Utah Valley University will play its first home softball game of the season against in-state rival Weber State on March 17, with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. MDT. The matchup at Wolverine Softball Field marks the beginning of a six-game homestand for Utah Valley, and admission is free. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+, with live statistics available at GoUVU.com/stats.
The contest serves as Utah Valley’s final non-conference game before Western Athletic Conference (WAC) play begins later in the week. The Wolverines are set to host Utah Tech for the Old Hammer Rivalry series starting March 20.
Utah Valley enters the home opener following a successful road trip in Northern California, where the team posted a 4-1 record. The Wolverines currently hold a 16-8 record, their best win percentage entering conference play since joining the WAC in 2014. Pitcher Lily Riley played a key role during the trip, throwing over 23 innings and earning WAC Pitcher of the Week honors after her performance against Pacific, which included a program-record 10-inning complete game.
Offensively, Tatum Hall led Utah Valley during their California games with eight hits and three consecutive multi-hit performances. Emma Haygood contributed eight hits and five runs batted in, leading the team overall in batting average (.415), RBIs (25), and home runs (5). Ry Binne has maintained a ten-game hitting streak since becoming the everyday shortstop.
Weber State arrives with a 7-22 record but recently secured a series win over Oregon State. Appolonia Maldonado leads Weber State offensively with four home runs and twenty-seven RBIs this season. In their previous meeting this year, Utah Valley defeated Weber State 6-4.
Head coach Cody Thomson recently achieved his one-hundredth career win against Sacramento State, becoming only the second coach in Utah Valley’s Division I era to reach that milestone and doing so faster than any predecessor. Freshman catcher Maddie McSorley also made headlines by hitting her first collegiate home run during UVU’s victory over UC Davis.
