The University of Utah softball team is headed to the NCAA tournament.
But the Utes won’t have to go far.
The No. 15 Utes will be hosts as regional play gets underway next weekend. The Utes are set to face Southern Illinois on Saturday. Ole Miss and Baylor will be the other teams in the Salt Lake Regional.
Utah got to this spot by taking down the No. 2 UCLA Bruins for the school’s first Pac-12 softball title. Hailee White’s sixth-inning single drove in Ellessa Bronstrom for the go-ahead run. Halle Morris followed that up with a pinch-hit homer to make it 7-4, which would be the final score.
“For those who are just getting on board, welcome,” Utah coach Amy Hogue said in a news release. “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.”