Category: Washington Huskies

Lindsay Lopez and Washington softball shuts out Arizona State 4-0

Senior Lindsay Lopez tossed a complete game shutout as the Huskies secured a series victory over Arizona State on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Lindsay Lopez got the start in the circle on Saturday when the Washington Huskies took on Arizona State at Husky Softball Stadium. After two scoreless innings, the game saw a rain delay of nearly an hour, but gave the Huskies a chance to warm up their bats.

After play resumed, catcher Sydney Stewart, a sophomore from San Jose, California, was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth inning. Junior Olivia Johnson sent Stewart to second with a sacrifice bunt, but an error by the Sun Devils sent her all the way around to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.

Then, Avery Hobson, a senior transfer from Oklahoma State University, singled and stole second before outfielder Brooklyn Carter knocked a single into right field bringing Hobson home and doubling the lead.

Infielder Rylee Holtorf led off the fifth inning with a double before sophomore Alana Johnson to sail a home run deep to center field to bring home Holtorf and the final runs of the game to clinch the win. Johnson’s bat has been on fire so far this season and Saturday’s blast off the center field logo was her fourth of the year.

The shutout of the Sun Devils moved Washington’s winning streak to 10 games, also giving coach Heather Tarr’s team its first Pac-12 series win of the season. Lopez tossed her first complete game of the season, notching 7 strikeouts, 2 walks and 4 hits, bringing her record to 5-1.

Washington finishes out the series against Arizona State Sunday at noon on Montlake.

Washington track & field wins multiple titles for first time since 2006

Washington’s track and field program finished with two national titles and another two program bests at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

The NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships took place this weekend, providing Washington ample chances to continue their strong run over the last few seasons.

The Huskies answered in kind, with two locals taking home multiple individual national titles for the first time since the 2006 outdoor championships. Senior Luke Houser of Woodinville came away with the gold in the mile, while freshman and Olympia native Hana Moll took the title in the pole vault on Friday.

Houser’s title made it back-to-back championships for the senior, the first to achieve the feat in the mile since New Mexico’s Josh Kerr in 2017-18. Only three other Huskies have ever successfully defended a national track title: pole vaulters Scott Roth (2010-11) and Brad Walker (2003-04) and hammer thrower Scott Neilson, who won four straight titles from 1976-79.

Houser became the tenth back-to-back indoor mile champ in NCAA history with his time of 4:01.72, taking a lead on the rest of the pack with 800 meters to go. He continued Washington’s recent run of dominance in the distance event, marking the Huskies’ fourth straight title. The streak began at the 2022 outdoor championships with Joe Waskom (who finished 8th on Saturday), followed by Houser’s first indoor title last season and an outdoor championship from Nathan Green.

On Friday, Moll became the first ever freshman to win an NCAA indoor pole vault title with a jump of 15 feet, 1 inch. A Husky legacy – her dad Eric rowed on Montlake – Moll came into the event as the American high school and U20 record holder and fell just two inches short of her personal best.

Her title was the first national championship since Katie Flood’s outdoor 1,500m gold in 2012 and marked just the second time a Husky woman took home the pole vault title. Kate Soma also won the event during outdoor season in 2005.

The freshman took three attempts at the Olympic Standard of 15 feet, 6 1/4 inches but fell just short of clearing it.

Washington sent 16 athletes to the weekend’s championships, entering as the No. 5 men’s squad and No. 10 women’s team. Seven were named First Team All-Americans based on their results, including Houser, Moll, weight thrower Jayden White, long jumper Preston Artis, heptathlete Bruno Comin Pescador, miler Joe Waskom, and 800m runner Wilma Nielsen.

Pole vaulters Mathis Bresko, Max Manson, and Nastassja Campbell, 800m runners Nathan Green and Carley Thomas, miler Chloe Foerster, and Houser (in the 3000m) were also named Second Team All-America. Both distance medley relay teams also made the second team. The men’s squad of Evan Jenkins, Daniel Gaik, Ronan McMahon-Staggs, and Leo Daschbach finished ninth, while the women’s combination of Foerster, Anna Terrell, Marlena Preigh, and India Weir came in 11th.

White closed his record-setting Husky career with an eighth place finish in the weight throw on Thursday. Artis, a freshman, set a personal best by a full five inches on his first jump with a 26 foot, 3 inch leap that put him in fifth place after qualifying as the 15th of 16 competitors.

Nielsen’s 2:02.33 in the 800m final on Saturday came in a photo finish, as she was just 18 hundredths behind third place finisher Meghan Hunter from BYU. Still, her sixth place was the best finish in school history in the event. Comin Pescador’s fifth place finish in the heptathlon was also the best in school history, breaking a tie between the Spaniard and Jeremy Taiwo, who finished eighth in 2011.

The Husky men finished the event in tenth place with 20 points, their fifth top-10 finish in program history. It’s the second time in school history they’ve finished in the top-10 in consecutive seasons after placing fourth last year; they were also top-10 finishers in 2007-08.

On the women’s side, their 13 points were good for 17th place, the fourth-best finish in program history and best since 2016. It’s the first time in school history that the women have finished in the top-25 in consecutive seasons after finishing in 24th last year.

The Huskies now have a few weeks off before kicking off the outdoor season, scheduled to begin with the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto from March 29-30.

Washington opens Pac-12 play with a 5-2 victory over Arizona State

The Washington Huskies earned a 5-2 victory over Arizona State on Friday to start Pac-12 play off on the right foot.

The Washington Huskies started the final season of Pac-12 softball off on the right foot, earning a 5-2 victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils inside Husky Softball Stadium on Friday night.

Sophomore Ruby Meylan got off to a slow start in the circle, allowing a home run to Kelsey Hall in the first inning which was followed up by an RBI groundout from Sara Kinch in the second, but settled in after that. She ended up throwing her seventh complete game of the season, allowing 7 hits and 1 walk, but striking out 9.

Offensively, the Huskies responded quickly after falling behind 2-0 in the second inning. A 2 RBI single from Brooke Nelson evened the score as part of a 2 for 3 day for the graduate student from Bonney Lake, Washington.

Junior Kinsey Fiedler put the Huskies ahead for good with a 2 RBI single of her own in the fifth inning to give coach Heather Tarr’s team a 4-2 lead. Fielder also went 2 for 3 on the day, overtaking grad transfer Jillian Celis as the team’s leader in batting average with her performance.

Celis still reached base three times in the win, going 1 for 1 with a single and walking twice. She also added an insurance run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning for her 25th RBI of the season.

Washington has two more matchups with the Sun Devils this weekend, beginning on Saturday at 2:00 and finishing up on Sunday at noon.

Softball America ranks two Huskies inside top 10 at their positions

Jillian Celis and Ruby Meylan have been two of the best players in the country for coach Heather Tarr this season.

The No. 5 Washington Huskies have been one of the best teams in the country this season, carrying a 16-2 record into conference play with the only two losses coming at the hands of No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 7 Oklahoma State.

Two of the integral players to the success of coach Heather Tarr’s team have been pitcher Ruby Meylan and infielder Jillian Celis, who were both named to Softball America’s top 10 at their respective positions heading into the month of March.

Celis was ranked as the country’s No. 2 player at second base and has put together an impressive season in her one year at Washington. The graduate transfer from San Diego State leads the Huskies in most major offensive categories, including batting average, home runs, doubles, hits, runs batted in, and OPS.

Softball America ranked Meylan as the nation’s No. 8 pitcher and after being named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s Third-Team All America in her first year, she appears to be on track for another stellar season full of accolades.

Meylan’s 0.53 earned run average ranks at No. 13 in the country, supported by a WHIP of 0.87 and a strikeout to walk ratio of 55:16 over 42 1/3 innings. She boasts a 6-1 record on the season with five complete games and the only loss coming in extra innings at the hands of the then top ranked Sooners.

With four other Pac-12 teams ranked in the top 25 it will be a tough road for the Huskies to take home the final Pac-12 title, but Meylan and Celis, along with Washington’s high-powered offense appear up to the challenge.

Washington softball’s Celis honored as Pac-12 Player of the Week

Graduate transfer Jillian Celis had a big week for coach Heather Tarr and was honored as the Pac-12’s Player of the Week.

Coach Heather Tarr and the Washington Huskies had an impressive week, starting with a doubleheader sweep of the Maryland Terrapins on Thursday and culminating with another sweep of Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday.

One of the integral pieces during the Huskies’ 4-0 stretch was graduate transfer Jillian Celis, who has been an integral piece of the lineup after transferring from San Diego State and was honored as the Pac-12 Player of the Week on Monday.

Celis hit a home run in three consecutive games, including one to spark the six-run seventh-inning comeback which was capped off by Olivia Johnson’s walk-off grand slam in Washington’s 8-6 victory over Maryland. Over the team’s four games this week, she batted .571 with the 3 home runs, 3 triples, and 8 runs batted in.

She has arguably been Washington’s best offensive weapon all season, as her .403 batting average, 4 home runs, 24 RBI, 9 doubles, and .742 slugging percentage all lead the team.

As the Huskies prepare to face off with the Arizona State Sun Devils to open the final season of Pac-12 play on Friday, Celis is expected to continue to anchor No.4 Washington’s lineup as it attempts to make a run at the Women’s College World Series.

Washington’s offense explodes in Jane Sanders Classic behind Celis’ big day

Jillian Celis was one of Washington’s offensive catalysts as the Huskies scored 23 runs on Saturday to round out non-conference play.

The Washington Huskies couldn’t be stopped during the Jane Sanders Classic in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday during a doubleheader with Mount St. Mary’s. Coach Heather Tarr’s team won both games in five innings by the run-ahead rule, winning the first matchup 10-0 and following it up with a 13-3 victory to move to 16-2 on the year.

Washington’s biggest star of the day was graduate transfer Jillian Celis, who went 2 for 3 with 3 runs batted in during the first game, including a 3-run home run. Junior Kinsey Fiedler posted an identical stat line in the first game, opening the scoring with a 3-run homer of her own in the first inning.

The Huskies hit four home runs in the first game, with Giselle Alvarez and Avery Johnson also taking a trip around the bases.

Graduate student Brooke Nelson and senior Lindsay Lopez combined for a one-hit shutout, with Nelson earning her fourth win of the season recording 6 strikeouts over four innings.

Celis’ exceptional day continued in the second game, going 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. Sophomore Brooklyn Carter went 2 for 4 with 4 RBIs and a stolen base, while Fiedler went 2 for 2 with a triple, driving in 2 runs and scoring one herself.

Sophomore Alana Johnson also went 3 for 4 while first year Sidne Peters earned her second victory of the season. Peters allowed 3 hits and 3 runs (1 earned) while walking 4 batters and striking out 10.

The Huskies will take to the diamond again on Friday to open Pac-12 play with a three game series at home against the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Johnson’s walk-off grand slam clinches sweep of Maryland for Washington softball

Olivia Johnson’s walk-off grand slam gave the Huskies a doubleheader sweep over the Maryland Terrapins on Thursday.

Early in the week, the Washington Huskies moved their home-opener up and scheduled a doubleheader with a future Big Ten conference opponent, the Maryland Terrapins.

Thanks to a walk-off grand slam from junior Olivia Johnson in the second half of the doubleheader to cap off a 6-0 comeback, the Huskies were able to complete the sweep of the Terps and move to 14-2 on the season.

Before the miraculous comeback, coach Heather Tarr’s team started the day the right way with an 8-0 run-ahead rule victory behind the right arm of sophomore Ruby Meylan, who allowed 3 hits and struck out 6 batters over 5 innings.

Offensively, junior Rylee Holtorf led the way with 3 runs batted in, including a 2 RBI triple in the second inning before adding a sacrifice fly to push across the game-winning run in the fourth. Graduate transfer Jillian Celis added 2 hits and 2 RBIs in the victory, while junior Kinsey Fiedler stole home to open the scoring in the second inning.

Lindsay Lopez didn’t have her best day in the circle to start off the second game. The Arizona State transfer lasted just 2/3 of an inning, allowing 5 hits, 6 earned runs, and 3 walks, highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of Sydney Lewis.

However, first year Sidne Peters had her best outing as a Husky in relief of Lopez. She shut down the Maryland offense, striking out 7 and allowing just one baserunner, which came on a walk, over 5 1/3 innings. Washington slowly chipped away at the lead, with sophomore Sydney Stewart’s second home run of the season cutting the deficit to 6-2 in the fourth inning.

That score held until the seventh inning, when Celis led off with her second home run of the season. After Holtorf’s second triple of the day, she scored on a single off the bat from sophomore Alana Johnson to cut the deficit to 6-4 before walks to Fiedler and Stewart loaded the bases for Olivia Johnson.

In an 0-2 hole, Johnson sent a shot over the fence in left center field to complete Washington’s impressive comeback.

The Huskies will return to the field on Friday in Eugene, Oregon, for the first of two games against Mount St. Mary’s in the Jane Sanders Classic.

Washington softball’s Heather Tarr earns 800th career victory

The Washington Huskies’ celebrated softball coach Heather Tarr’s 800th career win on Saturday following a victory over Yale.

Washington Huskies’ softball coach Heather Tarr has been celebrated as one of the best in the business and on Saturday, the 49-year-old reached a milestone in her 20th season at the helm. With Washington’s 8-0 run-ahead rule victory over the Yale Bulldogs, Tarr earned the 800th victory of her storied career which includes the 2009 national championship, eight trips to the Women’s College World Series, and the highest winning percentage of any coach in school history.

Behind a career-high 12 strikeouts from sophomore Ruby Meylan, the Huskies cruised to a sixth-inning victory which saw the All-American third-teamer improve to 5-1 on the season, allowing just 1 hit and 3 walks against her 12 punchouts.

Graduate transfer Jillian Cellis provided a significant chunk of Washington’s offensive production, going 2 for 3 with two doubles that accounted for 4 runs batted in, before scoring a run on Jing Gardner’s sacrifice bunt. Junior Rylee Holtorf hit her second home run of the season, a solo shot in the fourth inning that extended the Huskies’ lead to 5-0.

Many around the university took to social media to congratulate Tarr on her achievement, including Washington signee Alexis DeBoer, the daughter of former football head coach Kalen DeBoer.

The Huskies move to 12-2 on the season with the win and return to action on Thursday when they take on Mount St. Mary’s in the Jean Sanders Classic in Eugene, Oregon.

Brooke Nelson’s no-hitter highlights 2-0 day for Washington softball

The Washington Huskies had an impressive day in Florida, going 2-0 on the day with Brooke Nelson tossing a no-hitter.

Coach Heather Tarr and the Washington Huskies took the field twice on Friday and moved their record to 11-2 with two convincing victories over Pittsburgh and Loyola Chicago.

Rylee Holtorf started the day with a home run in to open the scoring against the Panthers, who answered right back with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning off the bat of Kat Rodriguez. The scoring subsided until the fifth inning when the Huskies pushed 5 runs across, starting with an RBI single from Brooke Nelson and ending when Olivia Johnson scored on an RBI groundout from Avery Hobson.

Lindsay Lopez earned the win for the Huskies, as the senior tossed four shutout innings and allowed just two hits while striking out 3 batters. Pitching was certainly the story of the day when Nelson entered the circle to take on the Ramblers.

The senior spun five no-hit innings, walking one batter and striking out five as Washington’s offense pushed across 9 runs to invoke softball’s run-ahead rule.

Tarr’s squad was fueled offensively in its second game by Alana Johnson, who went 3 for 3 with an RBI and scoring 2 runs herself. Jillian Cellis contributed with 2 hits and 2 RBI while Brooklyn Carter stole home for her 11th steal of the season.

The Huskies will finish up their time in Florida on Saturday morning as they take to the diamond one last time for a matchup with Yale.

Tight End Charlie Crowell could help Washington’s depth

Charlie Crowell, a former Arizona signee, has become a top target for Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies. The Bend, Oregon product could help improve a room hurting for depth.

The Washington Huskies roster has faced severe attrition at many positions but maybe none more glaring than at tight end. Devin Culp and Jack Westover, two veteran leaders from the 2023 season departed for the NFL and the heir apparent to the position, Josh Cuevas, transferred to Alabama.

The team has just three tight ends on scholarship for an offensive staff, led by offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll, who frequently utilized tight ends in the offense at Arizona. This is a need that likely needs to be addressed as soon as possible and the staff will likely look to add some experienced depth when the spring transfer portal window opens in April.

Washington’s current tight ends room is led by senior Quentin Moore along with sophomore Ryan Otton and true freshman Decker DeGraaf. The coaching staff has made the position a point of emphasis since its arrival, pursuing Arizona tight end Keyan Burnett before he opted to withdraw from the portal. Charlie Crowell, a three-star prospect from Summit High School in Bend, Oregon has become the newest target. Crowell had signed his letter of intent with Arizona before being released after the coaching upheaval.

 

Crowell amassed over 500 receiving yards in his senior season, showing his productivity as a primarily inline aligned tight end, which is where he appears to fit best at the next level. The willingness and strength that he shows as a run blocker is an enormous asset for a young player as he tries to gain the trust of the coaching staff. Crowell will need to continue to add strength and mass to his frame as he matures.

As a pass catcher, Crowell will need to do some work before he’s ready to see significant action. It’s unlikely that he will be someone that splits out wide or plays notable snaps in a “big slot” alignment as he fits the inline tight end mold. Working on his catch technique to limit body catches will be necessary going forward. Crowell shows excellent awareness when working in tight spaces and frequently high points the ball while elevating over would be defenders. Refining his route running in order to be a more consistent separator will also allow him to be more consistent as a true pass catcher.

If Crowell does end up committing to Washington, he will give the staff another big body on the depth chart. While he may not be ready to play significantly as a freshman, the staff will value his effort as a blocker and he could play a role on special teams as he refines the rest of his game.