PROVO, Utah — BYU softball jumps back into Big 12 play this week with a three-game series at No. 1/2 Oklahoma from Thursday-Saturday, April 11-13.
| BYU @ No. 1/2 Oklahoma | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | Live Stream | Live Stats |
| Thursday, April 4 | 6 p.m. CDT | SoonerVision on ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
| Friday, April 5 | 6 p.m. CDT | SoonerVision on ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
| Saturday, April 6 | 1 p.m. CDT | SoonerVision on ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
The Cougars (21-17, 4-11 Big 12) have struggled since earning their first Big 12 series win two weeks ago and are on a four-game skid after dropping their midweek game at Utah Valley on Tuesday night following a series loss at UCF over the weekend.
In the last four games, BYU has left a combined 35 runners on base, including 21 in its last two games, the series finale against the Knights and Tuesday’s single game with the Wolverines.
Batting .268 over that span with 32 hits, the Cougars have gotten on base, with 15 walks, four hit-by-pitches and a dropped third strike, but have struggled to get those runners home, averaging just 3.33 runs during the UCF series compared to their 6.89 runs per game season average.
Not going down without a fight, BYU has rallied in its past two games, earning a one-run lead on two separate occasions during Saturday’s series finale in Orlando, and plating five in the seventh on Tuesday in Orem.
The Cougars’ season batting average now sits at .331, which ranked No. 16 heading into their midweek game at UVU. Their scoring average ranks No. 12, with a .420 on-base percentage also ranking 12th.
BYU’s batting average and on-base percentage are both good for third in the Big 12, with its scoring average, stolen bases per game (1.11) and walks (121), both fourth in the conference.
Led by a core of shortstop Ailana Agbayani (.425), first baseman Huntyr Ava (.412) and center fielder Violet Zavodnik (.411), who are all hitting above .400, the Cougars feature a lineup with majority of their hitters batting .300 or better.
Zavodnik leads the team with eight home runs, while Ava has launched five and Agbayani sending out four. The shortstop has reached base in 13-straight games, with Ava landing a hit in the last eight.
BYU’s pitching staff consists of Chloe Temples, Kate Dahle and Gianna Mares, who have also made at least 20 appearances, and Alyssa Aguilar, who has pitched 16 innings across 13 appearances.
The Cougars’ trio of Temples, Dahle and Mares have combined to pitch roughly 87-percent of the team’s innings this season, but all have earned run averages over four. Temples has a team-low 4.49 ERA to go along with a team-high 79 strikeouts.
BYU gets set for its first matchup with Oklahoma since the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and first visit to the Sooner State since playing in the Stillwater Regional in 2019.
No. 1/2 Oklahoma (36-3, 13-2 Big 12)
- The Sooners are ranked No. 1 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, and No. 2 in the ESPN/USA Softball poll.
- OU opened the season with a 13-0 win over Utah Valley, the Cougars’ midweek opponent this week, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
- Oklahoma leads the all-time series between the two teams, 8-0. Just two of those meetings have come in Norman, when the Cougars visited the Sooners for a non-conference tournament in 2016.
- BYU head coach Gordon Eakin is 0-7 against OU, with an 0-2 record in Norman.
The Cougars will return home after their trip to Oklahoma for a seven-game homestead, beginning with a single game against Idaho State and three-game set with Iowa State next week.