Now both are finishing up their college softball careers and hope to boost Weber State as the Wildcats contend for the Big Sky tournament title next week.

“We just have a lot of pride in where we come from, and it’s been really special for us to grow together as teammates and kind of represent Northern Utah,” Finch said. “This culture, everything that we have here, it’s something really special and as seniors, we’re excited to pass the baton.

“We know what the legacy is, we know what Weber State softball is about, and hopefully we set our underclassmen up, and the girls behind us, and everybody who comes through after us, to succeed and hopefully cherish this place.”

Finch prepped at Clearfield High where as a senior, she struck out 174 batters to 38 walks and recorded a 2.23 ERA. She pitched and batted in one season at Salt Lake Community College, recording a 10-5 pitching record and hitting .273 at the dish before signing with Weber State and playing her final three seasons.

Robert Casey, WSU Athletics

WSU head coach Kristin Delahoussaye remembers Finch coming around with her Utah Fastpitch Club team.

“She didn’t pitch every time. She was hitting, she played right field, she played second base. She played everywhere,” Delahoussaye said, adding that Finch often tries to shag balls during batting practice as much as she can. “She’s all over the place. She has so much fun and she’s always been a competitor.”

Finch has moved toward a closer role down the stretch this season and has excelled. In Big Sky games, she’s 2-0 with one save in eight appearances, totaling a 1.56 ERA while striking out eight in 17 1/3 innings.

Finishing a degree in organizational communication with a minor in psychology, Finch — whose parents and grandfather graduated from WSU — says she next wants to get a master’s degree while working in a university’s sports communication office.

Merrill prepped at Weber High and was the Standard-Examiner’s All-Area player of the year for softball in 2021, striking out 178 to 15 walks with a 2.15 ERA while also batting .418 at the plate with 31 RBIs.

She pitched two seasons at College of Southern Idaho before returning to Ogden, where she grew up watching games in the stands.

“I came to games all the time. I really just loved the coaches and everything up here,” Merrill said. “What’s been the most impactful and the most fun is the relationship with all the girls and we’re all really, really tight, and it’s been a great time to get close to them and to finish out my career here. I think that it’s been so fun.”

Delahoussaye smiled when talking about Merrill and her family.

“She’s been around the program for a long time. She supported us. Her family supported us and we’ve watched her grow up, and it’s been really fun to see her get to the point that she’s at now, where she’s a strong, confident adult who knows what she’s doing, is a contributor to our team, things like that. She’s a good leader for us.”

Merrill has studied art and interior design, with a minor in professional sales. She hopes to use those to land a job involving marketing, graphic design and similar aspects.

“It’s been great to have them on the roster in my first year as head coach because … seeing them literally grow up into who they are today — I mean, they’ve got their life plan, they know what they want to do. They know who they’re going to become,” Delahoussaye said. “A lot of pride in watching them grow up. It’s been really fun.”

Coming off a disappointing series loss to Northern Colorado, Weber State (22-29) hosts Utah Tech for a pair of games Saturday to end the regular season, then enters the Big Sky tournament as the No. 3 seed the following week.

“I think we’ve learned a lot these last few weeks about pushing through pressure and making sure that we play our game, no matter what’s going on,” Merrill said. “We’re gonna take that into the conference tournament so we can be really successful there.”