Utah: Building a softball powerhouse
One of the greatest movie quotes of all time is, “Build it and they will come.” Instead of building a diamond in a cornfield, Amy Hogue is building a powerhouse in Salt Lake City.
Hogue has spent nine seasons as the head coach of the Utah softball program. She has had her fair share of growing pains but her 260-229-1 Utah record (42-76 Pac-12) doesn’t tell the whole story.
“We’ve been so processed and taking steps forward for five or six years and people are seeing us because we are doing those last steps and that is to do something that makes that big of a noise like sweeping UCLA and winning the series against Arizona,” said Hogue. “I believe whole-heartedly that we have all the pieces it takes to be a Top-10 team.”
This week, the Utes are ranked No. 10 in the FPN rankings. They are 30-9 this year (12-4 in Pac-12 play) and have beaten ranked opponents such as Tennessee, LSU, UCLA, Cal, Arizona and Arizona State.
“We are more of an aggressive, hit-and-run, squeeze bunt team,” said Hogue. “Not a bunch of stars that live by the long ball. We win as a team and every single weekend there is a different star which is why I think this team has a chance to go a long way.”
One of those stars has been senior Hannah Flippen. The California native is the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year and has worked her into the record books at Utah. She is the career leader in batting average (.380) and fourth in runs scored (151).
“I think this year has been all about being together and working as a team,” said Flippen. “There is no one person that is selfish in any way, it’s just a team. We don’t have to rely on one person to get it done and that has really helped us this year.”
The Utes, just like every other team in the country, have their eyes set on Oklahoma City. They haven’t been there since 1994. In fact, their 2015 Regionals was the first post-season berth since 2006. Last year, they defeated Kentucky in the Lexington Regionals but lost to Florida State in the Tallahassee Super Regionals.
“I think it’s relieving to know that other people see that we’ve been working hard,” said Flippen. “We are still having to prove that we are a Top 10 team and we are beating the teams that no one thinks we will beat.”
Being one of the newer teams, playing in a conference like the Pac-12 presents a challenge to the Utes. Hogue has answered the challenge by recruiting players who were turned away by the other programs.
“I haven’t beat UCLA or Arizona or Washington for a recruit yet, not one time,” said Hogue. “We have a lot of Southern California kids who didn’t get picked by UCLA or Arizona and they kind of have a chip on their shoulder. Some of them felt like they didn’t get a shot and have loved coming here.”
As the season is winding down, the seven seniors have a lot to play for but according to Flippen, they have all the pieces of the puzzle to make a run for OKC.
“We are focusing on what we have to do,” said Flippen. “We have a game plan and we stick to it. It’s proved to be beneficial for us and I hope we can continue to do that.”
