Boise State announced on April 7 that its softball team will make two stops during a four-game road trip, playing a doubleheader at Utah State on April 8 followed by a two-game series at Grand Canyon from April 10 to 11.
This stretch of games is important for the Broncos as they seek to improve their record in the Mountain West Conference. Boise State enters the week with an overall record of 18-23 and a conference mark of 4-8. The team was swept at home by New Mexico last week, losing all three games, including an extra-inning defeat in the second matchup.
The Broncos have historically performed well against Utah State, holding a series lead of 34-13 and having won all four meetings last year. However, Utah State took two out of three games at home earlier this season. Against Grand Canyon, Boise State has won two out of three previous contests played in Phoenix. The Lopes are currently ranked as high as No. 20 nationally according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll.
Head coach Justin Shults is approaching a school milestone with his fifth season leading Boise State; he has accumulated 160 wins and needs just fourteen more victories to set the program’s career wins record. Pitcher Loula-Rae McNamara has also made notable contributions this season, ranking second in NCAA Division I with thirty-two pitching appearances and tied for sixth nationally with four saves.
Other highlights from this season include junior Skylar Stroh leading the team with thirty-five runs batted in and hitting key home runs against top-ranked opponents such as Stanford. Freshman Charley Duran earned Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Week honors earlier this year after several strong performances in relief pitching.
The Broncos’ schedule remains challenging; they have already played twenty-five games against teams ranked in the top one hundred by Massey Ratings and will face several more highly regarded programs before season’s end.
