SUU retains
10 players from 2002

By ANNALISA BANKS
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

SUU softball begins its season at the third-annual Thunderbird Canyon Park Classic in St. George against BYU at 3 p.m. on Friday.
SUU plays host at this tournament featuring BYU, Oregon State, Cal Poly and St. Mary’s.
“We are the littlest team in the tournament, but in the past we’ve beat Cal Poly and Oregon State,” SUU coach Laurel Simmons said. “They have learned not to overlook us.”
The ’Birds have a nice mixture of power, finesse and speed this year, Simmons said. This tournament will give them a chance to see what they need to work on.
“Our goal is not to come out and go 4-0 in this tournament,” senior short-stop Precious Gallo said. “But to learn and make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes.”
The ’Birds have 10 returning players who lettered, including four who received post season Mid-Con honors, April Cox, Precious Gallo and Anna Leeman, as well as the Mid-Con player of the year, Lacee LePrey.
SUU also added four freshmen, one red-shirt and Lacey Hardy, a transfer from Dixie State College, to the squad.
“We added five base hitters, all freshmen,” Simmons said. “And we could have all five freshmen on the field. This is the greatest raw-talent-type group I’ve ever had.”
SUU finished last year with a 26-27 record, which includes a 12-8 Mid-Con record and they entered the tournament as the third seed.
The ’Birds have their biggest home schedule this year
with 12 games.
“This is the best schedule we have ever built,” Simmons said. “We are giving ourselves every opportunity to be successful.”
With the construction of a new home dugout, new uniforms, and a new team the theme for the year is ‘Build it,’ Simmons said.
“The philosophy (is) you reap what you sow,” Simmons said.
“We are starting from scratch and building up to what we want to be,” Gallo said.
Right now the team is on the same page, and wants to do the right thing by putting in the extra effort they need to play well,