BYU began its 2025 Big 12 baseball season with a 5-2 victory over Cincinnati on March 12 at Miller Park in Provo, Utah.
The win is significant as it marks the start of conference play for BYU and also represents head coach Trent Pratt’s 200th game leading the Cougars. The game featured strong performances from both hitters and pitchers, helping BYU improve to an even record of 8-8.
Despite being outhit by Cincinnati eight to six, BYU relied on home runs from Crew McChesney and Ezra McNaughton. McChesney hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning to give BYU an early lead. In the seventh inning, McNaughton added a three-run home run that extended the Cougars’ advantage to four runs. Pitchers Garrison Sumner, Justis Reiser, and Ashton Johnson combined efforts on the mound, limiting Cincinnati’s scoring opportunities throughout the game.
Sumner pitched five and one-third innings, allowing just four hits and one run while striking out six batters. The bullpen duo of Reiser and Johnson finished the final three and two-thirds innings, giving up only one additional run. Johnson closed out the ninth inning with two strikeouts after Cincinnati threatened with runners on base.
Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for Friday at Miller Park at 3:00 p.m., followed by Saturday’s contest at 1:00 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN+ as well as BYUradio.org and the BYU Radio app.
