Utah State Softball reloads for 2026 with familiar bats, revamped pitching staff
Utah State Softball will enter 2026 looking familiar at the plate and very different everywhere else. The Aggies return one of the nation’s most productive lineups from last season’s 26-26 campaign, but their offseason was built around fixing the one thing that kept them from climbing the Mountain West: pitching.
Head coach Todd Judge said the mandate since May has been simple: get outs without needing eight or nine runs every night.
By his tally, the fall season pointed in the right direction. Utah State went 8-0, outscored opponents roughly 77-14 and posted a team ERA around 2.70 after living between 5.00 and 7.00 the past two springs.
“This is the first time I can say that we’re well rounded in all three spots,” Judge said. “We feel like we could actually win a game by shutting somebody down and not have to hit our way through every weekend.”
That’s a notable shift for a program that broke a string of offensive records in 2025 and ranked top 25 nationally in several batting stats but finished near the bottom of the Mountain West in most pitching categories. The returning core at the plate is intact, with first-team all-conference bats Grace Matej and Kya Pratt headlining a group that also includes steady-hitting third baseman Alex Bunton and veteran slugger Kaylee Erickson.
Pratt will slide into the cleanup spot and has tailored her offseason around that role.
“I think for the offseason, the biggest thing for me right now is strength and speed,” Pratt said. “Knowing my role as a cleanup hitter, I’m trying to clear the bases. I’m not trying to hit for average. Lineup-wise, we have a lot of power, and then we also have speed this year.”
That speed piece is led by Boise State transfer Keely Goushá, who profiles as a true table-setter and showed it in the fall with a run-manufacturing bunt against Montana. First-year outfielder Haylee Lopez will add pressure at the bottom of the order as a left-handed contact runner.
Sophomore center fielder Faith Kroening, a role player last year, flashed a potential breakout with two triples in the exhibition against Montana.
The pitching staff is where the Aggies hope to make their biggest leap. Seniors Rylie Pindel and Emmalyn Brinka return as experienced anchors in the group. Pindel opened the Montana game with four composed innings, living on the corners for four strikeouts and two hits.
The difference this year is variety. First-year Kendall Cochran, one of the Southwest’s most touted prep arms, struck out seven in 4.1 innings against the Grizzlies and gives the Aggies a lethal changeup they simply didn’t have last season.
First-year two-way player Jazmin Ramirez brings a rise-ball look, and left-hander Jordyn Lish adds a different angle in late innings. Senior Carly Limosnero, who helped beat No. 19 Baylor last spring, is working back from injury, while seniors Denay Smith and Sydney Saldaña provide depth.
“Last year, every change kind of looked the same: down ball, right-handed,” Judge said. “Now it’s down, changeup, upspin and a lefty. Get to the last six outs and we can actually close without needing four more runs.”
The middle infield — vacated by all-conference shortstop Ariel Fifita — has been rebuilt around versatility and range. Judge stockpiled shortstops and will sort the best combinations. Kate Vance, Ramirez and Goushá can all handle short, though the staff likes Goushá’s athleticism at second base, where range is at a premium in softball.
After winning their game against Montana, the softball team does ‘The Scotsman’s’ cheer Oct. 18 at LaRee & LeGrand Johnson Field. Photo By: Alyssa Cook
Erickson and Kenzee Olsen are options at first base, and Ramirez can swing to the corners if needed. The Montana game offered a snapshot of both promise and polish still required: sharp turns and run prevention most of the day but three infield errors as the new pairings learned each other.
In the 9-6 win in the Montana exhibition, the Aggies showed what their offensive balance could look like, manufacturing runs with bunts and steals while still showing power. Pratt and Bunton each homered, Matej doubled in a run and Utah State’s pitching allowed just four hits through seven innings.
Diversification matters, Judge said, when the ball isn’t flying at altitude or when opponents sit on power.
“Last year, we had one gear, and that one gear was doubles, home runs and trying to outscore the other opponent,” Judge said. “When you are stuck offensively, and then you’re not driving the ball in the park, you need to change gears and show another way of winning.”
USU’s 2026 schedule has not yet been officially released, but Judge hinted it will be the program’s toughest slate yet. The nonconference lineup is expected to feature several Power Four opponents and nationally ranked teams, giving the Aggies a chance to test themselves early and often.
“I didn’t come to try and go play the Group of Five type teams,” Judge said. “I want to play the best teams in the country and see how we match up.”
The first-year infielder Vance, a former top 10 national recruit and transfer from Arizona, has leaned into the program’s intense workload and expects to be full speed by February after powering through an ankle injury during the fall.
“Every Sunday, we have weights at 6 a.m., and then we go to our hitting, and then we go practice, and then we have conditioning,” Vance said. “Not every school is doing this. This program is being built the right way, and it’s definitely going to pay off in the long run.”
Pratt put the goal line in plain terms.
“I definitely want to win the Mountain West,” she said, noting recent springs that started hot and faded late. “We need to know how to finish.”
Judge went a step further. After breaking through to the conference tournament last year and notching multiple ranked wins, he framed 2026 as the program’s next rung.
“To make the Mountain West tournament is a given now,” Judge said. “If we don’t make the NCAA tournament, it would be a failure in my mind.”
The Aggies know what they can do with the bats. Now, for the first time in years, they may have the pitching, lineup flexibility and speed to match.