Utah Softball Claims First-Ever Pac-12 Tournament Title
May 14, 2023, 9:59 AM | Updated: May 15, 2023, 1:59 pm
TUCSON, AZ – Utah softball added to Utah Athletics’ trophy case beating UCLA to win the first-ever Pac-12 Tournament Title. This was the Utes’ first Pac-12 Championship since joining the league back in 2012.
After an early deficit in the first inning, No. 15 Utah roared back against No. 2 UCLA, 7-4, to win Utah Athletics’ seventh piece of hardware for the 2022-23 season.
This also brings Utah softball’s conference championship trophy count up to 10 with a Mountain West title being the programs last since 2006. Utah’s win clinches an NCAA Tournament berth for the program and will mark the Utes’ 17th appearance in postseason play.
They stepped over every line.
They accepted every challenge.Now they're Pac-12 Champions!#GoUtes /// #SOTL pic.twitter.com/2OFckktAii
— Utah Softball (@Utah_Softball) May 14, 2023
A Dominant Season For Utah Softball
Utah softball came into the 2023 season hot and never looked back in their effort to win the Pac-12 Title. The Utes finished the year 37-13 overall and 15-9 in conference play, beating some of the best college softball teams in the country to get there.
On the Utes’ road to Pac-12 glory, they swept two ranked opponents in Stanford and Oregon. Utah also enjoyed a no-hitter in the series finale against the Ducks to give them the three-seed in the Pac-12 Tournament.
To lift the Pac-12 Trophy on Saturday night, Utah had to go through three teams who had given the Utes some trouble in-season in Cal, Washington and UCLA.
Siri, play “Put On” by Jeezy. https://t.co/BBbtQE1yBU
— Michelle Bodkin (@BodkinKSLsports) May 14, 2023
“It’s a great day to be a Ute!” head coach Amy Hogue said. “For all those who believed in this group, I want to say thank you. For those who are just getting on board, welcome. This team has been doing the work it takes to win championships. This is just the first one. They believe in themselves and in each other. I couldn’t be prouder to be their coach. They deserve this trophy. They earned it. It was one of the greatest team championships I’ve ever been a part of. We needed everyone this week, which is why it was that much sweeter.”
Up Next
The Utes will await their NCAA Tournament regional destination in the Selection Show to be aired tonight at 5:00 p.m. MT. The Selection Show can be streamed on ESPN+.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
