It was another successful season for BYU with an appearance at the NCAA Regionals in Columbus and a 2009 record of 40-18 overall, 12-2 in the Mountain West Conference.
That first place in the conference thrust the Cougars into post-conference play and marked the fifth time BYU won the MWC, and the third time in five years they have reached the league pinnacle.
Jessica Purcell had an eventful year filled with recognitions and accomplishments. Purcell was named to the 2009 Easton All-American Second-Team All-American. That honor made her one of six BYU players to receive All-American status. Purcell received other honors throughout the year such as being named to the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Third-Team All-America, several MWC Player of the Week, and was named the MWC Player of the Year.
Both pitchers received awards and recognitions. Junior right-handed pitcher was named the MWC Pitcher of the Year, and also made the 2009 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Pacific Region team.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Paige Affleck earned several academic awards including being named to the Academic All-District First Team and the MWC Academic All-Mountain West Conference Team.
Angie Quiocho led the team both on and off the field and was the named the MWC Player of the Week several times, and made the All-MWC team for the first time in her collegiate career.
Purcell, Zinanti, Affleck, Quiocho, and Andrea Ramirez were the five Cougars named to the All-MWC team.
BYU head coach, Gordon Eakin, collected his first MWC coaching honor in 2009 after guiding BYU to its fourth regular-season league crown and fifth consecutive NCAA Regional appearance. In his seven years at the helm, Eakin coach has an overall record of 285-129 (.688).
“It’s been a great honor but my success really belongs to the team,” Eakin said. “There are many people on our coaching staff that have worked hard to help our players get ready to play, so I view this as an honor for the entire team.”
Earlier in the season, the Amateur Softball Association of America and USA Softball named Eakin one of 14 coaches in the 2009 Women's National Team coaching pool.
BYU tied the program best 16-game winning streak with a series of wins coming at the hands of several MWC opponents. San Diego State snapped the win streak with a 5-4 extra-innings win over BYU on May 1.
BYU ranked 24th in the Ultimate College Softball Coaches’ Poll, marking the first time the team has broken into the Top-25 since their No.25 ranking in 2006. The Cougars consistently received votes all season, and were listed at No. 27 in the USA Today/NFCA Poll. BYU also ranked nationally in batting average, ERA, scoring, doubles per game, Win-Loss Percentage, homeruns per game, and slugging percentage.
The Cougars completed a 33-game road trip to begin the season. The team traveled as far as Tampa, Fla., to compete during their tournament schedule. They bounced from coast to coast, also playing several tournaments in California.
The Cougars were 2-9 against opponents ranked in the top-25 at the time of the game. BYU faced No. 15 Washington in a 7-3 defeat before falling 0-4 in 10 innings against No. 12 Tennessee at the Red Desert Classic. BYU dropped a 4-2 game to No. 9/10 Michigan, before taking on No. 1/1 Alabama in a 6-0 loss. BYU also dropped a game to Louisville (then RV).
The Cougars won their first game against a ranked opponent with an extra-inning no hitter against then-ranked No. 21/24 Fresno State before falling to No. 9/10 Cal. Against then No. 20 Florida Gulf Coast (Ultimate College Softball Poll) BYU dropped 5-4, after leading 3-0 for majority of the game.
The Cougars exacted revenge on Cal at the Capitol Classic when they defeated the Golden Bears 4-0. In their last battle against a ranked opponent BYU fell 4-1 against Cal Poly (RV).
Despite almost knocking off NCAA Regional host and No. 11 Ohio State, the team’s season drew to a close with back-to-back losses at the Columbus Regional after letting go of a 4-0 lead against the Buckeyes for a 5-4 eight-inning loss, and then falling 4-2 at the hands of Kentucky who had lost the day earlier to BYU, 6-2.