Rams Hit the Road to Face Ranked Competition

FORT COLLINS - The Colorado State softball team will head to Tucson, Arizona, for its third weekend of the season at the Hillenbrand Invitational February 21-23. The Rams will compete in five games over the course of three days, opening with their first game on Friday against No. 1 Texas.

Colorado State at Hillenbrand Invitational
Friday, February 21, 2025
Game 1 vs No. 1 Texas | 2:30 PM | Live Stats | Watch
Game 2 at No. 11Arizona | 7:00 PM | Live Stats

Saturday, February 22, 2025
Game 3 vs UC Davis | 12:30 PM | Live Stats | Watch
Game 4 vs No. 20 Stanford | 5:30 PM | Live Stats | Watch

Sunday, February 23, 2025
Game 5 vs No. 1 Texas | 9:00 AM | Live Stats

What You Need to Know

Three of the four teams the Rams will face are ranked in the top 25 of NCAA rankings entering week three of the season.
Texas is ranked first in the NCAA after starting its season undefeated and accumulating all first-place votes in the ESPN/USA Softball Poll.
Next weekend is the Ram's home opener in which they will face Texas A&M - Corpus Christi and Northern Colorado at Rams Field Feb 28 and March 1.

Scouting the Invitational

This weekend marks the first time Colorado State will face Texas in program history. Last season the Longhorns finished ranked first in the Big 12, going 23-4 during conference and 55-10 overall. The Longhorns closed off their 2024 season as the runner-up in the NCAA Women's College World Series after falling to Oklahoma in the championship. Texas has several key players during its 2024 season, with several players achieving Big 12 accolades. Sophomore Reese Atwood was named the Big 12 Player of the Year, freshman Taegan Kavan was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and Coach Mike White received his fourth Coach of the Year award, his first in the Big 12. The Longhorns also had five players named to the All-Big 12 First Team, three to the All-Big 12 Second Team, and three named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team. Texas has transitioned to the SEC ahead of the 2025 season after 28 years in the Big 12. So far in the SEC, the Longhorns have won all 11 of their games, with their most notable win being an 11-0 shutout against No. 8 Texas Tech this past weekend. Texas is predicted to finish first in the SEC according to the preseason coaches' polls.
This will also be Colorado State's first matchup against Arizona. Last season the Wildcats finished ranked fourth in the Pac-12. The Wildcats have transitioned to the Big 12 ahead of the 2025 season, joining powerhouse teams such as Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Houston. The Wildcats are currently ranked first in the Big 12 and 15th in the NCAA after claiming a 10-1 record going into week three. Following the 2024 season, sophomore Tayler Biehl was named the Pac-12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Arizona also had three players named to the 2024 Pac-12 First Team, two named to the Pac-12 Second Team and two named to the Pac-12 Freshman Team. Arizona is predicted to finish third in its first season in the Big 12, according to preseason polls.
The Rams have faced UC Davis five times in previous years, their most recent matchup back in 2011 with the Rams winning 11-6. Last season the Aggies finished the season ranked seventh in the Big West after going 12-15 in conference and 21-29 overall. The Aggies are currently ranked sixth in the Big West, their most notable win against Portland State with a score of 10-2. The Aggies will look to sophomore Ashley Sawai this season after she was named the Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year following the 2024 season. UC Davis is predicted to finish eighth in the Big West according to preseason polls.
The Rams have faced Stanford five times in previous years, most recently just last season, in which the Rams took the No.12 ranked team to nine innings and fell just short of the upset. Last season the Cardinals finished the season ranked second in the Pac-12 after going 17-7 during conference and 50-17 overall. Stanford joined the ACC in August of 2024 and is currently ranked first after starting the season 9-0 going into week three. Following the 2024 season, the Cardinals lost the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, Nijaree Canady, after she transferred to No. 8 Texas Tech. Stanford is predicted to finish fourth in the ACC according to the preseason coaches' polls.

Game Notes

Last weekend the Rams competed in the Silicon Valley Classic and went 2-3, with wins over Cal Poly and Santa Clara.
Sophomore Reagan Wick recorded her second shutout of the season against Cal Poly, with four strikeouts and only four hits allowed. Wick is currently ranked fourth in Individual Pitching in the Mountain West after boasting a 1.87 ERA after week two.
Senior Brooke Bohlender leads the team in batting average with a .370, good for 12th in the Mountain West. Bohlender added two hits this past weekend against Santa Clara, contributing to the Rams 10-8 win.
Freshman Autumn Rutherford leads the team with 11 hits, five of which came from this past weekend. Rutherford also shows her strength defensively as a utility player, with 13 putouts and a .933 fielding percentage.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results