In the midst of a four-game losing streak, the Southern Utah University women’s softball team hosts California Baptist University starting with a doubleheader on Friday, Mar. 21, at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The series finale will be on Saturday, Mar. 22, at 12 p.m.
All three games will be played on the Kathryn Berg Field and streamed live on ESPN+.
Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds enter this week 7-18 on the year, 2-4 in the Western Athletic Conference and 2-1 at home. Southern Utah currently sits No. 7 in the WAC.
One of SUU’s recent struggles has been its hitting. The Thunderbirds rank last in the WAC with 48 total runs scored and a .229 team batting average. Senior infielder Ariyana Miranda leads the team, batting .310.
Despite the early struggles, Southern Utah’s pitching staff has improved lately. SUU only gave up nine runs total in their three-game series against Abilene Christian University. Emily Delgado leads the team with a 3.39 earned run average.
California Baptist
The Lancers, despite the difjficult early schedule, continue to play competitive softball. California Baptist is 13-15 on the season and 2-1 in the WAC. Like Southern Utah, California Baptist is on a four-game losing streak.
CBU sits in the middle of the pack in hitting. The Lancers rank No. 5 in the WAC in runs scored with 84 and a .259 team batting average. Kate Penberthy and Kalena Burns have been CBU’s best hitters.
Pemberthy leads the Lancers with a batting average of .361. Pemberthy also leads the team with 24 runs batted in. Burns, a graduate student out of Corona, California, leads CBU with five home runs.
Defensively, the Lancers pose one of the most formidable pitching rotations in the conference. Lili Arana leads CBU with a 3.29 ERA and is 4-0 on the year. Annika Hollingsworth is first on the team and No. 5 in the WAC with 49 strikeouts.
Southern Utah finished 0-4 against California Baptist in 2024.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Chevy Blackburn
