Anissa Urtez

Personal: Urtez majored in human development and family studies at Utah. Her childhood dream was to become a professional athlete. Urtez dedicated her life to live out her dreams and is motivated to work hard every day by her family, her fiance, and their dog, Hank. Her hobbies include hiking, biking, Peloton, tennis, and painting. Urtez also likes to find new coffee shops and breweries. She got engaged to former Athletes Unlimited Softball athlete Amanda Chidester in 2020 and will be married in June 2024. Urtez lists former Utah assistant coach Maggie Livreri Huffaker as a person who has made a difference in her life. She would love to own a coffee shop if she was not playing softball. Urtez was involved in Guitar Club, dance, and playing tennis as a child. Her walk-up song is “Drifter” by Hippie Sabotage.

2022 Championship Season: Urtez accumulated 1,246 leaderboard points, including 316 stat points, and was a member of the Athletes Unlimited Softball All-Defensive Team for the second straight year. Urtez started every game and posted a .280 batting average with four home runs and nine runs batted in. She posted at least one hit in 11-of-15 outings, including three games with two hits. Urtez hit safely in seven consecutive games from Aug. 12-26, fashioning a .346 (9-for-26) average with a home run and four runs batted in. She opened the season by hitting three home runs in the first four games, including back-to-back contests to begin Week One. Urtez registered back-to-back two-hit performances on Aug. 14 and Aug. 19.

2021 Championship Season: Urtez was the GEICO Defensive Player of the Year who accumulated 1,354 leaderboard points to finish 14th in the league. She was also a member of the inaugural All-Defensive Team. Urtez tied for third in the league with 160 MVP points and hit .327 while starting all 15 games. She tallied one home run with 15 runs batted in and posted a league-leading 52 at-bats. Urtez compiled 17 hits, good for third in the circuit, and tied for first in the league with five doubles. She ranked second in Athletes Unlimited with 15 runs batted in and was one of eight players to record a triple. Urtez was eighth in the league with 27 total bases.

2020 Championship Season: Urtez ranked 15th on the inaugural season leaderboard with 1,510 points. She finished 10th in the league with 1,190 win points, batted .344 while starting 13-of-14 games, hit one home run with 10 runs batted in, tallied five extra-base hits, tied for the league lead with two triples, and tied for second with two sacrifice hits.

International Experience: Urtez played on Team Mexico for six years from 2016-21. She helped Team Mexico qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and hit .300 (6-for-20) in six games in Tokyo, including a pair of two-hit games. Urtez also blasted two home runs, including the first in the team’s Olympic history, with four runs batted in. She fashioned a .368 batting average in seven games at WBSC Softball Americas Qualifier and won Silver medal at 2017 Pan American Games and 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games. Urtez represented Mexico at 2018 International Cup, hitting .313 while leading the team in hits.

Other Professional Experience: Urtez played for the NPF’s Scrap Yard Dawgs in 2017. She batted .231 while helping the team win Cowles Cup. Urtez spent the 2019 season with Cleveland Comets and hit .301 in 73 at-bats. In 2022, she played for the Toda Medics in the Japan Diamond League.

At Utah: Urtez was a four-year letter winner who played in 219 games from 2014-17. She compiled a .357 career batting average with 15 home runs and 163 runs batted in. Urtez also tallied 236 hits, including 43 doubles and seven triples, while scoring 147 runs. She ranked third on Utes’ career doubles and runs batted in lists. Urtez was a three-time All-Pac 12 Conference performer and a First-Team All-Pac 12 selection as a junior after leading the league with 12 doubles and ranking sixth in the circuit with 70 hits. She paced Pac-12 with 12 sacrifice bunts during her sophomore campaign while starting all 55 games. Urtez was an Honorable Mention Pac-12 All-Defensive Team in 2015 after ranking among league leaders with 106 fielding assists and a member of the 2014 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. She was also a Third-Team NFCA All-Region selection in 2014.