Softball | 4/30/2025 11:45:00 AM

(St. George, Utah - April 30, 2025) - The Trailblazers close out the 2025 season at Weber State on Saturday afternoon at Wildcat Softball Stadium in Ogden.

Game #49
Who | Utah Tech (15-33) at Weber State (22-29)
When | Saturday, May 3 / 12 p.m.
Where | Wildcat Softball Stadium / Ogden, Utah
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

Game #50
Who | Utah Tech (15-33) at Weber State (22-29)
When | Saturday, May 3 / 2:30 p.m.
Where | Wildcat Softball Stadium / Ogden, Utah
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

LAST TIME OUT
The Trailblazers dropped all three of their contests at #25 Grand Canyon last weekend falling 5-3, 13-2 in five innings and 6-4 to the Lopes, who earned the WAC regular season over the weekend.

Freshman Kinley Pappas led the way offensively in game one of Friday's doubleheader with a 3-for-3 performance coming a triple shy of the cycle while six other Trailblazers had one base knock apiece.

The second game saw singles from five Trailblazers with runs scored by Carly Eldredge and Rylie Haith.

The series wrapped up on Saturday with Pappas continuing to stay hot to close out her first season as a Trailblazer on a tear as she tallied her fifth multiple hit game in her last nine games and added her first career stolen base along with an RBI, walk and scored a run.

Eldredge extended her hitting streak to seven games and added a pair of hits and stole a base.

In the circle, Sauren Garton tossed her 10th complete game of the season throwing six innings allowing GCU to notch nine hits, six runs and added a strikeout.

In the first contest, the Trailblazers raced out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first with Pappas jumping on the first pitch from Lopes hurler Taryn Batterton for her third home run of the season.

After GCU responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first on a bases-loaded walk and sacrifice fly, the Lopes the contest at three in the fourth with another sacrifice fly.

GCU tacked on a pair of go-ahead runs in the fifth thanks to an RBI single up the middle and a third sacrifice fly of the contest to push ahead, 5-3.

The second contest saw the Trailblazers jump out to another quick lead in game two with a two-run first inning, but unfortunately for the Trailblazers, it was all Grand Canyon from there as the Lopes responded with 13 unanswered runs for the run-rule victory.

Closing out the series, the Trailblazers scored first for the third game in a row jumping ahead 1-0 in the top of the first after Pappas swiped home and Eldredge stole second on a double steal.

GCU responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame with a two-run home run and added a run in the third and two more in the fourth for a 5-1 lead.

A sacrifice fly by Ellie Evans in the sixth cut the GCU lead down to 6-3 and Marisa Rubio knocked home Lakaiya-Braessia Kahahawai-Kekona in the seventh to keep UT within a pair of runs.

After walks by Haith and Gabi Giroux loaded the bases and put the go-ahead run on the base paths for pinch-hitter Kennedy Embrey, she went down on strikes as the Trailblazers fought to the final out.

ABOUT THE WEBER STATE WILDCATS
Weber State closes out the regular season on Saturday and enters the weekend with a 22-29 overall mark and finished third in the six-team Big Sky with an 8-7 mark.

The Wildcats, who will be the number three seed in next week's Big Sky Tournament in Colorado, are coming off winning one of three games last weekend at home against Northern Colorado and are 6-8 at home this season.

WSU swept Montana and took a series over Sacramento State, both on the road, in Big Sky play, while being swept at home by regular season champion Idaho State.

The Wildcats will look to surpass their win total from 2024 this weekend after finishing last season with a 22-28 overall mark and finished fifth in the Big Sky regular season standings and went 2-2 in the Big Sky Tournament.

As a team, WSU is second in the Big Sky in hits (371) and fourth in scoring as the Wildcats are averaging 4.43 runs per game. The Wildcats are third in the conference in RBI (213) and doubles (64) while ranking fourth in batting average (.279), home runs (40) and runs (226).

Four Wildcat starters are hitting .300 or better with junior catcher Riley Whalen and junior infielder Abby Grundy ranking among the top 10 in the Big Sky in batting average hitting .369 and .360, respectively.

Whalen leads the team in at-bats (160) & total bases (80) and is the Big Sky leader with 59 hits. Grundy tops the conference with 16 doubles and is fifth in the league with a .649 slugging percentage.

In the circle, the Wildcats have a 5.76 ERA to rank third in the Big Sky and are fourth in the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio (0.90) & strikeouts per seven innings (3.01). Opponents are hitting .333 and averaging six runs per game.

Junior pitcher Cali McCraw tops the team in ERA (3.11), wins (9), starts (13), complete games (5), innings pitched (94.1), strikeouts (42) and opponent batting average (.278). Joslynn Veltien has added five wins and Jacyi Finch is second on the club with 68.0 innings pitched.

SERIES HISTORY VS. WEBER STATE
The Trailblazers lead the all-time series over Weber State, 10-6 having won three of the last four meetings against the Wildcats over the last three seasons. 

The two teams met earlier this season at the Lyman Classic Tournament with the Trailblazers blanking the Wildcats, 5-0 behind a complete game one-hitter from Sauren Garton on Feb. 23.

Since Utah Tech moved to Division I in 2021, the Trailblazers and Wildcats are 6-6 with all 12 meetings coming in St. George.

The Trailblazers only trip to Ogden came for a pair of games in 2012 as the two teams also met in 2011 with then-Dixie State winning a doubleheader.

LOOK AT THE TRAILBLAZERS TRIO OF SENIORS IN THEIR FINAL PAIR OF GAMES

- Carly Eldredge - Arvada, Colo./Holy Family HS

    - 195 GP, 187 GS, .343 AVG, 574 AB, 197 H, 93 R, 94 RBI, 24 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 17 SB

    - Eldredge ranks seventh in career at-bats (574) & is 10th in assists (194) and entered the top 10 last weekend in career hits with 197 to rank ninth.

- Ellie Evans - Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake HS

    - 156 GP, 27 GS, .200 AVG, 105 AB, 21 H, 53 R, 10 RBI, 3 2B, 13 SB

- Marisa Rubio - Victorville, Calif./Silverado HS

    - 173 GP, 138 GS, .296 AVG, 416 AB, 123 H, 53 R, 58 RBI, 18 2B, 3 3B, 11 SB

WAC RANKINGS IN 2025
The Trailblazers enter the final week of the regular season leading the WAC in triples with 15 (25th nationally), check in second in batting average (.306), scoring (5.29), sacrifice flies (15), sacrifice bunts (35) & stolen bases (61) and third in RBI (229), runs (254).

Individually, Lakaiya-Braessia Kahahawai-Kekona is tied for the WAC lead in triples (3) and sixth in hits (51).

Five more Trailblazer starters are hitting over .300 with Kinley Pappas (.348), Carly Eldredge (.348), Cassidy Hornung (.342), Baylee Howley (.336) and Marisa Rubio (.302) all sitting above that mark.

Hornung is second in the WAC in sacrifice bunts (11), fifth in stolen bases (13), tied for sixth with 33 runs scored while Jorja Crider is tied for 10th in the conference with seven home runs.

In the circle, Sauren Garton is second in the WAC in complete games (10) & starts (25), third in appearances (32) & innings pitched (132.2), & is seventh in strikeouts (76).

Riley Price has added six wins and has tossed 95.0 innings in 27 appearances (T-8th in WAC) and has struck out 41.

TOP 10 SINGLE SEASON MARKS
The Trailblazers have totaled 15 triples this season to lead the WAC and rank 25th nationally as it is tied for fourth-most in a single season in program history.

Utah Tech has also been lighting quick on the base paths swiping 61 stolen bases (second in the WAC) as a team as they are only six away from reaching the top 10 in program history.

The Trailblazers' have posted a .958 fielding percentage that sits eighth all-time in a single season.

UTAH TECH IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
The Trailblazers are 9-15 in non-conference action this season going 1-7 on the road with their lone win coming in the season opener at UC Riverside on Feb. 7.

UT is 2-4 at home and 6-4 at neutral site this season.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN 
Utah Tech is 205-131 (.610) overall on the road in the NCAA era.

The Trailblazers are 179-119 (.601) on the road under head coach Randy Simkins in the NCAA era.

ALL-WAC SELECTIONS ANNOUNCED ON MAY 6
The WAC will announce its postseason award winners on Tuesday prior to the start of the WAC Tournament on Wednesday.