Feb. 12, 2025) - The Trailblazers continue action this weekend with six contests over four days at the Hawai'i Spring Fling Tournament hosted at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Hawai'i Spring Fling Tournament
Game #6
Who | Utah Tech (2-3) vs. Sacramento State (3-1)
When | Thursday, Feb. 13 / 1:30 p.m. MT
Where | Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium / Honolulu, Hawai'i
Broadcast | Live Stats
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

Game #7
Who | Utah Tech (2-3) vs. Western Illinois (2-2)
When | Friday, Feb. 14 / 4 p.m. MT
Where | Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium / Honolulu, Hawai'i
Broadcast | Live Stats
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

Game #8
Who | Utah Tech (2-3) vs. Hawai'i (4-1)
When | Friday, Feb. 14 / 9 p.m. MT
Where | Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium / Honolulu, Hawai'i
Broadcast | Live Stats
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

Game #9
Who | Utah Tech (2-3) vs. CSU Bakersfield (2-4)
When | Saturday, Feb. 15 / 3:30 p.m. MT
Where | Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium / Honolulu, Hawai'i
Broadcast | Live Stats
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

Game #10
Who | Utah Tech (2-3) vs. Sacramento State (3-1)
When | Saturday, Feb. 15 / 6 p.m. MT
Where | Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium / Honolulu, Hawai'i
Broadcast | Live Stats
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

Game #11
Who | Utah Tech (2-3) vs. Hawai'i (4-1)
When | Sunday, Feb. 16 / 5:30 p.m. MT
Where | Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium / Honolulu, Hawai'i
Broadcast | Live Stats
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

GLANCE AT THE HAWAI'I SPRING FLING TOURNAMENT
The Trailblazers continue action this week at the Hawai'i Spring Fling Tournament hosted by Hawai'i on Thursday through Sunday.

Utah Tech gets the tournament started on Thursday with a contest against Sacramento State, two on Friday vs. Western Illinois and host Hawai'i.

Saturday sees a pair of afternoon contests against CSU Bakersfield and Sacramento State and the tournament wraps up on Sunday with one final contest against Hawai'i.

ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS
The Hornets are out to a 3-1 start after opening the season with wins at home over Saint Mary's (6-3), Utah Valley (9-1) and San Jose State (8-0) in the NorCal Kickoff.

Sacramento State posted a 28-20 overall record in 2024 and finished second in the Big Sky with a 7-4 mark. Picked fourth in the Big Sky preseason poll, the Trailblazers and Hornets will meet for the fourth and fifth times in program history as Sacramento State won all three previous meetings in 2022.

The Hornets currently lead the Big Sky in batting average (.314), on base percentage (.410), slugging percentage (.547) and stolen bases (8) while the pitching staff leads the league in ERA (2.23). 

Sweeping both the Big Sky Player and Pitcher of the Week awards on opening week, catcher Katie Marsh and southpaw pitcher Caroline Evans earned the honors with Marsh hitting .636 (7-11) with four runs, two doubles, a triple, two homers and five RBI and Evans went 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA in 11.0 innings allowed six hits, two runs (one earned) with three walks and 18 strikeouts.

ABOUT WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECK
The Leathernecks have started the season with a 2-2 mark at the Rosemont Dome Tournament hosted by DePaul earning wins over Detroit Mercy (8-6) and Butler (5-4) and fell to Green Bay (3-5) and the host Blue Demons, 3-2 in eight innings.

WIU finished 16-34 in 2024 and finished 10th in the Ohio Valley with a 5-22 mark. Selected to finish 10th in the preseason OVC poll, junior outfielder Rylee Boone was named as a player to watch in the conference and sophomore outfielder Malia Robertson returns after being an All-OVC selection last season.

The Leathernecks lead the OVC in batting average (.315) & on base percentage (.389), check in second in walks (14) & stolen bases (8) and are third in scoring (4.5) & ERA (3.66)

Robertson leads the team and ranks third in the OVC in batting average hitting .533 and tops the conference in hits (8) and stolen bases (5).

ABOUT HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE
The Rainbow Wahine have started the 2025 season with a 4-1 record with victories over Santa Clara (4-1), Saint Louis (5-2) and two wins over Southern Indiana (7-2 & 6-0). 

Hawai'i posted a 20-26 overall mark in 2024 and finished fourth in the Big West with a 13-12 record. Picked fourth in the Big West preseason poll, senior catcher/infielder Izabella Martinez were named to the All-Big West preseason team and four players were named to the Bank of Hawai'i Paradise Classic All-Tournament Team last week (Chloe Borges, Jamie McGaughey, Kayara-Leigh Tuiloma and MVP Addison Kostrencich). 

UH leads the Big West in ERA (1.40), ranks third in slugging percentage (.456), stolen bases (7) & doubles (9) and is fourth in RBI (23) & scoring (5.00)

Kostrencich is 2-1 with a 1.19 ERA in three starts tossing 17.2 innings allowing three earned runs while striking out 11. CSUN transfer and Hawai'i native Carys Murakami leads the team hitting .364 and has a team-leading five runs and a .462 on-base percentage.

ABOUT CSU BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS
The Roadrunners are out to a 2-4 start to the season with wins over James Madison (2-0) and Illinois (4-0) at the UCF Black and Gold Classic in Orlando.

The Roadrunners went 5-46 overall in 2024 while finishing 10th in the Big West with a 3-24 mark.

Picked to finish 10th in the Big West preseason poll, the Roadrunners are hitting .143 as a team while scoring 1.67 runs per game and ranks third in the Big West with seven stolen bases.

Redshirt senior Kaia Johnson is leading CSUB in batting average hitting .385 from the plate and junior pitcher Bailee Bustos leads the WAC in innings pitched (22.1), second in WHIP (0.94) and third in ERA (0.31).

WAC RANKINGS IN 2025
The Trailblazers enter the week leading the WAC in batting average (.364), hits (52), on base percentage (.426), scoring (7.0), runs (35), stolen bases (13) and ranks second in walks (16).

Individually, four Trailblazers hit over .400 on opening weekend with Sadie Gardner leading the way tied for third in batting average (.667, 8-12), Cassidy Hornung (6th, .583, 7-12), LB Kahahawai-Kekona (7th, .500, 7-14) and Carly Eldredge (8th, .467, 7-15).

Gardner is tied for the WAC lead in hits (8), doubles (3) & stolen bases (5), tied for fifth in slugging percentage (.917) & fifth in on base percentage (.667).

In the circle, Sauren Garton is tied for the WAC lead in wins with two, third in strikeouts (15) & opposing batting average (.171) and fifth in ERA (1.17) & innings pitched (12.0).

UTAH TECH VS. OPPONENTS (last meeting)

• Utah Tech vs. Sacramento State: 0-3 (2022)
• Utah Tech vs. Western Illinois: First Meeting
• Utah Tech vs. Hawai'i: 2-1 (2023)
• Utah Tech vs. CSU Bakersfield: First Meeting

PAIR OF TRAILBLAZERS NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM
Eldredge and Kahahawai-Kekona were named to the Preseason All-WAC team.

A Preseason All-WAC selection in 2024, Eldredge enters her senior season after hitting .313 last season playing in 48 games while making 46 starts. Tying for the team lead with 46 hits, she ranked second on the team with 13 extra-base hits totaling seven doubles, two triples (team high) and four home runs (second on team) while scoring 16 runs, drove in 28 RBI and led the Trailblazers with 69 total bases.

Kahahawai-Kekona enters her junior season after earning Second Team All-WAC honors in 2024. Playing in 48 games, the Wailuka, Hawai'i native joined Eldredge notching a team-high 46 hits, led the team with 31 runs scored, drove in 14 RBI, tied for fifth in the WAC with 11 stole bases and tied for the team lead with 14 multi-hit games.

LEADING RETURNERS
Of the eight position players who started 30 or more games in 2024, the Trailblazers bring back five in Kahahawai-Kekona (48 starts), Marisa Rubio (45 starts), Eldredge (46 starts), Gabi Giroux (36 starts) and Gardner (30 starts).

In addition, junior outfielder Baylee Howley (28 starts) and sophomore outfielder Maka Sonognini (26 starts) also return  to the lineup this season.

In the circle, only one hurler returns in junior Sauren Garton. The Pendleton, Ore., native went 4-5 overall in 2024 making 18 appearances and nine starts in 50.2 innings while striking out 28.

NINE NEW TRAILBLAZERS 
The Trailblazers welcome nine newcomers to the fold this season with three transfers and six freshmen entering their first season at Utah Tech.

Junior infielder Cassidy Hornung (Fullerton College) along with sophomore pitchers Rylie Price (Dawson CC) & Madison Lucero (Nebraska Omaha) join from the transfer ranks. 

Freshmen infielder Jorja Crider (Eagle, Idaho), catcher/outfielder Kinley Pappas (Eugene, Ore.), outfielders Kennedy Embrey (Farmington, Utah) & Rylie Haith (Meridan, Idaho) and pitchers Cemryn Pickett (Berthoud, Colo.) & Lexie Wilson (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) will also look to make their mark out of the high school ranks.

NEUTRAL SITE MARKS
Utah Tech is 114-71 overall at neutral sites in the NCAA era. The Blazers are 78-58 at a neutral site under Simkins.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN 
Utah Tech is 201-118 overall on the road in the NCAA era. The Trailblazers are 174-97 on the road under head coach Randy Simkins.

UP NEXT
The Trailblazers return home to host the Lyman Classic Tournament on Feb. 20-23 hosted at both Karl Brooks Field and Canyon Softball Complex. Visiting teams include Boise State, Utah State, Idaho State, Weber State, UC San Diego and San Diego.