Weber State University Athletics
Saturday, May 14
Ogden
12:00 p.m.
Weber State University
38-10
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Sacramento State
30-25
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Weber State
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Sacramento State
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Photo by: Robert Casey
Wildcat Softball Makes History En Route to Another Conference Championship
5/14/2022 5:47:00 PM | Softball
OGDEN, Utah – In the most dominating fashion that the Big Sky Conference has ever seen, the Weber State Wildcat softball team run ruled its way to a berth in the NCAA Regionals with its 8-0 win over the Sacramento State Hornets in five innings on Saturday afternoon in front of a capacity crowd at Wildcat Softball Field.
As has been the case in the Big Sky tournament, the Cats got out to a hot start. After Arissa Henderson and Chloe Camarero got on base in the top of the first inning, a McKell McCuistion liner to the outfield brought them both in to give the Wildcats, Saturday's designated visiting team, a 2-0 advantage. McCuistion came around to score on a Hornet error, and the Wildcats closed their half of the inning with a 3-0 lead.
In the Weber State half of the second, following a Mia Rushton leadoff single, Faith Hoe drove her home on a triple down the line. Two batters later, Camarero drove Faith home and Weber State extended its lead to 5-0 after two innings.
With Katelyn Whiting on second and Faith Hoe on first in the third inning and two outs, Henderson, Saturday's starting pitcher, punched a single beyond the Sacramento State infield that plated Whiting and moved Hoe to third. Camarero once again came up to bat and in her final game at Wildcat Softball Field drove a double to the gap that scored both runners. The Hornets were placed on run-rule watch in just the third inning.
Sacramento State managed just two baserunners following the eight-run explosion from Weber State, as Henderson was doing her typical thing in the circle. She was hitting her spots, blowing the Hornets away with her heat, and Sacramento State wasn't able to keep up.
With two away in the bottom of the fifth inning, Henderson slinged a pitch toward the plate that was bounced over to Emily Ruhl. The WSU third baseman zipped the ball over to first for the final out and as tournament play-by-play voice Brandon Garside so eloquently put it, "The road to redemption has been realized for Weber State."
What has seemed inevitable finally became a reality. The Weber State Wildcats are the 2022 Big Sky Conference Champions, and they left absolutely no doubt as to who the best team in the conference this season is.
The Wildcats won 8-0 and capped on a Big Sky tournament with a cumulative score of 27-0 in just 15 innings of play. They were 16-1 against Big Sky Conference opponents this season, and with Saturday's win tied the school record for most wins in WSU history (38). These Cats also set a conference record for best overall and conference winning percentage for a whole season.
I don't know if I have the ability to put into words just how special this team is and what they mean to the University and to the community.
Although the batting order and pitching staffs are star-studded, this season was never about any individual player or coach. They did, indeed, live up to a favorite team saying of, "Sometimes me, sometimes you, always us."
The focus and determination has been there from day one, and they never lost sight of their goal. That goal: exorcise the demons of an early exit in the 2021 Big Sky Conference tournament and bring this program back to the top of the Big Sky Conference standings. Mission: Accomplished.
There have been some incredible moments over this course of this season. Unbelievable plays, superlatives galore, historic wins, and what was very likely the most dominant run in tournament play that the Big Sky Conference has ever seen.
But perhaps the best things about these 2022 Wildcats: They're champions, and they're not done yet.
NOTABLES
-The win gives Weber State its 10th Big Sky Conference title in school history.
-This is the first time since 2019 that the Wildcats have won the Big Sky Conference tournament title.
-Weber State's win clinches the Big Sky's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals
-Henderson was named the tournament MVP. Her final line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO.
-Camarero, Faith Hoe, Henderson, McCuistion, Mariah Ramirez, and Whiting were named to the all-tournament team.
-This is the third time that the Wildcats have won the title game in run-rule fashion (2015, 2019).
-As of this writing, Weber State ranks 50th in the nation in RPI which is one of the measures used by the selection committee to determine seeding and placement for the NCAA Regionals.
QUOTABLES
"It's just awesome. This team has such a great vibe. We're a full team. We have great hitters, great pitchers, and great defense. It's so much fun to do this with our team. I love regionals because it's such a different environment and so much fun. There will be big names there and it's going to be great." – Arissa Henderson
"Best thing ever. The coolest thing by far. I think that a lot of people doubted us last year. This was the first thing we set out sights for back in August. We put in all the work and we finally did it. I feel like it's not over, though. We have a great chance to win a game or a couple of games in the regionals. We're putting our heads down and working." –
Lauren Hoe
"I knew that this is what we had in us, we just had to go out there and do it and I'm so proud of us. I was so excited for regionals on my freshman year when I didn't play very much, but this year's team is so much more important to me just because of the way we bond and how much of a family we are. Being able to represent the Big Sky in the regionals is going to be so much fun. This was the goal all year." – McKell McCuistion
"Unreal. This team is just so driven with such great leadership. They're united and they have a fire that burns really hot. Their determination has been there in every practice, every situation. We've know what's at stake from the very beginning. This is a testament of their determination and their leadership. The way we ended last year has driven us for 12 months. It's going to take me at least a day to let this all soak in. The support has been incredible." – Mary Kay Amicone
UP NEXT
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will be on Sunday at 5:00 PM on ESPN2. We will find out where the Wildcats will be playing and who will be in their region. Per the NCAA website, the regionals will be held from May 20-22.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Make sure to follow Weber State softball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter to stay up to date with everything happening with the Wildcats.
As has been the case in the Big Sky tournament, the Cats got out to a hot start. After Arissa Henderson and Chloe Camarero got on base in the top of the first inning, a McKell McCuistion liner to the outfield brought them both in to give the Wildcats, Saturday's designated visiting team, a 2-0 advantage. McCuistion came around to score on a Hornet error, and the Wildcats closed their half of the inning with a 3-0 lead.
In the Weber State half of the second, following a Mia Rushton leadoff single, Faith Hoe drove her home on a triple down the line. Two batters later, Camarero drove Faith home and Weber State extended its lead to 5-0 after two innings.
With Katelyn Whiting on second and Faith Hoe on first in the third inning and two outs, Henderson, Saturday's starting pitcher, punched a single beyond the Sacramento State infield that plated Whiting and moved Hoe to third. Camarero once again came up to bat and in her final game at Wildcat Softball Field drove a double to the gap that scored both runners. The Hornets were placed on run-rule watch in just the third inning.
Sacramento State managed just two baserunners following the eight-run explosion from Weber State, as Henderson was doing her typical thing in the circle. She was hitting her spots, blowing the Hornets away with her heat, and Sacramento State wasn't able to keep up.
With two away in the bottom of the fifth inning, Henderson slinged a pitch toward the plate that was bounced over to Emily Ruhl. The WSU third baseman zipped the ball over to first for the final out and as tournament play-by-play voice Brandon Garside so eloquently put it, "The road to redemption has been realized for Weber State."
What has seemed inevitable finally became a reality. The Weber State Wildcats are the 2022 Big Sky Conference Champions, and they left absolutely no doubt as to who the best team in the conference this season is.
The Wildcats won 8-0 and capped on a Big Sky tournament with a cumulative score of 27-0 in just 15 innings of play. They were 16-1 against Big Sky Conference opponents this season, and with Saturday's win tied the school record for most wins in WSU history (38). These Cats also set a conference record for best overall and conference winning percentage for a whole season.
I don't know if I have the ability to put into words just how special this team is and what they mean to the University and to the community.
Although the batting order and pitching staffs are star-studded, this season was never about any individual player or coach. They did, indeed, live up to a favorite team saying of, "Sometimes me, sometimes you, always us."
The focus and determination has been there from day one, and they never lost sight of their goal. That goal: exorcise the demons of an early exit in the 2021 Big Sky Conference tournament and bring this program back to the top of the Big Sky Conference standings. Mission: Accomplished.
There have been some incredible moments over this course of this season. Unbelievable plays, superlatives galore, historic wins, and what was very likely the most dominant run in tournament play that the Big Sky Conference has ever seen.
But perhaps the best things about these 2022 Wildcats: They're champions, and they're not done yet.
NOTABLES
-The win gives Weber State its 10th Big Sky Conference title in school history.
-This is the first time since 2019 that the Wildcats have won the Big Sky Conference tournament title.
-Weber State's win clinches the Big Sky's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals
-Henderson was named the tournament MVP. Her final line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO.
-Camarero, Faith Hoe, Henderson, McCuistion, Mariah Ramirez, and Whiting were named to the all-tournament team.
-This is the third time that the Wildcats have won the title game in run-rule fashion (2015, 2019).
-As of this writing, Weber State ranks 50th in the nation in RPI which is one of the measures used by the selection committee to determine seeding and placement for the NCAA Regionals.
QUOTABLES
"It's just awesome. This team has such a great vibe. We're a full team. We have great hitters, great pitchers, and great defense. It's so much fun to do this with our team. I love regionals because it's such a different environment and so much fun. There will be big names there and it's going to be great." – Arissa Henderson
"Best thing ever. The coolest thing by far. I think that a lot of people doubted us last year. This was the first thing we set out sights for back in August. We put in all the work and we finally did it. I feel like it's not over, though. We have a great chance to win a game or a couple of games in the regionals. We're putting our heads down and working." –
Lauren Hoe
"I knew that this is what we had in us, we just had to go out there and do it and I'm so proud of us. I was so excited for regionals on my freshman year when I didn't play very much, but this year's team is so much more important to me just because of the way we bond and how much of a family we are. Being able to represent the Big Sky in the regionals is going to be so much fun. This was the goal all year." – McKell McCuistion
"Unreal. This team is just so driven with such great leadership. They're united and they have a fire that burns really hot. Their determination has been there in every practice, every situation. We've know what's at stake from the very beginning. This is a testament of their determination and their leadership. The way we ended last year has driven us for 12 months. It's going to take me at least a day to let this all soak in. The support has been incredible." – Mary Kay Amicone
UP NEXT
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will be on Sunday at 5:00 PM on ESPN2. We will find out where the Wildcats will be playing and who will be in their region. Per the NCAA website, the regionals will be held from May 20-22.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Make sure to follow Weber State softball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter to stay up to date with everything happening with the Wildcats.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Henderson, Arissa (16-1)
L: Nunez, Alyssa (1-4)
Batting:
2B: Camarero, Chloe 1
3B: Hoe, Faith 1
RBI: Hoe, Faith 1 ; Henderson, Arissa 1 ; Camarero, Chloe 3 ; McCuistion, McKell 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hoe, Faith 2 ; Henderson, Arissa 1 ; Cerda, Marissa 1 ; Camarero, Chloe 1 ; McCuistion, McKell 1 ; Whiting, Katelyn 1 ; Rushton, Mia 1
SB: Camarero, Chloe 1 ; McCuistion, McKell 2
HBP: Camarero, Chloe 1
Batting:
2B: Barboza, Nikki 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
3
RBI
3
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
IF
/ SoftballP/1B
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballBeyond the Bases: Episode 1
Thursday, September 11
NCAA Regionals Highlights
Tuesday, May 20
NCAA Tournament post-game press conference
Monday, May 19
Softball Big Sky Tournament Highlights
Wednesday, May 14