Softball Hosts Weber State in Home Opener

Series Notes | Live Audio | Live Stats | Live Video

POCATELLO, Idaho- The Idaho State softball team plays its home opener this weekend with a three-game series against conference rival Weber State. The Bengals and Wildcats play a doubleheader Friday, April 3, beginning at 2 p.m. The two teams play a single-game on Saturday, April 4 at 1 p.m. All games are played at Miller Ranch Stadium and all games are free to the public. Following Saturday's game, ISU athletics will host an Easter Egg hunt for elementary aged children and younger on the field next to Miller Ranch Stadium behind the third base-line.

ISU vs. Weber State
Idaho State leads the series 29-18. The Bengals have won five of the last six meetings. ISU took two of three from Weber State last year in Ogden, winning 20-4, 11-5 and losing 5-0. ISU swept Weber State in a three-game series in Pocatello in 2013.

About the Wildcats
Weber State is 25-11 and 6-0 in Big Sky Conference play. The Wildcats are hitting .321 as a team and the pitching staff boasts a 3.40 era.

How to Follow the Series
Live stats, audio and video will be available through isubengals.com.

Up Next
The Bengals remain at home to host Portland State April 10-11. Following the game on April 11, the Bengal softball team will hold a free kids clinic on the field for all elementary aged children and younger.

Galasso Garners National Honor
Vicky Galasso became the second Bengal to earn a softball National Player of the Week honor after her performance last week against Utah State and Southern Utah. Galasso was named the espnW Softball National Player of the Week. She was  8-11 (.727) last week and had six extra-base hits. She had four home runs and a 2.091 slugging percentage. She finished out the week with a .800 on-base percentage. The senior catcher drove in ten runs while scoring eight. Galasso also posted one stolen base and was just a double short of hitting for the cycle in a Saturday victory against SUU.

Burnett Earns National Honor
Kacie Burnett was named the NFCA National Player of the Week for her performance  against the University of Nevada. She is the first Bengal to ever win a National Player of the Week honor. From the plate, Burnett was 10-for-12, good for an .833 batting average. She scored seven runs and was a perfect seven-for-seven stealing bases. Burnett was also the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week and the US Bank Bengal Athlete of the Week.

Bengals Among NCAA Stats Leaders
Several Bengals are making a splash in the NCAA stats. Vicky Galasso ranks second in the nation in RBIs per game (1.55), ninth in home runs (14), fifth in RBIs (51), 10th in home runs per game (.42) and 16th in slugging percentage (.943). Kacie Burnett has the 14th best batting average (.482) and she ranks 20th in stolen bases per game (.70). Burnett also ranks 12th in runs per game (1.24). Katelyn Marquez ranks 38th in triples per game (.12),  and 17th in total triples (4). Bailey Foster is 43rd in saves with two and Hailey Breakwell is 10th in sacrifice flies with 10. As a team, ISU is 30th in fielding percentage (.971) and 15th in triples per game (.33) and double plays turned (.52).
Galasso continues climb in the record books
Vicky Galasso is breaking  nearly every ISU offensive career records. She is first in the career records for runs (170), hits (233), home runs (56), RBIs (200), walks (79) and total bases (451). She is second in the career records for doubles (40) She is two doubles from become the all-time leader.

Battle For All-Time Steals Leader
Junior Katelyn Marquez and sophomore Kacie Burnett are in a battle to become the all-time steals leader at ISU. Burnett currently holds the record as she has stolen 50 bases on 56 attempts. Marquez has stolen 48 bases on 54 attempts. This year Burnett is 23-for-24 stealing bases while Marquez is 11-12.  

Tough Schedule
Five of Idaho State's 13 losses have come against Top 25 teams. ISU opened the season losing to No. 6/7 UCLA 13-3 in six innings. The Bengals then lost three close games to No. 7 Louisiana Lafayette. ISU lost a close 3-1 contest at Cal State Fullerton, a team that was receiving votes in the Top 25. The Bengals lost 10-2 in five innings to No. 23 Kansas.  

Bengal Bites
- Vicky Galasso has reached base in 22 straight games.
- Kacie Burnett has 16 mulitple hit games and Vicky Galasso has 16 multiple RBI games.
- Vicky Galasso has 14 multiple hit games.
- ISU has won the Big Sky Conference regular season championship the last two seasons.
- Julie Wright boasts a  84-56 record at ISU since the start of the 2013 season. ISU is 31-9 in the Big Sky Conference.
- The Bengals are 15-2 at Miller Ranch Stadium in Big Sky Softball games.

First Impression
Freshman Ashlyn Ames has come in as a freshman and contributed early in the circle. Ames is 6-3 with a 3.28 era. She has pitched 72.2 innings with five complete games and one save.

Packing the Offensive Punch
Despite losing the offensive production of Terah Blackwell and Katee Wiley, the Bengals still return a significant portion of the record setting offense in 2014. The Bengals return 79.2 percent of the total runs scored in 2014, 70.2 percent of the RBIs, 68.9 percent of the home runs hit and 62.5 percent of the hits.

Senior Class Sets Foundation for ISU Softball
This year's senior class of Vicky Galasso, Hailey Breakwell, Gabby Lopez and Shaundee Garrett were the first recruits Julie Wright signed when she was named head coach. While Garrett has played sparingly since her freshman season due to injury, Galasso, Breakwell and Lopez have rewritten the Bengal record books. Breakwell has not missed a game in her career and she has started every game but one at short stop. Galasso has started every game as a sophomore and junior. As a freshman she only missed one game, appearing in 47 of 48 games. Lopez played and started in all 48 games as a freshman. She appeared in 30 as a sophomore and 48 as a junior. During those two seasons she played a valuable role as the team's pinch hitter.

Preseason Favorites
The Idaho State softball team was picked to finish first by the coaches in the preseason poll that was released by the Big Sky Conference. This is the second consecutive year ISU has been picked first in the preseason polls.  Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team in the poll.

The Bengals are the two-time Big Sky Conference regular season champions, finishing the 2014 season with a 35-20 record and a 13-4 mark in Big Sky Conference play.

The Bengals return the 2014 Player of the Year in shortstop Hailey Breakwell and the unanimous 2014 Freshman of the Year, outfielder Kacie Burnett.

Vicky Galasso, the 2013 Big Sky Conference MVP and two-time first-team all-conference catcher, returns for her senior season.   Also returning for the Bengals is second-team pitcher Jessica Tolmie along with Maddy Hickman, Micheala Taylor, Sarah Hayes and Katelyn Marquez. All four earned honorable mention all-conference in 2014 and Hickman was the 2013 Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year.

Preseason Softball Poll
Team Points
1. Idaho State 48 (6)
2. Sacramento State 42 (1)
3. Northern Colorado 34
4. Southern Utah 32 (1)
5. Weber State 29
6. Portland State 16
7. Montana 14
8. North Dakota 10
(First-place votes in parenthesis)