BYU softball will begin a nine-game homestand by hosting Utah Valley on Tuesday, April 7 at Gail Miller Field in Provo. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m. Mountain Time and will be streamed on ESPN+.
The matchup is significant as BYU seeks to improve its record after being swept by Texas Tech last week. The Cougars currently hold an overall record of 11-25 and are 2-10 in Big 12 Conference play. Last week, the team was defeated by Texas Tech with a combined score of 33-6 over three games, each ending in run-rule losses.
Despite the recent setbacks, several BYU players posted notable performances. Maddie Udall-Woolley led the team with a .667 batting average against Texas Tech and hit a home run in game three. Tristen Turlington batted .500, while Lily Owens and Hailey Shuler each contributed doubles and Owens also hit a solo home run.
Season leaders for BYU include Danica Acosta (.330), Shuler (.313), Hailey Morrow (.303), and Lily Owens (.299). Together they account for more than half of the team’s hits and nearly half of its runs batted in this season. In pitching, Shuler has recorded five wins with an earned run average (ERA) of 7.11 and has struck out 32 batters.
The Cougars rank No. 43 nationally in double plays per game (0.44) and No. 44 in total double plays (16), both placing them fifth among Big 12 teams. Jada Villegas’ three saves rank her nineteenth nationally, while Ilove’a Brittingham’s six runners caught stealing place her second within the conference.
Utah Valley enters the contest with a record of 22-15 overall and recently won a series against UT Arlington along with a midweek victory over Weber State. Historically, BYU leads the all-time series against Utah Valley at fifty wins to seven losses, including twenty-five victories out of twenty-seven meetings at Gail Miller Field.
