Trailblazers Travel Back to California for USD/UCSD Tournament

By: Utah Tech Athletics Media Relations

Brooklyn Fehr / Utah Tech Athletics

Softball | 2/11/2026 4:30:00 PM

(St. George, Utah - Feb. 11, 2026) - The Trailblazers make the quick return back to California this week to compete in the USD/UCSD Tournament on Thursday through Saturday.

Game #6
Who | Utah Tech (0-5) at UC San Diego (4-1)
When | Thursday, Feb. 12 / 4 p.m.
Where | Triton Softball Field / La Jolla, Calif.
Broadcast | Live Stats | Watch
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

QUICK TRIP BACK TO SUNNY CALIFORNIA
The Trailblazers return back to California this week to compete in five contests in the San Diego/UC San Diego Tournament facing UCSD in a doubleheader on Thursday in La Jolla.

The weekend wraps up with three neutral site contests at San Diego's Reggie Smith Softball Complex facing Omaha & Colorado State on Friday and Weber State on Saturday.

GLANCE BACK AT OPENING WEEKEND IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
The Trailblazers opened the 2026 season last weekend in Southern California falling in all five contests.

Utah Tech dropped a pair of close contests on Friday to Oregon State (5-2) and Long Beach State (0-2) in Long Beach before dropping a high-scoring 11-6 decision at UC Riverside on Saturday.

The weekend closed out on Sunday at Loyola Marymount falling to the Lions, 9-1 in five innings and Big West preseason favorite UC Santa Barbara, 10-4.

ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS
UC San Diego went 4-1 on opening weekend at the La Jolla Invitational defeating Wagner College and Saint Louis twice while falling to Montana, 10-5.

The Tritons are coming off a 16-32 season in 2025 and finished sixth in the Big West with a 13-14 overall mark.

Picked to finish in a tie for fourth in the Big West along with Hawai'i, sophomore infielder Maalia Cherry was named to the Big West preseason team.

Sophomore Marley Espiau leads the Tritons hitting .571 (8-14) from the plate collecting five extra-base hits and also tops the team with six runs scored, nine RBI & 16 total bases.

In the circle, freshman right-hander Callie Howard leads the team with 10.1 innings thrown and sophomore Lauren Rozell has a team-high six strikeouts.

ABOUT OMAHA MAVERICKS
Omaha is off to a perfect 4-0 start to the season after earning wins in five, six, seven and eight innings last week at the UNI Dome Tournament dowing Iowa State twice, Butler in five innings and UNI, 7-6 in eight innings.

The Mavericks posted a 40-14 overall record in 2025, tied for the Summit League regular season title with a 14-4 alongside St. Thomas. Omaha won the Summit conference tournament and advanced to the Oklahoma Regional.

Picked to win the Summit League again this spring, junior pitcher Maddie Groff and senior infielder Taylor Sedlacek were named as Summit League Preseason Players to Watch.

Sedlacek leads the Mavs hitting .583 (7-12) scoring six runs and junior Sammy Schmidt is right behind her posting a .538 (7-13) average with four extra-base hits and notched 16 total bases and a 1.231 slugging percentage.

Senior pitcher Alexis Wiggins is 2-0 with a 2.52 ERA and has thrown 8.1 innings striking out three while holding opponents to a .258 average.

ABOUT COLORADO STATE RAMS
Colorado State is 3-2 on the season with wins over Cal Poly (1-0), UC Davis (6-2) and Sacramento State (7-0) and losses to Saint Mary's (6-5) & San Diego (5-1) last week at the NorCal Kickoff in Sacramento.

CSU is coming off a 16-32 overall record in 2025 and tied for eighth in the Mountain West with a 6-16 mark.

Selected seventh in the MW preseason poll, the Rams had just one selection to the MW preseason team in junior shortstop Kaylynn English.

Sophomore infielder Kyra Smith is leading the team hitting .522 (9-17) and sophomore outfielder Lauren Stucky is right behind her at .438 (7-16).

On the pitching side, junior left-hander Reagan Wick is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA throwing 14.2 shutout innings with a pair of complete games and has struck out 16 while only walking four.

ABOUT WEBER STATE WILDCATS
Weber State is off to a slow start to the season with a 0-5 mark at the Kickoff Classic hosted by Grand Canyon falling to the Lopes, Santa Clara twice and Southern Utah twice.

The Wildcats went 29-32 overall in 2025 and finished third in the Big Sky with an 8-7 mark.

WSU got hot at the end of the season winning four of five in the Big Sky Tournament and advanced to the Oregon Regional earning a win over Binghamton while falling to the Ducks twice.

Picked second in the Big Sky preseason poll, four Wildcats (Sadie Kirk, Taegan Smith, Abby Grundy & Cali McCraw) were named to the Big Sky Preseason Team.

Kirk leads the Wildcats hitting .444 (4-9) from the plate and sophomore outfielder Jordan McMahon is also smacking a .400 average.

Freshman pitcher Kendall Freidinger leads the team with four appearances and a team-best 3.97 ERA while also topping the team with 12.1 innings thrown & six strikeouts.

SERIES HISTORY VS. OPPONENTS

vs. UC San Diego - 7-9 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2022, 2023, 2025)
vs. Omaha - 0-1 (2025)
vs. Colorado State - 4-1 (2022)
vs. Weber State - 10-8 (2011, 2012, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
The Trailblazers are 16-30 all-time against Big West opponents, 0-1 against Summit League teams, 37-34 vs. Mountain West foes, & 17-15 vs. Big Sky opponents.

KAHAHAWAI-KEKONA OFF TO STRONG START
Getting off to a strong start, Kahahawai-Kekona recorded a hit in all five games on Opening Weekend hitting .563 (9-16) with a double, home run, two RBI, three runs scored & 13 total bases

Ranking sixth in the WAC in batting average, Kahahawai-Kekona has a pair of stolen bases and is also top 10 in slugging and on-base percentage.

LOOK AT THE 2026 SCHEDULE
The Trailblazers are back home to host the Lyman Classic (5 games) on Feb. 20-22 and Beehive Classic (4 games) on Feb. 26-March 1.

Non-conference action wraps up with five games at the UNLV Red & Black Classic (March 6-8) and three more contests at the Trailblazer Classic (March 13-14) before WAC action starts at Utah Valley (March 20-21).

The Trailblazers host Southern Utah (March 27-28) and will also see home series against UT Arlington (April 17-18) & Abilene Christian (May 1-2) with two more road WAC series at California Baptist (April 3-4) & Tarleton State (April 24-25).

SIMKINS IN YEAR 18 AT UTAH TECH
Head coach Rany Simkins enters his 18th season at Utah Tech this season with a 590-289 (.671) overall record.

After coaching the Trailblazers as a junior college in 2004, Simkins returned in 2010 and led UT to 10 straight Division II tournaments, including the 2015 DII College World Series.

In five seasons in Division I, Simkins has earned 107 wins and helped the Trailblazers win the 2023 WAC regular season title.

TRAILBLAZERS IN THE NCAA ERA
Utah Tech is 644-331 (.661) overall in its 19 seasons in the NCAA era.

In his 16 seasons leading the Trailblazers in the NCAA era, Simkins is 541-283 (.657).

NEUTRAL SITE MARK
Utah Tech is 119-76 overall at neutral sites in the NCAA era.

The Blazers are 83-63 at a neutral site under Simkins.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Utah Tech is 205-136 overall on the road in the NCAA era.

The Trailblazers are 178-115 on the road under Simkins.

UP NEXT
The Trailblazers make their way back home next week for the Lyman Classic Tournament on Feb. 20-22 at Karl Brooks Field facing UC Davis twice, CSU Bakersfield twice and Weber State.

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