From the basement of the Pac-12 to hosting an NCAA Regional six years later, the Utah softball team has come a long way since joining the league. The Utes has an incredible regular season, and jumped into the top 10 in the polls after some marquee wins, including over No. 1 Arizona, No. 10 UCLA and No.7 LSU.
The Utes advanced to the Super Regionals last year, which is similar to the Sweet 16, but this is the first time the program has hosted a Regional. It’s a very exciting time for the program, especially considering how far it’s come in a rather short period of time.
Utah will host Fordam on Thursday, and BYU and Mississippi State will play each other earlier in the day. If you can, get up to campus and check out these games, they’ll be a good time.
Here’s the official press release from the AD, with a little more info.
SALT LAKE CITY - Utah Softball will host a NCAA Regional for the first time in program history, Thurs.-Sat. at the Dumke Family Softball Stadium
BYU will play Mississippi State on Thursday at 4 p.m. with the Utes taking on Fordham, champions of the Atlantic 10, in the nightcap at approximately 6:30 p.m. All of the games can be seen live via ESPN3
The Utes went 33-14 overall and finished fifth in the Pac-12 Conference with a record of 13-9. Utah is ranked No. 13 in the latest NFCA/USA Today Poll and checked in at No. 16 in the most recent RPI standings.
With 11 wins against teams ranked in the Top 25, including a series victory over No. 1 Arizona, a sweep of No. 10 UCLA in Westwood and shutouts of No. 13 Tennessee and No. 7 LSU, Utah will be heading to the NCAA Tournament for a record third year in a row and 15th time overall. The Utes have an all-time record of 21-32 in NCAA postseason play, including a 20-24 record in Regional Tournaments. Last season, Utah won three of four games at the Lexington Regional to advance to Super Regionals for the first time since the expansion of the NCAA Tournament. The Utes were then beaten by No. 8 Florida State
Utah and the Cougars met this season in Provo with BYU coming out on top, 4-3. The Utes are 4-2 all-time vs. Mississippi State with the last contest occurring in 2005 and 1-0 vs. Fordham with the only meeting in 2007.