EL PASO, Texas – The UTEP softball team (4-2) is set to travel to Tempe, Ariz., for its first road trip of the season to take on Illinois State (0-4), Minnesota (3-2), Portland State (4-1), California (4-1), and Arizona State (3-2) in the Littlewood Classic Feb. 18-20.
Schedule
Friday
vs. Illinois State – 11:30 a.m. MT | Live Stats
vs. Minnesota – 4 p.m. MT | Live Stats
Saturday
vs. Portland State – 9 a.m. MT | Live Stats
Sunday
vs. California – 1 p.m. MT | Live Stats
"We are looking forward to facing the teams we have set in Tempe," head coach TJ Hubbard said. "This weekend is a great early season test to see exactly where we are at and what we need to improve on. We learn a lot about who we are this road trip."
Freshman standout Aalijah Alarcon went 2-1 on the weekend and earned a save in her first four collegiate appearances. Alarcon opened the weekend with a pair of complete-game victories. Alarcon hurled 17.1 innings, tallying 15 K's and only five walks.
Offensively, UTEP was paced by junior Karina Somoza and freshman Kaylin Jackson. Somoza batted .571 (4-for-7) and Jackson hit .375 (6-for-16), while Lexi Morales posted a .357 (5-for-14) average, and Cheyenne Stark went 4-for-12 (.333).
Additionally, UTEP was 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts throughout the weekend with Autumn Scott (2), Morales (1), Ajia Richard (1), and Savannah Favre (1) accounting for the swipes.
Illinois State
- Through the first four games, with two contests against top 25 teams, Illinois State has recorded six extra-base hits - four doubles, a triple and a home run. Freshmen Addison Masching and Delainey Bryant are responsible for more than half of those as Masching has two doubles and Bryant has a triple and a double. Reili Gardner is responsible for the fourth double as well as four RBI, which is half of the Redbirds' total so far (8).
- The Miners will take on the Redbirds for the first time in program history on Friday.
Minnesota
- Minnesota has launched five home runs in five games this season to sit 47th in the NCAA in home runs per game. Five different players have hit a long ball helping the Gophers to a 3-2 record when hitting a home run and a team slugging percentage of .471. The team averaged 1.2 home runs per game to lead the Big Ten Conference and rank 27th nationally at the end of 2021.
- The Miners will take on the Gophers for the first time in program history on Friday.
Portland State
- Portland State began its 2022 campaign outscoring its opponents 48-13. The 48 runs were the most to start a season in program history. The Vikings finished the weekend 4-1, earning wins over Utah Valley, UC Riverside, and Pacific (Calif.). In their second meeting with Pacific, PSU was dealt their only loss, as the Tigers earned a 6-5 eight-inning victory.
- After meeting three times in 2018, UTEP holds a 4-2 series lead over the Vikings. The Miners have notched four-straight wins, the last one coming on Feb. 25 (8-4).
California
- Cal got off to a strong start last week at the Easton Classic in Fullerton, winning four of five games on the slate. The offense came early and often for the Bears in Fullerton as they put up 22 combined runs in two victories on opening day. Leadoff hitter Tatum Anzaldo led the offensive onslaught over the weekend, tallying a .556 batting average (10-for-18) with six runs scored, four RBI and a home run.
- UTEP is 0-1 against Cal with the lone meeting back in 2018 in the Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament. The Miners fell 4-0 as the Golden Bears had four runners cross the dish on five hits in the first frame.
ASU
- ASU went 3-2 in the Kajikawa Classic tournament Feb. 11-13 where the team outscored its opponents 25-19. Cydney Sanders leads the team with a .640 batting average after her collegiate debut over the weekend. The pitching staff had 36 strikeouts over the weekend, with Marissa Schuld having eight on Feb. 13 against Missouri State.
- ASU holds a 4-3 series lead over UTEP. The Trojans have notched four-straight wins, the last one coming last season on Mar. 6 (21-1). A Miner win this weekend would be the first victory over ASU since 2009.
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