SAN DIEGO -- Riding the momentum of a six-game postseason winning streak, San Diego State heads to the campus of No. 17/14 and the No. 15 overall seed Utah this weekend in its first NCAA Super Regionals at Dumke Family Softball Stadium in Salt Lake City. The Aztecs (38-15) and the Utes (40-13) will play a best-of-three series, beginning at 8 p.m. MT (7 p.m. PT) Friday on ESPN2.
SDSU, which is outscoring its opponents, 39-7, this postseason, will also play Utah at 3 p.m. MT (2 p.m. PT) Saturday on an ESPN Network with the if necessary game set for Sunday at a time to be determined. The winner of the three-game series will advance to the Women's College World Series (WCWS), an eight-team, double-elimination tournament with the championship final being a best-of-three series. The WCWS will be conducted June 1-9 at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
San Diego State went 3-0 at the first Mountain West tournament held since 2006 for its second straight MW title and league-record ninth overall. The Aztecs then went 3-0 in the NCAA's toughest regional (RPI average of 32.00) last weekend at Easton Stadium in Los Angeles.
SDSU is playing in its 13th NCAA tournament and second straight under second-year head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz. San Diego State, which also made the tournament in 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2022, is 21-24 all-time in the NCAA championship.
Four players are hitting at least .350 for the Aztecs, including Bella Espinoza (.389, 56 R, 30 SB), Cali Decker (.382, 6 HR, 40 RBI, 29 R), Mac Barbara (.367, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 33 R) and Jillian Celis (.357, 6 HR, 48 RBI, 41 R). SDSU slugged five home runs at the NCAA Los Angeles Regional and have eight in six postseason games after having 27 in its 47 regular-season contests.
The MW Pitcher of the Year Allie Light leads the San Diego State pitching staff with a 14-6 record, school-record seven saves and a 1.86 ERA in 124.1 innings, while Sarah Lehman (11-4, 3 SV, 2.44 ERA, 89.0 IP) and Dee Dee Hernandez (8-3, 5 SV, 2.95 ERA. 76.0 IP) were also a part of a streak of four consecutive shutouts, which was snapped in Sunday's 6-3 win over Liberty. The four straight shutouts were the most in a row for the Aztecs since 2010.
Aztecs Head to Utah for NCAA Super Regionals
