PROVO, Utah — BYU baseball begins a new chapter in 2024 as a handful of key veterans and a bevy of new faces carry the program into its inaugural Big 12 season.
The Cougars open their 2024 campaign with three games at the MLB Desert Invitational Feb. 16-17 and 19 in Mesa, Arizona at Sloan Park, the home of Chicago Cubs spring training. USC is first on the slate for BYU followed by Ohio State on Feb. 17 and Grand Canyon Feb. 19.
Head coach Trent Pratt (40-37) begins his second full season at the helm for BYU. His team finished the 2023 season 24-28 (13-14) in its final run through the West Coast Conference.
Pratt and second-year pitching coach Abe Alvarez are joined by two new assistants in 2024 with the addition of Adam Law and Tyler Coolbaugh. Law is a former BYU infielder (2009-13) and comes to BYU after five years as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ international operations and mental performance coach. Coolbaugh arrives in Provo following two years as Arizona’s director of player development as well as two seasons on staff with the Texas Rangers and Abilene Christian.
BYU enters 2024 without the services of five graduated multi-year starters in third baseman Austin Deming, first baseman Jacob Wilk, pitcher Jack Sterner and outfielders Cole Gambill and Ryan Sepede. Deming, a third-team All-American and the WCC regular-season triple crown winner, was selected in the 10th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros.
The Cougars return 19 players this season, including five starting position players and 10 pitchers with game experience.
Infield & Outfield
First baseman/outfielder Cooper Vest started 45 games a season ago and led the team in triples while finishing second in batting average (.359), RBI (46), hits (65) and doubles (16). Vest was named All-WCC Second Team following the 2023 season.
WCC All-Freshman selection Luke Anderson gives BYU a veteran in left field with 43 games played and 36 starts in 2023. Anderson is BYU’s second-leading returner in RBI after recording 32 last season to go with 12 doubles, six home runs and a slugging percentage of .503.
Infielders Brock Watkins and Easton Jones return after a combined 75 starts in 2023 while recording 22 and 14 runs, respectively.
After missing last season with an injury, catcher Collin Reuter returns for the 2024 season. Reuter scored 28 runs and recorded 24 RBI through 46 games played as a freshman in 2022, after being named WCC Preseason Freshman of the Year by D1 Baseball. Parker Goff started in Reuter’s place in 2023 and finished second on the team in triples and on-base percentage.
BYU’s infield is further bolstered by transfers Crew Robinson and Chipper Beck. Robinson helped UC San Diego to the 2023 Big West regular-season title with 26 runs on 39 hits and 25 RBI. Beck piled up 41 runs on 70 hits and 28 RBI while guiding Salt Lake Community College to a Scenic West Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and NJCAA West District Title in 2023.
The addition of Utah Tech transfer Bryker Hurdsman gives BYU another talented baserunner and powerful outfield arm. Hurdsman joins the Cougars after recording 19 runs on 23 hits and 16 RBI in 22 starts for the Trailblazers last season.
Crew McChesney, Ryker Schow and Walker Sanders are among the true freshmen looking to make an impact for BYU in 2024. McChesney joined BYU having been recruited by TCU and Oregon State and ranked third among Utah high school baseball prospects after starting four-seasons of varsity baseball at Lone Peak High School. Schow, out of Pleasant Grove High School, was named a high school Preseason All-American by Perfect Game in 2023 and was recruited by TCU and Utah before choosing the Cougars. Sanders comes to BYU from Lamar, Mississippi’s Marshall Academy and finished his high school career among the state’s top-10 2023 prospects.
Pitching Staff
Mason Olson, Bryce Robison and Boston Mabeus each return after pitching a combined 188.3 innings in 2023. Olson led BYU with 72 strikeouts while Robison finished second with 53. Mabeus recorded an ERA of 3.25 and notched four saves on the year while receiving All-WCC honorable mention recognition.
Ben Hansen, Cutter Clawson and Jake Porter each return to the Cougar pitching staff as well with a combined total of 124.3 innings pitched and 105 strikeouts.
Transfers Candon Dahle and Stone Cushing will reinforce BYU’s bullpen in 2024. Dahle and Cushing come to BYU via the College of Southern Idaho where they appeared in 42 combined games. Dahle was a three-year varsity starter at Idaho’s Blackfoot High School, while Cushing prepped at Salem Hills High School and was named to Utah’s 5A All-State First Team in 2021.
Cayson Bell, Maddax Peck and Max Stanley provide BYU with exciting young talent on the mound. Bell signed with BYU after also being recruited by Oregon State and Utah following a two-time All-State career at Dixie High School in St. George, Utah. Peck was the state of Utah’s top-ranked prospect in 2023 and a top-100 recruit nationally after a three-year varsity career at Bingham High School. Stanley, a product of Douglas County High School in Parker, Colorado, was selected in the 20th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. He was recruited by LSU, Tennessee and Alabama.
Schedule and Big 12 Outlook
BYU’s 2024 schedule includes 53 games with 30 Big 12 Conference games and 23 non-conference matchups against teams from six different leagues. The Cougars will host 23 games at Miller Park and play 27 true road games, along with three games to open the season at the MLB Desert Invitational, Feb. 16-19 in Mesa, Arizona.
BYU’s 2024 Big 12 schedule features 11 of the 13 baseball teams in the conference. The Cougars will not face TCU or UCF in the 2024 regular season, and Iowa State does not sponsor baseball.
Three BYU opponents are ranked in the D1Baseball Preseason Top-25 with Texas at No. 16, Texas Tech ranked 21st and Kansas State at No. 24. Big 12 counterpart TCU is ranked fifth. The Horned Frogs won the 2023 Big 12 title and advanced to the College World Series before falling to national runner-up Florida.
The Cougars will face six teams that qualified for last season’s NCAA Tournament, including Texas, Texas Tech, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Miami. Both Oklahoma State and Miami achieved No. 1 seeds and hosted NCAA Regionals.
BYU was tied for 12th with Cincinnati in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll. At the conclusion of the 2024 regular season, the league’s top-10 teams will advance to the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, May 21-25.