Dixie State Trailblazers (23-8, 17-7 RMAC) vs.
Black Hills State (9-16, 6-11Â RMAC)
MSU Denver (17-19, 12-8 RMAC)Â
April 6-7, 2019Â - Regency Athletic Complex - Denver, Colo.Â
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Game Times (Mountain):
Saturday - vs. BHSU -Â Â 2 p.m.
Saturday - at MSU Denver -Â Â 4Â p.m.
Sunday -Â at MSU Denver - 11 a.m.
Sunday - vs. BHSU -Â 1 p.m.
Live Video:Â MSU Denver Live VideoÂ
Live Stats:Â MSU Denver Live StatsÂ
Twitter: @DixieAthletics | #DixieBlazers
Dixie State softball travels to Denver this weekend for a four-game Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference pod series at MSU Denver's Regency Athletic Complex. The trip to Denver also marks the beginning of an eight-game road swing for DSU.
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The Trailblazers (23-8, 17-7 RMAC) open the series on Saturday with a 2 p.m. matchup against Black Hill State. DSU then closes the first day with a 4 p.m. battle against host MSU Denver. The schedule will reverse on Sunday with Dixie State taking on MSU Denver at 11 a.m., before closing the weekend with another contest against Black Hills State at 1 p.m. Live video and live stats will be provided by the MSU Denver sports information staff. Links for both can be found at DixieStateAthletics.com.
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ALL-TIME VS. BLACK HILLS STATE: Dixie State and Black Hills State will meet for the first time on the softball field during the weekend's RMAC pod series.
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ALL-TIME VS. MSU DENVER: Saturday's game marks the third overall meeting, and the first official RMAC contest, between Dixie State and MSU Denver. The teams first met on Feb. 7, 2015, at the NFCA Division II Leadoff Classic in Tucson, Arizona. The Trailblazers claimed a 9-1 victory in the inaugural matchup between the teams. Dixie State earned a 13-5 win over the Roadrunners on Feb. 8, 2018, at the 2018 DSU Easton Classic to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Saturday's game will mark the first meeting between the teams in Denver.
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KNOW YOUR FOE: Black Hills State enters the weekend with a 9-16 overall record and a 6-11 mark in RMAC play. The Yellow Jackets own conference wins over Colorado School of Mines, CSU-Pueblo, Adams State (2), and Fort Lewis (2). Kindall Bethke (.413/5 2B/2 3B/HR/9 RBI) and Alex Wiley (.357/6 2B/HR/9 RBI) lead BHSU at the plate, while Crystal Amaral (6-4/4.92 ERA/70 SO) leads in the pitcher's circle.
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MSU Denver enters the weekend with a 17-19 overall record and a 12-8 mark in RMAC play. The Roadrunners currently sit in fifth place in the RMAC standings, behind Dixie State in fourth place. Rebecca Gonzales (.398/14 2B/24 RBI) and Darby McGhee (.397/16 2B/4 HR/33 RBI) lead the Roadrunners at the plate, while McGhee (7-8/2.63 ERA/87 SO) also leads MSU Denver in the pitcher's circle.
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LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State earned a four-game sweep over Regis at Karl Brooks Field last week, outscoring the Rangers by a 25-1 count. Cambrie Hazel and Carissa Burgess were dominant in the pitcher's circle, while Jessica Gonzalez hit .700 (7-of-10) with two home runs.
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RMAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Cambrie Hazel was named RMAC Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday for her performance in the four-game sweep of Regis. Hazel began the weekend with a seven-inning gem in the series opener on Saturday against the Rangers. She recorded at least two strikeouts in each of the first five innings, and struck out the Regis side three times. Additionally, Hazel posted a career-high 15 strikeouts in the game, just one strikeout short of tying both the DSU and RMAC single-game strikeout record. Hazel picked up where she left off on Sunday, striking out seven of the first nine Regis batters. She would finish with 10 strikeouts in the five-inning win to push her weekend total to 25. Hazel leads the RMAC with 120 total strikeouts.
APPROACHING 500: The Trailblazers are nearing a significant milestone in their 13th season of NCAA Division II play. Dixie State currently holds a 499-168 (.748) record as an NCAA Division II member. With one more win, the program will record its 500th NCAA Division II victory.
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NEW SEASON, NEW CONFERENCE: After 11 seasons as a member of the Pacific West Conference, the Trailblazers played their first official RMAC contest on February 24 against Adams State. Dixie State logged a 263-67 record as a member of the PacWest Conference and won four PacWest titles (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015).
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ON THE ROAD: Since Randy Simkins began his NCAA Division II-era tenure as head coach at DSU in 2010, the Trailblazers have posted a 134-47 (.740) record in true road games and have logged a winning record on the road in each season. Additionally, Dixie State has recorded a 55-36 (.604) record in neutral-site games.
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DSU TABBED AS RMAC PRESEASON FAVORITE: Dixie State softball was selected as the 2019 RMAC preseason favorite by the league's 13 coaches. The Trailblazers received seven out of a possible 13 first-place votes in the RMAC coaches' poll to garner a total of 138 points, edging reigning RMAC champion Colorado Mesa, which received six first-place votes and earned 135 points in the poll. Colorado Christian landed at No. 3, while Regis and MSU Denver came in at fourth and fifth to round out the top-5. Junior outfielder Brenna Cornwall (Hinck) garnered the team's lone preseason All-RMAC honor as one of three outfielders on the preseason All-RMAC team.
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THE SIMKINS FILE: Randy Simkins is in his 11th year as the Dixie State head softball coach in 2019, after a stint as head coach at DSU while competing in the junior college ranks. In 10-plus seasons, Simkins has accumulated 445 victories to just 126 losses for a winning percentage of .779. He led Dixie State to a program-best 49-6 record in 2004 while the school competed as an NJCAA program. In 2015, the Trailblazers recorded the most wins as a Division II program with 52 victories. Simkins has led DSU to four PacWest championships, two West Region championships, two trips to the College World Series, and a national runner-up finish in 2015.
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2019 ROSTER: Dixie State returns nine starters from the 2018 squad, led by All-American Cambrie Hazel and All-Region honorees Bailey Gaffin and Jessica Gonzalez.
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Hazel garnered third team NFCA All-America honors in 2018 and became just the second DSU freshman (Janessa Bassett, 2015) to attain All-America status. Hazel was dominant in her debut collegiate season, earning six different PacWest weekly awards to go with one national weekly award. Hazel was named PacWest Pitcher of the Week four times, while landing two Freshman of the Week honors. She was also named NFCA National Pitcher of the Week on April 11. Hazel tossed a DSU record five no-hitters and just the second perfect game (vs. NDNU; 3/3/18) in DSU history in 2018. She closed the season with a 20-4 record, a 1.79 ERA, and 142 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .162 batting average. Additionally, Hazel became the first freshman (and the third overall) DSU pitcher to win 20 or more games in a single season.
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Gaffin earned first team All-West Region honors in 2018, hitting .342 with 53 hits, 45 RBI, 12 doubles, three home runs, and one triple. She also recorded 14 multi-hit and 13 multi-RBI games. Defensively, Gaffin has logged a .943 fielding percentage with 78 putouts and 88 assists in 176 chances. She also helped turn six double plays.
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Gonzalez garnered second team All-West Region honors, hitting .319 with 43 hits, 41 RBI, seven home runs, and six doubles. She also recorded 11 multi-hit games to go with 11 multi-RBI games. Gonzalez belted two grand slams in 2018, including the game-winning blast over Concordia-Irvine to clinch the West 2 Regional title. Defensively, Gonzalez posted a .988 fielding percentage with 225 putouts and 23 assists on 251 chances. She also mowed down seven stolen base attempts.
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The Trailblazers also return preseason All-RMAC honoree Brenna Cornwall and third team All-PacWest honoree Kori Gahn.
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Cornwall helped anchor a talented DSU outfield in 2018, hitting .364 with 44 hits, 25 RBI, nine doubles, two home runs, and two triples. Additionally, she posted 10 multi-hit games and logged a team-high .506 on-base percentage. She also stole 16 bases on 18 attempts. Defensively, Cornwall recorded a .971 fielding percentage with 64 putouts and two assists in 68 total chances. Brenna also earned All-PacWest Academic honors with a 3.64 GPA.
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Gahn landed her first All-PacWest honor after hitting .278 with 40 hits, 28 RBI, eight doubles, and three home runs. She also finished the regular season with eight multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI games. Defensively, Gahn logged a .985 fielding percentage with 264 putouts and seven assists in 275 chances.
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DSU returns four other starters from the 2018 squad, including Riley Tyteca (.300/24 RBI/5 HR/5 2B), Kaitlyn Delange, (.292/19 RBI/9 2B), Dani Bartholf (.283/27 RBI/6 2B/3 HR), and Alexandria Melendez (10-4, 4.44 ERA/51 SO).
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Five new players join the 2019 squad, including Division I transfer Mikaela Thomson and freshmen Lindsay Altfillisch, Carissa Burgess, Kasey Crawford, and Ashley Jones.
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UP NEXT: Dixie State heads to Nebraska for a four-game series at Chadron State next Saturday and Sunday.
