Deseret First Duel matchup in Salt Lake on Wednesday

PROVO, Utah – After going 2-1 at Pacific over the weekend, BYU softball will face in-state rival Utah in the Deseret First Duel on Wednesday.

The Cougars (24-19, 5-1 West Coast Conference) play the Utes (18-18, 2-10 Pac-12) at the Dumke Family Softball Stadium on Wednesday, Apr. 18, at 6 p.m. MDT. Before the matchup, Utah hosts a doubleheader against Weber State on Monday.

The Deseret First Duel will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks and can be streamed live as well. Links to the stream and live stats will be available on the BYU softball schedule page.

BYU STORYLINES

• The Cougars won the last two Deseret First Duel matchups in 2016 and 2017 and have gone 12-5 since the inaugural Deseret First Duel in 2008.
• Kerisa Viramontes earned her second WCC Pitcher of the Week honor of the season after pitching 16 innings in three games without giving up a single run, including 12 innings against WCC opponent Pacific. She allowed seven hits on the week and recorded 13 strikeouts en route to three wins. It is the Cougars’ fourth Pitcher of the Week award in 2018 and Viramontes is the first BYU student-athlete to repeat a weekly honor this season.
• BYU ranks No. 21 nationally and No. 1 in the WCC in home runs per game with 1.07. Twelve Cougars have hit 46 homers in 43 games so far this season, led by Libby Sugg’s 10. Rylee Jensen, Briielle Breland and Caitlyn Alldredge follow with six while Lexi Tarrow has hit four. Alexa Strid, Madison Merrell and Bridget Fleener have all hit three apiece. Allie Hancock has hit two and Ashley Godfrey, Emilee Erickson and Olivia Sanchez have also hit dingers.

OPPONENT OUTLOOK
Utah (18-18, 2-10 Pac-12)

• Then-ranked No. 16/17 Utah beat the Cougars twice in 2017 in the NCAA Salt Lake City Regional after BYU took a 4-3 win in the Deseret First Duel in Provo earlier that season. The Utes advanced to the Super Regional in Seattle and went 1-2 against conference foe Washington.
• The Cougars hold a 33-19 advantage in the overall series, including a 17-5 edge at home. BYU last won in Salt Lake City 5-4 in 2016.
• Utah most recently beat Southern Utah 9-0 last week.
• Head coach Amy Hogue is in her 10th year at the helm of the Ute program. She has compiled a record of 315-263-1 while there.