March 14, 2007

LOGAN, Utah - When Utah State's softball team plays in the Cascade Clash Invitational this weekend in Eugene and Corvallis, Oregon, it will be a bit of a homecoming for some Aggie softball players, as five hail from in or around the Portland area while two others are from the state of Oregon.

Live Stats For Oregon DH

Live Stats for Oregon State game

Freshman OF Emily Reilly (Portland/Central Catholic HS), junior C Heather Haak (Salem/McKay HS), freshman OF Michelle Workman (Tigard/Tigard HS), junior OF Whitnie Ray (Portland/Jesuit HS/James Madison), and senior P Lexy Perry (Vancouver, WA/Mt. View HS/Mt. Hood CC) are all from the Portland area. Two more Aggies are from the state of Oregon in senior OF Ashley Bellum (Grants Pass/Grants Pass HS/Corban College) and freshman C Simone Hubbard (Medford/South Medford HS).

Utah State has played all 20 of its games away from home, so this weekend will have extra incentive with many family and friends in attendance.

"I'm excited to go back and play near my hometown," Perry said. "I love the rain and I love playing in the rain, so if it rains during our games, I'll really be excited."

In addition to the change in weather climate, Perry sees it as an opportunity for morale boosting and motivation.

"My family can't make it to many of my games because of being so far away, so just having them there for moral support and cheering me on, hoping I do great, just pushes me to do better," Perry said. "I want to prove that I'm the best that I can. I want to prove that even when they're not there, but when they are there. It just gives me the added feeling that I'm going to go out and kick butt."

Haak, a native of Salem, Ore., is looking forward to the added attendance in the stands.

"I haven't really been back since graduation, " she said. "It'll be nice to have my whole family there to see me play, and see the team play since we're playing so well right now. We're all real excited to go home, and breath the air. We'll approach these games the same, but there will just be a larger U State crowd out there, which will be really nice, but our approach will still be the same in that we're going out there and hope to bring home some wins."

For Portland native Ray, it will be an opportunity to play against athletes she grew up competing against.

"I'm really excited to go back. I was born and raised there and have a lot of friends and family coming," Ray said "I grew up playing against some of the girls on the teams we're playing this weekend."

Ray doesn't think that it will be that hard to block out the added excitement of having more friends and family in the stands than in a regular road game.

"We'll just go in with the same approach and be aggressive. It is the same field and same game," she said.

USU will open action by taking on 16th-ranked Oregon at Eugene, Ore., on Friday, March 16 for a twinbill starting at 2 p.m. (MT). The Aggies will then head to Corvallis, Ore., on Saturday and Sunday, March 17-18, where USU will face Portland State on Saturday at Noon (MT), followed by taking on #15 Oregon State at 4 p.m. (MT). On Sunday, USU returns to the diamond to conclude the Cascade Clash action by facing Towson in a doubleheader starting at 10 a.m. (MT).

Reilly currently leads the team in batting with a .387 average, and is tied for third on the team with 10 RBI. Reilly was also named Western Athletic Conference hitter of the week on March 5, becoming just USU's second WAC award winner.

Bellum is hitting .265 and is tied with Reilly for third on the team with 10 RBI and has belted two home runs this season, including a grand slam against Northern Colorado on March 3. Haak is hitting .217, just ahead of Ray at .209. Ray is tied for second on USU with four stolen bases already this season, three more than she had all of last year. Hubbard has a .167 average and is tied for fourth on the team by drawing five walks, seeing action in seven games behind the plate.

Perry has made six appearances in the circle this season, logging a 1-2 record with 14 strikeouts.

Workman suffered a preseason injury and has yet to see action, but is expected to return to the Aggies' lineup in the upcoming weeks.

The Aggies take an 8-12 record into the weekend, matching last season's win total (8-38). USU has won four of its last six games, stringing together the program's first three-game win streak since 2005.