Prior to the 2007 season, BYU softball head coach Gordon Eakin was asked about the offensive capabilities of his squad. Reflecting on the losses of then recently graduated power-hitters Ianeta Le'i and Ashlyn Russell, Eakin noted that the 2007 version of his Cougars wouldn't hit as many home runs as the previous year's team. The players proved their coach right, but not in the way he expected. BYU's bats exploded for a team single-season record 87 home runs, thoroughly obliterating the former record of 68 deep balls set in 2005.
And so it went for the Cougars in 2007, as several individual career-highs translated into unanticipated team records throughout the season. When it was all said and done, the team had actually posted better offensive numbers than in 2006. BYU's 1.38 home runs per game was the second best mark in the nation. The Cougars finished the season ranked third in the nation in slugging percentage (.528), and their collective batting average of .314 and 5.71 runs per game placed the team 12th and 15th in those respective categories.
The pinnacle came when BYU found itself in the NCAA Tournament Regional Championship game -- the farthest any Cougar softball team had gone in program history -- on its own home field against No. 9 Arizona State. However, BYU's stellar season was by no means an easy one.
Just as Eakin did not foresee the team home run record falling before the season began, the wildly successful year did not exactly manifest itself as an inevitability as far as 30 games into the season. Sporting a less-than-overwhelming 16-14 record, the Cougars were struggling to recapture the offensive firepower that sparked them to a 5-0 start in February. However, the team also had yet to play its first home game to that point.
Coming off a 9-1 victory over Longwood College at the Diamond Devil Invitational in Tempe, Arizona, BYU came to Provo to open its home season against Idaho State in late March. A 2-0 series sweep over ISU, followed by a spirited sweep of pre-season Mountain West Conference favorite San Diego State on the road, put the Cougars in the middle of its second five-game winning streak of the year.
Although BYU would be tripped up in its next two games at UNLV, the wins injected a dose of much-needed confidence into Eakin's club and sent the team on a wave of domination that propelled it to its third straight season of 43 wins or more, an MWC title and its third consecutive and fourth overall NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Cougars won 26 of their last 30 regular season games, a spurt that included a school-record 16-game winning streak and allowed the team to both finish the season atop the MWC with a 16-4 record and establish its best home-season record in program history of 15 wins and one loss. During its incredible run, BYU hit 49 home runs as a team with senior Jodi Norton and junior Emi Snow combining for 26 of the 49 dingers.
Individual excellence was a key theme of the 2007 campaign with Norton leading the way behind 23 home runs, a new BYU single-season record. The shortstop also hit career marks in batting average (.348), runs (44), hits (64), RBI (59) and total bases (141). All of this amounted to Norton's second all-conference team selection, her first MWC Softball Player of the Year award, and her first Easton All-American Second Team honor. Along with those accolades, Norton was named to the 2007 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-West Region First Team.
Norton was not the only Cougar to step up her game. Joining her on the MWC all-conference team were Snow, Jennifer Whiteley, Angeline Quiocho and Christie Zinanti, while Whiteley joined Norton on the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-West Region First Team. Snow received a Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-West Region Second Team nod.
Whiteley, in particular, gave her teammates consistency and leadership in her final season in uniform. The outfielder from Houston, Texas became just the fourth player in team history to finish a season with a batting average over .400 with her league-best .416 on the year. Whiteley also led the league with 82 hits and reached career-highs in runs (47) and RBI (26). She finished her career with the school's all-time triples record (13). Proving she gets it done off the field as well, Whiteley was named to the 2007 CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team and to the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American Second Team.
Snow provided a beacon of optimism for 2008 with improved play of her own. She came into the 2007 campaign with eight career home runs. By year's end, the Mililani, Hawaii native had tripled her career total by going deep 16 times. Snow was first on the squad with 14 doubles, third with 60 hits and was second with a .663 slugging percentage, all career-highs. She was also second behind Norton with 49 RBI, another career-best.
With Norton, Whiteley and Snow anchoring the team's brilliance behind savvy, veteran play, freshman Quiocho gave the coaching staff and the rest of the league a glimpse at the future. Tabbed as a starter early on in the season because of injuries to Andrea Ramirez, Quiocho shot onto the scene like a lightning bolt both figuratively and literally.
Not only did Quiocho blast a two-run homer in her first collegiate at-bat, she also terrorized the opponents' defense with a team-leading 15 stolen bases and 48 runs. Quiocho finished the season third on the team with 12 home runs and hit .446 in conference games. Defensively, Quiocho recorded a team-high 124 assists and thrilled fans with some fancy double-play work.
Another freshman proved she'll be a force to be reckoned with from the pitcher's circle. Right-hand hurler Zinanti became only the second pitcher in school history to record a 20-win season by going 20-8. Ten of those wins came in league-play, which helped Zinanti to receive all-conference honors as the MWC's top-winner. Along with the accolades came postseason experience for Zinanti. She won her 20th game against Cal Poly in the Cougars' first game of the NCAA Regional.
Hosting the tournament for the second consecutive year, BYU had its best postseason run ever by going 2-2 in the first round. After routing Cal Poly 9-0 on the tournament's first day, the Cougars fell to No. 7 seed Arizona State on day two. Needing a win over Southern Utah to stay alive in the double-elimination round, BYU used a five-run fifth inning to overcome a late deficit and eventually take a 10-5 victory over the Thunderbirds. However, the Cougars ran into PAC-10 powerhouse Arizona State once again in the Regional Championship and their unbelievable season came to an end with a 6-3 loss.
Though the abrupt end to a remarkable season was a bitter pill to swallow, especially for the team's seniors, the final narrow loss proves that NCAA softball has only begun to see what BYU is capable of. With a strong class of returning seniors on hand to make one last run -- and eventually pass the torch on to the Cougars' returning underclassmen -- all signs continue to point up for the BYU softball program. And you can bet that Eakin won't be underestimating his players again anytime soon.
"Playing the caliber of ball we did, I think, is a step in the right direction for our program," Eakin said at the end of the year. "I expect us to be just as good, if not better, next year with the players we have returning and coming in."
To view the entire season review including a list of all awards and recognition please click on "view the pdf version" at the top of the page.