ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ hasn’t intentionally been swinging for the fences, but the Wildcats are racking up home runs.
In the nightcap of a doubleheader Tuesday, the No. 13 Wildcats (39-9, 14-7 Big 12) beat New Mexico State 13-0 in 5 innings, hitting six home runs.
“We haven’t been a team really that’s looked to hit home runs this year, which is refreshing actually because we’ve just looked to hit the ball hard and get our pitch and do damage and if it goes over the fence great,†said UA head coach Caitlin Lowe. “I thought they did that (Tuesday). We didn’t have ones that were sneaking over, that were missed pop flies, like they got all of those balls so I think it felt good just that they were able to get on time to hit the ball hard and it just happened to go out.â€

Junior utility Sydney Stewart went 3 for 3 with three home runs against New Mexico State on April 22, 2025, in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
Junior utility Sydney Stewart went 3 for 3 with three home runs. Senior pitcher/infielder Devyn Netz, freshman infielder Jenna Sniffen and sophomore utility Emily Schepp also hit homers.
People are also reading…
“I felt really good, it’s my first game with three home runs ever in my career, so a special moment and I feel like I responded,†Stewart said.
In her first two seasons at Washington, Stewart hit two home runs and five respectively.
She said thinks the jump in home runs is due to her mindset.
“I think just not doing too much, not making the moment too big and I think when you have that mindset then the results will show and I say, like, the softball gods will reward you for having that mindset and just doing things the right way,†Stewart said.
Graduate student pitcher/infielder Miranda Stoddard has 11 homers this year. Last season she just pitched and in her first three seasons, at Kentucky, she hit 13 total dingers. Her previous career high was nine as a junior.
“I think when they walk up to the plate confidently with the plan and they execute the plan, there’s just an intent behind their swing,†Lowe said of Stewart and Stoddard. “There’s conviction behind their swing and I think that matters not just for them, but for all of our hitters.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ closes out its nonconference schedule when it travels to San Diego State (29-15, 13-6 Mountain West) for a two-game series starting Friday.
UA’s six home runs on Tuesday came after it didn’t hit any in the first game of the doubleheader with New Mexico State.
“I think we were just making adjustments,†Netz said. “Like the first game went by fast and we had to turn on and make quick adjustments, so I’m really proud of them for seeing the ball deeper a little bit and just being able to just get their swing off and free it up.â€
As a team, the Wildcats have 66 home runs through 48 games. Last year, they had 72 round-trippers in 56 games.

Emily Schepp logged a homer vs. New Mexico State April 22, 2025, in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.Â
UA has five regular-season games left, plus the postseason.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Wildcats are 16th in the country in home runs and 21st in homers per game (1.38).
UA is second in the Big 12 in home runs; Netz is tied for second, Stewart is fourth and Stoddard is tied for seventh.
Not all of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s round trippers this season have gone over the fence.
On April 13, with Kansas playing a shift, sophomore utility Regan Shockey hit an inside-the-park homer in the hole in right field, her first home run of her college career. UA beat the Jayhawks 11-1 in five innings.
Then on Tuesday in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s 3-0 win over New Mexico State in the opener, junior infielder Tayler Biehl scored along with Stewart and Sniffen after she bunted and the Aggies committed a throwing error.
“When I touched first I saw that they missed it,†Biehl said, “and so then I’m just like running around and I see that the right fielder is having a hard time getting up with it and so then I keep running and all I see at third base is (assistant coach Lauren Lappin) sending me and then as I’m halfway to a home, I’ll peek over and they still have the ball, so it was cool.â€
Extra bases
– UA remained No. 13 in the Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll and stayed 12th in the NFCA Coaches Poll after it won one out of three against new USA Softball No. 12 Texas Tech last week. The Wildcats are No. 12 in the NCAA’s RPI while SDSU is 37th.
– On March 2 at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ beat then No. 23 San Diego State 11-3 in six innings. The Wildcats have won seven in a row and 15 of their last 16 against the Aztecs, but they are 2-2 all time at San Diego State, having played there twice in 1985 and once in both 2001 and 2015.