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Junior Kara Foster is second in school history with 38 career home runs.
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Feb. 9, 2009
Louisville Slugger Classic Notes 
SALT LAKE CITY - The University of Utah softball team takes its 3-2 record to the Louisville Slugger Classic this week in Las Vegas, Nev. The Utes' five-game schedule begins Friday against No. 21/18 Nevada (11:15 a.m.) and continues against Portland State (1:30 p.m.). On Saturday, Utah takes on Oregon State (1:30 p.m.) and Cal State Fullerton (6 p.m.) before the event finale Sunday against UC Davis (11:15 a.m.).
Red Desert Classic Review: The Utes went 3-2 in their first weekend of the season with wins over San Jose State (6-5), Utah State (10-0, 6 inn.), and Utah Valley (10-2, 5 inn.). Utah dropped an 11-5 decision to Loyola Marymount in the second game Friday then lost 4-0 to No. 15/21 Washington in Sunday's first game. Ashley Smuda (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Joni Cook (Eagle, Idaho) combined for a six-inning no-hitter Saturday against the Aggies.
Hammerin' Holm: Freshman third baseman Whitney Holm (Spanish Fork, Utah) came through with timely hits last weekend at the Red Desert Classic.
In the first game of Holm's career, San Jose State scored two runs in the top half of the fifth inning to cut the Utes' lead to 5-4 before Holm hit her first career home run in the bottom half of the inning to give the Utes the edge for good in a 6-5 win. Against Utah State, Holm led the way to a 10-0 six-inning win with a pair of home runs. Holm went 2-for-3 with three RBI against the Aggies.
In the field, Holm was flawless at third base with eight assists and two putouts, posting a 1.000% fielding percentage.
Last Time At The Louisville Slugger Classic: Utah went 2-3 in its most recent trip to the Louisville Slugger Classic, Feb. 17-19, 2007. The Utes topped Florida International (8-1), and Seton Hall (10-0, 5 inn.), but fell to Oklahoma State (2-1), Oregon (6-0), and Hawaii (3-1).
Diana Phillips' three-run homer in the fifth put the game out of reach for FIU as Utah ran away with a seven-run win.
A home run from Staci Hemingway (Taylorsville, Utah) powered the Utes past Seton Hall. Hemingway led the team in on-base percentage (.500) and hit .273 in the five games over the weekend.
Kelly Matthews' RBI bunt in the fifth inning was all Utah had against OSU, as the Utes couldn't counter two Cowgirl RBI singles. All OU needed was a solo home run in the second as it shut out Utah. Hawaii benefitted from two homers, too, but surrendered a solo shot in the sixth.
Scouting the Competition: The Utes will face five opponents at the Louisville Slugger Classic ...
No. 21/18 Nevada (3-1): The Wolfpack faired well in its season-opening tournament, the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. Nevada defeated No. 9 Northwestern, 2-1, in 11 innings and also notched wins over Cal State Bakersfield (9-3) and Wichita State (12-5). UN suffered its first loss of the season to No. 7 Arizona in a 7-2 decision. Katie Holverson is 2-1 on the mound with a 2.02 ERA, while Britton Murdock is 7-for-14 with a .929 slugging percentage at the plate.
Portland State (2-2): PSU got its season off to a solid start with wins over McNeese State (10-0) and UTEP (5-4) at the Kajikawa Classic. The Vikings were defeated by Wichita State (10-9) and Arizona State (8-0). Tori Rogers pitched a five-inning complete game shut out of McNeese State with five strikeouts.
Oregon State (2-2): The Beavers split four games at the Cathedral City Kickoff in Cathedral City, Calif. OSU knocked off Wisconsin (4-3) and Georgia (3-2), but suffered losses to Southern Illinois (3-1) and Houston (12-4).
Cal State Fullerton (1-0): Rain cancelled four of the Titans' first five games, but CSUF did claim a 9-2 win in five innings at home over Indiana on Sunday. Francesca Gonzales and Courtney Martinez hit two home runs apiece against the Hoosiers.
UC Davis (3-1): Sophomore Alex Holmes was named Big West Conference Softball Co-Pitcher of the Week after not allowing a run to Liberty or James Madison at the Cathedral City Kickoff.
Clean-Fielding Utes: Utah committed only two errors in five games last weekend at the Red Desert Classic, one each by Smuda and Cook. All together, the Utes had a .984 fielding percentage.
Spoiler Alert: Catcher Andrea Hoffman (West Valley, Utah) broke up a no-hitter for No. 15 Washington's Danielle Lawrie with two outs and two strikes in the count in the seventh inning Sunday at the Red Desert Classic.
Second Base Power Surge: Starting second baseman Bonnie Muir (West Jordan, Utah) hit her second career home run Saturday against Utah State and freshman backup Jasey Jensen (Layton, Utah) hit the first of her career Sunday against Utah Valley.
Cookin' On The Mound: Despite recording a loss, Cook performed well against No. 15 Washington, allowing only five hits and three earned runs with six strikeouts in her second career start.
Foster Moving Up The Utah Home Run Chart: Junior center fielder Kara Foster (Derby, Kan.) has hit three more home runs this season and is now second in school history with 38 home runs. Melissa Stahnke holds the school record with 49 career home runs from 2001 to 2004.
Versatile Utes: Three veteran Ute players have switched positions this season. Hemingway moved from shortstop to second base during 2008 and will now play first base in 2009. Foster was stationed at first base during the 2007 and2008 seasons and will now play center field, while Angie Boardman (Spokane, Wash.) moves from third base to right field. Sharee Fonoti (Ewa Beach, Hawaii), a shortstop, is the only starting infielder returning to the spot she played in 2008.
Utes Fourth In MWC Preseason Poll: Utah was tabbed fourth in the 2009 MWC Preseason Poll, the conference office announced Jan. 28. The Utes tallied 14 points in the voting. Utah was picked to finish sixth in last season's voting before placing third in 2009.
Hogue's Thoughts: Utah's second-year head coach Amy Hogue offers her thoughts on last weekend at the Red Desert Classic:
On Cook's performance against No. 15 Washington on Sunday: "Cook threw a five-hitter against an excellent-hitting Washington team. She didn't throw like a freshman today and kept us within reach. We had our chance to score early but just didn't capitalize. I would have liked to have seen what would have happened if we could have pushed that run across in the first."
On Holm at the plate all weekend: "Holm is putting on a showcase and she really looks comfortable up there. She really looks like a veteran in the box."
On the pitching against USU: "Smuda threw the ball right where we asked her to throw it. It was also key that Cook got comfortable on the mound."
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