Softball | 4/7/2025 2:45:00 PM

(St. George, Utah - April 7, 2025) - The Trailblazers head to BYU on Tuesday afternoon for their final midweek contest of the season in Provo.

Game #39
Who | Utah Tech (14-24) at BYU (23-10)
When | Tuesday, April 8 / 5 p.m.
Where | Gail Miller Field / Provo, Utah
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

LAST TIME OUT
The Trailblazers dropped all three games at home to Tarleton State last weekend dropping games, 3-0, 10-3 and 8-3.

Utah Tech was held to two hits in game one and eight hits in game two in a doubleheader on Friday.

Getting a pair of singles by Baylee Howley and Carly Eldredge in game one, Gabi Giroux led the charge in game two with a 3-for-3 performance adding an RBI and scored a run.

The series finale on Saturday saw the Trailblazers post six hits in the contest led by Jorja Crider and Lakaiya-Braessia Kahahawai-Kekona with a team-leading two base knocks apiece.

Freshman Kinley Pappas added a double, RBI and scored a run while Eldredge and Giroux also drove in one run apiece.

In the circle, Sauren Garton made her 18th start of the season tossing three innings limiting Tarleton State to five hits, five runs and struck out one.

Lexie Wilson tossed the next three innings before the seventh inning went to Riley Price who struck out a pair of Texans.

ABOUT THE BYU COUGARS
BYU comes into Tuesday's contest with a 23-10 overall record and is tied for third in the Big 12 with Iowa State with a 7-5 mark.

The Cougars are coming off a series win over the Cyclones in Ames last weekend and also swept Houston on the road in March.

BYU has only played at home in four contests winning one of three over then-No. 11/9 Arizona and also hosted Utah Valley last week falling, 6-4.

As a team this season, the Cougars are hitting .311 as a team to rank fifth in the Big 12 and are third in the conference averaging 6.33 runs per game. BYU is 14-2 when scoring six or more runs and have been hot offensively since playing the Trailblazers in St. George on March 11 combining to score 93 runs over the last 12 contests.

BYU has been a power from the plate ranking second in the Big 12 and 24th nationally smacking 50 home runs and is also second in the conference slugging .533.

Four Cougars are hitting over .300 from the plate led by freshman Ilove'a Brittingham with a .427 average who leads the Big 12 in batting average, home runs (14) & RBI (52) and is second in slugging percentage (.845).

In the circle, BYU ranks fourth the Big 12 in ERA at 2.65 and is fifth in the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 2.27 with 180 strikeouts and 79 walks and are holding to opponents to a .242 average from the dish. 

Kaysen Korth and Kate Dahle have combined for 19 of the Cougars' 23 wins on the season with Korth leading the team in wins (11), starts (15), ERA (1.88), innings pitched (93.1), strikeouts (79) and saves (4). 

SERIES HISTORY VS. BYU
The Trailblazers are 0-9 overall against BYU having met earlier this season in St. George falling 14-0 in five innings on March 11.

Utah Tech is 0-4 on the road against BYU having played last season, one meeting in 2023 and had a pair of meetings in 2021.

WAC RANKINGS IN 2025
The Trailblazers lead the WAC in triples with 13 (18th nationally) and rank second in the conference in hits (317), sacrifice bunts (29), sacrifice flies (10), stolen bases (55) and walks (120).

Utah Tech checks in third in the conference in batting average (.306) and ranks fourth in RBI (177), on base percentage (.380), scoring (5.21) & runs (198).

Individually, Kahahawai-Kekona ranks fourth in the WAC in hits (46), sixth in batting average (.393) & runs (29) and seventh in RBI (30).

Hornung ranks ninth in the WAC hitting .360 from the plate, fourth in runs (31) & stolen bases (11) and leads the conference with 10 sacrifice bunts.

In the circle, Sauren Garton is tied for second in the WAC in complete games (7), third in appearances (25), starts (18) & innings pitched (100.1) & is seventh in strikeouts (67).

Riley Price is tied with Garton for the team lead with six wins and has tossed 80.1 innings (ninth in WAC) in 21 appearances and has struck out 38.

TRAILBLAZERS VS. POWER FOUR PROGRAMS
The Trailblazers are 2-21 against current members of a Power Four conference after a 5-2 win over Pitt at the Louisville Slugger Invitational on March 1.

Overall, BYU is one of eight programs the Trailblazers have faced joining Cal (ACC, 0-1), Utah (Big 12, 0-4), Arizona (Big 12, 0-1), Wisconsin (Big Ten, 1-2), Washington (Big Ten, 0-3) and Ole Miss (SEC, 0-1).

ON THE ROAD AGAIN 
Utah Tech is 204-125 (.620) overall on the road in the NCAA era.

The Trailblazers are 178-113 (.612) on the road under head coach Randy Simkins in the NCAA era.

UP NEXT
The Trailblazers stay on the road this weekend remaining in the state of Utah traveling to Southern Utah (9-22, 4-8 WAC) on Friday and Saturday.