University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Friday, February 22
San Jose, Calif.
10 am
University of Northern Colorado
vs
Ball State
Photo by: Dean Popejoy
@BearsSoftball Looks to Turn the Corner in Silicon Valley
2/21/2019 1:55:00 PM | Softball
Norther Colorado will play five games in the Silicon Valley Classic this weekend
After traveling south last weekend, Northern Colorado softball will head west to California for the Silicon Valley Classic. The tournament is co-hosted by San Jose State and Santa Clara from Friday to Sunday. UNC play five games in total, with two against Santa Clara, one against San Jose State, along with one game against Ball State and Utah Valley.
The Bears participated in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge last weekend, dropping all four games in the tournament.
"What I'm looking for is for us to turn the corner and head in with a little bit of accountability," head coach Ben Garcia said. "We've had a great week of practice and I'm really excited about this weekend. I think we've been able to identify some of the problems we've been having and they're all internal, which we can fix. We've done a lot of mental stuff this week and the girls have bought into it so I'm really excited for the games."
Kenzie Kudrna went four-for-11 in Puerto Vallarta, going three-for-three against No. 11 Arkansas. Kudrna hit one double against UCF and is eighth in the Big Sky with a .375 batting average.
A pair of Bears recorded their first career hits, with Taylor Puga singling against UCF and Katie Simonsgaard singling against the Razorbacks.
Despite going winless over the weekend, Valerie Vidal improved her command, striking out 10 batters and walking four.
Northern Colorado will look to rebound this weekend in San Jose and Santa Clara.
Scouting the Cardinals
Ball State will travel to California with a 7-4 record to start the season, after playing six games last weekend in Florida. The Cardinals went 4-2 in the Madeira Beach Invitational, with wins over Monmouth(3-0), Central Arkansas(5-4), Delaware(9-0) and Quinnipiac(3-2). Darci Huber has been strong in the circle for Ball State, posting a 0.47 ERA in four starts with a 1-1 record. In her 15 innings pitched, Huber has recorded 12 strikeouts and seven walks. Sarah Venker has also pitched well, with a 0.98 ERA and a 3-0 record in 14.1 innings of work, while striking out 14 and walking five.
Northern Colorado played two games against Ball State in 2012, dropping both 9-1 and 9-5.
Scouting the Spartans
San Jose State's records sits at 5-5 after competing in the Troy Cox Classic last weekend, going 2-2. The Spartans picked up wins over Montana(6-5) and host New Mexico State(3-1), while losing to Texas State(3-12) and Bradley(6-14). Junior outfielder Makalya Englestad has been strong at the plate so far this season, recording a .429 batting average, with eight runs scored, three doubles and two RBIs. In the circle, freshman Jenessa Ullegue has made two starts and appeared in five games, carrying a 2.58 ERA with a 1-1 record, with 14 strikeouts and three walks.
UNC last faced San Jose State in 2010, with the Spartans knocking off the Bears, 16-1.
Scouting the Broncos
Santa Clara has a 1-6 recording going into the Silicon Valley Classic and went 1-2 last weekend. The Broncos dropped its first two games against Army(0-8) and Binghamton(3-8), before salvaging the weekend with a 6-4 win over Army. Sophomore Sammy Needham has been blistering hot to start the season, with a .524 batting average and four doubles, along with two RBIs. Freshman Regan Dias has also started her career strong, with a .375 average and scoring five runs and knocking in two runs.
Northern Colorado faced Santa Clara for the first time in 2015, splitting games with Broncos, 5-0 and 2-10.
Scouting the Aggies
Utah State enters the weekend with a 3-7 record after the first two weeks of the season. The Aggies have faced a pair of ranked opponents last weekend, dropping games to No. 4 Florida(1-13) and No. 14 Arizona State(2-10). Freshman infielder Lexi Orozco has injected power into the Utah State lineup, already smacking four home runs and driving in 11 runs, with a .357 batting average. Another Aggie bat that has been producing early in the season is junior outfielder Riley Plogger, with 12 hits and one home run, along with 10 runs scored.
Last season, UNC swept the season series against Utah Valley, winning both games 3-2 on the road. Â
Following the Bears
Northern Colorado will play its first game of the Silicon Valley Classic against Ball State on Friday, Feb. 22nd at 10 am MST, followed by a game against co-host, San Jose State, at 3 pm. UNC will then make the quick drive to take on the other co-host, Santa Clara, on Saturday, Feb. 23rd at 12:30 pm. The Bears will finish up the road trip with two games on Sunday, Feb. 24th, starting with Utah State at 10 am and then Santa Clara at 12:30 pm.
Live stats will be available through SJSUSpartans.com for both of UNC's games in San Jose, with a live video stream of the game against San Jose State. Live stats will also be available for the Bears three games in Santa Clara at SantaCalraBroncos.com.
Follow all of the games on Twitter for live scores with @BearsSoftball.
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The Bears participated in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge last weekend, dropping all four games in the tournament.
"What I'm looking for is for us to turn the corner and head in with a little bit of accountability," head coach Ben Garcia said. "We've had a great week of practice and I'm really excited about this weekend. I think we've been able to identify some of the problems we've been having and they're all internal, which we can fix. We've done a lot of mental stuff this week and the girls have bought into it so I'm really excited for the games."
Kenzie Kudrna went four-for-11 in Puerto Vallarta, going three-for-three against No. 11 Arkansas. Kudrna hit one double against UCF and is eighth in the Big Sky with a .375 batting average.
A pair of Bears recorded their first career hits, with Taylor Puga singling against UCF and Katie Simonsgaard singling against the Razorbacks.
Despite going winless over the weekend, Valerie Vidal improved her command, striking out 10 batters and walking four.
Northern Colorado will look to rebound this weekend in San Jose and Santa Clara.
Scouting the Cardinals
Ball State will travel to California with a 7-4 record to start the season, after playing six games last weekend in Florida. The Cardinals went 4-2 in the Madeira Beach Invitational, with wins over Monmouth(3-0), Central Arkansas(5-4), Delaware(9-0) and Quinnipiac(3-2). Darci Huber has been strong in the circle for Ball State, posting a 0.47 ERA in four starts with a 1-1 record. In her 15 innings pitched, Huber has recorded 12 strikeouts and seven walks. Sarah Venker has also pitched well, with a 0.98 ERA and a 3-0 record in 14.1 innings of work, while striking out 14 and walking five.
Northern Colorado played two games against Ball State in 2012, dropping both 9-1 and 9-5.
Scouting the Spartans
San Jose State's records sits at 5-5 after competing in the Troy Cox Classic last weekend, going 2-2. The Spartans picked up wins over Montana(6-5) and host New Mexico State(3-1), while losing to Texas State(3-12) and Bradley(6-14). Junior outfielder Makalya Englestad has been strong at the plate so far this season, recording a .429 batting average, with eight runs scored, three doubles and two RBIs. In the circle, freshman Jenessa Ullegue has made two starts and appeared in five games, carrying a 2.58 ERA with a 1-1 record, with 14 strikeouts and three walks.
UNC last faced San Jose State in 2010, with the Spartans knocking off the Bears, 16-1.
Scouting the Broncos
Santa Clara has a 1-6 recording going into the Silicon Valley Classic and went 1-2 last weekend. The Broncos dropped its first two games against Army(0-8) and Binghamton(3-8), before salvaging the weekend with a 6-4 win over Army. Sophomore Sammy Needham has been blistering hot to start the season, with a .524 batting average and four doubles, along with two RBIs. Freshman Regan Dias has also started her career strong, with a .375 average and scoring five runs and knocking in two runs.
Northern Colorado faced Santa Clara for the first time in 2015, splitting games with Broncos, 5-0 and 2-10.
Scouting the Aggies
Utah State enters the weekend with a 3-7 record after the first two weeks of the season. The Aggies have faced a pair of ranked opponents last weekend, dropping games to No. 4 Florida(1-13) and No. 14 Arizona State(2-10). Freshman infielder Lexi Orozco has injected power into the Utah State lineup, already smacking four home runs and driving in 11 runs, with a .357 batting average. Another Aggie bat that has been producing early in the season is junior outfielder Riley Plogger, with 12 hits and one home run, along with 10 runs scored.
Last season, UNC swept the season series against Utah Valley, winning both games 3-2 on the road. Â
Following the Bears
Northern Colorado will play its first game of the Silicon Valley Classic against Ball State on Friday, Feb. 22nd at 10 am MST, followed by a game against co-host, San Jose State, at 3 pm. UNC will then make the quick drive to take on the other co-host, Santa Clara, on Saturday, Feb. 23rd at 12:30 pm. The Bears will finish up the road trip with two games on Sunday, Feb. 24th, starting with Utah State at 10 am and then Santa Clara at 12:30 pm.
Live stats will be available through SJSUSpartans.com for both of UNC's games in San Jose, with a live video stream of the game against San Jose State. Live stats will also be available for the Bears three games in Santa Clara at SantaCalraBroncos.com.
Follow all of the games on Twitter for live scores with @BearsSoftball.
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