Cougars head to Los Angeles for series at LMU

Cougars head to Los Angeles for series at LMUCougars head to Los Angeles for series at LMU

PROVO, Utah — After splitting its early week rivalry matchups, BYU softball jumps back into WCC play with a three-game series at LMU this week.

The Cougars (21-10, 3-0 WCC) will take on the Lions in a single game on Friday afternoon and a doubleheader on Saturday.

BYU @ LMU Series Information
GameDateTimeLive StreamLive Stats
Game 1Friday, April 142 p.m. PDTWCC NetworkStat Broadcast
Game 2Saturday, April 1512 p.m. PDTWCC NetworkStat Broadcast
Game 3Saturday, April 152 p.m. PDTWCC NetworkStat Broadcast

BYU dropped its Monday night game against Utah, 6-4. After leading 1-0 through five innings, the Utes plated six runs in the sixth inning to take a five-run lead. Center fielder Violet Zavodnik hit a three-run home run down the right field line but the Cougars’ comeback ultimately fell short.

Tallying nine runs on nine hits against Utah Valley on Tuesday night, BYU earned a quick run-rule victory over the Wolverines with a 9-0 shutout. The Cougars were fueled by a solo home run from catcher Hailey Morrow and first baseman Huntyr Ava’s first-career grand slam. Ava totaled six RBI in the game. 

After opening conference play 3-0 with a series sweep at Santa Clara last week, Morrow was named the WCC Player of the Week, BYU’s fifth weekly honor this season. The freshman was tied for the team-lead in batting average, at .444, and also led the Cougars with an .889 slugging percentage.

Dating back to last season, BYU has now won 15-consecutive conference games, the second-longest active streak in NCAA DI softball. LMU was the last team to beat the Cougars in conference play, as they earned a series win after taking two of three in Provo in 2022.

BYU eventually earned a share of the WCC crown, for its eighth-consecutive WCC title, but owning the tiebreaker, the Lions received the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, snapping a streak of 16-straight years that the Cougars had qualified for the postseason. 

Loyola Marymount (17-16, 3-0 WCC)

  • The Lions are on a four-game win streak after picking up a mid-week win at Cal Baptist and opening conference play with a series sweep at Pacific last week
  • This is LMU’s second four-game win streak this season
  • Outside of conference play, the Lions and Cougars share a number of common opponents: Stanford, UCLA, Utah Valley, San Diego State, Utah, Portland State and LSU
  • Tairia Flowers has been head coach at LMU for three season, going 76-54 (.585) in that time
  • BYU leads the all-time series, 26-12, going 9-5 against the Lions in Los Angeles. Cougar head coach Gordon Eakin is 25-11 versus LMU during his tenure. 

The Cougars will return to Provo after their California road trip and play a pair of non-conference games next week. They will host No. 5 Stanford on Monday afternoon and then head down the road to Utah Valley on Wednesday.