USU Softball primed for conference slate

By Jake Ellis and Emma Becerra SPORTS EDITOR AND STAFF REPORTER

Utah State Softball relied on the long ball and two workhorse pitchers to finish fourth in the Mountain West Conference in 2022 with a record of 13-11. This year, the Aggies will have to overcome the loss of five integral athletes and train their rising stars to have a shot at making the conference tournament come May.

USU has a lot to prove after being predicted to finish last by the conference’s nine coaches. That skepticism has some merit, considering the Aggies’ losses of shortstop Lexi Orozco, USU’s all-time leader in RBIs and home runs, and pitcher Kapri Toone, who led the team with a 2.89 ERA. Both transferred out of the program during the offseason.

“Predictions don’t mean anything,” head coach Steve Johnson said. “I didn’t think we’d be last, but when you lose a pitcher who had as many innings and wins as Kapri did, and you lose some of the bigger names that we had, I mean, yeah, it’s not unexpected, but they don’t mean anything. It’s a matter of where you finish at the end of the year instead of somebody predicting it.”

Despite the personnel change, Utah State has two promising first-year players already making an impact. In the first week of the season, pitcher and outfielder Hailey McLean was honored as the Mountain West Pitcher and Freshman of the Week after tabbing a single-game, program-record 20 strikeouts in her collegiate debut against CSU Bakersfield.

“Hailey has so much heart when she’s on the field,” senior catcher and infielder Gabriella Jimenez said. “Just being behind that, it pumps me up, and I know like, she’s in it and we’re all going to be behind her. And she just brings us this personality that I feel like we needed.”

Two weeks later, outfielder Jaden Colunga won Mountain West Player and Freshman of the Week honors when she hit .667, a home run and six RBIs against Montana and South Dakota.

“She comes in and she does her work every single day, and she wants to make the team better,” Jimenez said of Colunga.

Johnson said both players’ potential is “sky high.”

“Both of them are learning how to go through games and live life as a Division I athlete,” Johnson said. “As long as they continue to learn and grow from every opportunity, they are going to have a great season.”

Even with some veteran losses, Jimenez, Utah State’s home-run leader last season, elected to use her extra eligibility from the coronavirus for a fifth collegiate season. “I decided to come back because I felt like I wasn’t done here at Utah State, and I wanted to give back to those that were coming in and just continue for one more year with this team,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez earned First-Team All-Mountain West and started in all games last year for the Aggies. She currently holds the program’s single-season home run record with 15 in 2022. So far this season, she’s appeared in almost all games and hit her first bomb against Montana.

The infield seems to be one of Utah State’s biggest question marks, as Johnson has tried a few different looks during the first few tournaments.

“The first 20 games before we get into conference play, it’s all about learning for who’s going to be our regular, everyday starters,” Johnson said.

USU is looking for underclassmen to take a leap.

Johnson said he’s already seen infielder Claudia Medina making strides and being a vocal leader.

Infielder Claire Raley is another sophomore who has found success in the early season. Through the first three tourneys, Raley batted .364 with a .947 OPS in 33 at bats. She also hit her first career home run against Montana.

The Aggies return a lot of experience in the outfield with seniors Tyler Thornton and Mazie Macfarlane, though Macfarlane has yet to play this season. Johnson called them “vocal leaders,” along with catcher and infielder Makenzie Macfarlane, Mazie’s twin, and pitcher Jessica Stewart.

The Aggies’ starting rotation is headlined by sophomore Mia Reynolds. In her first collegiate season last year, Reynolds threw 129.1 innings and tallied three complete games, including two shutouts. She also led the Aggies in strikeouts with 94, but her ERA hovered above five due to tough outings against North Dakota State, Dixie State and UC Davis.

Reynolds has already shown improvement from her 2022 campaign, recording a 2.73 ERA in 33.1 innings through the first three tournaments this season.

“She’s super consistent, super level-headed,” said Alyssa Millemon, a senior pitcher. “I think she brings a ton to the pitching staff.”

McLean and fellow first-year Tess Bumiller rounded out the starting rotation through the first few weeks of the season.

Laing and Millemon.

Millemon transferred from Salt Lake Community College last season and has taken a “step up” after dealing with the pressure of transitioning from JUCO to D-I.

“I think last year, it was a bit of a slap in the face coming from JUCO and just experiencing a lot of nerves,” Millemon said. “I think I just kind of wanted to step up and just get over the nerves myself, and just go out there and throw like I know how and not apply extra pressure.”

She started in two games and appeared in 13 last year. Through the first three tournaments of the season, Millemon posted a 0.64 ERA in 11 innings of work.

USU plays the first game in the Beehive State this year at Utah Valley on March 14, and then they start the 22game long Mountain West slate. To make the conference tournament and get a chance at an NCAA Tournament bid, the Aggies will need to be in the top six of the Mountain West. That can be a lot of pressure on a young team, but Millemon said if they keep things going, she likes their chances.

“I just like to compete and win,” Millemon said. “I think if we go out there and compete, get our bats going, keep the defense, keep pitching where it’s at right now, I think we’ll do really well.”

Jimenez added that she thinks the conference will be “really competitive.”

“It’s always competitive every year, but I feel like we have a good chance of being in that tournament at the end of the year for sure,” Jimenez said.

The Aggies are set to host their home-opening and conference-opening series on March 17 against New Mexico at LaRee & LeGrand Johnson field, weather permitting.