ST. GEORGE, Utah-Last Saturday, as Dixie State’s softball program, arguably the strongest athletic program the Trail Blazers boast, vanquished Concordia of Irvine, they advanced to the NCAA Super regionals.
This represents the fourth time in the past five seasons that the dynastic Trail Blazers have reached this point.
Dixie State hosts the Chico State Wildcats who have won a program record 28 straight games, Thursday and Friday May 17 and 18 at Karl Brooks Field in St. George.
This is a best of 3 mini-series with Game 1 on Thursday commencing at 3:00 pm MDT. Game 2 is slated for Friday at 1:00 pm MDT. Should a Game 3 be necessary, opening pitch is slated for 3:30 pm MDT.
If the Trail Blazers are able to successfully quell the surging Wildcats (who last lost on March 16), they would advance to the Division II championship bracket May 24-26 at Salem, Va.
If Dixie State advances to the championship bracket, this would mark the fourth time in program history they have done so. In 2009, the Trail Blazers placed seventh in the standings , in 2014 they finished fourth and in 2015, they played in the national championship game before losing to the North Georgia Nighthawks.
Presently, senior outfielder/catcher Kenzie Sawyer and senior outfielder Janessa Bassett, have been the statistical leaders for the Trailblazers.
Sawyer, a product of Cedar City’s Canyon View High School, has a team-best .371 batting average while amassing 49 hits and 36 RBI on the season. Bassett, a product of Stansbury Park High School out of Stansbury, Utah, has also posted 36 RBI on the season and has a .370 batting average.
Bassett also has a team-best 57 hits while Sawyer has 49.
Additionally, freshman pitching phenom Cambrie Hazel, a Spanish Fork High product, continues to impress.
She has a team-best 1.58 ERA and has posted a 19-3 record thus far in the circle for the Trail Blazers.
The Wildcats are led by senior second base Karli Skowrup who has a team-best 63 hits and 60 RBI on the season.
Chico State also has excellent pitching as the collective ERA for the Wildcats is an astounding 1.73.
The ace of the Wildcats’ elite staff in the circle is senior pitcher Haley Gilham who has 170 strikeouts on the season and has a record of 29-2.
